How many jin of alfalfa can be produced per mu
This article introduces the yield of alfalfa per mu and the price trend of alfalfa in 2024, related to the green plant aspects. Specifically, the following is introduced:
Nutritional value of alfalfa
Alfalfa is native to西亚细亚, Iran, Transcaucasia, and the highlands of Turkmenistan, and has a history of cultivation in China for more than 2000 years, widely distributed in the northwest, north, and northeast regions, and is the largest cultivated forage grass in China. Alfalfa is known as the "king of forage grass" for its high yield and good quality, and it has high nutritional value. In the dry matter of alfalfa, the crude protein content is 18% to 24.8%, lysine is 1.06% to 1.38%, crude fat is 2.4%, crude fiber is 35.7%, nitrogen-free extract is 34.4%, crude ash is 8.9%, calcium is 1.09%, phosphorus is 0.3%, and the net energy for milk production in the early and full flowering stages of alfalfa dry grass is 1.23 and 1.68 Mcal/kg, close to medium-energy feed. Alfalfa protein contains more than 20 amino acids, including all essential amino acids for humans and animals, such as methionine 0.32%, lysine 1.06%, valine 0.94%, threonine 0.86%, phenylalanine 1.27%, leucine 1.34% (Zhang Ziyi, 2000), and some rare amino acids (citrulline, canavalia amino acid, etc.), mainly存在于 in the leaves of alfalfa, of which 30% to 50% of the protein is in the chloroplasts. One mu of alfalfa can produce 5000 kg of fresh grass per year, calculated at a fresh-dry value of 4:1, it can produce 1250 kg of high-protein, vitamin grass powder, and its protein yield is 4 to 6 times that of a mu of corn and equivalent to 750 kg of soybeans; the biological content is 3 to 4 times that of corn; the yield of vitamins and mineral elements is more than 10 times that of corn, and its comprehensive nutritional value is higher than that of corn, wheat, and other food crops.
Nutritional value of alfalfa
Application of alfalfa in animal husbandry
1. Dairy cows
In recent years, the dairy industry in China has maintained a sustained and stable development trend, with the total milk production of dairy cows increasing from 2.59 million tons in 1984 to 9.19 million tons in 2000. However, the use of high-quality Gramineae and Leguminosae forage grass is very low in China's dairy production, and the conventional feed for dairy cows is still low-quality straw roughage (such as corn straw, wheat straw, and rice straw) and a simple mixture of the three major materials (corn, bran, and cake). The energy is excessive, the protein feed is single, the amino acid collocation is improper, and there is a serious lack of minerals, trace elements, and vitamins, leading to a low feed conversion rate and low milk production and milk fat rate. Table 1 lists the nutritional components of four types of roughage.
Table 1 Nutritional components of four types of roughage
Alfalfa hay Corn silage Wheat grass hay Corn straw
NEL/（MJ/kgDM） 5.6 3.8 3.4 2.1
CP/%DM 17.9 10.4 6.7 6.4
NDF/%DM 45.5 66.0 69.6 84.3
As can be seen from the table, among the four types of roughage, the nutritional value of alfalfa hay is the best, followed by corn silage, then wheat grass hay, and the worst is corn straw. In 1998, the average milk production of dairy cows in China was 1469 kg, lower than the world average of 2028 kg. Summing up the experience of high-yield, healthy, and long-service life of dairy cows abroad, it mainly lies in the year-round feeding of high-quality forage grass (such as alfalfa and Rumex K-1). Therefore, the promotion of high-quality forage grass should also be vigorously promoted in China. Liu Shuxin's experiment of replacing 5 kg of corn concentrate with 5 kg of alfalfa for dairy cows showed that feeding dairy cows with alfalfa could increase the daily milk yield per cow by 1.5 kg, and each cow could increase the daily income by 4.35 yuan. This indicates that replacing some of the concentrate with alfalfa can reduce the cost of the diet and increase milk production. Li Sheng used high-quality alfalfa as the roughage for high-yielding dairy cows and studied its impact on the production performance of dairy cows. The test results showed that the daily milk production increased by 3.2 kg, the milk fat rate increased by 9.7%, and the milk protein rate increased by 3.8%. Wang Yunheng (2000) replaced 2.5 kg of alfalfa hay with 2.5 kg of wheat grass for dairy cows, and the milk production increased significantly, and the milk composition also improved, with a net increase of 3.68 yuan per cow per day. It can be seen that replacing low-protein corn straw, wheat grass, and corn silage with high-protein alfalfa hay can increase milk production, improve milk composition, and raise economic benefits.
2. Sheep
Alfalfa has a high annual yield and contains various essential amino acids, with relatively high biological value of protein, and is rich in calcium, phosphorus, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin C, vitamin E, etc. Therefore, feeding meat sheep with alfalfa hay can improve the fattening effect and economic value of meat sheep. Zhao Fengli's experiment on feeding meat sheep with alfalfa hay showed that the dressing percentage, net meat rate, eye muscle area, and water loss rate of the sheep in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group, but the amount of alfalfa added should not exceed 30% of the diet. Hu Yongjie fed meat sheep with purple flower alfalfa, and the test results showed that the daily weight gain of the experimental group of goats was 27.4g higher than that of the control group, and the economic benefits increased by 18.1%. Hong Mingkui conducted a fattening effect experiment on small-tailed Han sheep with alfalfa hay and protein powder feed, and found that the effect of alfalfa hay and protein powder on the daily weight gain, dressing percentage, and net meat rate of small-tailed Han sheep was basically the same.
3. Pigs
Incorporating a certain amount of alfalfa grass powder into the diet can provide growing pigs with some maintenance energy and tissue synthesis needs, but the fiber content in alfalfa is relatively high, and the more it is used, the stronger its anti-nutritional properties. Therefore, the addition amount in pig diets should not be too large. Han Donglu's experiment showed that adding 5% alfalfa grass powder to the pig diet resulted in an average daily weight gain 17.78g higher than that of adding 9% alfalfa grass powder. However, experiments in many states in the United States (1953-1955) showed that using 5% to 15% high-quality alfalfa in the diet of growing and finishing pigs could result in good production performance. In order to improve the utilization rate of alfalfa by pigs, cellulase can be added to the pig diet with a high level of alfalfa. Shen Ruiling added 0.1% complex cellulase to the pig diet containing 10% alfalfa, and the utilization rate of crude protein increased by 19.2%, crude fiber increased by 41.1%, daily weight gain increased by 17.9%, and dressing percentage increased by 5.69%. In addition, adding alfalfa to the diet has a very important effect on the health of breeding sows and the development of fetuses. Sows do not have an urgent need for feed energy during the barren period and the early and middle stages of pregnancy. If too much energy is provided during this period, it will make the sows too fat, leading to difficulty in getting pregnant or a low birth rate. Therefore, feeding sows with more high-quality forage grass during the barren period and the early and middle stages of pregnancy, these two and a half months, can not only save a lot of concentrate feed but also the large amount of vitamins and minerals in alfalfa is very beneficial to the health of the fetus.
4. Poultry
Alfalfa contains rich vitamins and mineral elements, as well as other unknown growth factors, which can improve the production performance of poultry. Alfalfa total glycoside is a biologically active substance extracted from natural alfalfa and has similar functions to soybean isoflavones. Lei Zuyu added alfalfa total glycoside to the diet of broiler chickens, and the test results showed that the abdominal fat weight and abdominal fat rate of the broiler chickens in the experimental group decreased by 7.70% and 11.16% respectively, with a significant difference (p＜0.01); the semi-eviscerated weight increased by 3.89%. This is because alfalfa total glycoside enhances the protein synthesis ability in broiler chickens, while increasing the absorption and utilization rate of nitrogen, reducing the metabolic products of nitrogen, and thus increasing the semi-eviscerated weight. Alfalfa grass powder is also an important source of xanthophyll in poultry feed, which not only makes the yolk color bright and improves laying performance but also reduces production costs. Tao Fujun reported that feeding geese with alfalfa grass could increase the individual egg production by 19%, the yolk color of commercial salted goose eggs became significantly darker and redder, showing a golden yellow color, and each goose could increase the income by 12 yuan. He Xin's experiment showed that adding 5% alfalfa grass powder to laying hen feed had a significant promotional effect on yolk coloring.
5. Other animals
Crude fiber is a partial source of energy for rabbits and plays an important role in maintaining normal digestive function and preventing digestive tract diseases. Alfalfa contains abundant crude fiber and also contains four vitamins (VA, VE, VK, VB12) that rabbits cannot synthesize. Gao Chongyue added 50% alfalfa grass powder to the diet of Angora rabbits, with a daily weight gain of 10.7g, hair production of 110.3g, and dressing percentage of 52.3%, which was better than feeding with ordinary roughage. Cui Rishun fed梅花鹿 with alfalfa instead of leaves, and the experimental results showed that the dry weight of the antlers in the experimental group increased by 25.1%, and the single yield of second-bar antlers increased by 10.66%; it is recommended that adding about 36% fresh alfalfa to the diet of deer is appropriate.
III. Alfalfa Leaf Protein
Alfalfa leaf protein (ALP) is a protein concentrate formed by crushing, pressing, coagulating, precipitating, and finally drying the stems and leaves of alfalfa. The history of leaf protein research can be traced back to 1773 when Roulle extracted colored flocculent material, i.e., leaf protein, from green plants with alcohol. Currently, leaf protein in France, the United States, and Australia is mainly extracted from alfalfa, with significant results in France.
1. Nutritional value of alfalfa leaf protein
The protein content of alfalfa leaf protein ranges from 38.31% to 62.70%, crude fat 6% to 12%, nitrogen-free extract 10% to 35%, crude fiber 2% to 4%, digestible energy 17.4 to 19.1 MJ/kg, and metabolic energy 10.8 to 13.4 MJ/kg. Alfalfa leaf protein is also rich in vitamins and minerals, with 1100 mg of xanthophyll, 300 to 800 mg of carotene, and 600 to 700 mg of VE per kilogram of alfalfa leaf protein. The development and utilization of alfalfa leaf protein is beneficial for alleviating the current tense protein feed resources in China and improving the potential nutritional value and economic added value of alfalfa.
2. Application of alfalfa leaf protein in animal husbandry
(1) Chickens
Studies have shown that replacing 50% to 100% of fish meal in laying hen feed with leaf protein made from a mixture of alfalfa, melilotus, corn, and Sudan grass has no effect on the laying rate. Tang Xiaoling and others (1996) used 5.97% and 10.63% of leaf protein to replace 2.5% and 5% of fish meal in laying hen feed, and the test results showed that there was little difference in laying rate, total egg production, and yolk color. Feng Lizhi (1998) showed that when replacing 50% to 75% of fish meal or meat bone meal in the diet of雏鸡 with leaf protein, the survival rate increased by 3.4% to 4.2%.
(2) Pigs
Former Soviet scholar Mamtoba (1986) reported that the proportion of various amino acids in leaf protein is similar to that in defatted milk protein, only slightly lower in methionine and cystine content, but higher than soybean cake. Balance tests on young pigs showed that the digestibility of alfalfa leaf protein is 62% to 70%, and the absorption rate of amino acids is 77.2% to 82.3%. Replacing 50% of the fish meal and defatted milk and 1/3 of the soybean cake and hydrolyzed yeast in the diet of 43 to 60-day-old piglets with alfalfa leaf protein resulted in a difference of only 4g in daily weight gain between the experimental group and the control group, while the feed cost was significantly reduced. Hua Fenmei and others reported that replacing defatted milk with leaf protein feed in piglets increased the daily weight gain by more than 10%.
IV. Prospect
At present, China's feed resources are relatively scarce. With the improvement of people's living standards, the improvement of dietary structure, and the development of the breeding industry, China's animal husbandry will need more feed resources. China has a population of 1.3 billion, with an average of only 450 kg of grain per capita, and it is impossible to allocate more grain for feed. Therefore, it is necessary to plant forage grass moderately to change this situation. In recent years, the Chinese government has proposed the policy of returning farmland to grass and trees, which not only protects the ecological environment but also improves the agricultural industry structure and expands feed resources.
Alfalfa has great potential in this regard. With the industrialization of alfalfa in China, alfalfa will play a greater role in China's animal husbandry.
The comprehensive method of how many jin of alfalfa can be produced per mu and the price trend of alfalfa in 2024 mentioned above is hoped to be a piecemeal introduction that can solve your green plant problems.