Improving Alfalfa Yield with Applications of Balanced Fertilizers

Abstract

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) has an annual economic value of $9 billion in the United States (USDA NASS, 2018). In Arizona, there are currently 260,000 acres of alfalfa producing 2.16 M tons of hay with a cash value of $451 million. Increasing the productivity and improving the profitability of alfalfa in the low desert southwest United States is of great importance for dairies and livestock. Growers intensively manage and frequently harvest alfalfa to achieve and sustain high yields with high nutritive value that dairies depend upon.