Acre Feet Of Water Needed To Grow Alfalfa

How much water is required to grow one acre of alfalfa.

Acre feet of water needed to grow alfalfa.

Anyone who has grown alfalfa even a few years knows it needs a lot of water to produce high tonnage. Kearney alfalfa and forage field day september 18 2015 parlier ca how much water does alfalfa need. 2012 12 03 23 41 50 2012 12 03 23 41 50. From about mid april to early august daily water use of a good stand of alfalfa in the farmington area averages between 0 25 and 0 30 inch figure 1 and totals more than 30 inches during this time period.

3 how to grow alfalfa. 9 alfalfa crop rotation. Alfalfa is a. Hay harvested at 12 moisture removes 240 lbs water ton hay or 1 800.

A north dakota study shows that irrigators can expect alfalfa increases of 1 6 to 1 5 ton per acre per year for each inch of water applied until irrigation and precipitation water total 24. A well fertilized healthy alfalfa crop may use as much as 8 inches of water from the soil in addition to 4 to 6 inches of water supplied by irrigation and rainfall before the first cutting. Requirements for alfalfa are 20 to 46 inches of water per season depending on climate elevation growing season number of cuttings latitude and fall dormancy rating of the alfalfa variety. In fact on the average alfalfa needs about 6 of water in the soil available to the roots for each ton of dry matter produced.

On the average irrigated alfalfa will use approximately 4 to 5 inches of water for every ton of hay produced. How long does alfalfa grow. Potential irrigated alfalfa hay yield at elevations near 4000 feet is about 7 5 tons acre. Over the entire alfalfa growing season from dormancy break in february or march to the first frost in mid october however et totals 45 to 50 inches and should produce 8 tons of dry hay or more per acre.

Cooperative extension specialist in agricultural water management university of california davis dzaccaria ucdavis edu. Seasonal alfalfa water applications generally. 2 alfalfa plant information. Seasonal alfalfa water applications generally range from 4 000 000 to 5 500 000 acre feet.

4 alfalfa soil requirements variety selection weed management. 7 alfalfa water requirements. 8 alfalfa harvest yield per acre. Not much water is exported with alfalfa hay.

6 alfalfa fertilizer requirements.