Alfalfa Drying, Loss and Quality as Influenced by Mechanical and Chemical Conditioning

Abstract

ABSTRACT FOUR conditioning treatments of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) were compared which included: (a) no conditioning, (b) mechanical conditioning using intermeshing rubber rolls, (c) chemical conditioning using aqueous potassium carbonate and (d) mechanical and chemical conditioning combined. Mechanical conditioning increased drying rate during first cutting by about 80% with a small effect on second cutting and no effect on later cuttings. Chemical conditioning improved drying of all cuttings when drying conditions were good. During first cutting, chemical conditioning provided only a 40% increase in drying rate due to the heavier swath structure, but up to a 175% increase was measured on later cuttings. A combination of mechanical and chemical conditioning provided only a small increase in drying rate over mechanical conditioning alone during first cutting. During later cuttings where mechanical conditioning was less effective, the combination provided similar increases in drying rate as obtained with chemical conditioning alone. Dry matter losses and quality changes during field curing were not affected by conditioning treatment. Loss and quality degradation in storage was higher for unconditional hay because it was often baled at 25 to 30% moisture due to slow drying.