Premium
Enhancement of Field Hay Curing with Potassium Carbonate
Author(s) -
Mullahey J. J.,
Mueller J. P.,
Green J. T.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1988.00021962008000020010x
Subject(s) - forage , hay , agronomy , medicago sativa , dry matter , zoology , field experiment , field trial , potassium , chemistry , biology , organic chemistry
Treating alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) herbage with solutions of K 2 CO 3 reduces curing time. However, there is a lack of information concerning the effectiveness of K 2 CO 3 solutions as a hay drying agent in the humid environment of the southeastern USA. The objective of this research was to quantify the influence of several concentrations [3.5‐17.2 kg Mg −1 of dry matter (DM)] and solution volumes (25–166 L Mg −1 DM) of K 2 CO 3 on the time required to dry first‐, second‐, and third‐cutting alfalfa to 800 g kg −1 DM under field conditions in the humid southeastern USA. Field experiments were conducted during 1984 and 1985 on a Typic Hapludult soil in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. In all trials, applying K 2 CO 3 solutions to alfalfa significantly reduced field drying time compared with untreated forage. Treating alfalfa with K 2 CO 3 at mowing reduced field drying time from 3 to 22 h compared with untreated forage. Relative to untreated forage, drying time was reduced by 29 to 72% due to K 2 CO 3 treatment. In five of seven trials, the treated forage reached a DM concentration of 800 g kg −1 1 d before untreated forage. Increasing the K 2 CO 3 concentration from 3.5 to 14 kg Mg −1 of DM resulted in a small but statistically significant reduction in drying time of the forage in three of seven trials. These differences were considered to be biologically insignificant. Increasing K 2 CO 3 solution volume from 25 to 166 L Mg −1 of DM did not affect drying time of alfalfa forage. Potassium carbonate applied as low as 3.5 kg Mg −1 of the forage DM in a solution volume of 25 L Mg −1 of DM has the potential to significantly reduce the field drying time of alfalfa hay in the humid southeastern USA.