| dc.description.abstract | Economic importance of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is reflected in the production of high-quality forage, however, the seeds of alfalfa are valuable commodity in the domestic and international markets. In Serbia, the seed is produced in forage-seed mode of exploitation where the second or third growth is used for seed production, and the remaining growths are used for fodder. The aim of this work was to determine the influence of cuttings and time of cutting on total energy value of hay in a model of forage and seed production. The second and third cuts were used as seed cut. In the variant where the second cut was used as seed cut, the first cut was harvested at different times (A1-early, A2-medium early, A3-late and A4- very late). In the model where the third cut was used for seed, two pre-cuts were used for forage production (A5). In all the following variants, seed cut was followed by one more cutting (final cut), used for the production of fodder. The highest average total production (from pre-cut and final cut) of NEL (34606 MJha-1) and NEM (33811 MJha-1) was realized in the system of cutting with two pre-cuts. In the variant with single pre-cut, the highest yield was formed in the early system. Later cutting of the first cut causes decline of NEL production and it was the lowest in the system of very late cutting or 15.1 % less than in the early system and 38% lower than in the system of cutting with two pre-cuts. Delaying of utilization of alfalfa to the later stages of exploitation has contributed to the lower yield of NEM and in the medium early system and late system and especially in the very late cutting system, where by 22.2 % less was realized than in the early production system. Studies have shown that late cutting of first cut resulted in the reduction of nutritional value expressed in the amount of net energy per unit area. | en |
