b'The Queen ofSustainability and NutritionAlfalfa remains a powerhouse crop despite shrinking acreage. Melissa Shipman, Seed World U.S. ContributorALFALFA IS SOMETIMEScalled the Queen of forages,Water Worriesbecause it is a high-yielding nutritional powerhouse that hasIn the past, Brummer says alfalfa management was moving many soil benefits, drought tolerance and deep roots, all whiletoward earlier harvest for very high-quality dairy hay or silage, being environmentally sustainable. so breeders have focused on very aggressive harvest manage-As a key nutrition source for cattle, especially the dairyment. However, now breeders are shifting focus to support new industry, alfalfa is still one of the most valuable forages in theirrigation strategies, namely deficit irrigation.United States. While harvested acreage has generally trendedThis water-saving strategy intentionally provides the crop downward over the past two decades, the total value of all alfalfawith less water than is needed over a period of time, provid-increased from $11.6 billion in 2021 to $12.9 billion in 2022 nation- ing significant savings as alfalfa typically has a high irrigation wide and in June 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture esti- demand. mated 15.6 million acres for the year. The environmental benefitsEssentially, (growers) will water until they dont have water are also significant.and then irrigation just stops for a couple of months, Brummer Alfalfa is a fabulous crop for many reasons, not only assays. It really stresses the plants that way, so those things are forage but also in rotation. Figuring out ways to keep it pro- very much on my mind as a plant breeder. We have to figure out ductive so that it can provide those benefits to the soil is reallywhere the management is heading and then try to breed under important beyond just producing alfalfa, says Charlie Brummer,those conditions.UC Davis Center for Plant Breeding director. Brummers lab is currently testing commercial varieties that Today, researchers and seed breeders are working to increaseare already available as well as their own experimental varieties. yields, improve sustainability and expand markets for this impor- Growers in the region rely on the ebb and flow of the Colorado tant crop as producers are tasked with providing alfalfa hay, sile- River for water.age and forage on less land with less water. Given everything we know about water and the Colorado We really havent seen an increase in alfalfa hay yields inRiver, deficit irrigation management is going to become more decades, Brummer says. He explains that while some acreageand more important, Brummer says. In a couple of years, well has been lost to tree crops in the West, water concerns are thehave a better idea on strategies to select for it as well as be able main concern.to give growers some information on which varieties already perform particularly well under that strategy.Below: Alfalfa in Tulelake, California. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLIE BRUMMER30/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2024'