What are the characteristics of alfalfa?
Alfalfa plants produce flowers on racemes (flower stalks) and each raceme possesses 10–35 densely packed purple flowers. Alfalfa produces spirally coiled seed pods each containing 2–6 seeds. Pods may have a smooth or hairy outer surface. Alfalfa plants can reach a height of 120 cm (47 in) and live for between 3 and 8 years.
Do honey bees eat alfalfa pollen?
They will collect the alfalfa pollen, which has a khaki color and make it an average pollen source for the honey bees’ food supply. If the western honey bees are harvesting only alfalfa they may suffer protein stress, due to shortage of one of the amino acids comprising the pollen protein, isoleucine.
What is the pollination of alfalfa?
B. affinis is important to the agricultural industry, as well as for the pollination of alfalfa. It is known that members of this species pollinate up to 65 different species of plants, and it is the primary pollinator of key dietary crops, such as cranberries, plums, apples, onions, and alfalfa.
Why is it called alfalfa with purple flowers?
This species may bear either the purple flowers of alfalfa or the yellow of sickle medick, and is so called for its ready growth in sandy soil. Traits for insect resistance have also been introduced from M. glomerata and M. prostrata, members of alfalfa's secondary gene pool.
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What color should pollen be?
Though we associate pollen with the color yellow, pollen can come in many vibrant colors, including red, purple, white, and brown. Since insect pollinators such as bees, can't see red, plants produce yellow (or sometimes blue) pollen to attract them.
What has bright orange pollen?
The bright-orange pollen of California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is always a great lure for honey bees.
Is pollen yellow or orange?
Most pollens are yellow and orange in color but not all.
What pollen is white?
Indeed, poplars produce a white cellulose cotton-like fluff that is absolutely hypoallergenic and has the simple role of allowing the popular seeds to be transported far and wide on the wind.
What color is red maple pollen?
grey brownTrees and shrubs – SpringCommon nameLatin namePollen colorRed MapleAcer rubrumgrey brownGrey AlderAlnus incanabrownish yellowAmerican ChestnutCastanea dentataSweet ChestnutCastanea sativa40 more rows
What color is oak pollen?
yellowSneezing. And that yellow dust seemingly coated on everything outside. It's oak pollen season. If you've been outside lately, it's hard to miss nearby trees, handrails and cars all rocking a powder coat of yellow/light green oak pollen.
What trees produce yellow pollen?
Yellow pollen is produced by evergreen trees, primarily pine trees, including spruce, true cedar trees, fir trees, larch and hemlock. Although yellow pollen looks like it could cause an allergic reaction, in reality it does not trigger allergy symptoms at all. It can stain the skin and clothing, however.
Which pollen is green?
The yellow-green dust of pollens we see on cars, decks, streets and everywhere, from mid April thru May, is mostly pine pollen. It settles on the ground due to its large pollen size. Pine pollen is hardly a trouble maker for most of the allergy sufferers in the triangle area.
What color is cedar pollen?
The release of cedar pollen during mountain cedar season is intense in Central Texas. Residents often describe a visible yellow and orange cloud of pollen hovering around the Ashe Juniper tree.
What tree has fluffy white pollen?
cottonwood treesSo what are these white balls of fluff? They're actually seeds from cottonwood trees, which fall within the poplar family! Once the weather gets warm enough, these tall trees begin letting their seeds fly around. Interestingly enough, they are not related to cotton plants in any way.
What is this white stuff floating in the air?
0:001:19What are those white, fluffy objects floating around? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThey are popular seed pods there are roughly 30 different kinds of trees that are considered poplarMoreThey are popular seed pods there are roughly 30 different kinds of trees that are considered poplar trees. And it's the female trees that release these seeds to be carried by the wind.
What is the white cotton floating in the air?
The cotton we see floating in the air is the release of the seeds from black poplar and black cottonwood trees, she said, which fly off their branches when they are mature, and the pod is dried. A good wind can whisk them away. Think of it as akin to dandelion fluff, she said. This is a tree version of that.
What flower produces red pollen?
Well, one flower that yields red pollen is rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora). It's a drought-tolerant perennial, a succulent.
What Colour is Heather pollen?
Pollen Description : Ling heather pollen is very distinctive due to its composite tetrad shape, made up from 4 interlocking grains. It is approximately 45um in size and has a smooth surface. Each pollen grain has three pore type apertures. The pollen load is brown.
What is the alfalfa plant?
24°20′21.5″S 018°35′36.4″E. / 24.339306°S 18.593444°E / -24.339306; 18.593444. Alfalfa is widely grown throughout the world as forage for cattle, and is most often harvested as hay, but can also be made into silage, grazed, or fed as greenchop. Alfalfa usually has the highest feeding value of all common hay crops.
How to use alfalfa as hay?
When alfalfa is to be used as hay, it is usually cut and baled. Loose haystacks are still used in some areas, but bales are easier for use in transportation, storage, and feed. Ideally, the first cutting should be taken at the bud stage, and the subsequent cuttings just as the field is beginning to flower, or one-tenth bloom because carbohydrates are at their highest. When using farm equipment rather than hand-harvesting, a swather cuts the alfalfa and arranges it in windrows. In areas where the alfalfa does not immediately dry out on its own, a machine known as a mower-conditioner is used to cut the hay. The mower-conditioner has a set of rollers or flails that crimp and break the stems as they pass through the mower, making the alfalfa dry faster. After the alfalfa has dried, a tractor pulling a baler collects the hay into bales.
Why is alfalfa considered an insectary?
Alfalfa is considered an insectary, a place where insects are reared, and has been proposed as helpful to other crops, such as cotton, if the two are interplanted, because the alfalfa harbours predatory and parasitic insects that would protect the other crop. Harvesting the alfalfa by mowing the entire crop area destroys the insect population, but this can be avoided by mowing in strips so that part of the growth remains.
What is alfalfa leaf used for?
Its primary use is as feed for high-producing dairy cows, because of its high protein content and highly digestible fiber, and secondarily for beef cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. Alfalfa hay is a widely used protein and fiber source for meat rabbits. In poultry diets, dehydrated alfalfa and alfalfa leaf concentrates are used for pigmenting eggs and meat, because of their high content in carotenoids, which are efficient for colouring egg yolk and body lipids. Humans also eat alfalfa sprouts in salads and sandwiches. Dehydrated alfalfa leaf is commercially available as a dietary supplement in several forms, such as tablets, powders and tea. Fresh alfalfa can cause bloating in livestock, so care must be taken with livestock grazing on alfalfa because of this hazard.
How to grow alfalfa?
Alfalfa can be sown in spring or fall, and does best on well-drained soils with a neutral pH of 6.8–7.5. Alfalfa requires sustained levels of potassium and phosphorus to grow well. It is moderately sensitive to salt levels in both the soil and irrigation water, although it continues to be grown in the arid southwestern United States, where salinity is an emerging issue. Soils low in fertility should be fertilized with manure or a chemical fertilizer, but correction of pH is particularly important. Usually a seeding rate of 13–20 kg/ha (12–18 lb/acre) is recommended, with differences based upon region, soil type, and seeding method. A nurse crop is sometimes used, particularly for spring plantings, to reduce weed problems and soil erosion, but can lead to competition for light, water, and nutrients.
How long does Alfalfa live?
Alfalfa is a perennial forage legume which normally lives four to eight years, but can live more than 20 years, depending on variety and climate. The plant grows to a height of up to 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches), and has a deep root system, sometimes growing to a depth of more than 15 m (49 ft) to reach groundwater. Typically the root system grows to a depth of 2–3 m (7–10 ft) depending on subsoil constraints. Owing to this deep root system, it helps to improve soil nitrogen fertility and protect from soil erosion. This depth of root system, and perenniality of crowns that store carbohydrates as an energy reserve, make it very resilient, especially to droughts. Alfalfa has a tetraploid genome.
Where did alfalfa originate?
Alfalfa seems to have originated in south-central Asia, and was first cultivated in ancient Iran. According to Pliny (died 79 AD), it was introduced to Greece in about 490 BC when the Persians invaded Greek territory. Alfalfa cultivation is discussed in the fourth-century AD book Opus Agriculturae by Palladius, stating: "One sow-down lasts ten years. The crop may be cut four or six times a year ... A jugerum of it is abundantly sufficient for three horses all the year ... It may be given to cattle, but new provender is at first to be administered very sparingly, because it bloats up the cattle." Pliny and Palladius called alfalfa in Latin medica, a name that referred to the Medes, a people who lived in ancient Iran. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed, probably correctly, that alfalfa came from the Medes' land, in today's Iran. (The ancient Greeks and Romans also used the name medica to mean a citron fruit, once again because it was believed to have come from the Medes' land). This name is the root of the modern scientific name for the alfalfa genus, Medicago .
What does the color of the pollen indicate?
The color of pollen indicates the color as it appears when the pollen arrives at the beehive. Bees mix dry pollen with nectar and/or honey to compact the pollen in the pollen basket.
What is the pollen source in a given area?
The pollen source in a given area depends on the type of vegetation present and the length of their bloom period. What type of vegetation will grow in an area depends on soil texture, soil pH, soil drainage, daily maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, extreme minimum winter temperature, and growing degree days.
How to tell if bees are collecting nectar?
If you’re curious about the plant species from which your bees are collecting nectar and pollen, its possible to identify them by checking the color of the pollen basket and knowing what species might be in bloom at the time.
How to identify honey bee flowers?
Identifying honey bee flower sources by pollen color. Honey bees gather pollen and in “pollen baskets” on their hind legs that are actually small concave areas surrounded by hair-like bristles called setae. As the bee forages, pollen grains collect on its head.
Do flowering plants self pollinate?
Few flowering plants self-pollinate; some can provide their own pollen (self fertile), but require a pollinator to move the pollen; others are dependent on cross pollination from a genetically different source of viable pollen, through the activity of pollinators.
Alfalfa honey aka lucerne honey
Alfalfa honey is produced extensively throughout Canada and the United States, mainly Colorado, Idaho and Nevada. It is light in color, with a pleasingly mild flavor and aroma. Here are some of its major features:
Health benefits of alfalfa honey
Many of the health benefits of alfalfa honey are common to all honeys. The most important thing here is to make sure it’s raw (unheated) and fresh (preferably in the first 6 months after harvesting).
How to use alfalfa honey?
This honey makes an excellent ingredient in homemade granola, vinaigrette, sauces and salad dressings due to its mild taste and grassy undertones.
Why do bees collect pollen?
Bees collect pollen as a protein source to raise their brood. For the plant, the pollinizer, this can be an important mechanism for sexual reproduction, as the pollinator distributes its pollen. Few flowering plants self-pollinate; some can provide their own pollen (self fertile), but require a pollinator to move the pollen;
What are some pollinators that help with cross pollination?
One of the possible pollinators to assist in cross-pollination are honeybees. The article below is mainly about the pollen source from a beekeeping perspective. The pollen source in a given area depends on the type of vegetation present and the length of their bloom period.
Overview
Varieties
Considerable research and development has been done with this important plant. Older cultivars such as 'Vernal' have been the standard for years, but many public and private varieties better adapted to particular climates are available. Private companies release many new varieties each year in the US.
Most varieties go dormant in the fall, with reduced growth in response to low t…
Etymology
The word alfalfa is a Spanish modification of the Arabic word al-faṣfaṣa.
History
Alfalfa seems to have originated in south-central Asia, and was first cultivated in ancient Iran. According to Pliny (died 79 AD), it was introduced to Greece in about 490 BC when the Persians invaded Greek territory. Alfalfa cultivation is discussed in the fourth-century AD book Opus Agriculturae by Palladius, stating: "One sow-down lasts ten years. The crop may be cut four or six times a year ... A jugerum of it is abundantly sufficient for three horses all the year ... It may be gi…
Ecology
Alfalfa is a perennial forage legume which normally lives four to eight years, but can live more than 20 years, depending on variety and climate. The plant grows to a height of up to 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches), and has a deep root system, sometimes growing to a depth of more than 15 m (49 ft) to reach groundwater. Typically the root system grows to a depth of 2–3 m (7–10 ft) depending on subsoil constraints. Owing to this deep root system, it helps to improve soil nitrogen fertility and …
Culture
Alfalfa is widely grown throughout the world as forage for cattle, and is most often harvested as hay, but can also be made into silage, grazed, or fed as greenchop. Alfalfa usually has the highest feeding value of all common hay crops. It is used less frequently as pasture. When grown on soils where it is well-adapted, alfalfa is often the highest-yielding forage plant, but its primary benef…
Beneficial insects
Alfalfa is considered an insectary, a place where insects are reared, and has been proposed as helpful to other crops, such as cotton, if the two are interplanted, because the alfalfa harbours predatory and parasitic insects that would protect the other crop. Harvesting the alfalfa by mowing the entire crop area destroys the insect population, but this can be avoided by mowing in strip…
Pests and diseases
Like most plants, alfalfa can be attacked by various pests and pathogens. Diseases often have subtle symptoms which are easily misdiagnosed and can affect leaves, roots, and stems.
Some pests, such as the alfalfa weevil, aphids, armyworms, and the potato leafhopper, can reduce alfalfa yields dramatically, particularly with the second cutting when weather is warmest. Spotted alfalfa aphid, broadly spread in Australia, not only sucks sap but also injects salivary toxins into t…