Several alfalfa growers in eastern and central Nebraska have lost some of their alfalfa stands to winterkill this spring, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln forage specialist said.
Low spots in fields where water-logged soils or ice accumulated probably have killed alfalfa plants, said Bruce Anderson, UNL forage specialist in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
"If you are one of the unlucky ones to have lost some alfalfa stands, it's important to discover this problem as soon as possible," Anderson said.
"Then you will have time to select from all possible alternatives to respond to this problem."
Some alternatives need early decisions and actions to be successful, he said, such as interseeding oats or planting another crop into thin stands to boost spring hay production.
Other alternatives, such as tearing up the alfalfa field and planting it to corn, can be decided a little later as long as it doesn't limit seed corn choices or interfere with the best time to plant a new field to alfalfa.
In alfalfa fields planted last year, new alfalfa can be seeded directly into the thinned areas without worry about autotoxicity -- in which the alfalfa produces chemicals that inhibit its growth, Anderson said.
However, growers whose fields were planted more than a year ago need to consider other options, he said.
Drilling a bushel or two of oats per acre as soon as possible is a good short-term remedy for a cutting or two, he said.
A more long-term solution is to drill 15 to 20 pounds of Italian ryegrass.
"This will begin to contribute around second cutting time and usually continues until first cutting next year," he said. "And for an all-legume hay option, interseed red clover."
The best long-term solution probably is to add a perennial grass, he said.
Orchardgrass, festulolium and endophyte-free tall fescue may be the best choices.
"With this option, you need to interseed as early as possible and take a super-early first cutting to reduce competition from the alfalfa," Anderson said.
If an early planting isn't possible, you can plant summer annual grasses like sudangrass, pearl millet or teff in the open areas after first cutting.
