ALFALFA
Species information
Alfalfa is a highly productive, nitrogen-fixing perennial legume that contributes to soil fertility and provides a nutritionally rich forage for dairy cattle. Thanks to its deep root system, it is able to access water and nutrient resources at depth, improving soil structure and reducing erosion. In addition, its integration in crop rotations with corn increases agronomic and environmental efficiency, reducing the consumption of chemical and phytosanitary fertilizers, contributing to carbon sequestration and the protection of biodiversity.
Our varieties
ISIDE
The ISIDE alfalfa variety, created by the former Experimental Institute for Forage Crops of Lodi (now CREA-ZA), is a synthetic variety with a narrow genetic base that combines Egyptian and Italian genotypes. ISIDE is a semi-dormant variety (dormancy level 6), suitable for both northern and southern Italy. It is a very productive and long-lived variety, included in the list of recommended varieties of the Emilia Romagna Region. ISIDE is characterized by excellent resistance to early cutting (early flowering stage), thus allowing the production of a forage rich in proteins, with a low fiber content and maintaining the ability to regrow and longevity over time. ISIDE is a variety with a wide, branched, slightly buried crown, rich in adventitious buds from which new shoots quickly develop. ISIDE is a witness variety in the trials for the registration of alfalfa varieties in the National Varietal Register.
LA BELLA CAMPAGNOLA
The variety adapts well to deep, well-aerated soils with a pH above 6.5, a necessary condition for symbiosis with Rhizobium meliloti. The root system is very developed, capable of penetrating deep into the soil, ensuring plants are supplied with water even in periods of water shortage. The variety has thin, hollow stems that allow for rapid drying of the forage and less leaf loss during haymaking. Spring recovery is early (greater competitiveness with weeds), as are regrowths after cutting. It is a variety capable of quickly rebuilding and mobilizing root reserves for the formation of new shoots, with increased persistence and better tolerance to frequent cutting.
GIGANTE
ROMEA
The variety finds ideal conditions for development in deep, well-aerated, non-acidic soils that are not subject to water stagnation. Thanks to the exceptional development of the root system, once the first delicate growth phase has been overcome, it resists long periods of drought. The accumulation of carbohydrates in the crown and roots after each cut is very fast, allowing rapid regrowth and the possibility of mowing at the beginning of flowering. By operating in this way, a forage rich in proteins and poor in fiber is obtained, without compromising longevity.