SEASONAL-CHANGES IN YIELD AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF CICER MILKVETCH AND ALFALFA IN NORTHEASTERN SASKATCHEWAN

Cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.) is a winter hardy, non-bloating forage legume. In southern Alberta and Montana, cicer milkvetch retain s its leaves longer and maintains forage quality later in the season t han alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Consequently, it has the potential t o provide nutritious forage in the fall, at a time when pasture produc tivity and quality is limited, particularly in northern areas. The obj ectives of this study were (i) to compare the yield and quality of mon ocultures of cicer milkvetch and alfalfa over the growing season and ( ii) to evaluate the long-term productivity of cicer milkvetch under Pa rkland conditions. Studies were initiated in Melfort, Saskatchewan in 1986 and 1987, and subplots were harvested monthly during the growing season in the 2nd to 6th years. Cicer milkvetch peak yields were simil ar to or higher than alfalfa in 7 out of 10 harvest years. Forage yiel d of alfalfa was generally higher than that of cicer milkvetch in earl y season harvests, but cicer milkvetch had similar or higher yields la ter in the season. As the growing season progressed alfalfa declined i n leafiness and in in vitro dry matter digestibility whereas correspon ding values for cicer milkvetch were higher than those for alfalfa in all harvests. The protein content of both legumes was similar for all harvests, declining with plant maturity. Cicer milkvetch maintained it s production similar to alfalfa over the 6-yr period studied.