EVALUATION OF HIGH APPLICATION RATES OF CHEMICAL CONDITIONERS

A very high application rate (935 L/ha) of an aqueous solution of pota ssium carbonate (15 g/L) plus sodium carbonate (15 g/L) was applied to alfalfa on days having an expectation of good drying weather based on the local forecast. With this application rate, baling moisture (20% wb.) was achieved on the day of mowing on 78% of the days in low yield (3350 kg dry matter/ha) swaths and 33% of the days in high-yield (559 0 kg dry matter/ha) swaths. Drying constants for an exponential drying function averaged 0.427 h-1 for treated low-yield samples, 0.314 h-1 for treated high-yield samples, 0.272 h-1 for nontreated low-yield sam ples, and 0.217 h-1 for nontreated high-yield samples. Flipping of the swath had more effect when combined with chemical conditioning and wa s more effective with heavy yields than with light yields. Drying data were comparable to values predicted with an established model of alfa lfa drying.