Occurrence and Nutrition Indicators of Alfalfa with Leptosphaerulina in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia

Lili Zhang and Yanzhong Li ()
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Lili Zhang: Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Yanzhong Li: Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: Alfalfa Leptosphaerulina leaf spot is a common disease of alfalfa, while its effect on alfalfa quality has not been reported. The present study aimed to investigate the alfalfa Leptosphaerulina leaf spot in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, China and determine the quality of alfalfa plants and leaves with different scales. The incidence and disease index of nine alfalfa cultivars ranged from 12.1% to 59.8% and 10.0 to 51.0, respectively. The incidence of the Optimus cultivar and the disease index of the WL168 cultivar were significantly higher than those of the other cultivars. Therefore, different scales (0–4) of the alfalfa WL168 plant and leaves were used to determine their nutritional levels. Compared with healthy plants and leaves, the severity of alfalfa leaf spot on a scale of 4 decreased by 3.7% to 29.4% or 1.7% to 40.7%, respectively, in 18 nutrients; and increased by 12.0% to 14.5% or 17.8% to 26.9% in the Rumen protein (RUP), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF), respectively. In addition, the crude protein (CP) content of alfalfa plants or leaves based on a severity scale of 4 decreased by 16.7% and 6.2%, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed a strong negative correlation between 18 nutritional contents and disease severity, except for NDF, ADF and RUP. Conclusively, alfalfa Leptosphaerulina leaf spot strongly influences the plant and the leaves’ nutrient content in the plant.

Keywords: alfalfa Leptosphaerulina leaf spot; incidence; disease index; nutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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