ARBIZU S.L

Alfalfa is a legume, introduced in Spain since the time of the Arabs and has the greatest qualities that is able to synthesize atmospheric nitrogen and provide a wealth of quality fiber and protein, all of which has made her from times for highly valued by farmers, in the latter case to use it to feed their livestock, especially ruminants, and become almost essential in the diet of any of them.

Cultivation:
It extends around Spain, as it's very picky about the weather, in terms prefers deep soils limestone, being incompatible with acid soils. The growing area is very close to the 250,000 he, with particular weight in the Ebro Valley and Castilla Leon, being resaltable that has been rising for years in areas where alfalfa has industrialized and instead decreases in the rest.
Sowing was carried out in autumn (51%) and spring (49%), the first usually after winter cereal and spring after corn. 95% of the same comes from the ecotype Aragon, and mean doses used seed 30-35 kg / He.
The permanence of the crop may be many years, despite the economic persistence is around five years, with the peak performance of unit 2 and 3rd year of cultivation.
Feeding: Not a fussy plant, will have to bring you phosphorous and potash in the amount of crop removals, and if development is right nodular not need nitrogen fertilizer incorporation.
Pests and diseases:
The alfalfa will affect few diseases and pests are the greatest enemy (flea beetles, aphids, green worm, black pussy Apion), with the intensity of the attacks varies depending on the year. To combat used increasingly integrated control methods, that help decrease the number of treatments and the dose of pesticides.
Irrigation:
He that is Spain a country of low rainfall and high evapotranspiration, makes alfalfa is a crop irrigated basically because of not being in very fresh in rainfed productivity is low. So 78% is grown under irrigation in dry land rest, ACs exist almost 100% is irrigated. In the case of irrigation through water consumption is around 7,000 m3.
Work collection:
The harvest is usually done every 30-35 days, with 5 or 6 annual cuts, seeking the moment 10% of the plants are in bloom, when it achieves the best balance between the quantity and quality. Tedding and swathing is performed after waiting about 24 hours in order to collect moisture in the product as homogeneous as possible. Pre-drying in the field (hours between harvest and collection), varies depending on the destination, in the case of dehydration go this will be about 48 hours in the summer and if the destination is packed for branch, this period is dilated to about five or six days. Collection: The collection system also varies depending on the destination, in the case of going to branch packers used the premium pressed into rectangular or round, if the destination is the collection industry is dehydrator with trolley chopper on it 80% of the chopper and trailer with the remaining 20%.
Returns:
In the traditional growing areas these can be between 13 and 15 t / he at 12% moisture, being resaltable that production on the farm, is very stable one year with another.

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