Lucerne LUKAL — a perennial herbaceous plant of the legume family, possessing high feeding value and significant impact on soil fertility. Thanks to its deep root system and ability to enrich soil with nitrogen, it is an excellent predecessor for cereal crops and other crops. Over 2-3 years of cultivation, lucerne accumulates in the soil nitrogen equivalent to 40-60 tons of manure, contributing to long-term improvement of soil structure and fertility. With a dense stand, it effectively suppresses weeds, simplifying subsequent crop care.
The LUKAL variety is characterized by rapid growth and high yield: up to 3-4 cuttings per season, depending on weather conditions and agronomy. Green mass reaches 400-600 centners per hectare, while hay yields 50-120 centners or more. The plant’s leaves are medium-green, and its flower heads are blue or light-purple. Lucerne contains approximately 17-20% protein, making it a valuable source of protein, vitamins, and minerals for animal feeding. Nutritionally, 100 kg of lucerne hay corresponds to 53 feeding units and contains 8.5 kg of digestible protein.
The plant exhibits high resistance to diseases such as leaf wilting and clover root rot, as well as lodging, facilitating harvest. Lucerne responds well to fertilization and top-dressing, preferring light to medium-heavy soils. The optimal soil temperature for sowing is +6°C, with seed depth of 2-3 cm in moist soil and 3-4 cm in dry soil. Due to its qualities, lucerne LUKAL is widely used for growing green feed, hay, silage, as well as for land reclamation and soil fertility enhancement.