An alfalfa variety bred to withstand heavy traffic does just that, says a University of Wisconsin researcher.
"We have observed significant differences among alfalfa varieties in response to wheel traffic," says extension forage agronomist Dan Undersander. "AmeriStand 403T has been the highest-yielding variety under wheel traffic across the two years that we’ve conducted this study."
The variety, from America’s Alfalfa, has extra large crowns and roots. Company sources say it produces an average of 30% more plant mass than conventional varieties. Up to 60% of an alfalfa stand is driven over several times during each harvest. Bigger roots and crowns minimize the introduction of diseases, improve winterhardiness and promote longer stand life, say the sources.