Relationships of soils and management to establishment and yield of alfalfa in Putnam County, Tennessee

Although the objective of this study has been to study yields under all levels of management, the ultimate goal is to help determine what yields the farmers of Putnam County can expect on specific soil types under good management procedures. Except for comparison there would be little value in determining yields of alfalfa on any soil type under poor management.

For the above reasons, this study was directed at the following: (1) establishing sites for continuing study, (2) developing methods of obtaining yield data, (3) evaluating management practices affecting establishment of alfalfa, (li) attempting to evaluate the adequacy of stands by stand count, percentage of full cover at the time of second cutting, end yield (5) relating the yield to different levels of management on an stands and to the major soil types on which they were grown, insofar as possible.