New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1995, Vol.
38: 289-295 289
0028-8233/95/3803-0289 $2.50/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 1995
Effect of row spacing and sowing rate on seed production of lucerne
(Medicago sativa L.) cv. Grasslands Oranga
M. ASKARIAN1
J. G. HAMPTON2
M. J. HILL
Seed Technology Centre
Department of Plant Science
Massey University
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Present address: Ministry of Jihad-e-Sazandagi,
Tehran, Iran.
Abstract The effects of row spacing (15, 30,45,
and 60 cm) and sowing rate (1, 3, 6, and 12 kg/ha)
on lucerne seed yield and its components were
investigated at Massey University, Palmerston
North, New Zealand, over two seasons. In the first
year, seed yield from the 15 cm row spacing was
significantly lower than that from the 30, 45, and
60 cm row spacings, whereas sowing rate had no
effect on seed yield. In the second year crop, row
spacings did not significantly affect seed yield, but
the seed yield from the 1 kg/ha sowing rate was
significantly greater than that for other sowing
rates because harvestable racemes/m2 and thousand
seed weight were significantly increased. Seed yield
over 2 years of the experiment was highest at the
1 kg/ha sowing rate and for the 30 and 45 cm row
spacings. However, there were no significant
interactions between row spacing and sowing rate
for seed yield. The average seed yield for all
treatments was 127 and 187 kg/ha for the first and
second year respectively. Neither row spacing nor
sowing rate had any effect on the quality of
harvested seed.
Keywords alfalfa; lucerne; row spacing; seed
production; seed quality; sowing rate
A940I1
Received 25 February 1994; accepted 18 May 1995
Corresponding author
INTRODUCTION
Seed yield of lucerne varies from year to year
because the growth and development of the seed
yield components is strongly affected by the
environment (Rincker et al. 1988). Plant density is
known to be an important factor in seed production,
because competition between and within plants
affects a plant's ability to produce vegetative and
reproductive material.
Recommendations for optimum row spacing
and sowing rate for lucerne seed production vary
in the literature (Askarian 1993), and several studies
have reported conflicting results (Pedersen & Nye
1962; Kowithayakorn & Hill 1982; Lovato &
Montanari 1987). In New Zealand, lucerne seed
has commonly been produced in rows 9 or 18 cm
apart at sowing rates of 6-12 kg/ha (Wynn-Williams
& Palmer 1974). However, Dunbier et al. (1983)
recommended a sowing rate of 1 kg/ha and row
spacing of 75 cm, although they produced no
evidence to support these recommendations.
Experiments conducted overseas, especially in the
United States, have shown that high seed yields
were obtained from lucerne sown at rates ranging
from 0.5 to 2 kg/ha and in rows from 60 to 150 cm
apart (Abu-Shakra et al. 1969; Goplen 1972).
This study reports how factors such as sowing
rate and row spacing affected the seed production
of lucerne cv. Grasslands Oranga at Palmerston
North over two seasons at the same site.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The 1400 m2 trial site was located at Massey
University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
(Latitude 40°S, Longitude 175°E). The soil was a
Manawatu fine sandy loam (Cowie 1974). The site
had previously been in ryegrass/white clover
pasture. The land was ploughed in March 1990 and
then fallowed. Glyphosate (Roundup®) at 0.75 kg
a.i./ha was applied in February 1991 to control
weeds. The site was then rotary-hoed once before
sowing in March 1991.
290 New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1995, Vol. 38
The experiment was set up using a split plot
design with four main plots each replicated 4 times.
The main plots were four row spacings and the
subplots were four sowing rates. The row spacings
were 15, 30, 45, and 60 cm, and the sowing rates
were 1, 3, 6, and 12 kg/ha (Askarian & Hampton
1993). Certified breeders' seed of cv. Grasslands
Oranga was sown using a cone seeder at a depth of
1.5 cm on 15 March 1991. The area of each main
plot was 50 m2 and each subplot was 5 x 2 m2
(10 m2), with a 0.5 m gap between each subplot
and a 3 m gap between replicates. Details of agro-
nomic management are provided in Table 1.
Pollination in both years was provided by honey
bees. Two honey bee colonies were placed adjacent
to the trial after flowering started on 10 January
1992, and 24 December 1992. During the period of
the experiment bumble bees (Bombus spp.) were
also present but the population was low.
Flowering pattern was recorded from a
randomly allocated 50 x 50 cm permanent quadrat
in each plot in both years. Only flowers with at
least one open floret and no withered florets were
counted. Flowers were counted every 7 days during
the flowering period (Askarian 1993).
Maximum and minimum temperature and
rainfall for 1991-93 and 60-year average data were
recorded at a station (AgResearch Grasslands) 2 km
from the trial area.
Lucerne seed yield and its components were
recorded at 59 and 62 days after peak flowering in
the first and second year respectively by removing
all plant material from two randomly allocated 0.5
m2 quadrats per plot, when the majority of pods
had turned brown (Askarian 1993). Sampling was
done by using a motorised hand-piece to cut
plants at ground-level and all plant material was
collected and bagged. Samples were then left to
air-dry for 4 weeks, after which the racemes from
each sample were separated by hand. Seeds from
each sample were threshed by hand-rubbing
(Askarian et al. 1993) and cleaned using 1.0-1.7
mm sieves and then a Burrows portable blower set
at 41.4 km/h air speed for 3 min. Pure seed weight
was recorded, and seed moisture content determined
(ISTA 1993). Yield per unit area was obtained
from the weight of seeds from each subplot in each
treatment.
The number of pods per raceme was determined
from 50 brown-black racemes taken randomly from
each subplot just after harvesting. Seeds per pod
were determined by hand-threshing of racemes.
Thousand seed weight (TSW) for each treatment
was also determined (ISTA 1993).
Seeds from each treatment were germination-
tested in early May 1992, and late April 1993
using internationally agreed methodology (ISTA
1993), with four replicates of 50 seeds.

Table 1 Agronomic management and experimental detail, 1991/92 and 1992/93.

1991/92 1992/93
Site Massey University As per 91/92
Seed source AgResearch Grasslands, N.Z.
Sowing date 15 Mar 1991
Sowing rate 1,3, 6, 12 kg/ha
Row spacing 15,30,45,60 cm
Soil type Manawatu fine sandy loam -
Site soil analysis pH, 6.2; Olsen P, 15; SO4, 10; Exch K, 0.27;
Exch Ca, 5.56; Exch Mg,1.5; Exch Na, 0.07; CEC.15
Grazing None 30 Jul
Slug control Mesurol 8 kg/ha 1 Apr, 7 May None
Insect control Fluvalinate 0.1 kg a.i./ha 30 Apr, 10 Dec as per 91/92, applied 20 Nov, 15 Dec
Herbicide 2,4-DB 2.4 kg a.i./ha 21 May, Propyzamide 0.75 kg a.i./ha 21 Jul Hexazinone 1.0 kg a.i./ha 1 Oct
Disease control Benlate 0.25 kg a.i./ha 10 Apr, 10 Dec as per 91/92, applied 15 Dec
Hand weeding Oct and late Nov 1 Nov
Defoliation 8 Nov None
N fertiliser 50 kg N/ha 20 Nov 25 kg N/ha 15 Nov
First flowering 31 Dec 8 Dec
End of flowering 20 Mar 17 Mar
Pollinators introduced 10 Jan 24 Dec
Seed harvest 20 Mar 17 Mar
Askarian et al.—Seed production of lucerne
Statistical analysis was done using the SAS
system (SAS 1991). Least significant differences
at the 5% probability level (P < 0.05) were used to
differentiate treatment means where analyses of
variance (ANOVA) or general linear model (GLM)
were significant at the 0.05 or 0.01 level of
confidence.
RESULTS
Meteorological data
Climate data for the cropping seasons 1991/92,
and 1992/93 are presented in Table 2. The total
amount of rain for the first season was higher than
for the second season (1067.5 versus 986.6 mm,
respectively). During the second cropping season,
December was particularly wet (106% more than
December 1991) but January and February (1993)
were dryer than those months in 1992. February
1992 was also wet, having 132% more rain than
the 60-year average (Table 2).
Mean daily maximum and minimum spring
and summer temperatures were lower by 1-2°C
for the second than the first season, with an
exception for November 1992. In particular, cooler
conditions occurred during December, January, and
February (flowering period and seed development)
in the second season (1992/93), than in the first
year. During these months monthly mean minimum
and maximum temperatures ranged from 10.8 to
20.8°C, compared to 11.3-21.9°C in 1991/92.
291
are presented separately for row spacing and sowing
rate.
1991/92
In the first season, lucerne plants started flowering
on 31 December, peak flowering was recorded on
26 January, and flowering had virtually ceased at
harvest on 20 March 1992, giving a flowering
period of 80 days. Peak flowering date did not
differ with row spacing, but the 30 cm row spacing
produced significantly fewer flowers/m2 at peak
flowering than the other row spacings (580 flowers/
m2 cf. 740 flowers/m2), whereas the greatest
number of flowers was always produced at the 60
cm row spacing (data not presented).
At final harvest, plants grown at the narrowest
and widest row spacings had produced significantly
fewer harvestable racemes/m2 than the two middle
row spacings (Table 3). Pods per raceme did not
differ among the 15, 30, and 45 cm row spacings,
but there were fewer at the 60 cm than at the 30 cm
row spacing (Table 3). Plants grown at the 15 cm
row spacing produced significantly more seeds per
pod than those at the two highest row spacings
while the narrowest row spacing produced
significantly smaller seeds than the other row
spacings (Table 3). Plants grown at the 15 cm row
spacing had a significantly lower seed yield than
those from the 30 and 45 cm row spacings (Table
3), but there were no significant differences among
the other row spacings.

Row spacing 1992/93

Because with one exception (seeds per pod in 1992/ Flowering in the second season started about 3
93) there were no significant interactions between weeks earlier than in the first season, the first
row spacing and sowing rate (Askarian 1993), data flower of the season being recorded on 8 December.

Table 2 Sixty-year average for temperature (minimum and maximum), and rainfall at Palmerston North, and
deviations from these averages during 1991/92a and 1992/93.
Aug Sep NovOct Dec Jan Feb Mar
Temperature (°C)
Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max
60-year ave. 5.0 13.1 6.6 14.7 8.3 16.6 9.8 18.5 11.6 20.6 12.8 21.9 12.8 22.3 11.7 20.9
1991/92 1.7 1.2 0.7 1.1 -0.2 -0.6 -1.5 -2.3 -0.3 -1.3 0.1 0.0 -0.4 -1.4 -2.2 -2.3
1992/93 -1.4 -1.1 -0.3 -1.4 -0.7 -0.6 1.2 0.0 -0.8 -1.3 -1.3 -1.0 -1.1 -1.5 -1.7 -1.7
Rainfall (mm)i
60-year ave. 89.0 75.0 88.0 78.0 94.0 79.0 67.0 69.0
1991/92 9.7 -9.9 -7.1 3.0 -12.8 -1.8 88.2 19.9
1992/93 21.1 13.0 -3.0 -17.0 73.0 -25.0 -23.0 11.0
a
Data (obtained from AgResearch Grasslands) were recorded at a station 2 km from the trial area.
292 New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1995, Vol. 38
Peak flowering occurred on 19 January, and plants
were harvested on 17 March 1993. The flowering
period was therefore 99 days. Differences in
climatic conditions (Table 2), particularly higher
temperatures in November 1992 and lower
temperatures in December 1992 and January and
February 1993, probably contributed to this
variation. The date of peak flowering did not differ
among treatments, but flower production was
greater than in the first year (900 flower/m2 at peak
flowering cf. 700 flowers/m2). There were some
significant differences among treatments; for
example, on 3 and 10 February, plants grown at the
60 cm row spacing had 100 more flowers/m2
(P < 0.05) than those in the 15 cm row spacing.
Row spacing did not significantly affect seed
yield or its components (Table 3), with the
exception of pods per raceme which tended to
decrease as row spacing increased.
When seed yield data for the two seasons were
meaned the 15 cm row spacing produced
significantly less seed (91 kg/ha, P < 0.05) than the
three other row spacings (166,177, and 149 kg/ha).
Sowing rate
1991/1992
Flowering pattern was not affected by sowing rate
as the date of peak flowering (28 January) was
similar at all sowing rates and none of the sowing
rates increased flower numbers significantly at peak
flowering (data not presented). At final harvest the
12 kg/ha sowing rate had a significantly lower
number of harvestable racemes/m2 compared to
the lowest seeding rate (1 kg/ha), but there were no
significant differences among the first three sowing
rates (Table 4). Sowing rate had no significant
effect on pods per raceme, seeds per pod, or seed
yield, although smaller seeds (P < 0.05) were
produced from the 12 kg/ha sowing rate (Table 4).
1992/93
There were more flowers at peak flowering in the
second year (950 cf. 760/m2), but flowering pattern
was not affected by sowing rate. The 1 and 3 kg/ha
sowing rates had 150 more flowers/m2 at peak
flowering than the two highest sowing rates, but
flowering pattern was not affected by sowing rate
(data not presented).
At final harvest the 12 kg/ha sowing rate had a
significantly lower number of harvestable racemes/
m2 compared to the 1 kg/ha sowing rate. There
were no significant differences among the first
three sowing rates (Table 4). Pods per raceme and
seeds per pod did not differ with sowing rate but
there was a significant interaction (P < 0.05) for
seeds per pod between the 1 and 3 kg/ha sowing
rates and the 15 and 30 cm row spacings. Thousand
seed weight decreased with increasing sowing rate

Table 3 Effect of row spacing on seed yield and its components, 1991/92
and 1992/93.
Seed
Row spacing Harvestable Pods/ Seeds/ TSW yield
(cm) racemes/m2 raceme pod (g) (kg/ha)
1991/92
15 764.0 5.1 3.4 1.51 102.3
30 980.0 5.4 3.1 1.62 142.7
45 995.0 5.0 3.0 1.62 144.0
60 840.0 4.6 3.0 1.61 120.0
LSD P < 0.05 136.3 0.51 0.26 0.063 29.23
cv% 21.0 14.0 11.0 5.6 22.0
1992/93
15 1163.0 5.2 3.0 1.74 171.0
30 1305.0 5.4 2.9 1.75 189.5
45 1416.0 4.6 3.0 1.73 209.4
60 1381.0 4.2 3.0 1.79 177.9
LSD P < 0.05 NS 0.77 NS NS NS
cv% 23.8 13.5 12.0 5.7 20.5
TSW = thousand seed weight
NS = not significant.
Askarian et al.—Seed production of lucerne
(Table 4), with the 1 kg/ha sowing rate producing
heavier seed than the two highest sowing rates.
The lowest sowing rate produced significantly more
seed than the two highest sowing rates (Table 4).
Mean seed yields for the two seasons were
181, 160, 152, and 135 kg/ha for the 1,3, 6, and 12
kg/ha sowing rate respectively, with the lowest
sowing rate significantly (P < 0.05) outyielding
the highest sowing rate.
Effect on seed germination
The viability, germination percentage, and hard
seed percentage of lucerne seeds were not affected
by row spacing or sowing rate (data not presented).
All treatments produced seed which had a viability
of over 98%, but germination of around 30%
because of the presence of hard seed.
DISCUSSION
Successful lucerne seed production is favoured in
regions that are characterised by clear, sunny, warm
summer days in combination with little or no rainfall
during flowering. These climatic conditions
promote good flowering of lucerne and provide an
environment conducive to pollinating activity of
bees, two factors essential for seed production
(Rincker et al. 1988). However, Palmerston North
is characterised by humid, windy, and often cloudy
293
conditions, an environment not suited to the activity
of leaf cutter bees (E. Roberts pers. comm.), and
for this reason honey bees were used as the pollin-
ators. Rain which fell readily during flowering in
both years (Table 2) did not encourage either lucerne
flowering or bee activity (Rincker et al. 1988).
Seed yields were low when compared with the
300-500 kg/ha which can be obtained in
Marlborough and Canterbury (Dunbier et al. 1983),
and were only 10-20% of the calculated potential
seed yields of over 1000 kg/ha in both seasons
(Askarian 1993). Most of this loss of potential
seed yield came from poor floret site utilisation,
both through poor pollination (Askarian 1993) and
floret retention. Askarian et al. (1994) found that
only 20% of the florets present at peak flowering
were retained as pods, and from an average of 9.3
ovules per carpel at peak flowering only 3.1 seeds
per pod reached maturity. Honey bees usually
pollinate only 10-20% of lucerne flowers under
New Zealand conditions (Forster 1974), and
therefore poor pollination was not unexpected.
Reasons for floret, pod, and seed abortion are not
known, although assimilate shortages during ovule
provisioning are likely to be involved (Askarian et
al. 1994). At the same site in the 1991/92 season,
the growth regulator paclobutrazol significantly
increased floret retention (or conversely, decreased
pod losses), but whether this was a response to
altered assimilate production and/or distribution

Table 4 Effect of sowing rate on seed yield and its components, 1991 /92 and
1992/93.
Seed
Row spacing Pods/ Seeds/ TSW yield
(cm) Racemes/m2 raceme pod (g) (kg/ha)
1991/92
1 930.0 5.0 3.1 1.62 139.5
3 985.0 5.0 3.2 1.62 137.3
6 886.0 5.1 3.1 1.60 124.9
12 778.0 5.1 3.0 1.53 107.1
LSD P < 0.05 136.6 NS NS 0.06 NS
cv% 21.0 14.0 11.0 5.6 21.9
1992/93
1 1291.0 5.4 2.9 1.82 223.4
3 1155.0 5.2 3.1 1.76 182.2
6 1198.0 5.1 2.9 1.72 178.5
12 1058.0 4.9 3.1 1.69 163.7
LSD P < 0.05 195.77 NS NS 0.08 44.19
cv% 23.0 13.0 12.0 5.7 20.5
TSW = thousand seed weight.
NS = not significant.
294 New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1995, Vol. 38
has yet to be established (Askarian et al. 1994).
This requires further investigation.
In the first year, sowing rates had no significant
effect on seed yield, a result which agrees with that
of Sevecka (1987). In the second year however,
seed yield increased as sowing rate decreased. This
result generally agrees with the finding by Simko
(1992) who reported that seed yield was highest at
low stand densities. This higher seed yield at low
sowing rates was attributed to a greater branch
number (Askarian 1993) and subsequently more
racemes/m2 and also a heavier seed weight.
The best sowing rate for optimum seed yield
was 1 kg/ha, much lower than the commonly used
New Zealand rates of 5-10 kg/ha (Palmer &
Donovan 1980) but similar to that recommended
by Dunbier et al. (1983), and almost equal to the
optimum sowing rate suggested in the United States
(Rincker et al. 1988).
The data in this study indicate that because of
the significant reduction in yield at the 15 cm row
spacing in the first year, lucerne should be planted
in 30 or 45 cm rows. These spacings also facilitate
inter-row cultivation (Dunbier et al. 1983). This
agrees with other studies (Beran 1966; Antoniani
1972), where optimum seed yields were attained
with either 45 or 30 cm between rows respectively,
compared to 15 and 60 cm row spacings.
Seed yield in lucerne is the product of seeds
per unit area and individual seed weight (Rincker
et al. 1988). Usually the greatest seed yields in
herbage species are obtained from maximising seed
number (Hampton & Hebblethwaite 1983). In the
first year of the study the narrowest row spacing
produced a lower seed yield because of fewer
racemes/m2 and lower seed weight. In contrast in
the second year the low sowing rate produced more
racemes/m2 and heavier seed weight, because plants
had had time to expand in size by developing more
branches, and subsequently more racemes and seeds
(Askarian 1993). These results support the findings
of Dovrat (1969) and Taylor & Marble (1986).
Branching may also be manipulated to increase
seed yield per plant by increasing the number of
primary, secondary, and tertiary lateral shoots at
low sowing rates. Widely spaced plants also use
less water and seeds mature more uniformly
(Melton 1962). The number of seeds per pod
appeared to be an unimportant yield component at
different plant densities, a result also noted by
Kowithayakorn & Hill (1982).
The data from the lower sowing rate which
produced the heaviest seed weight are consistent
with the accepted concept that individual seed
weight declines with increased plant number per
unit area. This was certainly the situation with the
12 kg/ha sowing rate.
CONCLUSION
The seed yield data recorded at this site in 1991/92
and 1992/93 provide experimental evidence for
the recommendation of Dunbier et al. (1983) that
lucerne for seed production in New Zealand should
be sown at around 1 kg/ha, and that wide row
spacings can be used. Although Dunbier et al.
(1983) recommended a 75 cm row spacing, this
work has shown that similar seed yields can be
obtained from 30,45, and 60 cm row spacings; the
decision as to which to use should therefore be
dictated by the requirement for inter-row cultivation
for weed control, and hence machinery design.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Financial support for the senior author was provided by
a full-time study award from the Iran Government
(Ministries of Jihad-e-Sazandagi and Cultural and Higher
Education), which is gratefully acknowledged. We also
thank AgResearch Grasslands for the supply of lucerne
seed.
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