lucerne
Purple-flowered fodder crop
Lucerne is the British term for alfalfa—a legume grown as fodder for livestock.
The plant has deep roots and purple flowers, and farmers prize it for its high protein content and ability to enrich soil with nitrogen.
The fields were planted with lucerne for the cattle.
American English strongly prefers alfalfa. (Capitalized Lucerne is a Swiss city.)
Forage crop legume
- hayDried feed crop
- silageFermented crop fodder
- fodderCoarse livestock nourishment
- pastureGrazing ground for livestock
grazing · feedstuff · bale · cutting · swath · drying · roughage · chaff
Pod-producing plant family
- nitrogen-fixingConverting N₂ to ammonia
- nodulesSmall rounded protuberances
- trifoliateWith three leaf divisions
- purple flowersBlooms in violet hues
perennial · herbaceous · taproot · crown · leaflets · raceme · germination · seedling
Planting for cultivation
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
- crop rotationAlternating field plantings yearly
- harvestGathering mature crops
- fertilizationGamete fusion creating zygote
tillage · acreage · yield · soil health · organic · sustainable · perennial · stand
Abundant in amino acids
- vitaminsEssential organic nutrients
- mineralsInorganic natural solids
- fiberPlant-based digestive aid
- calciumElement twenty, builds bones
carotene · amino acids · digestible · nutrient-dense · chlorophyll · saponins · phytoestrogens · antioxidants
alfalfa
Forage crop legume
pasture · grazing · feedstuff · bale · cutting · swath · drying · roughage · chaff · stack
legume
Pod-producing plant family
- nitrogen-fixingConverting N₂ to ammonia
- nodulesSmall rounded protuberances
- trifoliateWith three leaf divisions
purple flowers · perennial · herbaceous · taproot · crown · leaflets · raceme · germination · seedling · cultivar
sowing
Planting for cultivation
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
- crop rotationAlternating field plantings yearly
- harvestGathering mature crops
fertilization · tillage · acreage · yield · soil health · organic · sustainable · perennial · stand · dormancy
protein-rich
Abundant in amino acids
calcium · carotene · amino acids · digestible · nutrient-dense · chlorophyll · saponins · phytoestrogens · antioxidants · dietary
cattle
Domesticated bovines kept commercially
beef · ruminants · horses · feed · protein · herbivores · manger · trough · ration · supplement
- foragefodder, hay, silage, pasture grass, browse
- South African farmingmaize, sheep farming, citrus, grain farming, grapes
- forage cropsalfalfa, clover, ryegrass, timothy, hay
- medicks
- legumespea, peas, bean, beans, lentils
- animal feedhorse feed, poultry feed, bird food, grain, chicken feed