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Hastening Drying Rate of Cut Alfalfa with Chemical Treatment¹

Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824^,3

Abstract

Cut alfalfa was treated in the laboratory with mixed methyl esters of long chain fatty acids and a surfactant, X-77, alone and(or) with potassium carbonate. Significant increases over the drying rate of untreated plants were obtained after treatment with X-77 and methyl ester concentrations (v/v) of 2 to 15%. Addition of potassium carbonate to a methyl ester and X-77 emulsion halved the time it took to dry plants to 75% dry matter of untreated plants (29 hr vs 60 hr). Solution application rates of 5 to 10% of initial plant weight produced drying similar to that obtained with application of 30 to 48%. Methyl ester solutions containing C_{1 6} and C_{1 8} fatty acids, in combination with X-77, gave faster (P<.01) drying than did those containing C_{1 2} fatty acids.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of the Agr. Exp. Sta. as Journal Article No. 8856.

² Crops and Soils Dept.

³ Dept. of Dairy Sci.