The Nutritive Value and Yield of Alfalfa Cultivated on Sulphur Postmining Lands

The study was carried out on the reclaimed lands of a bore-hole sulphur mine. The cropping of two succeeding cuts of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was determined and its chemical composition was analyzed. Alfalfa was cultivated on waste lime (flotation tailings), enriched with a humus layer. The levels of basic nutrients, total S, total F, Ca, P, Mg, K, Na, Fe and Mn were determined in alfalfa. The biomass of an average crop was 6830 kg  ha^–1 in the first cut and 14300 kg  ha^–1 in the second one. The yields of dry matter as well as of crude and true proteins were positively correlated with the phosphorus level in the dry matter of alfalfa (P < 0.01). The level of total sulphur was positively linearly correlated with the phosphorus content (P < 0.01). No harmful accumulation of sulphur or fluoride was observed. A deficiency of phosphorus in alfalfa and an abnormal Ca:P weight ratio was found. The S total level was positively correlated with N total concentration. (P < 0.01). The percentage of true protein in crude protein was negatively correlated with total sulphur (P < 0.01). The level of nonprotein nitrogen compounds was positively correlated with S total level (P < 0.01).