Round photo crop how to#

A 13th-century general-purpose Arabic dictionary, Lisān al-'Arab, says that alfalfa is cultivated as an animal feed and consumed in both fresh and dried forms.

Round photo crop how to#

The medieval Arabic agricultural writer Ibn al-'Awwam, who lived in Spain in the later 12th century, discussed how to cultivate alfalfa, which he called الفصفصة ( al-fiṣfiṣa). This name is the root of the modern scientific name for the alfalfa genus, Medicago. (The ancient Greeks and Romans also used the name medica to mean a citron fruit, once again because it was believed to have come from the Medes' land). The ancient Greeks and Romans believed, probably correctly, that alfalfa came from the Medes' land, in today's Iran. It may be given to cattle, but new provender is at first to be administered very sparingly, because it bloats up the cattle.' Pliny and Palladius called alfalfa in Latin medica, a name that referred to the Medes, a people who lived in ancient Iran. A jugerum of it is abundantly sufficient for three horses all the year.

The crop may be cut four or six times a year. Alfalfa cultivation is discussed in the fourth-century AD book Opus Agriculturae by Palladius, stating: 'One sow-down lasts ten years. According to Pliny (died 79 AD), it was introduced to Greece in about 490 BC when the History Īlfalfa seems to have originated in south-central Asia, and was first cultivated in ancient Iran. The word alfalfa is a Spanish modification of the Arabic word al-faṣfaṣa. 11 Phytoestrogens in alfalfa and effect on livestock fertility.It has been cultivated as livestock fodder since at least the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Alfalfa is native to warmer temperate climates. It has clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiralled in 2 to 3 turns containing 10–20 seeds. Later in maturity, leaflets are elongated. The plant superficially resembles clover (a cousin in the same family), especially while young, when trifoliate leaves comprising round leaflets predominate. The name lucerne is the more commonly used name in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The name alfalfa is used in North America. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop.

It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. A close up of alfalfa sprouts, which are commonly used as a garnish on soups or as a filling in sandwiches and salads.Īlfalfa ( / æ l ˈ f æ l f ə/) ( Medicago sativa), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae.