Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), also called lucerne is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around. It is also valuable for the fact that much of the nitrogen requirement fixes it from the symbiotic hearth air through the roots, enriching the soil with organic elements; is therefore an ameliorative plant. In order to obtain crops for many years in the same crop, it is advisable to harvest the lucerne after the blooming period once a year.
