Sustainable Biorefinery and Production of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Document Type : Special Issue (Review)

Authors

1 Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh Uni., Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt

2 Plant Biotechnology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Division, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt

3 Agricultural Botany, Crop Physiology and Biotechnology Department, Debrecen University, Debrecen, Böszörményi u. 138., H-4032, Hungary

4 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Science, Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture, Division of Controlled Environment Horticulture, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 1&3, 14195 Berlin, Germany

Abstract

ALFALFA is considered as “the Queen of the Forages” due to its high protein content and nutritional value. The production of alfalfa under different stressful environments is a great challenge, representing a serious threat to global food security. To improve the production of alfalfa under stressful conditions, there is a crucial need to understand the response of alfalfa plants to stresses, the mechanisms of tolerance and the management options. Alfalfa is a promising biorefinery crop from which leaf protein concentrates as well as bio-organic fertilizers can be produced. The potential of leaf-derived protein concentrate for human and animal nutrition is huge, yet unexploited. The bio-organic fertilizers derived from alfalfa plants represent a sustainable way to supply the plant with some nutrients. This review article highlights the sustainable use of alfalfa in biorefinery and bio-organic fertilizer production. Moreover, scattered knowledge about its use for production is collected supporting its suitability for improving soil fertility. Last, we discuss the suitability of alfalfa to produce stable yields in the light of changing climate and stressful conditions like salinity.

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