/oss/taxonomy/term/360/all en /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/alfalfa-and-biotechnology <p style="text-align:justify">Think of alfalfa and you probably visualize a salad adorned with the sprouts of this legume served up in a California style restaurant. But that is a minuscule use of this plant. The prime use of alfalfa is to produce hay for feeding dairy and beef cattle. Being a legume, the roots harbour bacteria which can convert nitrogen from the air into nitrogen compounds the plant can use. This provides for a hay with an exceptionally high protein content. There is always room for improvement though.</p> Sat, 02 Jul 2011 17:31:26 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1581 at /oss