TOXIC EFFECTS OF MANURE, ALFALFA, AND AMMONIA ON EMERGENCE AND GROWTH OF CUCUMBER SEEDLINGS

Chopped alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), alfalfa hay extract, and ammonium hydroxide produced free ammonia in media and inhibited both germination and seedling growth of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Toxic levels of ammonia were not produced by the quantities of manure added to the media. Alfalfa extract enhanced cucumber seedling growth in sand medium while inhibiting growth in sand-soil media. This difference is attributed to a reduced level of microbial activity in the sand. With higher levels of microbial activity, rapid decomposition of the extract may have resulted in a burst of ammonia evolution that proved damaging to cucumbers. The natural buffering capacity of the soil medium apparently mitigated the effects of the ammonia. Ammonium hydroxide, which did not depend on microbiological activity to release ammonia, proved lethal to cucumbers grown in sand. A diminished effect on growth was observed as the cation exchange capacity of the medium increased. Because high levels of alfalfa hay and ammonium hydroxide were required to produce toxic levels of ammonia in soil, it is unlikely that cucumbers would be harmed under normal field usage of alfalfa hay.