Sammendrag
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) grown in mixtures with grasses often constitutes a
lower proportion of total yield in spring than in summer growth. A more even red
clover proportion between the harvests would benefit forage quality and management
at feeding. We investigated whether inclusion of early versus late‐maturing
red clover varieties could reduce this disproportionality. In a two‐year field trial harvested
three times per season, each of six red clover varieties was grown in two grass
mixtures. Rate of phenological development did not differ during spring growth, but
did so in regrowth after first and second cuts. Here, the earliest varieties constituted
the highest proportion. At all harvests, the early varieties had lower crude protein
concentrations and a higher content of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and indigestible
NDF than the late varieties. Clover proportion was higher in swards with a mixture of
timothy and meadow fescue than in swards with perennial ryegrass during the first
year and lower in the second year. It is concluded that developmental rate should be
explored further as a key character for red clover competiveness in spring growth of
rapidly elongating grasses.
Vis fullstendig beskrivelse