Effect of seed rate of red clover and of companion timothy or tall fescue on herbage production

Tetraploid red clover (cv. Hungaropoly) was sown at seed rates of 6,12 or 18 kg ha^?1 alone and in mixture with timothy (cv. Scots) at 2, 4 or 6 kg ha^?1 or with tall fescue (cv. S170) at 6,12 or 18 kg ha^?1. Two ‘silage’ crops and an ‘aftermath grazing’ crop were harvested in 2 successive years. In harvest years 1 and 2, total herbage production levels of 11.12 and 7.47 t dry matter (DM) ha^?1 respectively were obtained from pure-sown red clover compared with 11.84 and 8.78 t DM ha^?1 for red clover-timothy and 12.23 and 9.64 t DM ha^?1 for red clover-tall fescue. Corresponding red clover production levels were 10.93 and 5.30 t DM ha^?1 (red clover swards), 8.04 and 3.131 ha^?1 (red clover-timothy), and 6.42 and 109 t ha^?1 (red clover-tall fescue). Total herbage organic matter digestibility was improved by the timothy companion grass but not consistently by the tall fescue, whereas crude protein (CP) concentration was decreased by the addition of either grass. Increased seed rate intensified these effects, as well as the general effect of the companion grass in depressing red clover DM, digestible organic matter (DOM) and CP production. Total herbage DM, DOM and CP were not markedly affected by increasing red clover seed rate but red clover DM, DOM and CP were increased as red clover seed rate was raised, due to increases in the red clover component. The potential for silage cropping of red clover swards was confirmed but there was advantage in sowing a companion grass. Taking yield and quality parameters into consideration, timothy proved a better companion than tall fescue. A seed rate of 2 or 4 kg ha^?1 timothy and 12 kg ha^?1 red clover proved the most satisfactory.     

Red clover for silage: management impacts on herbage yield,nutritive value,ensilability and persistence,and relativity to perennial ryegrass

This 6‐year experiment quantified the impacts of management factors on red clover yield, persistence, nutritive value and ensilability, and compared these with perennial ryegrass receiving inorganic N fertilizer. Within a randomized complete block design, field plots were used to evaluate a 2 (cultivar, Merviot and Ruttinova) × 2 (alone and with perennial ryegrass) × 2 (0 and 50 kg fertilizer N ha^?1 in mid‐March) × 2 (harvest schedule) combination of the factors relating to red clover, and a 2 (harvest schedule) × 4 (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha^?1 for each cut) combination of the factors relating to perennial ryegrass. The early and late harvest schedules both involved four cuts per year, but commenced a fortnight apart. Red clover treatments averaged 14 906 kg dry matter (DM) ha^?1 per year, whereas perennial ryegrass receiving 600 kg inorganic N fertilizer per year averaged 14 803 kg DM ha^?1 per year. There was no yield decline evident across years despite a decline in the proportion of red clover. The early harvest schedule and sowing ryegrass with red clover increased the herbage yield and digestibility. March application of fertilizer N to red clover treatments reduced the annual yield. Early harvest schedule increased and both fertilizer N and sowing with ryegrass decreased the proportion of red clover. Sowing with ryegrass improved the indices of ensilability, but reduced the crude protein content. Both red clover cultivars had similar performance characteristics. A selected red clover‐based treatment, considered to exhibit superior overall production characteristics, outyielded N‐fertilized perennial ryegrass in mid‐season. However, it had poorer digestibility and ensilability indices.     

Spring and autumn establishment of Caucasian and white clovers with different sowing rates of perennial ryegrass

The effect of sowing date (SD) and sowing rate of perennial ryegrass (PRG) on the establishment of Caucasian and white clovers in New Zealand was assessed. Clovers were sown in spring on 24 September (SD1) and 9 November (SD2) 1999, and in autumn on 4 February (SD3) and 31 March (SD4) 2000. On each date, clovers were sown with 0, 3, 6 or 12 kg ha^?1 of PRG. Total herbage dry matter (DM) production up to 6 November 2000 was 13–16 t DM ha^?1 for SD1 and SD2 when sown with 3–12 kg ha^?1 of PRG, and 7–10 t DM ha^?1 for sown clover monocultures. For SD3 and SD4, total herbage production was 6–9 t DM ha^?1 with PRG, while total herbage production of clover monocultures was 5·4 t DM ha^?1 for SD3 and 2·6 t DM ha^?1 for SD4. By 6 November 2000, white clover contributed proportionately more than 0·15 of herbage mass when sown with 3–12 kg ha^?1 of PRG on SD1, SD2 or SD3, but less than 0·09 when sown on SD4. The proportion of Caucasian clover never exceeded 0·09 of herbage mass in any of the swards. White clover was successfully established in spring and in autumn with 3–12 kg ha^?1 of PRG provided the 15‐mm soil temperature was above 14 °C. None of the combinations of Caucasian clover and PRG provided an adequate proportion of legumes during the establishment year. This unsuccessful establishment of Caucasian clover with PRG was attributed to its inability to compete for available light as a seedling due to slow leaf area expansion from secondary shoot development and a high root:shoot ratio. Alternative establishment strategies for Caucasian clover may include the use of slow establishing grasses, cover crops and temporal species separation.     

The effect of variety and fertilizer nitrogen level on red clover production

Established swards of two diploid and two tetraploid red clover varieties sown pure received 0, 75, 150, 225 or 300 kg ha^?1 N fertilizer and were cut three times in June, August and October 1971. The total yields of herbage DM for red clover varieties ranged from 8.01 to 11.32 t ha^?1; swards sown with tetraploids Hungaropoly and Hera Pajbjerg were superior by 25% in DM yield and 23% in CP yield. The red clover contribution to these total yields of DM ranged from 6.05 to 10.69 t ha^?1; tetraploid clovers outyielded diploids by 42% in DM yield and 39% in CP yield. The mean effect of N level on yield and on compositional attributes was slight. Total yields of herbage DM, averaged over all varieties, ranged from 9.50 to 10.22 t ha^?1 and of total herbage CP from 1.76 to 1.91 t ha^?1. The influence of N level on the red clover contribution was negligible. DM yields ranged from 8.54 to 8.72 t ha^?1 and CP yields from 1.60 to 1.64 t ha^?1. Superiority of tetraploid clovers over diploids was again confirmed. Red clover swards sown pure can give high yields without the application of fertilizer N.     

The effect of companion perennial ryegrass cultivars on red clover productivity when timing of the first cut is varied

Replicated plots of Hungaropoly red clover were sown on a sterilized area in May 1975 alone (seed rate 11 kg ha^-1) or with one of six cultivars of perennial ryegrass (seed rate 3·5 kg ha^-1) viz. Cropper and S24 (early heading), Barlenna and Hora (medium heading) and Melle and Perma (late heading). In 1976 and 1977 primary growth was cut at one of four dates ranging from mid-May to mid-June and thereafter plots were harvested twice each year.
Varying the time of first cut did not have a significant effect on total dry matter (DM) yield in either year despite differences in means of cutting treatments on annual red clover yields of the order of 6–9%.
In some companion grass treatments total DM yield in 1976 was increased and total red clover yield and percentage red clover contribution were reduced relative to swards sown only with red clover. In 1977 a similar but non-significant trend was found. Swards containing early ryegrasses had higher total herbage DM yields but lower red clover yields and contents than all other swards at the first harvest in both years.
Delay in date of taking the first harvest in 1976 reduced DM digestibility in the first cut and increased it in the second in both years.
It is suggested that by cutting early and increasing the number of harvests from three to four per year, differences in the content of red clover between the first and second cut might be reduced, and it is concluded that more benefit is derived from red clover when medium or late heading ryegrasses are used as companion grasses.     

Effect of sowing date of triticale on seasonal herbage production in the central Appalachian Highlands of the United States

Triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) was evaluated as a complementary pasture to buffer those periods when herbage production from mixed perennial pasture is marginal in the central Appalachian Highlands of the United States. Triticale was sown every month from May to October for five consecutive years from 1999 to 2003. Plant population structure and herbage production were evaluated at intervals until May of the year following establishment. Triticale established quickly at all times of sowing except late October. Wet summers resulted in foliar disease and a rapid decline in plant density when triticale was sown in May and June. In contrast, during the relatively dry summer of 1999, triticale stands exhibited minimal decline. Triticale sown in August had a herbage yield of 1580 kg DM ha^?1 when harvested in October which was over twice the herbage yield of triticale sown in May, June and July. Average herbage yield in the following April of triticale sown in September was higher (1750 kg DM ha^?1) and less variable than herbage yields from other sowing dates. Plant and tiller populations declined throughout the following April but herbage yields in May were high due to stem and seed head development associated with reproductive growth. Incorporating areas of triticale into mixed‐species perennial pasture systems could buffer herbage production during hot and dry summer periods as well as during cool periods of late autumn and early spring.     

The effects of frequency of defoliation, date of first cut and heading date of a perennial ryegrass companion on the yield, quality and persistence of diploid and tetraploid broad red clover

The effects of cutting frequency on dry matter yield, crop persistence and herbage quality of representative diploid and tetraploid varieties of broad red clover (Trifolium pratense) were investigated in two trials at Hurley in the period 1975–79. Pure-sown swards of broad red clover varieties were used in the first trial (A), while both pure-sown swards and those sown with a perennial ryegrass companion grass were included in the second trial (B). Tria1was cut three or six times per annum, trial B three, four or five times per annum. In both trials, the change from normal management of three cuts per annum to six (trial A) or five (trial B) cuts per annum reduced output, whether in terms of dry matter yield (trial A by 31%; trial B by 33%), N yield (trials A and B by 15%) or metabolizable energy (trial A by 24%; trial B by 28%), and in trial A also led to more rapid reduction in clover plant density. More frequent cutting also raised mean D–value (trial A by 5–3 units; trial B by 3–4 units) and N concentration (trial A by 64 g kg dry matter^-1; trial B by 70 g kg dry matter^-1). Tetraploid (4x) red clover varieties generally out–yielded diploid (2x) varieties, except in trial A in 1976 when, under drought conditions, Granta and Kuhn (both 2x) equalled the yield of Wensum (4x) and out–yielded Norseman and Maris Leda (both 4x). The companion grasses included in trial B formed a sequence from early to late flowering (Aberystwyth S24, Barlenna, Endura), and their inclusion raised dry matter yields and D-value, though it lowered N concentration in the mixed herbage. Highest annual dry matter yields in this trial, which received supplementary irrigation, were 1641 ha^-1 from a pure–sown crop (Hungaropoly) and 205 t ha^-1 from a mixture (Wensum/ Aberystwyth S24), from three cuts in the first harvest year. Aberystwyth S24 had the greatest effect in raising yields; though least effect on improving digestibility. Endura was the converse, and it was concluded that an intermediate-maturity variety such as Barlenna was the most satisfactory companion. Both trials A and B suggested that in south–east England, broad red clover can be considered only as a 2–year crop and that ways must be found to prolong its productive life. Strategies to increase the digestibility and hence the economic value of the crop by cutting more frequently than three times per year are unattractive because of the large fall in yield and relatively small improvement in digestibility and hence metabolizable energy concentration.     

Effect of cultivar and seed rate of perennial ryegrass and strategic fertilizer nitrogen on the productivity of grass/white clover swards

Four cultivars of perennial ryegrass (intermediate diploid cv. Talbot and tetraploid cv. Barlatra, and late diploid cv. Parcour and tetraploid cv. Petra) were each sown at 10,20 and 30 kg ha^-1, all with 3 kg ha^-1 of white clover cv. Donna. Herbage productivity was measured over 3 harvest years, 1982–84. under two annual rates of fertilizer N (0 and 150 kg ha^-1); the 150 kg ha^-1 rate was split equally between March and August applications. Fertilizer N increased total herbage DM production; the 3-year means for the 0 and 150 kg ha^-1 N rates were 8·04 and 8·91 t ha^-1, respectively. In successive years, total herbage responses to N (kg DM (kg N applied)^-1) were 6·6, 35 and 72 (overall mean, 58). Mean white clover DM production over the 3 years was reduced from 4·48 t ha^-1 at nil N to 2·82 t ha^-1 at the 150 kg ha^-1 rate, a fall of 37%. Grass seed rate did not influence total herbage production or white clover performance. The two intermediate perennial ryegrass cultivars had a marginal advantage in total herbage production over the two late cultivars, but white clover content and production were higher with tetraploids than diploids. It is concluded that the value of increased herbage production from strategic use of fertilizer N has to be weighed against its depressive effect on white clover performance; application of 75 kg ha ha^-1 N in both spring and autumn was excessively high if maintenance of a good white clover content in the sward is an objective. There is considerable flexibility in the grass: clover seed ratio in seeds mixtures. Modern highly-productive perennial ryegrass varieties do not differ substantially in compatibility with white clover but tetraploids permit better clover performance than diploids.     

The influence of fertilizer nitrogen, white clover content and environmental factors on the nitrate content of perennial ryegrass and ryegrass/white clover swards

In a field experiment carried out over 3 years, the nitrate content of herbage from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) swards increased exponentially with nitrogen application rate, but herbage nitrate content appeared to reach potentially dangerous concentrations only when nitrogen application rates were greater than those needed to stimulate dry-matter production. Thus, on average over all the harvests, maximum yield could be obtained with annual application rates of 400 kg N ha^–1 (six applications of 67 kg N ha^–1) for perennial ryegrass and 300 kg N ha^–1 (six applications of 50 kg N ha^–1) for perennial ryegrass/white clover (Trifolium repens) swards, whereas the mean nitrate concentrations were 3340 and 2929 mg NO₃ kg^–1 dry matter (DM) respectively. Nitrate content, however, varied considerably from harvest to harvest, reaching maxima of 9345 mg NO₃ kg^–1 DM at 400 kg N ha^–1 for perennial ryegrass and 6255 mg NO₃ kg^–1 DM at 300 kg N ha^–1 for perennial ryegrass/white clover. The nitrate content of herbage from perennial ryegrass/white clover swards was always greater than that of perennial ryegrass swards receiving the same rate of nitrogen application, even though in the herbage from the mixed sward the nitrate content of white clover was usually less than half that of the perennial ryegrass component. The physical environment did not have a clearly interpretable effect on nitrate content, although herbage harvested in May had a much lower nitrate content than that harvested at any other time of the season. It was not possible to find a single multiple regression equation relating herbage nitrate content to nitrogen application and to other environmental variables that explained more than 60% of the variance in herbage nitrate, but it is suggested that, by reducing the later-season nitrogen applications from 67 to 50 and finally to 33 kg N ha^–1 for perennial ryegrass and from 50 to 33 kg N ha^–1 for perennial ryegrass/white clover, it would be possible to achieve over 90% of the maximum yield while reducing average nitrate content to <40% of that at maximum yield, with no samples containing more than 2300 mg NO₃ kg ^–1 DM.     

Productivity of mixtures of Italian ryegrass and red clover

Two red clover ( Trifolium pratense ) cultivars, Red Head (tetraploid) and Kuhn (diploid), were sown at a seed rate of 13 kg ha⁻¹ either alone or in mixture with Italian ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum ) cv. RvP sown at seed rates of 10, 15, 20 or 30 kg ha⁻¹. RvP was also sown alone at a seed rate of 30 kg ha⁻¹ and received nil or 300 kg ha⁻¹ fertilizer a⁻¹ fertilizer N. All plots were established using the barley cultivar Midas sown at a seed rate of 100 kg ha⁻¹ as a nurse crop.
Neither clover cultivar nor ryegrass seed rate significantly influenced either dry matter harvested or botanical composition over the 3 harvest years. On average over all years the grass-clover mixtures produced 75% of the yield of the N-fertilized RvP, 125% of the clover monocultures and 225% of the unfertilized RvP. The red clover contribution to the total dry matter harvested of the mixtures averaged 45–60%. The dry matter concentrations of the mixtures were considerably higher than those of the pure clover stands. In the third year yields were markedly reduced in comparison with those in the first and second years.
It was concluded that Italian ryegrass can be a suitable companion grass for red clover. Its superior yielding capacity over other grasses such as perennial ryegrass or timothy under a conservation management can be coupled to advantage with red clover to give a sward which Is essentially stable, at least over a 2- to 3-year cropping period, although giving slightly reduced yields in the third year. Italian ryegrass-red clover mixtures, without the use of fertilizer N, can produce high DM yields of good quality herbage.     

Effects of grazing by lambs in autumn on a red clover-perennial ryegrass sward

In 1976, 1977 and 1978 a red clover-perennial ryegrass sward was cut twice for silage, and in the autumn of 1976 and 1977 it was either grazed at low and high stocking rates, i.e. seventeen and thirty-four lambs per ha respectively, or was cut with a forage harvester. The effects of grazing on yield in the following year were examined. Herbage growth in the grazing period was slow and did not differ significantly between the treatments. The yield of silage dry matter taken in May and July was highest in ungrazed plots (9·8 and 8·1 t ha^-1 in 1977 and 1978 respectively) and lowest in plots stocked at the high rate (5·9 and 5·7 t ha^-1 in 1977 and 1978 respectively). The aftermath yield for grazing in 1977 was slightly but significantly greater on treatments grazed in the previous year compared with ungrazed treatments. Red clover content decreased markedly during grazing, the high stocking rate treatment containing 2·4% clover and the ungrazed treatment 57·3% clover. The high stocking rate treatment also had the lowest red clover content in the first silage cut. Red clover content in grazed plots increased to a level similar to that in ungrazed plots by the start of the grazing period in the subsequent harvest year. Animal performance was higher at the low than at the high stocking rate but herbage consumption per head did not differ significantly between the two grazing treatments. Possible reasons for the adverse effect of grazing on the red clover are defoliation and treading. It is concluded that such experiments can form the basis of an economic assessment of red clover and help the farmer decide whether or not he should integrate the crop into his system.     

The productivity of oats and berseem clover intercrops. II. Effects of cutting date and density of oats on annual forage yield

Annual forage yields of intercrops of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) and oats (Avena sativa L.), as affected by timing of initial harvest and sowing rate of oats, were investigated. Berseem clover was intercropped with oats at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 240 plants m^?2 of oats in 1999 and 2000 in Alberta, Canada. Cutting date treatments involved initial harvest at 10‐d intervals between 35 and 88 d after planting (DAP), and one or two subsequent harvests of regrowth. Total intercrop dry‐matter (DM) yield averaged 12·9–13·3 t ha^?1 with proportions of 0·21–0·43 of berseem clover in the forage. Treatments with an initial cut at the silage stage of oats (76 DAP in 1999, 88 DAP in 2000, at about soft‐dough stage of oats) had greater yields of oats, lower yields of berseem clover, and lower proportions of berseem clover in total annual yields than treatments with an earlier initial cut. Total crude protein (CP) yield was greater with an initial cut at 65–66 DAP than with a silage‐stage initial cut. With an initial cut at 35 DAP (before stem elongation of oats) or after 65 DAP (after heading of oats), yield potential of oats was sometimes reduced compared with silage‐stage treatments, but this was balanced by a greater yield of berseem clover. The impact of harvest timing on total yield decreased as the proportion of berseem clover in the intercrops increased. With decreasing density of oats, DM yield of first‐cut intercrops and total DM yield of oats decreased, while regrowth and total DM yields of berseem clover increased. Intercrops with oats at 60 plants m^?2 had equal or greater total DM and CP yields than intercrops with 240 plants m^?2 of oats. For intercrops with oats at 60 plants m^?2, with initial cuts at 65–66, 75–76, or 88 DAP, yields of regrowths were 0·30–0·35, 0·16–0·26 and 0·09 of the total yield respectively. Oats–berseem clover intercrops showed potential to manipulate the pattern of annual forage yield and to provide flexibility of harvest without reducing annual yields.     

Forage production by two Lotus species as influenced by companion grass species

A small-plot experiment was carried out with grass-lotus (Lotus spp.) swards on a lowland (185 m) clay-soil site in S-W England. Two species of lotus (Lotus corniculatus cv. Leo and L. pedunculatus, syn, L. uliginosus, cv. Maku) were each sown at 10 kg seed ha^?1 with lour grass species each at two grass-seed rates: Festuca pratensis at 6 or 3 kg ha^?1 and Phleum pratense, Agrostis capillaris and Poa pratensis at 4 or 2 kg ha^?1. Assessments were made over three harvest years (1992–94). during which no fertilizers were applied. Mean total herbage dry matter (DM) harvested from cv. Leo swards was 90 t ha^?1 in year 1, 8–9 t ha^?1 in year 2 and 4 0 t ha^?1 in year 3. and from cv. Maku swards 6–6 t ha^?1 in year 1. 8–9 t ha^?1 in year 2 and 3–9 t ha^?1 in year 3. Highest three-year mean total yields were with F. pratensis as the companion grass (7–4 t ha^?1 year^?1), followed by Phleum pratense (7–0 t ha^?1), A. capillaris (6–9 t ha^?1) and Poa pratensis (6–2 t ha^?1). The lower grass-seed rate resulted in a greater proportion of lotus in the total harvested DM in year I. The higher grass-seed rate resulted in higher yields from F. pratensis swards in year 1, but there were no significant effects for other species or in subsequent years. Lotus as a proportion of harvested DM declined from about 70% in year 1 to about 20% in year 3. The mean DM yield of lotus herbage in years 1, 2 and 3, respectively, was 5–5, 2–8 and 0–8 t ha^?1 from cv. Leo swards, and 4–0, 3–3 and 0–8 t ha^?1 from cv. Maku swards. Lotus herbage was of higher digestibility from cv. Leo [digestible organic matter (DOM) of 661 g kg^?1 of lotus DM] compared with cv. Maku (551 g kg^?1 DM). Mean N content of lotus herbage was 35 g N kg^?1 DM. Digestibility of companion grass herbage was highest for Phleum pratense (557 g kg^?1 DM) and lowest for A. capillaris (493 g kg^?1 DM). It is concluded that lotus may be an alternative legume to white clover for low-input, low-fertility situations. However, further research is needed to evaluate its performance on different sites and under different management regimes, particularly grazing, and to overcome the apparent problems of its persistence.     

Establishment and production of common sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) in the UK. 1. Effects of sowing date and autumn management on establishment and yield

The effects of sowing date and autumn management of sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) were investigated over 3 years in the UK. Replicated plots were sown between April and September in 2003 and 2004. Autumn management treatments were early and late cutting carried out in the establishment year and in subsequent years. Dry matter (DM) yields were measured over 3 years. One harvest was taken from April to July sowings in the establishment year and three harvests in each of the following years. DM yields from sowings in April and May were 2·8 and 3·3 t DM ha⁻¹, respectively, in the establishment year, which were higher ( P  <   0·001) than from sowings in June and July. Sowings from April to July yielded 10·9–12·5 t DM ha⁻¹ in the first full-harvest year, and 9·5–11·5 t DM ha⁻¹ in the following year. Sowings in August and September only gave 5 t DM ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Early-autumn cutting of an established sward reduced yields of sainfoin at the second harvest in the first and second full-harvest years. Sowing in May had the lowest proportion of weed species (0·06) in the establishment year, and sowing in July had the highest (0·53). Crude protein concentration increased as the seasons progressed from 149·8 to 230·1 g kg⁻¹ DM.     

Performance of white clover/perennial ryegrass mixtures under cutting

Clover persistence in mixtures of two varieties of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) with contrasting growth habits and three white clover (Trifolium repens) varieties differing in leaf sizes was evaluated at two cutting frequencies. An experiment was sown in 1991 on a clay soil. The plots received no nitrogen fertilizer. In 1992, 1993 and 1994, mixtures containing the large-leaved clover cv. Alice yielded significantly more herbage dry matter (DM) and had a higher clover content than mixtures containing cvs Gwenda and Retor. Companion grass variety did not consistently affect yield or botanical composition. Cutting at 2 t DM ha^?1 resulted in slightly higher total annual yields than cutting at 1.2 t DM ha^?1, but did not affect clover content. In 1992 the mixtures yielded, depending on cutting frequency and variety, 10·6–14·6 t DM ha^?1 and 446–599 kg ha^?1 N, whereas grass monocultures yielded only 1·2–2·0 t DM ha^?1 and 25–46 kg ha^?1 N. From 1992 to 1994 the annual mean total herbage yield of DM in the mixtures declined from 12·2 to 10·5 to 8·7 t ha^?1, the white clover yield declined from 8·7 to 6·5 to 4·1 t ha^?1 and the average clover content during the growing season declined from 71% to 61% to 46%, whereas the grass yield increased from 3·4 to 4·0 to 4·5 t ha^?1. The N yield decreased from 507 to 406 to 265 kg N ha^?1 and the apparent N fixation from 470 to 380 to 238 kg N ha^?1. Nitrate leaching losses during the winters of 1992–93 and 1994–95 were highest under mixtures with cv. Alice, but did not exceed 10 kg N ha^?1. The in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM) was generally higher in clover than in grass, particularly in the summer months. No differences in IVDOM were found among clover or grass varieties. The experiment will be continued to study clover persistence and the mechanisms that affect the grass/clover balance.     

Herbage and nitrogen yields,fixation and transfer by white clover to companion grasses in grazed swards under different rates of nitrogen fertilization

In grass–legume swards, biologically fixed nitrogen (N) from the legume can support the N requirements of the grass, but legume N fixation is suppressed by additional fertilizer N application. This study sought to identify a fertilizer N application rate that maximizes herbage and N yields, N fixation and apparent N transfer from white clover to companion grasses under intensive grazing at a site with high soil‐N status. During a 3‐year period (2011–2013), swards of perennial ryegrass and of perennial ryegrass–white clover, receiving up to 240 kg N ha^?1 year^?1, were compared using isotope dilution and N‐difference methods. The presence of white clover increased herbage and N yields by 12–44% and 26–72%, respectively. Applications of N fertilizer reduced sward white clover content, but the effect was less at below 120 kg N ha^?1. The proportion of N derived from the atmospheric N fixation was 25–70%. Nitrogen fixation ranged from 25 to 142 kg N ha^?1 measured using the isotope dilution method in 2012 and from 52 to 291 kg N ha^?1 using the N‐difference method across all years. Fertilizer N application reduced the percentage and yield of fixed N. Transfer of N from white clover to grass was not confirmed, but there was an increased N content in grass and soil‐N levels. Under intensive grazing, the maximum applied N rate that optimized herbage and N yields with minimal effect on white clover content and fixation rates was 60–120 kg N ha^?1.     

Establishment of legumes in grass swards: effects of pesticides on slugs,insects, legume seedling numbers and forage yield and quality*

Three legumes, red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.), were planted with a minimum-tillage drill into eight grass fields, three in early spring, two in late spring and three in late summer, in Pennsylvania. The objective was to use pesticides at planting time to control slugs and insects which attack legume seedlings and ascertain whether pest control prevented seedling loss and increased yields of grass and legume dry matter (DM), in vitro DM digestibility and crude protein (CP). Methiocarb bait alone or in combination with carbofuran granules or spray applied at planting sometimes controlled the slugs Derocerus reticulatum (Müller), D. laeve (Müller) and Arion fasciatus Nilsson and improved establishment of seedling red clover and alfalfa but not birdsfoot trefoil. Increased yields of DM, digestible DM, CP and legume DM after treatment was greatest in late-spring sowings. Larvae of the clover root curculio, Sitona hispidulus (F.), attacked roots of legumes in the spring following the year of sowing. Late spring and summer sowings without pesticides sustained considerable seedling losses from pests, whereas seedlings from early spring sowings in untreated areas were injured less.     

Yield and stability of yield of single- and multi-clover grass-clover swards in two contrasting temperate environments

Diversity of clovers in grass-clover swards may contribute to greater herbage yields and stability of yield. This possible effect was evaluated in an experiment carried out over three harvest years at two contrasting sites, differing in precipitation and soil composition, using mixed swards containing either one, two or three clover species sown together with timothy ( Phleum pratense L.) and meadow fescue ( Festuca pratensis L.). The clover species were red clover ( Trifolium pratense L.), white clover ( Trifolium repens L.) and alsike clover ( Trifolium hybridum L.) sown in various proportions in a total of ten treatments. All swards were fertilized with nitrogen with amounts that increased from year to year, and three harvests were taken in three consecutive years. There was a significant interaction between site and species mixture on total dry matter (DM) yields (range 27–32 tonnes ha⁻¹) and DM yields of clovers (range 5–15 tonnes ha⁻¹); red clover as a single species or in a mixture was superior at the dry site while multi-clover species mixtures were superior at the wet site. Alsike clover was the least productive species of clover. Stability of yield of clovers was generally higher by including white and red clover in the seed mixture but total DM yield was not.     

Effect of sowing date on the growth and seed yield of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in highland environments

Evaluations of common bean cultivars in the highlands of Mexico indicated that land races from that region experience less reduction in seed yield and seed size in late sowings than do lines from other regions. Introduced materials are of interest as sources of increased disease and pest resistance and tolerance to edaphic constraints, however. To quantify effects of sowing date and determine possible underlying causes, germplasm of diverse origins was evaluated at two sites in the highlands using multiple sowing dates. In all trials, seed yield, seed weight, harvest index and canopy dry weight decreased with late sowings. Large effects of sowing date, cultivar and their interaction were found for the four traits. The possible importance of phenology per se and of weather conditions was first examined using regression analyses. Variation in seed yield, seed weight, harvest index and canopy dry weight was more closely associated with time to maturity than with time to flowering. Of three weather variables examined, minimum temperature during seed filling revealed the strongest relations with the four traits. Few interactions of any parameter with line were significant, indicating that the cultivars did not have a strong differential response to a specific weather condition such as night temperature. Simulation analyses comparing photoperiod-sensitive and day-neutral cultivars indicated that radiation and temperature explained part of the yield reduction with late sowings. Daylength also had an influence, however, even in the day-neutral cultivar. Given that phenology had a strong effect on yield and that its inheritance is better understood than that of other physiological traits, priority should be given to understanding the genetic basis of the response of cultivar phenology to sowing date in the region.     

Effects of plastic mulch, sowing date and cultivar on the yield and maturity of forage maize grown under marginal climatic conditions in Northern Ireland

The effects of growing forage maize (Zea mays) with or without plastic mulching treatments on the dry‐matter (DM) yield, cob yield, DM content and starch content was investigated in Northern Ireland in 1996 and 1997. Cultivars differing in maturity characteristics were sown in spring at a range of dates in three replicated plot experiments and were used to compare the effects of two plastic mulches and an untreated control: one plastic mulch completely covered the rows (floating); the other had holes punched in the plastic, through which the plants grew (punch). Between April and October in 1996 and 1997, the Ontario heat units (OU) received were above average at 2489 and 2660 respectively; in those years without plastic mulches, the earliest maturing cultivar, Melody, yielded 11·0 and 13·6 t DM ha^–1, with dry‐matter contents of 214 and 215 g kg^–1 respectively. Mean daily increases in soil and air temperature under plastic mulches of up to 6°C and 11°C, respectively, were closely related to solar radiation. Under plastic mulches, 15% fewer OU were required to reach silking, and 33% more OU were available between silking and harvest. Meaned over three experiments, two years and three cultivars, plastic mulches, when compared with the unmulched control, increased maize yield from 12·0 to 14·7 t DM ha^–1, cob yield from 3·7 to 6·8 t DM ha^–1, dry‐matter content from 230 to 270 g kg^–1 and starch content from 198 to 272 g kg^–1. The effect of plastic mulch on the maturation of the crop was greatest at earlier sowings. In 1997, plants from an early sowing date (10 April) that had recently emerged through the punch plastic mulch were damaged by frost, whereas those in the floating plastic mulch plots were unaffected. When the floating plastic mulch was left on after the six‐ to eight‐leaf stage of the first‐early maize cultivar Hudson, the plants were physically damaged and the yield reduced, but DM and starch contents continued to increase. The increases in yield and dry‐matter content under the plastic mulch were greater in Diamant (second‐early cultivar) than in Melody (first‐early cultivar). It was concluded that, under marginal climatic conditions, plastic mulches ought to be used to improve the reliability of early cultivars rather than growing later maturing cultivars.