Productivity of Lotus corniculatus L. (bird's‐foot trefoil) in the UK when grown under low‐input conditions as spaced plants, monoculture swards or mixed swards

Abstract

The dry-matter productivity of the forage legume Lotus comiculatus (bird's-foot trefoil) was assessed under low-input conditions at three sites in the north of England. An initial study in 1989 and 1990 compared fourteen accessions of L corniculatus with Trifolium repens and 7". pratense grown as spaced plants at two sites with contrasting soil conditions. One site represented good agricultural land, the other poor-quality, marginal land. Yields of all species and accessions were significantly lower on the marginal site. Seasonal yields (averaged over sites) of L comicutatus cultivars averaged 52gplant" ' and 170gplant"' in 1989 and 1990 respectively. General trends over both seasons were that T. repens and T. pratense yields were high but some L comiculatus cultivars (Empire, Franco, Leo) and naturalized UK 'aliens' were similar to at least one Trifolium in each year. Yields from L. corniculatus ecotypes from the UK and Norway were very low in comparison with the cultivars. A largerscale study of eighteen L comiculatus, two L uliginosus, three T. repens and two T. pratense accessions was undertaken on an upland, calcareous site in 1990. Legumes were assessed in 2 m X 2 m swards as either monoculture or grass/legume mixture. Establishment and productivity of L uliginosus and 7". pratense accessions were poor, with seasonal yields no greater that 50gm~^year~'. When grown as a monoculture, L comiculatus yields were superior to both Trifolium spp., and averaged 1080 gm~^. In mixed swards, L. comiculatus constituted a higher proportion of the total dry Correspondence; Dr M. J. Bullaid ADAS, Arthur Rickwood, Mepal. Ely. Cambs, CB6 2BA, UK.matter yield (26% and 62% at first and second cuts, respectively) than the other legume species. It is concluded from these studies that L comiculatus is suited to marginal or free-draining calcareous soils under low-input conditions, and consequently has more potential for use in the UK than has previously been reported.

Genome-wide analyses of the bHLH gene family reveals structural and functional characteristics in the aquatic plantNelumbo nucifera

“…In addition, low temperatures can severely impact the growth, yield and distribution area of plants (Sanghera et al, 2011). The dry matter content of lotus is minimal during colder seasons at high latitudes (Bullard & Crawford, 2010; Halling, Topp & Doyle, 2010), causing substantial economic losses. Hence, identification of salt and cold tolerance and response genes is expected to improve salt and cold resistance of lotus, which may increase the yield and expand the distribution of lotus to some extent.…”

Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation at the Late Stage of Nodule Formation in Lotus japonicus and Other Legume Plants

“…Some legumes, like pigeon pea, can excrete a compound which helps absorb insoluble phosphate in the soil. These characteristics indicate legume plants have beneficial capabilities for sustainable agriculture (Bullard andCrawford 1995, James andCrawford 1998), in addition to their importance as resources of protein, oil, sweet luxury foods and vegetables.…”

Peer Review #2 of "Genome-wide analyses of the bHLH gene family reveals structural and functional characteristics in the aquatic plant Nelumbo nucifera (v0.1)"

“…In addition, low temperatures can severely impact the growth, yield and distribution area of plants (Sanghera et al, 2011). The dry matter content of lotus is minimal during colder seasons at high latitudes (Bullard & Crawford 2010;Halling et al, 2010), causing substantial economic losses. Hence, identification of salt and cold tolerance and response genes is expected to improve salt and cold resistance of lotus, which may increase the yield and expand the distribution of lotus to some extent.…”