Red clover varieties of Mattenklee type have higher production, protein yield and persistence than Ackerklee types in grass–clover mixtures

Abstract

Dairy farmers have increased interest in multiyear red clover–ryegrass ley pasture swards because of their high productivity and protein concentration but the adoption of such mixtures has been restricted because of poor persistency of many red clover cultivars currently used. We aimed (i) to assess dry‐matter yield (DMY), persistence and nutritive value of four Mattenklee and four Ackerklee cultivars and (ii) to investigate the underlying plant morphological traits. We conducted a 4‐year field experiment with red clover–ryegrass mixtures, in combination with a short‐term pot experiment in which the red clover cultivars were grown both in monoculture and in mixture with Lolium perenne L. In the field, Mattenklees showed higher production (on average 42% higher) and clover content (on average 34% higher) in the third and fourth year of production compared to Ackerklees. In the fourth year, Mattenklees had slightly lower digestibility and lower protein concentration compared to Ackerklees cultivars; however, the digestible DMY and the protein yield were higher for Mattenklees. Both persistence and nutritive value of the different red clover cultivars were closely correlated with plant morphological traits. For stem length, there was close correlation (r > .77) between the results from the pot experiment and the field experiment, suggesting that stem length may be an important trait for plant breeding.

Can the presence of plantain (Plantago lanceolataL.) improve nitrogen cycling of dairy grassland systems on peat soils?

“…The first was used for analyses of total herbage DM content (oven drying at 70°C for 48 h). The second subsample of at least 0.2 kg was manually separated into plantain, grasses and other herbs and forbs to obtain the sward species composition, as described in Hoekstra et al (2018). The separated plantain, total grasses and other herbs and forbs were analysed for DM and plantain and total grasses were analysed for total N contents (NEN-ISO 5983-2, Kjeldahl method, Eurofins Agro, Wageningen, the Netherlands).…”

Variation in rate of phenological development and morphology between red clover varieties: Implications for clover proportion and feed quality in mixed swards

“…In previous studies, characters such as branching pattern, branch weight and bud formation rate have been shown to be directly related to yield and persistency of red clover in pure and mixed stands, with no direct link to rate of phenological development (Cnops, Rohde, Saracutu, Malengier, & Roldán‐Ruiz, ; Van Minnebruggen et al, , ). In a recent study of Hoekstra, Deyn, Xu, Prinsen, and Eekeren (), there even seemed to be some relationship between persistency and earliness linked to architectural types of red clover.…”

Development of Legumes After Reseeding in Permanent Grassland, as Affected by Nitrogen Fertilizer Applications

“…During our study, the RC plots still showed a superior yield in year 3 compared to the control-high N plots. This may partly be due to the fact, that we used "Mattenklee" varieties, which are considered to be more persistent than other RC varieties [40]. However, declining RC proportions in the sward by the end of year 3 and start of year 4 already indicate the retreat of RC, and future yield decline appears possible.…”