Frost seeding red clover into winter wheat. A red cover crop has several benefits, including: Contributing 30 to pounds of soil nitrogen for the following crop. Reducing soil erosion and surface water pollution. Increasing soil organic matter, improving soil health and increasing water holding capacity. Reducing weed pressure. Serving as a forage and pasture for livestock. What nitrogen credit can I expect? Did you find this article useful?
Please tell us why Submit. Thus, if you only planted 15 pounds of this seed per acre, you would have only applied about half of the seed that is needed for a successful stand. In General. NE Tuscaloosa, AL Site Map. Crimson clover will winter kill. If crimson clover survives through the winter it can effectively be terminated mechanically. Mowing after early bud stage will effectively terminate the clover. Crimson clover works well with crops sown in the late spring, or harvested in early fall.
Crimson clover also works in a strip-tilling situation. For more information on crimson clover, see " Benefits of crimson clover as a cover crop. Michigan State University Extension educators have developed fact sheets and pamphlets that will help you determine the best clover for your management needs.
For more information on using cover crop or to request copies of the factsheets, contact me at, curellc anr. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. Management and planting of crimson clover as a cover crop. Soil type Crimson clover grows well in any type of well-drained soil. White clover has been used as a forage in North America since Colonial times. Benjamin Franklin noted its prevalence in cleared and disturbed land as early as There are many reasons for white clover's popularity among forage producers.
Several of the more common reasons are listed below. White clover has a creeping growth habit and spreads with stolons or "runners" Figure 1 above the soil with adventitious roots forming at each node.
This type of growth pattern is one reason for the excellent grazing tolerance of white clover. Livestock only consume the leaves and flowers of the plant, reducing plant injury and promoting timely regrowth. White clover also helps to fill voids in the sward, which would otherwise be filled with weedy species.
Because white clover fills voids in grass stands, forage yields are often increased, particularly when tall fescue and orchardgrass stands have thinned. In addition, white clover is a cool season forage, so it can improve at least as an annual the forage distribution and grazing season of warm season pastures like bermudagrass and bahiagrass.
White clover is generally productive in late winter to late spring and mid-fall to mid-winter when warm season perennials are not productive or have low nutritive value. Because of the high quality of white clover, it is well suited for use as a complimentary forage in cool season perennials like tall fescue and orchardgrass.
Table 1 lists the approximate nutrient content of grazed grass and clover plant species. The high total digestible nutrient TDN and crude protein content of white clover can increase animal performance on pasture simply due to increased nutrient density. In addition, the higher level of magnesium in clovers decreases the potential risk of grass tetany in the spring months.
White clover interseeded into toxic tall fescue pastures can reduce intake of these toxins and improve animal performance. Animals will selectively graze the clover, thereby reducing consumption of the toxic grass. This, in combination with the improved diet quality of the clover, greatly improves performance of animals grazing toxic tall fescue Table 2.
White clover can also be seeded into bermudagrass pastures on favorable soils to improve nutrient content of the sward. New grazing-tolerant white clover varieties have persisted for three years under grazing in bermudagrass sod in trials near Calhoun Georgia. In addition to improving animal performance, a frequently mentioned benefit of including clover in pastures is nitrogen fixation.
The earth's atmosphere is made up of about 80 percent nitrogen; this nitrogen is not, however, in a form plants can utilize. Nitrogen is "fixed" in clovers through a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria that infects the plant's roots. The plant provides energy for the bacteria, and bacteria provide the "machinery" necessary to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form available to plants.
Nitrogen fixation is one of many economically important features of clover, particularly when clover represents a substantial proportion of available forage. A vigorous stand of white clover will fix pounds of nitrogen per year depending on soil and growing conditions Table 3.
The economic value of nitrogen fixation alone should more than pay for seed and establishment expenses. Direct benefits of nitrogen fixation are realized almost exclusively by clover plants.
Studies have shown that mixed grass and clover stands can produce forage yields equivalent to those of nitrogen fertilized grass stands.
In the clover-containing system, overall grass yields decrease, but clover yields offset these decreases. In addition to clover plants supplying forage without nitrogen fertilization, overall forage quality available to animals is higher in pastures containing clover. Most people envision a "pipeline" that transports nitrogen directly from clover to grass. Unfortunately almost no nitrogen is contributed to grasses in this way. Essentially all nitrogen supplied to grasses from clover is indirect.
Because of this indirect route, nitrogen from clover root nodules is not immediately available to companion grasses. Root nodules must decompose and nitrogen must be converted into a form available to plants.
This conversion or "mineralization" releases nitrogen slowly, much like a time release fertilizer. This slow, steady nitrogen supply from a healthy stand of white clover can keep perennial grasses green and productive through the growing season. Fixed nitrogen from clovers is also supplied to grasses via grazing animals. Nitrogen in consumed high quality clover plants that is not digested or deposited in the animal, returns to the pasture as dung or urine and can be a valuable source of fertilizer for grasses.
White clovers are frequently classified into one of three morphological groups: small, intermediate and large. Small types seldom exceed 3 inches in height and are found in closely grazed areas or lawns. These clovers have low productivity and contribute little to grazing animal production. Large or ladino white clovers are larger leafed, later blooming and more upright growing than either small or intermediate white clover types.
Under optimal fertility and management, ladino white clovers are more productive than other white clover types. However, ladino clovers are not dependable reseeders and have fewer stolons and leaves close to ground level. Because of these reasons, ladino clovers have lower grazing persistence. Intermediate clovers are exactly as their name implies: intermediate. Flowering period and leaf size fall between small and large-type white clovers. Intermediate types typically reseed more dependably than ladinos, possess many stolons and leaves at ground level, and produce more forage than small types.
Because of these traits, intermediate types of white clover persist well in grazing situations. Many commercial varieties of white clover are available on the market. It is recommended that you choose a good yielding, persistent and disease resistant variety that is well suited to your growing environment. While varieties that yield high amounts of forage are attractive, producers must be able to effectively harvest these yields.
In contrast, low yielding clovers for example, "white dutch" or common cultivars do not typically furnish adequate amounts of high quality forage in many Georgia environments. Most cultivars are susceptible to viruses that decrease productivity and shorten stand life. Recently, grazing-persistent varieties have been developed that produce good yields, have excellent tolerance to defoliation, and survive for many years.
Consider all these factors when selecting a variety for establishment. Most commercially available white clover varieties are the large or ladino type. Most available ladino varieties have performed similarly in tests across north Georgia.
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