English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Zendy Plus

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Zendy Tools

Zendy Open

Legumes are beneficial in providing high quality forage and Australia for the identical species. enhancing fertility levels in the soil by biological nitrogen fixation. Nonperennial Medicago species have a world-wide distribution Figure 1 illustrates the annual climatic patterns of precipitation and have been used successfully for graxing in Mediterranean-type and temperature at a locality where medics are indigenous (Tunis, environments. The feasibility of using nonperenniai Medicago Tunisia), and where they have been successfully introduced (Los species as reseeding pasture legumes in the northern Utah area was Angeles, CA). Most medic species are winter annuals adapted to evaluated at 2 locations in replicated plantings of 584 accessions Mediterranean climates. Their usual life cycle is to germinate with the onset of the first fall rains in September to November and to representing 34 Medicago species. These nurseries were planted in grow rapidly while warm temperatures and precipitation coincide. the spring of 1981 and data were collected through the 1983 growWhile the growth rate may be reduced during winter, flowering ing season. Most of the species were easily established at both test usually is completed during April. In colder temperate climates, sites. Many grew more rapidly during the seeding year than did the these species would have to be used as spring annuals. perennial check, M. falcuta L. However, no annual or biennial Self-seeding annual legumes may be better adapted to arid rangespecies was as well nodulated or reduced acetylene on a per plant lands than perennial legumes. Quinlivan (1971) showed that medbasis as well as M. fulcatu. None of the populations matured, ics can survive many years of drought due to the hardseed mechareproduced, and initiated soil seed bank at the droughtier of the 2 nism. In addition, although annual medics have no means for locations. M. hciniata (L.) Mill., M. lupulina L., M. murex Willd., evading dry seasonal conditions by earlier flowering, their phasic and M. muricoleptis Tin. excelled in the numbers of seedlings per development can be accelerated by drought stress once flowering meter of area established by natural reseeding in the fall of the fist has begun (Clarkson and Russell 1976). Their successful adaptayear of test. However, only M. lupukina (black medic) produced tion to arid environments is evidenced by the presence of several abundant seedlings during the second year following seeding. medic species in regions of North Africa receiving less than 250 mm Results indicated that M. lupulina could develop a soil seed bank of annual precipitation (Francis 198 1). Furthermore, Tadmor et al. more rapidly than the other species. Black medic also had superior (1971) considered medics to be among the best adapted plants for ground cover characteristics during the second and third years practical desert range development in the 80to lOO-mm winter after sowing. Adapted populations of M. lupulina appear to have rainfall region of the Negev Desert in Israel. long-term value for forage production in Utah rangeland pastures The objective of the present study was to evaluate the developwith suitable soils and adequate precipitation. mental characteristics of medics when used as spring and early The genus Medicago consists of 1 shrub, 21 herbaceous perensummer reseeding annual legumes in a cold winter desert environnials, and 34 herbaceous annual species (Lesins and Lesins 1979). It ment. includes the world’s most important forage legume, alfalfa (MediMaterials and Methods cagofalcata L., M. sativa L., and their hybrids). The annual species are known collectively as “medics” or “burr clovers”. Medics Seeds for experiments were obtained from the USDA Regional evolved in North Africa and the Middle-East where they grow over Plant Introduction Station, Experiment, Georgia, and from the a wide range of soils, temperature regimes, and lengths of growing South Australian Department of Agriculture, Adelaide, South season (Ewing 1983). Australia. A total of 584 Medicago accessions representing 34 Several species of medic now occur in North America, and some species and originally collected in 39 countries were included. Two are occasionally cultivated in the United States. Spotted or Southspecies (4 accessions) were long-lived perennials, 1 species (70 ern burr clover [M. arabica (L.) Huds.], Tifton burr clover (M. accessions) was a short-lived perennial, and the remainder were rigidula Desr.), barrel medic (M. truncatula Gaertn.), and Califorannuals. The species identifications designated by the seed source nia or toothed burr clover (M. hispida Gaertn.) are used as winter agencies were retained. All seeds were scarified and treated with annual pasture legumes where temperatures are mild. Their districommercial peat base inoculants of appropriate Rhizobium melibution, however, is generally restricted to the southern states and loti Dang. strains immediately prior to sowing. the Pacific Coast west of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain Clean tilled nurseries were seeded in Cache Valley near Logan, ranges. Cog-wheel burr clover (M. tuberculata Willd.) was recomUtah (41°45’N, 11 l”48’W, 1389 m) and Curlew Valley near Snowmended for pasture usage in the east central area of Texas (Henson ville, Utah (41°57’N, 112”42’W, 1411 m) on 6 April 1981 and 14 and Hollowell 1960). Little burr clover (M. minima Bart.) has been April 1981, respectively. Twenty-five seeds were hand planted in a reported to occur in several of the southern states. M. orbicularis single row within each meter-long plot. The plots were spaced I Bart., called “button clover”, grows wild in parts of Tennessee and meter apart within rows and 2 meters apart between rows. The has been seeded sporadically in northeastern Texas (Davis et al. experimental designs at each location were 2 replicate randomized 1957, Wheeler 1950). Forage yields and protein concentrations complete blocks with the randomization restricted so that all were increased when button clover was added to grass or cereal accessions of each species were retained together within incomplete pastures. It should be noted that the common names often used for blocks. Weeds were controlled throughout the experiments by medics in the United States are not the same as those used in hand cultivation. Relative maturities of the accessions were quantified by recording the date on which the first fully opened flower Authors are research geneticist and plant physiologist, USDA-ARS, Crops was observed in each plot. Seedlings were counted and ground Research Laboratory, UMC-63, Utah State University, Logan 84322. The authors appreciate the helpful suggestions of E.J. Crawford, Senior Plant cover visually estimated within a circular 1.0-m* frame centered on Introduction Officer, South Australian Dept. of Agriculture, Adelaide, while planeach plot. Plant widths and heights were measured on the widest ning the research and for many of the seeds used in the experiments. The research is a contribution from the USDA-ARS and the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, and tallest plants within each plot and, therefore, are maximum Logan. Journal Paper No. 3056. values for the test environment. The degree of pod spininess was Manuscript accepted 30 May 1985. scored visually on a 1 to 3 scale and other traits scored on a 1 to 9 52 JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 39(l), January 1986 8 SNOWVILLE, UT. 1411 M 30 8 1 TUNIS, TUNISIA 66 M r 30 -_,s.-.-r:: .?a r?. z r: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?, .‘.  6 6 ,, ,>, ...* ,‘. ,  . .. \  ..a >, , , . . r>, L . ,.’  . ,_.__.._.\ *<~, ,. .\\ ..i ,  , A :I  ,f‘. ,ry -q _‘ , .-. .., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . / . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..L. 10 4 __ __ .., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...\

Annual Medics and Related Species as Reseeding Legumes for Northern Utah Pastures