Premium
Leaf, Petiole, and Stem Accumulation, and Digestibility in ‘Amclo’ Clover 1
Author(s) -
Beaty E. R.,
Smith Albert E.,
Powell John D.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1977.00021962006900040039x
Subject(s) - dry matter , biology , perennial plant , petiole (insect anatomy) , forage , agronomy , loam , main stem , horticulture , botany , soil water , ecology , hymenoptera
The South has long needed a high yielding legume to complement the perennial grasses of the region. ‘Amclo’ arrowleaf clover ( Trifolium vesiculosum Savi) released in 1963 is high yielding and the forage is high in quality, but management required to maintain the high quality in the harvested feed is not known. We wanted to know the dry matter accumulation rate and digestibility during the active growth period. In 1973 and 1974, we measured dry matter accumulation and digestibility of leaves, stems, petioles and flowers of field grown volunteer stands of Amclo clover growing on Orangeburg loamy sand, a silicous thermic typic Paleudult by harvesting a new plot each week from January or February until June. The plant samples were separated into plant parts, dried, ground, and analyzed for in vitro digestible dry matter weekly throughout the experiment. By mid‐March leaflet and petiole production had maximized at 3,500 to 4,000 kg/dm/ha. Stem growth was active during April and by 2 May stem yield was approximately 6,000 kg/ha. During May stem growth slowed and flowering was active. Flower production averaged approximately 2,000 kg/ha. In vitro dry matter digestibility averaged 69% for leaves and 73% for petioles while stem digestibility dropped from 73% in March to 51% in June. Leaf N averaged 5.5% until mid‐April and fell to 3.2% in June. Petiole N averaged approximately 2% throughout the growth period and stem N was high in March but decreased rapidly in late April and May. By 6 June stem N was approximately 1%. Total forage N increased from 59 kg/ha in early February to 232 kg/ha on 11 April and remained constant at that level during May and into June. The arrowleaf clovers are growing in importance for both grazing and harvested feed. Value for each is related to the mix of leaves, petioles, and stems. This research shows the ratio and IVDMD of each over the life of the plant. The arrowleaf clovers are being used for grazing, hay, industrial forage, and silage over a wide range of uses and these data are expected to be widely used in making more effective management time of harvest decisions.