Growth of Berseem Clover as Influenced by Clipping Management

ERSEEM clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) , a vigorB o u s erect-growing winter annual legume, appears promising for fall and winter forage in the Gulf Coast area. Few data are available regarding early season clipping management and its effect on subsequent growth of the plant. Riewe and Smith,? in Texas, found that clipping or grazing in the early spring increased forage production of berseem, but that numbers of new shoots declined with subsequent clippings. Laumont,'" in Algeria, cautioned that the lateral buds at the base of the stem should not be cut, since new growth arises from them. This report presents the results of a clipping management study conducted from November through April of 1960-61 in the greenhouse at Auburn, Alabama. Berseem clover seed were sown in two-gallon crocks containing Chesterfield sandy loam, limed to pH 6.5 and fertilized with 800 pounds per acre of 4-5-10, After stands were up they were thinned to 120 plants per pot. In the 4 defoliation treatments, plants were cut when: 4 inches tall to 11/2-inch stubble, 4 inches tall at first clipping and thereafter 8 inches tall to 1Y2-inch stubble, 8 inches tall to 1Y2-inch stubble, and 8 inches tall to 3-inch stubble. A randomized block design with 5 replications was used. The harvested forage was dried in an oven at 140' F. before weighing. Live plants per pot and numbers of shoots per 10 plants in each pot were counted after each clipping. The temperatures in the greenhouse were 65 to 75' F. in the daytime and 40 to 50' F. at night. Clipping treatments markedly affected the yield of berseem clover, as shown in Table 1. Eight-inch berseem clipped to a 3-inch stubble yielded 46% more forage with a better distribution of production than berseem clipped to a 1 Y2-inch stubble height (P < . O l ) . Regrowth of plants clipped to a 3-inch stubble height was much more rapid than from plants clipped to 1Y2 inches, Figure 1. Plants clipped to a 1?/"-inch stubble when 4 inches tall the first time and thereafter at 8 inches were similar in production to plants clipped continuously when 8 inches tall. However, when plants were clipped continuously at 4 inches to a 1Y2-inch stubble, the yields declined progressively during the experimental period. Plant numbers declined under all clipping regimes, Figure 2, but the population of plants clipped to leave a