Publication Date
1993
Description
Trifolium ambiguum has been grown from seed in small plots, generally in association with Poa pratensis and under irregular, intermittent grazing, at a site located about latitude 42°S at an elevation of c. 1030 m, on reddish-brown, stony soil. Si)( cultivars were sown in 1979 after the successful establishment of one cultivar (Summit) some years earlier. Establishment from seed was very slow, little herbage being produced in the first 2 or 3 years. Maximum production has been achieved at about year 7 or 8, with total dry mailer yields of 550-750 g/m1 and clover content varying generally between 40% and 60%. Differences between cultivars have been relatively small and inconclusive. Persistence has been extremely good. The oldest plots (cv. Summit), sown in 1971, are still in very good condition and have spread well beyond the original plot boundaries, Being completely dormant over winter, T. ambiguum survives either snow cover or freezing of the surface soil. It also recovers remarkably well from summer drought which may lead to the virtual disappearance of white clover. At another site, Summit has persisted under continuous grazing by rabbits, wallabies and (periodically) sheep for over 20 years, but it will not survive on heavy black soils which lie wet over winter. More extensive work has been restricted by lack of seed.
Citation
Yates, J J., "Growth and Persistence of Trifolium ambiguum on "High Country" in Tasmania, Australia" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 4.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1993/session48/4
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Growth and Persistence of Trifolium ambiguum on "High Country" in Tasmania, Australia
Trifolium ambiguum has been grown from seed in small plots, generally in association with Poa pratensis and under irregular, intermittent grazing, at a site located about latitude 42°S at an elevation of c. 1030 m, on reddish-brown, stony soil. Si)( cultivars were sown in 1979 after the successful establishment of one cultivar (Summit) some years earlier. Establishment from seed was very slow, little herbage being produced in the first 2 or 3 years. Maximum production has been achieved at about year 7 or 8, with total dry mailer yields of 550-750 g/m1 and clover content varying generally between 40% and 60%. Differences between cultivars have been relatively small and inconclusive. Persistence has been extremely good. The oldest plots (cv. Summit), sown in 1971, are still in very good condition and have spread well beyond the original plot boundaries, Being completely dormant over winter, T. ambiguum survives either snow cover or freezing of the surface soil. It also recovers remarkably well from summer drought which may lead to the virtual disappearance of white clover. At another site, Summit has persisted under continuous grazing by rabbits, wallabies and (periodically) sheep for over 20 years, but it will not survive on heavy black soils which lie wet over winter. More extensive work has been restricted by lack of seed.
