Search results for "Trifolium alexandrinum"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Effects of stubble height and cutting frequency on regrowth of berseem clover in a Mediterranean semiarid environment
2011
Defoliation management of forage crops affects endogenous reserves (in the root and in the stubble), the residual leaf area, and, consequently, the regrowth and biomass yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cutting frequency (28-d vs. 35-d intervals) and stubble height (3 vs. 6 cm) on forage yield, regrowth, and persistence of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.). Neither cutting interval nor cutting height affected plant survival during the crop cycle. Frequent clipping reduced crop yield. Residual biomass and leaf area were less when plants were cut at a height of 3 cm compared with 6 cm, but stubble height did not affect the total amount of dry matter (DM) remo…
Effects of continuous and rotational grazing of different forage species on ewe milk production
2012
Abstract The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of continuous and rotational grazing of different forage species on milk production in ewes. The forage species were chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), a mixture of oat (Avena sativa L.) and berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), and sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.). Forty ewes were divided into 5 groups, and subjected to one of the following treatments: continuous grazing on chicory, continuous grazing on the mixture, continuous grazing on sulla, rotational grazing on the mixture, or rotational grazing on sulla. Among the species continuously grazed, chicory showed a lower biomass than the mixture, or sulla. Ewes grazing chicor…
Forage production, N uptake, N2 fixation, and N recovery of berseem clover grown in pure stand and in mixture with annual ryegrass under different ma…
2011
In Mediterranean countries, forage grasses and legumes are commonly grown in mixture because of their ability to increase herbage yield and quality compared with monocrop systems. However, the benefits of intercropping over a monocrop system are not always realized because the efficiency of a grass–legume mixture is strongly affected by agronomic factors. The present study evaluated productivity, N2 fixation, N transfer, and N recovery of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) grown in pure stand and in mixture with annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) under high or low defoliation frequencies and varying plant arrangements (sowing in the same row or in alternating rows). On average, the b…
Influence of arbuscular mycorrhizae on biomass production and nitrogen fixation of berseem clover plants subjected to water stress.
2014
Several studies, performed mainly in pots, have shown that arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis can mitigate the negative effects of water stress on plant growth. No information is available about the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis on berseem clover growth and nitrogen (N) fixation under conditions of water shortage. A field experiment was conducted in a hilly area of inner Sicily, Italy, to determine whether symbiosis with AM fungi can mitigate the detrimental effects of drought stress (which in the Mediterranean often occurs during the late period of the growing season) on forage yield and symbiotic N2 fixation of berseem clover. Soil was either left under water stress (i.e., rai…
Cut and post-cut herbage management affects berseem clover seed yield.
2013
The seed yield of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) is usually obtained from regrowth after forage utilization. In stockless, cereal-growing, or specialized seed farms the forage is not needed and the mowed herbage is seldom marketable. Three different experiments were conducted in a Mediterranean environment to evaluate the effect of returning the cut biomass to the soil/crop on the regrowth, seed yield, and seed quality of berseem clover. Different forms of cut and post-cut management were examined, in which the time of cutting, the amount of biomass returned to the crop/soil, and the size of the returned material (unchopped or chopped) all varied. In addition, the effect of the …