Cultivation

Forage use of white clover

Trifolium repens L.

White clover is used exclusively as a pasture crop due to its high resistance to trampling and its ability to rapidly recover through rooting stolons. In grass mixtures, it serves as a source of biological nitrogen and increases the nutritional value of the forage.

In the reference 88 varieties crop White clover, where this is mentioned in the description.

The crop is specialized for intensive grazing, as its creeping stems allow the plant to maintain stand density under defoliation. Due to its short stature and morphological characteristics, white clover is poorly suited for mechanized hay harvesting.

In long-term pastures, the plant is capable of persisting for 8–10 years, providing nitrogen fixation of up to 400 kg/ha per year. It improves forage digestibility due to its high protein content and low lignin levels, while tolerating soil waterlogging better than other clover species.

When used for grazing, the risk of bloat in ruminants must be considered. The crop possesses high morphological plasticity, which allows it to adapt to conditions of intensive exploitation, where other legume species rapidly disappear from the sward.

General information about the subject — on the page Forage purpose.

Sources7

Varieties of White clover mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.