Role of kura clover (Trifolium Ambiguum bieb.) of Vys variety in the growth of the forage base of the Tambov region

In the conditions of the forest-steppe of the Central Black Earth region, the issue of the sustainable development of forage production, which can be increased through the expansion of the range of cultivated species of perennial legumes, has become relevant. The need to increase the share of areas of perennial grasses is connected with the fact that natural lands and annual forage crops have low productivity. Forage grasses are characterized by a number of unique economically valuable properties and characteristics. In this regard, there is an urgent need to increase their sown areas, as well as to improve natural lands, create hayfields and pastures. One of the limiting factors is the insufficient provision of seeds for a new fodder crop - Vys clover of a kura variety. It is kura clover that plays an important role in the creation of a solid forage base for animal husbandry in the Tambov region. Kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum Bieb) is characterized by a number of valuable traits and properties. In this regard, for the first time in the Central Black Earth Region, its biology and morphological development began to be studied and the optimal terms and methods of sowing this perennial legume crop are being developed. It will allow obtaining stable seed yields. The technology for obtaining seeds of this forage crop of the Vys variety in the forest-steppe conditions of the Central Black Earth Region is currently in the process of development. Therefore, the ongoing research on agrotechnical methods of the cultivation of kura clover seeds is very relevant and the development of individual agricultural methods of its cultivation technology of seeds is one of the important tasks of forage production.

Living Mulch Management Spatially Localizes Nutrient Cycling in Organic Corn Production

Kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum) is a perennial living mulch species that can be used in conjunction with zone tillage to reduce nitrogen pollution, maintain ground cover, and provide nitrogen to crops. In such systems, kura clover is maintained between crop rows by limiting tillage only to within-row areas. However, the effect of zone-tilled living mulches on soil quality and nutrient cycling in these distinct regions is relatively unexplored. We examined three pools of labile soil organic matter (SOM): microbial biomass, particulate organic matter (POM), and permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC). Soil samples were collected from both within-row and between-row locations of a zone-tilled kura clover living mulch at three time points per year: before spring zone tillage, approximately ten days after spring zone tillage and corn (Zea mays) planting, and at corn harvest in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, POM and POXC decreased within rows relative to between-row regions after tillage, suggesting that zone till management stimulated decomposition of readily available SOM to effectively localize nutrient cycling in this region and slow mineralization between rows where living kura clover remained. This work shows that zone-tilled living mulches may be a promising avenue for enhancing the synchrony of nutrient mineralization specifically within crop rows, while maintaining year-round ground cover between rows.

Biomass Production of Prairie Cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Link.) Using Urea and Kura Clover (Trifolium ambiguum Bieb.) as a Source of Nitrogen

Optimizing nitrogen (N) management is an important factor for sustainable perennial biomass systems. However, N application is costly, both financially and environmentally. Our objectives were to determine: (1) N rate and plant spacing effects on yield and yield components of prairie cordgrass swards and (2) fertilizer N replacement value (FNRV) of kura clover in prairie cordgrass-kura clover binary mixtures. Plots were established in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, USA, in 2010. Kura clover was transplanted on 30-cm centers in all treatments in which it was a component; prairie cordgrass seedlings were transplanted within the kura clover on 60- and 90-cm centers. Monoculture prairie cordgrass stands were established at the same population densities of mixed stands and fertilized with 0, 75, 150, or 225 kg N ha-1. Biomass was harvested in the autumn from 2011 to 2013. N (urea), year, plant spacing, and year × plant spacing affected prairie cordgrass production at all locations. Prairie cordgrass yield increased with N application, but the response varied by location. N application tended to increase prairie cordgrass tiller density and consistently increased tiller mass. Prairie cordgrass yield with 0 N was equal to or less than the yield of prairie cordgrass/kura clover mixtures at all locations in 2011 and 2012; however, kura clover provided a FNRV of 25–82 kg N ha-1 to prairie cordgrass in 2013. Kura clover has potential to provide N to prairie cordgrass in binary mixtures of these two species and on land that may not be easily farmed due to wetness.