Soil and Water Management Research Site Logo
ARS Home About Us Helptop nav spacerContact Us En Espanoltop nav spacer
Printable VersionPrintable Version     E-mail this pageE-mail this page
Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture
Search
  Advanced Search
 
Programs and Projects
Subjects of Investigation
 

Research Project: INCREASING SUSTAINABILITY AND MITIGATING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OF FOOD AND BIOFUEL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS OF THE UPPER MIDWEST U.S.

Location: Soil and Water Management Research

Title: Vegetative propagation of kura clover: a field-scale test

Author

Submitted to: Canadian Journal of Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: June 28, 2012
Publication Date: November 1, 2012
Citation: Baker, J.M. 2012. Vegetative propagation of kura clover: a field-scale test. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 92(7):1245-1251.

Interpretive Summary: Kura clover is a potentially valuable forage legume, but it has been underutilized. A major reason is the difficulty of establishing it from seed. Since kura clover spreads by rhizomes, there have been attempts to propagate it vegetatively, but no reports of success at the field scale. We tried two harvesting methods to transplant material from a mature 17 ha field to a newly tilled 17 ha field: a bermudagrass sprigger that harvests bare rhizome sprigs, and a potato digger that harvests crowns and rhizomes, along with soil. The harvested material was spread over the new field in July 2010 with a manure spreader, then disked and packed. Survival and growth were observed for the remainder of 2010 and through 2011, and recovery of the source field was also monitored. The material harvested with the sprigger did not compete well with weeds and had virtually disappeared by midsummer 2011, but the material harvested with the potato digger thrived, steadily increasing to nearly 80% of the biomass in the new field by 3rd cutting in summer 2011. Meanwhile the original (source) field recovered fully in 2011. We conclude that vegetative propagation is a viable means for establishing kura clover that should prove useful for forage producers.

Technical Abstract: Kura clover is a potentially valuable forage legume, but it has been underutilized. A major reason is the difficulty of establishing it from seed. Since kura is rhizomatous, there have been attempts to propagate it vegetatively, but no reports of success at the field scale. Two harvesting methods were tested to transplant material from a mature 17 ha field to a newly tilled 17 ha field: a bermudagrass sprigger that harvests bare rhizome sprigs, and a potato digger that harvests crowns and rhizomes, along with soil. The harvested propagules were distributed over the new field in July 2010 with a manure spreader, then disked and packed. Survival and growth were observed for the remainder of 2010 and through 2011, and recovery of the source field was also monitored. The material harvested with the sprigger did not compete well with weeds and had virtually disappeared by midsummer 2011, but the material harvested with the potato digger thrived, steadily increasing to nearly 80% of the biomass in the new field by 3rd cutting in summer 2011. Meanwhile the original (source) field recovered fully in 2011. Properly done, vegetative propagation is a viable option for kura clover establishment.

   

 
Project Team
Venterea, Rodney - Rod
Feyereisen, Gary
Spokas, Kurt
Baker, John
 
Publications
   Publications
 
Related National Programs
  Climate Change, Soils, and Emissions (212)
 
Related Projects
   IMPROVED MEASUREMENT, MONITORING, AND MITIGATION OF NITROUS OXIDE EMISSIONS AND RELATED N LOSSES FROM INTENSIVELY FERTILIZED AGRO-ECOSYSTEMS
   ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF CORN STOVER REMOVAL
   EVALUATING DIFFERENT BIOCHARS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SOIL C, TRACE GAS EXCHANGE, SOIL FERTILITY, WATER HOLDING CAPACITY AND AGROCHEMICAL FATE
   EVALUATION OF NEW MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR INCREASING CORN PRODUCTION AND REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS FOLLOWING FALL ANHYDROUS AMMONIA
   INTERNATIONAL FIELD VALIDATION OF A NEW IPCC "TIER IV" INVENTORY MODEL FOR LANDFILL METHANE EMISSIONS
   PRECISION ZONAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR RESILIENT CEREAL YIELDS UNDER VARIABLE CLIMATES
   SUSTAINABILITY OF CORN STOVER HARVEST
   BALANCING PRODUCTION GAINS AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
 
 
Last Modified: 05/25/2013
ARS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Policies and Links 
FOIA | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy | Nondiscrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | White House