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Title: SUMMER AND AUTUMN GROWTH OF RHIZOMATOUS BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL

Author
item KALLENBACH, ROBERT - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item MCGRAW, ROBERT - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
item Beuselinck, Paul
item ROBERTS, CRAIG - UNIV OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/29/2000
Publication Date: 1/1/2001
Citation: KALLENBACH, R.L., MCGRAW, R.L., BEUSELINCK, P.R., ROBERTS, C.A. SUMMER AND AUTUMN GROWTH OF RHIZOMATOUS BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL. AGRONOMY JOURNAL. 2001. V. 41(1). P. 149-156.

Interpretive Summary: Broadleafed birdsfoot trefoil is a forage legume grown for livestock feeding on pastures and grasslands. Long-lived and productive stands of birdsfoot trefoil typically depend on natural reseeding and individual plant persistence. In previous research, we successfully transferred rhizomes (stems that spread underground) into a population of birdsfoot trefoil to increase the longevity of stands of cultivated varieties. The objectives of this study were to determine how rhizomes are expressed in birdsfoot trefoil when harvested during the growing season. We compared normal and rhizomatous birdsfoot trefoil during the growing season for their patterns of growth and yield. Normal and rhizomatous birdsfoot trefoil were sampled bi-weekly for herbage weight and root carbohydrates from early-July until the first killing frost. We demonstrated that rhizomatous birdsfoot trefoil yielded less herbage than normal birdsfoot trefoil, but stored more energy in its roots and rhizomes. The additional energy in the roots and rhizomes of rhizomatous birdsfoot trefoil might aid plant survival under frequent defoliation. This information will be important to producers wanting to maintain pastures by effectively managing new rhizomatous birdsfoot trefoil.

Technical Abstract: A new population of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) with rhizomes (RBFT) has been developed for greater persistence. No study has compared RBFT to a standard, non-rhizomatous cultivar (BFT). Our first objective was to compare RBFT to BFT for differences in shoot and root mass and total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) concentration of taproots in both clipped and non-clipped situations. Our second objective was to describe the rhizome production of clipped and non-clipped RBFT. 'Norcen' BFT and RBFT were grown in field plots near Columbia, MO, in 1994 and 1995. The study had four treatments: non-clipped RBFT, clipped RBFT, non-clipped BFT and clipped BFT. Each treatment was replicated four times in a randomized complete block. In addition, we recorded the length, mass, TNC and number of rhizomes/plant from RBFT. From mid-September until the final sampling, the shoot mass for RBFT was about half that for BFT, but RBFT shoot mass was less affected by clipping. Taproot TNC was 20 to 40 g/kg greater for RBFT than for BFT throughout both growing seasons. Nearly all RBFT plants exhibited rhizomes by mid-October. Clipping RBFT plants did not affect rhizome growth. Rhizome TNC concentration increased steadily during autumn, with a final concentration of approximately 220 g/kg. The failure of clipping to decrease rhizome production, combined with higher levels of below-ground TNC, may give RBFT the ability to persist under frequent defoliation.