Author
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Beuselinck, Paul |
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Submitted to: Working Group on Pasture Ecology Newsletter
Publication Type: Research Notes Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/1999 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Birdsfoot trefoil evolved with grasses, and decades of pastoral agriculture have demonstrated the ability of birdsfoot trefoil to persist with different grass species in North America. Companion grasses utilize the fixed nitrogen and fill vacant areas in the stand where weeds would otherwise establish, but competition for light is a major factor limiting successful birdsfoot trefoil establishment with grasses. Grasses are generally more competitive than birdsfoot trefoil in any birdsfoot trefoil grass system, so a successful system maintains a balance of competition between the two forages. Competition is not static or continuous between the birdsfoot trefoil or grass in a system, providing opportunities for weak or diseased plants to recuperate or dead plants to be replaced with new plants. Pure stands of birdsfoot trefoil are less desirable than a mixture with grasses, because pure stands thin with time and weed control becomes a problem. Yet, interactions between the grass and birdsfoot trefoil in mixtures are inherently more difficult to understand; as competition for resources becomes more complex when two or more species comprise the forage system. New strategies to resolve the persistence problem, i.e. 1) earlier flowering to promote improved seed production and better seed quality, 2) disease resistance to improve longevity of an individual plant, and 3) vegetative reproduction by rhizomes to improve plant longevity and decrease dependence on reseeding, have come from the study of the biology of birdsfoot trefoil. |
