Yield and Botanical Composition of Bird's-Foot-Trefoil Cultivars in Two-Component Mixture With Kenthucky Bluegrass

Abstract

PURPOSE of the experiment is to study the influence of bird's-foot-trefoil cultivars of different origins over the productivity and quality of forage when they are grown together with Kenthucky bluegrass. METHODS: In the period of 2013-2015, in the experimental field of RIMSA-Troyan the productivity and botanical composition of bird's-foot-trefoil cultivars were studied, such as 'Targovishte 1', 'Delpon' (France), 'Fabio' (Italy), 'Haki' (Hungary), 'Vega' (USA) in two-component mixtures with Kenthucky bluegrass ('Sobra' cultivar). RESULTS: The share of sown species and cultivars in the mixed grasslands of bird's-foot-trefoil and Kenthucky bluegrass depends on their biological characteristics, combined with the climatic and soil characteristics of the area. 'Fabio' cultivar shows the most pronounced adaptability to the soil climatic conditions of the region compared to all other bird's-foot-trefoil cultivar. CONCLUSIONS: For the conditions of the Central Balkan Mountain, It is recommended to use the two-component mixture: bird's-foot-trefoil ('Delpon') and Kenthucky bluegrass ('Sobra'), which has the best intercompatibility and the most favourable combination of grass and legume component. The latter cultivar in the mixture recorded the highest average yields (650.37 kg/da dry weight) for the three-year study period, compared to other cultivars included in the experiment.