An Alternative Planting Strategy for Establishing White Clover in Tall Fescue Pastures.

Establishing white clover in tall fescue pastures helps reduce toxic endophyte effects on livestock and   helps reduce the need for N fertilizer. Planting white clover seed over 100% of the pasture should result in an even distribution of clover over the field, but the typical result is establishment of non-uniform stands of clover over less than 25% of the field. Broadcast and no-till planters are difficult to calibrate when planting white clover at 1-3 lbs/acre and the recommended settings for many planters are often inaccurate. To help insure establishment of clover on 25% of the field and to overcome difficulty in planter calibration, we proposed planting 100% of the clover seed for a field on 25% of the pasture area. The objective of this study was to compare two strategies for establishing clover into dormant grass sod (1x seeding rate over the entire pasture vs. 4x seeding rate on 25% of the pasture).

 In February 2007, white clover was no-till planted in a fescue pasture in Cleburne County, Arkansas using two planting strategies: 1) 2 lbs/acre (1X rate) over the entire area and 2) 8 lbs/acre (4X rate) in strips to equal 25% of the area. Experimental pastures were divided by electric fence and rotationally grazed through 2007 and 2008. Clover establishment was assessed at monthly intervals in 2007 and 2008 by counting the number of 5”x5” squares containing clover of a 5x5 grid frame.

The mean percentage of clover was significantly higher for the 4X treatment and averaged 23% higher than the 1X treatment for both years. Results indicate the clover is spreading into the unplanted areas between the strips. Strip-seeding clover at higher than recommended rates reduces time needed for seeding, increases percent stand of clover where planted, and requires less precision for calibration with imprecise planting equipment.