| Scientific name: | Trifolium ambiguum Bieb |
| Cultivars: | Rhizo, and Cossack (both ploidy 6X) |
| Origin: | Eurasia (Caucasian Russia, Crimea, and Asia Minor) |
| Growth Habit: | Prostrate; spreads by rhizomes |
| Life Cycle: | Perennial |
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| Use |
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| Production: | 2.0 to 2.5 tons DM/acre (in mixtures with grasses)
Use for forage, forage crop improvement, and soil conservation due to deep root-rhizome system |
| Nutritive Value: | High CP (18 to 21%), and high digestibility (70 to 82%) |
| Herbaria Image: | Click this link |
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| Identification |
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| Seed Head: | Globose (Capitate) inflorescence, Pink flowers |
| Seed: | Hardseed up to 75% (scarification of seed highly increases germination)Inoculate with proper N-fixing bacteria type (if seed is not coated or pre-inoculated). |
| Shoot: | Short and smooth (no hairs, glabrous) |
| Leaf: | Smooth; egg-shaped with serrated leaf margins |
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| Adaptation |
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| Soil: | Fine- to medium texture soils; adaptation to poorly drained soils superior to red or white clover |
| pH: | Moderately acidic (5.0 to 6.0) |
| Moisture: | Tolerant of drought. Tolerant of flooded conditions that are not prolonged |
| Temperature: | Winter hardy |
| Other: | |
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| Establishment - Management |
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| Seeding rate: | 8 lb/acre (alone); 6 lb/acre (in mixtures).
If small grains are used as companion crop, they should be seeded at 1 to 1.5 bu per acre and grazed when vegetative or harvested for silage at boot stage Slow to establish |
| Seed cost: | $10-15/lb; $80 to 120/acre (alone); $60/acre (mixes) |
| Planting date: | Early spring (April 15), or late summer (July 15-Aug 15) |
| Planting depth: | 0.25 to 0.50 inches |
| Frost seeding: | High risk.
Seedlings are more sensitive to competition from existing vegetation than red clover and most other legumes |
| Fertilization: | |
| Grazing: | Tolerates close grazing and continuous stocking |
| Hay: | |
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| Notes |
Bloat potential
Grows in association with with Kentucky bluegrass, smooth bromegrass, orchardgrass, reed canarygrass, and tall fescue |
