Scientific name(s)
Trifolium fragiferum
Strengths
- High nutritive value and productive through spring and summer.
- Very grazing-tolerant and persistent.
- Drought and water-logging tolerant; tolerant of salinity.
- Free of oestrogen risks
Limitations
- Slow to establish; poor winter growth
Plant description
Plant: Densely stoloniferous, prostrate perennial. Rooting from nodes. Deep rooted; grows to 250 mm
Stems: Slender, branched.
Leaves: Size varies with cultivar. Plain (minority marked), hairless, trifoliate, glabrous, pubescent lower lamina, nerves parallel and conspicuous at margins. Leaflets 9-15 mm wide and 14-22 mm long.
Flowerhead: numerous; at maturity its creamy bladder shape resembles a strawberry fruit - with brown bits (dried petals)
Flowers: densely clustered, pink, oval/cone shaped, ~6 mm long, numerous, cream. Peduncles 100-220 mm long
Pods: small, ovoid contain 1-2 seeds
Seeds: truncate, lemon/brown; ~800,000/kg; high proportion of hard seed
Pasture type and use
A perennial providing excellent summer feed value where moisture available
Where it grows
Rainfall
Usually used in areas with >650 mm/yr; also used in lower rainfall (>500 mm) on low lying saline land
Soils
Tolerant of water-logging and moderately saline soil. Best on neutral to alkaline soil, pH 6-8. Tolerates pH (CaCl2) 4.8 and may respond to liming on acid soils. Persists and provides valuable summer green pick in isolated crab holes/Gilgai on basalt plains
Temperature
Wide adaption to temperature; good heat tolerance
Establishment
Companion species
Grasses: phalaris, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, tall wheat grass, Puccinella
Legumes: Persian, balansa, white clovers
Sowing/planting rates as single species
1-2 kg/ha; sow scarified seed at 15-20 mm into a clean, finely worked seed bed and roll
Sowing/planting rates in mixtures
0.25-0.5 kg/ha
Sowing time
Early autumn or spring; low seedling vigour
Inoculation
Group B
Fertiliser
Apply ~20kg P/ha annually and correct any nutrient deficiencies, especially K, Mo, Cu, S
Management
Maintenance fertliser
For optimum growth Olsen soil P > 15
Grazing/cutting
Once established, is very persistent on suitable soils. Tolerates heavy grazing pressure.
Seed production
Requires soil moisture through summer
Ability to spread
Seed spread by water, birds and livestock
Weed potential
Low; poor seedling vigour makes establishment difficult where other species established.
Major pests
Relatively tolerant compared to most domesticated clovers
Major diseases
No serious limitations
Herbicide susceptibility
Glyphosate. Damaged by most broad-leaf herbicides
Animal production
Feeding value
High protein content; high digestibility
Palatability
Palatable
Production potential
Good autumn, winter, spring
Livestock disorders/toxicity
Low isoflavone content - no risk to breeding livestock. May cause bloat in cattle; may increase frequency of urinary calculi in sheep
Cultivars
| Cultivar | Seed source/Information |
| Palestine | Australian Herbage Planr CultivarsSeedmark |
| O'Connors (a turf type) | Australian Herbage Plant CultivarsSeedmark |
Grasslands Onward | AusWest Seeds |
| Grasslands Upward | AusWest Seeds |
Denotes that this variety is protected by Plant Breeder's Rights AustraliaFurther information
Acknowledgements
Departments of Agriculture, Seed companies
Author and date
Kevin Reed
September 2008
