Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Dairy Forage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #225880
Title: Red clover

Author
item ISOBE, SACHIKO - DNA RES. INST.
item KÖLLIKER,, ROLAND, - AGROSCOPE ART
item BOLLER, BEAT - AGROSCOPE ART
item Riday, Heathcliffe

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/7/2013
Publication Date: 12/7/2013
Citation: Isobe, S., Kölliker, R., Boller, B., Riday, H. 2013. Red clover. In: Cai, H., Yamada, T., Kole, C., editors. Genetics, Genomics and Breeding of Forage Crops. Boca Raton, FL:CRC Press. p. 220-249.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is an important forage legume grown on approximately 4 million hectares worldwide. An estimated 2.8 million kg of red clover seed per year was produced worldwide in 2005-2007. This amount of seed would be enough to maintain approximately 4 million hectares of red clover per year. Around the world red clover is grown in pure stands or mixed with grass for hay, haylage, silage, or grazing. Establishing red clover is accomplished with drills, rollers, and broadcast seed equipment both into firm seed beds or surface seeded. Stands are usually established in spring or autumn depending on climate and desired stand usage. Red clover was one of the first forage plants dealt with at the dawn of modern plant breeding around the turn from the 19th to the 20th century. Considerable improvement of persistence and hence, yielding capacity over several years has been obtained by breeding programs in different parts of the world. A genetic linkage map is the most important fundamental genetic resource for molecular breeding. At present, three genetic linkage maps for red clover are available.