ABSTRACT

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is used for hay, pasture, and soil improvement throughout the temperate regions of the world. Its use extends into the subtropics on upland soils and at high elevations. Red clover is best adapted where summer temperatures are moderately cool to warm, and where adequate rainfall is available throughout the grazing season. For example, in the USA this includes the humid region of the east and midwest extending westward into eastern North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. It extends north into Ontario and Quebec and south into Tennessee and North Carolina. Under optimum soil nutrient levels, potential yields of red clover are far greater than average yields commonly obtained. Soil test levels for red clover production generally are in the medium to medium high range for P and K. Test levels are affected by soil test methods which include a chemical extractant, soil-solution ratio, and length of extraction time.