Clovercheck

Herbage growth and clover content monitored on grass/white clover swards throughout the Province to 2 October and predictions to 16 October are covered in this bulletin.

The purpose of the information is to provide a benchmark for farmers interested in exploiting white clover in their swards and to aid decision making in managing grass-white clover swards. The plots have been laid down on existing grass-white clover swards on farms at Coleraine, Portglenone, Omagh and Dungannon and are cut monthly in two sets. One set is cut two weeks prior to the other so that every two weeks we have an estimate of growth and clover content over the previous four weeks. Clover content is also assessed in the field containing the plots so that clover content can be compared between plot and field.

While the data from the plots provide information on growth and clover content which have already been achieved, a model is used to predict growth and clover content during the next two weeks which should help in planning a feed budget during grazing.

The decline in growth of swards in grass/clover plots continues and by mid October growth is predicted to fall to about 20 kg DM/ha/day (Fig. 1). Current growth is still as high on CloverCheck as on GrassCheck plots. Utilisation of swards may be a problem as heavy rainfall is forecast for some days over the next 2 weeks. Nevertheless, while avoiding damaging the swards, every effort should be made to ensure swards are well grazed down by early winter as heavy covers carried over into spring can have a detrimental effect on clover in the following growing season.  

Contents of clover in the plots and corresponding fields are presented in Fig. 2.  A steep drop in clover content in plots is predicted over the next two weeks with the declining temperatures of autumn having a greater effect on clover than on grass.