Technological aspects of producing bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) seeds

The species Lotus corniculatus L., commonly named bird’s-foot trefoil, is a very important perennial legume, widely spread in both Romania and abroad, being the basis for meadow and hay-making fields mixtures in the mountain and plain areas. Ensuring high-quality seeds in sufficient amounts from the cultivars with high biological value implies the development of the seed production activity and the maintenance of biological value of existing cultivars. In this paper, the authors aim at pointing out the effect of some insecticides on bird’s-foot trefoil thrips (Odontothrips loti H.) as well as the impact of different cut methods on seed yield in bird’s-foot trefoil. All insecticides used in the control of bird’s-foot trefoil thrips increased mean seed production per ha compared to the control: among them, Sinoratox 1.5 l/ha proved to be the best. As for the bi-factorial trial in which we tested different cutting methods in combination with different insecticides to control bird’s-foot trefoil thrips, the best proved to be the cutting method in which we used the desiccant Reglone 1 l/ha (163.66 kg/ha)