PERSISTENCE ASSESSMENT OF RED CLOVER (Trifolium pratense L.) IN TÂRGOVISTE PLAIN

Since the most important deficiency of forage stands is the inability to maintain adequate legume participation in mixture, it is the purpose of this paper to examine persistence in red clover in Târgoviste Plain eco-climatic conditions, together with the factors that affect it. Six red clover cultivars (Napoca-Tetra, Dacia Tetra, Vesna – tetraploids; Flora, Roxana, Start – diploids) and one white clover diploid cultivar (Karina) were used in pure culture and in mixture (50:50) with hybrid ryegrass (Zefir – tetraploid) in a randomized block design with three replicates. Ground cover assessment in early spring was a suggestive indicator of the stand persistence to define the stability and sustainability boundaries of a reliable intensive system. In the beginning of the third year of cropping, ground cover was 54.33% for tetraploid cultivars (CV = 43.25%), and 67% for diploid cultivars (CV = 6.83%) in pure stands. Same ground cover average of 27% was established both for tetraploid cultivars (CV = 36.47%), and for diploid cultivars (CV = 16.97%) in mixtures with hybrid ryegrass