Range Productivity as Influenced by Biennial Sweetclover in Western South Dakota

Biennial sweetclover was seeded into a Dense Clay Range Site that was severely depleted by drought and overgrazing. Seeded in 1962 without seedbed preparation, sweetclover has reseeded naturally, and remained a compatable associate with the native vegetation during the five-year study. Combined grass and sweetclover production averaged 1804 lb/acre annually compared to 750 for the control. The grass component was increased by an average of 373 lb/acre as a result of legume supplied nitrogen. Western wheatgrass vigor and forage protein were also improved. Native perennial grasses were not reduced in abundance by sweetclover competition. Sweetclover appears well adapted as a legume for rangelands with heavy clay soils in western South Dakota.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202