EFFECT OF CLOSING DATE ON SEED PRODUCTION OF RED-CLOVER CULTIVARS

At Lincoln in Canterbury pure stands of Hamua, Turoa, and Pawera red clovers were closed for seed on 1 October, 1 November, and 1 December, and seed was hand harvested on three occasions from early, mid-, and late-formed flowerheads. Closing date did not affect total seed yields of Hamua or Turoa, but for Pawera December closing gave consistently higher yields which were associated with increased numbers of flowering stems. December closing delayed the main flowering period by only about one week in all cultivars, and had no effect on potential harvest dates. It is concluded that December closing is satisfactory for all three cultivars and probably obligatory for maximum seed yields from Pawera. Later closing also offers the advantage of extra grazing or increased hay yields. For all cultivars the major proportion of seed yield was from heads formed during early and mid-flowering. Consequently, relatively large yield losses may occur if harvest is delayed to wait for maturity of a minimal amount of late-formed seed. Data are also given for several other flowering characteristics not affected by closing date. © 1979 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.