Dry Matter and Nitrogen Yields of Legume Tops and Roots

in the Fall of the Seeding Year'

H. A. Fribourg and I. J. Johnson?
LTHOUGH the use of legumes plowed under for green
A manure is one of our oldest agricultural practices, there
is a surprising lack of information in the literature on the
critical evaluation of legume species with respect to differ-
ences in yields of dry matter or nitrogen, and nitrogen per-
centages. Numerous investigators8 (1, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12)
have recorded the pounds of dry matter and yield of nitro-
gen per acre for sweetclover at the end of the seeding year.
A few investigations (2, 6, 7, 13) have been made to com-
pare red clover and alfalfa, or to contrast these legumes with
sweetclover, but no studies were found reporting on the
comparative value of strains of alfalfa and Ladin:, clover.
With changes in seed production practices and greater avail-
ability of Ladino clover and Southern common alfalfa, it
seemed desirable to evaluate these legumes in comparison
with biennial and annual sweetclovers, medium red clover
and Northern-grown alfalfa, which have been in more com-
mon use as sources of green manure crops planted with oats.
The data to be presented in this report are limited to com-
parisons of the legumes in the fall of the seeding year. The
effects of these legumes on the subsequent yields of corn
in the rotation will be reported in a later paper.
MATERIALS A ND METHODS
Seedings of Mndrid and Hubam sweetclovers, Grimm and
Southern-grown common alfalfas, and Ladino and medium red
clovers were made at four locations in Iowa in the springs of
1951 and 1952. The experimental sites at Ames, Clarinda, Kanawha
and Marcus, were located on Nicollet loam-Webster silty clay
loam intergrade, Marshall silt loam, Nicollet-Webster intergrade,
and Marcus silty clay loam-Primghar silt loam intergrade, respec-
tively. The soils at each location either had been limed or had a
pH value of 6.2 or above. The legumes were seeded at the rate
of 70 viable seeds per square foot. At all locations, liberal appli-
cations of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers were broadcast in
the spring and disked in. The oat companion crops were coni-
bined at maturity.
A randomized complete block design with four replications was
used at all locations. Each plot measured 13 ft., 4 in. by 23 ft.,
4 in. Following a killing frost in the fall of the seeding year,
samples were obtained from the legume seedings to determine
yields of tops and roots. I n 1951, 2 quadrats measuring 18 in.
by 36 in. were taken in each legume plot; in 1952, 4 quadrats,
18 in. by 18 in.. were used. The method followed for uplifting
root samples from the soil, and the subsequent washing treatment,
have been presented earlier (5). Roots were sampled to a maxi-
mum depth not exceeding 2% ft.
After washing, the tops and roots were dried in a 70" C.-oven,
and weighed. The top and root samples from a particular plot
were then coinposited separately and ground in a Wiley mill to
pass a 40-mesh sieve in preparation for subsequent chemical analy-
J ournal Paper No. J -2584 of the Iowa Agr. Exp. Sta., Ames,
Iowa. Project 1205. Received for publication Aug. 27, 1954.
' Graduate Assistant in Farm Crops and Professor-in-Charge of
Farm Crops, respectively, in the Agronomy Department, Iowa State
College.
'Burnett, Kenneth H. Experiments on fall clipping of sweet
clover. M.S. thesis, Iowa State College. 1938.
4Hawk, Virgil B. The effect of clipping on the yield and nitro-
gen content of sweetclover. M.S. thesis. State College of Washing-
ton. 1938.
sis. Total nitrogen contents of roots and tops were measured by
means of Winkler's modification of the Kjeldahl method (10).
A 1.5 gm. sample of plant material was used.
RESULTS A ND DI SCUSSI ON
In 1951, severe attacks of sweetclover weevil drastically
reduced stands of the sweetdovers, and summer black stem
seriously damaged the alfalfas. As a result, the dry matter
yields of these four legumes were low (table 1). On the
other hand, stands of medium red clover and Ladino clover
were excellent and were favored by a moist and cool spring.
Total (tops plus roots) dry matter yields of medium red
and Ladino clovers were in general above 1 ton per acre,
and were over tons in the case of Ladino clover at
2 locations. I n 1952, good stands of all legumes were
obtained. Total dry matter yields of Madrid sweetclover var-
ied between 2 and 3 tons per acre. Alfalfa yields were
above 1 ton and attained as much as 2 tons at 1 location.
The differences between Grimm and Southern common alfal-
fas were nonsignificant. The 1952 season was characterized
by severe mid-summer and early fall drought. Under these
conditions, Ladino clover yields compared favorably with
those obtained the previous year, ranging between 1 to almost
11% tons per acre. Hubam sweetclover yields were consider-
ably lower than those of biennial sweetclover. Yields of this
legume probably were underestimates of the seasonal growth,
since sampling was carried out at a time when most leaves
and some stem branches of Hubam had already fallen off
the plants. Medium red clover yielded from less than 11/2 to
slightly over 1 ton dry matter per acre, and was less produc-
tive than Ladino clover at all locations in the 1952 season.
The top-root ratios for dry matter yields are presented in
table 2. Madrid sweetclover and the 2 alfalfas had .top-root
ratios varying between 1 and 3, with only 2 exceptions. The
1951 ratios for these legumes were higher at those loca-
tions where yields also were larger. However, when stands
and yields were excellent, the ratios decreased to between
1.36 an3 1.67. Medium red clover top-root ratios generally
were higher than those for alfalfas, and ranged between
less than 2 to almost 4. Ladino clover had a higher top-root
ratio than medium red clover, as would be expected in the
light of the growth habit of the plant and since stolons were
included in the "top" portion. The very high top-root ratios
for Hubam swectclover emphasized the poor root growth
and development of this annual legume.
The nitrogen percentages of tops (table 3 ) , including
crowns or stolons, varied with the season, species, and loca-
tion. At Kanawha and Marcus, the nitrogen percentag- +s were
higher than at the other two locations. This higher nitrogen
content was associated, in 1951 particularly, with higher
total dry matter yields. The alfalfas and clover had an
average nitrogen content approaching 3%, as also .was the
case in 1951 for Madrid sweetclover. When the yield of
the latter legume was high, the average nitrogen content of
tops decreased to 2.6%. Hubam sweetclover nitrogen con-
tents varied according to the percentage of the leaves shed
by the time of sampling. Root nitrogen contents (table 4 )
73