Effects of low irrigation on yield quantity and quality of clover species under high input management conditions

The present study was carried out to investigate the some differences between forage qualities and quantities of four clover species under different irrigation regimes and high input management conditions in 2015 at the Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University of Tehran. The experiment was carried out in a split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Main plots refer to irrigation regimes in three levels of normal irrigation, medium drought stress, and severe drought stress that were used by the method of increasing the irrigation intervals by time-sensing (TDR), and subplots were four clover species including Red, Crimson, Persian, and Berseem. Results showed that the content of water-soluble carbohydrates was maximum at severe low irrigation levels, compared to other irrigation levels, while other qualitative traits were minimum at this treatment compared to other irrigation levels. In the second irrigation level, all of the qualitative traits were at the medium value between the normal irrigation and severe low irrigation. Crimson species was superior to other species in terms of qualitative. Crimson species at normal irrigation and medium low irrigation levels had the highest dry forage yields of 5517.16 and 2668.36 kg, respectively. Therefore, it is suggested to plant Crimson cultivar under normal irrigation and medium low irrigation to achieve highest yield forage. Also, Persian species had the highest yield of 1814.31 kg at severe low irrigation level. Therefore, in drought conditions and severe low irrigation, in order to have access to higher forage yield, this crop is recommended.