Evaluation of African annual clovers to moisture stress in two Ethiopian highland soils

Abstract

Five annual clover species from Ethiopia and Kenya were evaluated in greenhouse studies for biomass production, water use efficiency, and total nitrogen (N) accumulation when grown under different moisture conditions. Two Ethiopian highland soils (Nitosol and Vertisol) were maintained under either high or low soil moisture conditions until maturity. The largest biomass yields and N accumulations occurred in the high moisture treatment on both soils. One species (Trifolium tembense) was superior to the other four in biomass production over all soil and moisture treatments. Two species (T. decorum and T. quartinianum) were intermediate in performance, and two species (T. rueppellianum and T. steudneri) demonstrated low productivity over treatments. The results imply that at least three of the clovers evaluated may be capable of substantial biomass production and N accumulation on two Ethiopian soils that are commonly found in the central African highlands. These clovers should be evaluated in field trials in Africa to determine their use as pasture legumes to support livestock production.