Variability of red clover seed yield and quality on acidic soil

On poorer quality soils and in mountainous areas, red clover is an important forage crop for animal feed production. Knowing the production potential, adaptability and stability of a variety in a particular location is of utmost importance for the success of production in the future. Soil quality, weather conditions during the second mowing (the mowing in which seed production is most often carried out) and the lifespan of red clover have a major impact on seed yield. The aim of the research in this work was to determine the production potential of the yield and quality of red clover seeds on acid reaction soil, to select the best varieties because they can be expected to give high forage yields. The selection of the best varieties is also important for the production of animal feed, if a variety has a high seed yield, it can be expected that it will also have high forage yields. Research was carried out on 10 varieties of red clover in two years in the area of the Mrkonjić Grad municipality. For all tested traits, the factors of variety and year had a statistically significant influence. The highest average seed yield was achieved by the Marina variety, the highest total germination and the lowest proportion of hard seeds by the Kolubara variety. The Viva variety had the highest 1000-kernel weight and high germination. Statistically significantly higher seed yield and 1000-kernel weight were obtained in the first year of testing, and germination and proportion of hard seeds in the second year of testing. At this location, red clover seed production should be carried out in the second mowing of the second year of life, due to low seed yields, the second mowing in the third year should be used for fodder production.