SEED PRODUCTION 



Strawberry clover is a prolific seed-producing plant 

 if it is properly handled. Yields usually range from 

 40 to 300 pounds of seed an acre; 100 pounds is 

 about average. 



The flowers of common strawberry clover are self- 

 fertile; that is, seed will form without cross-pollina- 

 tion. Honey bee activity, however, assists the move- 

 ment of pollen to the stigma. Honey bee colonies 

 immediately adjacent to flowering fields will increase 

 seed yields. The Salina variety is self-sterile and 

 will not set seed without cross-pollination. 



The blooming period of strawberry clover usually 

 begins 2 to 3 weeks later than the blooming period 

 of white clover. Strawberry clover completes its 

 flowering earlier in the summer than does white 

 clover. Under most conditions, strawberry clover 

 does not bloom until the year following seeding. 

 Thick stands appear to bloom more profusely than 

 thin ones. Thin stands and unfavorable growth 

 conditions tend to encourage formation of short- 

 stalked seed heads that make seed harvesting diffi- 

 cult. Because flowering and growth habits of straw- 

 berry clover and white clover are similar, the same 

 methods may be followed in seed harvesting. Har- 

 vesting with machinery on rough, hummocky soils is 

 difficult, and sometimes impossible. Such soils can 

 be disked, harrowed, and rolled early in the spring 

 to smooth them for machine harvest in the fall. 

 This smoothing operation will not seriously damage 

 good stands. 



Some farmers use seed crops for grazing until the 

 first of June. The growth made after the animals 

 are removed is followed by blooming and seed for- 

 mation. This practice of grazing early in the season 

 reduces weed growth, which often handicaps seed- 

 harvesting operations and reduces seed yields. 



Close grazing up to the time of blooming will not 

 prevent seed production, but the heads will form 

 close to the soil and cannot be machine harvested 

 (fig. 3). If a seed harvest is planned, stop grazing 

 early enough in the season to allow new growth be- 

 fore blooming starts. When clover is grown in soils 

 that are strongly saline preceding and during the 

 blooming period, the heads are short stalked. 



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