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© Wilmington College 2005 

 Leguminous Forage Crops

Common Name:

 Kura Clover

Latin Name:

 Trifolium ambiguum

Variety:

 Endura

Crop Origin:

 Mediterranean area

Type:

 perennial legume

Date Planted:

 12 April, 2005

Growth Stages in Ohio

Kura clover Jan 1 06.JPG (2957602 bytes) Kura clover feb 6 06.JPG (1621248 bytes) Kura clover March 4 06.JPG (3362990 bytes) Kura Clover Apr 4 06.JPG (3365854 bytes) Kura Clover May 5 06.JPG (2847780 bytes) Kura clover June 5 06.JPG (3313343 bytes)
January February March April May June
Kura clover July 3 06.JPG (2763937 bytes) Kura clover 7aug05.JPG (2604816 bytes) Kura clover 3 sep 05.JPG (2585074 bytes) Kura clover 1 oct 05.JPG (2526083 bytes) Kura clover 4 Nov 05.JPG (2744004 bytes) Kura clover 2 dec 05.JPG (3771374 bytes)
July August

September

 October November December

Donated by Ampac Seed Co.

Cultivation in Ohio

Primary Uses:

 Forage

 Planting:

 Kura Clover lacks seedling vigor and is considered difficult to establish.  Two years are needed to establish a crop.  It is a poor competitor in the seedling stage.  Very persistent when established.  Use a Kura Clover specific Rhizobium for inoculation. 

 Seeding Rate:

 Recommended 10-12 lb/acre but may be reduced if sown with a grass.

Fertility:

 Tolerates low fertility soils, acid soils, wet soils.  Survives drought because of deep root system.

Insects:

 None reported

Diseases:

 None Reported

Harvest:

 Can cause bloat in cattle.  Do not graze after Sept 15 to allow stand recovery before winter.

Comments:

 Short corolla tube make this easy for honey bees to harvest nectar.  Kura Clover is comparable to Alfalfa in forage quality but is not subject to yield decline.

Identification

Leaf:

 Kura_ clover_ leaf4.JPG (1350097 bytes) Kura_Clover_leaf.JPG (1765348 bytes)

Flower:

 Kura_ Clover_ Flower.JPG (2039884 bytes) Kura clover plant.jpg (1312727 bytes)

Seeds:

 Kura_Clover_seed.JPG (1180072 bytes) Kura_Clover_seedhead.JPG (1766466 bytes)

Distribution:

 blank plants map.jpg (30546 bytes)

More Information

Links:

 http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropfactsheets/KuraClover.html 
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/forage/pubs/Kura_stands.htm 
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr141/agr141.pdf