The Effect of Soil Textures on the Flowering characteristics and Green Manure Yield of Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) in Upland Soil

Crimson clover, a legume crop, is a landscape crop and green manure crop that can be sowing in spring and autumn. Its red flower blooms in May, and serves various roles such as landscape composition, weeds suppressing, prevention of soil loss and nutrient on sloping land and supplying nitrogen and organic matter in soil. Thus, in order to utilize this crop in agriculture land, we evaluated the growth characteristics of crimson clover cultivated in four different soil textures; sand, sandy loam, loam, and clay loam. The nitrogen content of crimson clover was 15.8 g kg -1 and C/N ratio was 20.3. Its plant height was 42.5 cm in sandy loam and 49.5 cm in loamy, respectively, approximately 20 cm longer than the sand and clay loam. The crimson clover in sandy loam and loam bloomed about seven days earlier than those in sand and clay loam. Regarding number of flower per hill and flower length, there were no difference among the soil textures. Dry weight of crimson clover for sandy loam and loam was 2.5 Mg ha -1 and 2.3 Mg ha -1 , respectively, 0.8 ~ 1.1 Mg ha -1 higher than that of sand and sandy loam. Plant height and dry weight of crimson clover increased with delaying harvest time. Nitrogen contribution in loam and clay loam was 51.3 kg ha -1 and 53.5 kg ha -1 , respectively. Therefore, in terms of flowering properties and dry weight, the proper soil texture for the growth and development of crimson clover was sandy loam and loam.