Honey clover

ABOUT THE PLANT: There are two most widespread types of clover in Ukraine: honey clover (Melilotus albus) and yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis). Honey clover is an annual and biennial plant. For its forage value the honey clover is hardly inferior to many other biennial legumes.

Due to its specific smell and bitter taste of coumarin its green mass consumed by cattle poorly at first but it gets used quickly and consumes willingly after. It blossoms and provides seed mainly in the second year of life. In the second year the honey clover starts to grow back 5-7 days earlier than other legumes. It is a valuable melliferous plant – its honey efficiency reaches up to 300-600 kg/he. It’s preferable to clover and alfalfa due to the ability of well growth on poor light sandy soils, drought resistance and good winter-hardiness. Honey clover is a good predecessor for other crops. It has a very extensive root system that penetrates the soil to 2 meters and performs the melioration function. Honey clover has the ability to accumulate in the soil considerable amounts of calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, potassium, which enhances its fertility (100-120 kg/he of organic). Grows well on poor soils, doesn’t grow on acidic soils.Honey clover is sown mostly under cover of early grain crops, annual grass and maize. It is sown in rows with C3T-3,6 seed drills simultaneously with a cover culture. Seeds of the honey clover are enfolded to a depth of 2-3 cm. Seeding rate of the honey clover is 16-24 kg/he. After harvesting the cover crop the honey clover grows back and yields up to 80 centner/he of green mass. In the second year the fertility of green mass reaches up to 350-450 centner/he. To obtain a high-quality feed it is mowed in the bud-formation phase. Mowing height has to be at least 15 cm for the best regrowth. The growing after-grass is plowed for green manure.

IMPLEMENTATION: Our company offers the best prices for the purchase of white clover seeds of the next sorts: Eney.

Sort Eney
It is white clover bred in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Research Institute of forages by nepotism group-selection of the local population Yampolsky district of Vinnytsia region. Bush clover upright, spreading rosette spring regrowth, bushiness average, average roughness stems, glabrous, height 138-148 cm. The leaves are medium-sized, soft, stipules lanceolate form, glabrous, green. Inflorescence is spindle-shaped, medium looseness with white flowers. Beans are single or two-seeds, with a short beak, mesh-wrinkled seeds mean, rounded-ovate, pale yellow. Weight of 1000 seeds 2,0-2,16 g. White clover Eney provides dry matter yield around 62,0-96,8 kg / ha, seed yield level – 6.15 kg / ha. The protein content is 14,2-18,1%, fat – 38,2-42,2%. Content of protein – 9,5-15,7 kg / ha. Diseases and pests damage is not height. It is a good honey plant.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WHITE SWEET CLOVER:
1. In the US white clover is a honey plant and is considered to be the main honey plant in the country.
2. As it was established by researchers, some seeds can generate up to 70 years.
3. Smashed leaves can be added to salads, fish dishes and soups. This kind of species is often used by residents of Central Asia, Caucasus. It can be added to some beers for aroma.
4. Clover hay is tasty and healthy food for cattle. Some medicines are made of clover and are used in veterinary practice.
5. White clover has insecticidal properties and can be used for insect repellent. For this plant should smashed to juice. In the villages they used to make little pillows from dried clover herbs and put between cloth to protect it from mole.