Saskatchewan breeding program examines flowering purple and white prairie clover as a forage crop alternative to alfalfa
Livestock producers are encouraged to take a closer look at two native species of plants that are showing unique forage characteristics and grazing potential on Western Canadian grasslands.
“I think purple prairie clover and white prairie clover have a real potential for us,” said Alan Iwaasa of Agriculture Canada in Swift Current, Sask.
The grazing management and ruminant nutrition scientist presented research on the two native plants during the Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference in Saskatoon Feb. 18.
Iwaasa has been looking since 2000 at reestablishing different native grasslands on land that had been cropped annually since the 1920s.
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Purple prairie clover and white prairie clover are native species of flowering plants belonging to the legume family. They grow 30 to 55 centimetres tall and grow well on open prairie grassland, drier sites, open slopes and hillsides. They are also occasionally found in the southern foothills and parkland regions.
Both plants act as warm season forbs with much of their growth during July and August. As a result, they offer an opportunity to extend the grazing season through the mid-summer slump period, when the forage quality for many cool season grasses is declining.
As nitrogen fixing legumes, the species extend the longevity and nutrition of pastures.
They also attract pollinators, such as European and native honey and bumblebees.
“That’s one of the things I love about the purple and white prairie clovers is they are native species in Western Canada and can increase the biodiversity and help insect pollinators,” he said.
Certain tame species contain condensed tannins that inhibit digestion and discourage animals from eating, but purple and white prairie clover have special tannins that improve protein use and hold back E. coli growth. Results show that animals shed significantly less E. coli when eating purple prairie clover instead of alfalfa.
“What we find with the white and purple prairie clover is that the animal will consume them, there’s no inhibition on digestion characteristics and we’ve seen in sheep and grazing animals a reduction in E. coli shedding of O157:H7,” Iwaasa said.
Research has also found that hard seed characteristics could affect the establishment of these native forbs. Purple prairie clover has a harder seed coat than the white variety.
“This would dramatically affect how it would germinate,” he said.
“You’d have to use different management techniques, maybe seeding it in the fall and then going through the fall-winter period to break down some of that hard seed coat, or use some mechanical process.”
Iwaasa said several populations of purple and white prairie clover have been identified for further development.
“That’s the real benefit of why we need to always consider natives and keep them around.”
However, he said a major limitation with many native species is the availability and cost of seed for producers.
