Clover EARLY 2

Lucky clover variety EARLY 2 is an ultraearly forage variety developed by chemical mutagenesis. It is characterized by a short period from spring regrowth to the first mowing of 45-50 days, and to seed maturity of 95-105 days, which is 16-20 days earlier than mid-early and late-maturing varieties. Flowering and seed maturation occur simultaneously, without the formation of secondary growth, ensuring uniformity and quality of the harvest. Bushes have an upright or semi-prostrate shape, stem height in the first mowing reaches 70-85 cm, and foliation of the first and second cutouts is 55-60% and 65-72% respectively. Seeds are oval in shape, with color ranging from yellow to light purple, mass of 1000 seeds — 2.0–2.2 grams. The variety has a medium degree of fusarium and clover cancer infection, as well as good winter hardiness.

EARLY 2 differs in high yield: it provides 9-10 tons of dry matter per hectare, and seeds — 400-600 kg per hectare. The crude protein content in dry matter is 16-17%, which makes this variety particularly valuable for feeding animals, and the fiber content is within 26-28%. Thanks to its nutritional qualities and good taste, this clover is widely used in agriculture to obtain quality feed for pastures and as animal feed.

The variety is multifunctional and efficient in the feed production system on field land. With early spring sowing, it ensures obtaining 100-120 centners of green mass at the stage of mowing maturity. Early harvesting of the first and second cutouts allows subsequent cutouts to be used as green manure for winter crops. Moreover, EARLY 2 is an insurance variety in seed production, as early seed harvesting at the end of July — mid-August ensures high crop stability and allows maintaining their productivity in the second year of use.