THE EFFECT OF FOLIAR BIOFERTILIZER AND VARIETY ON THE PRODUCTIVITY AND NODULATION OF RED CLOVER
Red clover is one of the most important perennial forage legumes in livestock feed production. It also plays a significant role in organic farming, as it enriches the soil with nitrogen through symbiotic fixation by nodule-forming bacteria, reducing the need for excessive use of mineral nitrogen. The application of foliar biofertilizers can have a significant impact on the productivity and nodulation of red clover. Since the productivity and quality of red clover largely depend on soil fertility, environmental conditions, variety selection, and the plant’s developmental stage at the time of mowing, the aim of this research was to determine the influence of red clover variety and foliar biofertilizer (BF0, BF1, BF2, BF4) on dry matter yield, crude protein content, and the abundance of nodule-forming bacteria. The research results showed that variety selection and the application of biofertilizer at higher concentrations had a significant effect on dry matter yield and crude protein content. However, the total number of nodules on red clover roots decreased with increasing biofertilizer concentration. The highest annual dry matter yield was achieved in the BF4 variant for the Una variety (12.71 t ha-1) and the Global variety (11.43 t ha-1). Similarly, the highest crude protein yield was recorded in the BF4 variant for the Una variety (1896.4 kg ha-1) and the Global variety (1678.0 kg ha-1).