AU SUNRISE CRIMSON CLOVER

TRIFOLIUM INCARNATUM
PLANTING GUIDE
SPECIES: Crimson Clover, (Trifolium incarnatum L.)
RELEASE NAME: ‘AU Sunrise’

GENERAL INFORMATION: 

Crimson clover is an annual cool season legume. The leaves are palmately tri-foliate. Heads are cylindrical with a deep red color. This new cultivar is an early blooming variety of crimson clover, recently released by USDA-NRCS Jimmy Carter Plant Materials Center and Auburn University.

USE: Because of its early blooming characteristic, AU Sunrise is well suited for cover crops in conservation tillage systems. It can also be used as an early green manure crop for conservation cropping systems.

ADAPTATION: AU Sunrise is tolerate of a wide range of sites. It is most productive on moderately-well to well drained soils. It is well adapted in Alabama and Georgia. It should be adapted in suitable sites in the Southeastern United States where Tibbee, Dixie, and AU Robin crimson clover varieties are grown. However, additional field comparisons are needed to determine the exact range of this cultivar.

ESTABLISHMENT:

SOILS: Crimson clover is adapted to moderately-well to well drained sites.

PLANTING DATE: In North Alabama and Georgia, plant September 15 - November 1. In Northern South Carolina, plant September 1 - October 15. In Southern Alabama and Georgia, plant October 1 - November 15. In Southern South Carolina, plant September 15 - November 15. In North Carolina mountains, plant mid August - mid September. In North Carolina Piedmont, plant September 1 - September 30. In North Carolina Coastal Plain, plant September 1 - October 15.

FERTILIZATION: Apply enough lime to raise the pH to 6.0. Apply fertilizer according to soil test results.

SEEDING RATE: Broadcast 20 pounds/acre, drill 8 - 15 pounds/acre, using scarified and inoculated seed.

PLANTING DEPTH: Plant approximately 1/4 inch deep.

MANAGEMENT: 

Basically manage like other crimson clovers. When it is time to kill the cover crop for conservation tillage planting, experience at Americus indicates that use of a systemic herbicide produces better results than a contact herbicide. Approximately two weeks after spraying, the cover crop should be dried sufficiently for proper summer crop planting. Due to earlier blooming characteristics, the summer crop can be planted 5-18 days earlier and 12 to 28 days earlier than when planting into ‘AU Robin’ or ‘Tibbee’ respectively.

DISEASE AND INSECTS: This cultivar does not have any particular resistance to disease or insects beyond those commonly found in the species.

WHERE TO GET HELP: For more information about AU Sunrise, contact the local office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It is listed in the directory under "U.S. Government".

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