Red clover varieties of Mattenklee type have higher production, protein yield and persistence than Ackerklee types in grass–clover mixtures

Dairy farmers have increased interest in multiyear red clover–ryegrass ley pasture swards because of their high productivity and protein concentration but the adoption of such mixtures has been restricted because of poor persistency of many red clover cultivars currently used. We aimed (i) to assess dry‐matter yield (DMY), persistence and nutritive value of four Mattenklee and four Ackerklee cultivars and (ii) to investigate the underlying plant...