Effects of pre-treatment, renovation procedure and cultivar on the growth of white clover sown into a permanent pasture under both grazing and mowingregimes

White clover (Trifolium repens) is a valuable pasture component that is fre quently present in insufficient quantity for optimal animal nutrition. Seve ral methods of reintroducing white clover into a permanent pasture without conventional tillage were investigated. Three seeders (Hunter, Vredo and a conventional seed drill), two white clover cultivars (Sacramento, and Sonja ), two pasture pre-treatments (a hard spring grazing or grazing plus light harrowing) and two defoliation regimes (grazing or mowing) were used to det ermine optimal seedling establishment conditions. Defoliation treatments we re used as a method of investigating pasture improvement experiments. Measu rements were taken to determine proportion of white clover present and tota l herbage mass. Plots renovated using a Hunter drill had the highest white clover content i n the months immediately after renovation. Subsequently pre-treatment metho d appeared to have no significant effect on herbage mass or species composi tion. The proportion of white clover in plots sown with the cultivar Sacram ento was frequently higher than that in plots sown with the cultivar Sonja, but, overall, herbage production of cultivars was not different. Mowed plots had higher herbage production and tended towards a greater whit e clover content than grazed plots. Compaction of the surface to a depth of 10 cm in the grazed plots may have been a factor in the observed differenc e in herbage production. Regardless of management, within two years white c lover content was similar among all treatments, including controls.