An experiment was conducted over the period 1995-96 in a warm-temperate env
ironment in Nepal to investigate the effect of cutting frequency on forage
yields of three temperate legume species, grown during the winter season, a
nd the residual treatment effects on a subsequent upland rice crop. The thr
ee species, Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum), white clover (Trifolium
repens) and vetch (Vicia benghalensis), proved to be well adapted to the w
inter growing conditions and produced cumulative forage yields between 6.8
t DM ha(-1) (vetch) and 9.2 t DM ha(-1) (Persian clover). Vetch grew vigoro
usly throughout the winter months and provided reasonable forage yields bet
ween December and February, whereas the clovers provided green fodder up to
July. These species may therefore make a substantial contribution to allev
iating the severe shortage of quality feed during the winter months. Grain
yields of the subsequent rice crop ranged from 3.6 to 7.3 t ha(-1). Rice yi
elds were greatly affected by the previous legume species and forage manage
ment practices. In general, the removal of legume forage greatly reduced th
e residual effect, and farmers will have to seek a compromise between maxim
izing green fodder production and the immediate beneficial residual effect
of the legume crop on rice yield.