THE INFLUENCE SOWING TIME, SOWING DISTANCE AND FERTILIZATION ON NUMBER OF STEMS PER PLANT OF RED CLOVER (Trifolium pratense L.)

In the investigated area, corn silage and hay meadows are dominated by voluminous fodder. Farmers who grew alfalfa were not satisfied with the yield and length of use, as this was mainly used for 2 years. The reason for such a short use of alfalfa is probably the acidity of the soil in which it was grown. On the contrary, farmers who grew red clover were more satisfied with the production and were mostly used for three years. In the area of Northeast Bosnia, the agro-technology of cultivation of the red clover is based on sowing in the spring (April), fertilization of NPK 15:15:15 and sowing manually according to the milk producer's survey on the cultivation of fodder crops and the applied agro-technology. Red clover could be classified in the second place after the quality of the fodder, behind the alfalfa. The share of number of stems in the yield of red clovers is a very important factor of yield and quality. The goal of the research was to determine the extent to which the change in the red clover cultivation system (sowing time, intermediate sowing distance and the application of different quantities and combinations of NPK fertilizers) influences the proportion of number of stems in the yield of red clover feed. The results of the research can provide a significant scientific and practical contribution to the improvement of the red clover cultivation in the agro-ecological conditions of northeastern Bosnia, as a very important component in ensuring quality of livestock feed. This research will provide an answer to the question of choosing agro-technics and fertilization systems in order to produce better quality of red clover of whose main factor is the share number of stem in the yield, as well as achieving higher yields per unit area.