Red and white clovers can substantially improve the sustainability of livestock production as they reduce the need for manufactured inorganic fertilisers and offer a home-grown protein source as an alternative to imported soya. However, the use of clover has often been limited due to its poor persistence and resilience, either in a multi-species field (with white clover for grazing or silage making) or when grown as a monoculture (with red clover for cutting only).

Scientists at IBERS have managed to increase the persistence of red and white clover plant varieties in these agricultural systems. For example, white clover was crossed with Caucasian clover to combine stoloniferous and tap root formation in a single plant, providing more resilience and persistence. This was the first ever successful cross of its kind in the world and led to the development of AberLasting, a variety marketed as DoubleRoot by our industrial partner Germinal.

Traditionally, red clover has not capable of being grazed by livestock because damage to the crown kills the plant. However, breeding a creeping form of red clover that can be grown in a field like white clover creates the option for livestock farmers to use red clover in a new way. Red clover contains an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which protects the protein in the rumen, leading to further improvements in the efficiency of livestock production as well as a reduction in nitrogen emissions. This new variety, which will be sold as RedRunner by Germinal, is undergoing national plant variety trialling for release in the near future and is again a world first for this crop, expected to transform grassland sward productivity.