The population dynamics of perennial crop plants are influenced by numerous factors, including management
practices. Conditions in the field vary from year to year, and matrix population models are useful for evaluating
population behaviour in relation to environmental variability. In Missouri, the stand persistence of birdsfoot
trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), a perennial legume, is often limited by disease and poor seed production. A stage-based,
matrix population model was developed to evaluate the population dynamics of birdsfoot trefoil in relation to
clipping treatment. The plant growth stages represented in the model were seeds, seedlings, mature vegetative and
reproductive plants. Two phases of population growth were evaluated in clipped and unclipped stands.
Establishment-phase populations were characterized by relatively high mortality and low reproduction. Elasticity
analysis indicated that growth of these populations was most sensitive to the survival of vegetative plants. Mature
vegetative plants and seeds comprised the majority of surviving individuals in clipped and unclipped populations,
respectively; however, establishment-phase populations under both management treatments tended toward
extinction. Populations in the post-establishment phase of growth were characterized by relatively low mortality
and high reproduction. Population growth in this phase of growth was most sensitive to seed production, and most
individuals in these populations were at the seed stage.