Red clover is one of the most important temperate legume species and it is used to alleviate the lack of forage in natural grasslands during the cool season in Rio Gra do Sul, Brasil. However, the lack of persistence presented by this species has not allowed its full utilization. Hence, a breeding program was started to select plants with more persistence and with good dry matter (DM) yield. This work was carried out at the “Estação Experimental Agronômica”, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Three selected red clover populations were evaluated in relation to the best available commercial check, cv. Quiñqueli, in a mixture with annual ryegrass. There were significant differences among the populations in relation to persistence and DM yield of its components. Two of the selected populations were more persistent than the check after the first season of growth, pointing to the possibility of making progress in this trait while maintaining the yield potential
