Résumé
Objectives of the study As a consequence of Global Changes, perennial pastures have to face more and more extreme climatic conditions such as longer drought periods which impact forage production and, as a consequence, reduce the sustainability of livestock systems. In that context it is important to evaluate the capacity of grassland species to tolerate water shortage. This point is of major interest for Fabaceae, the most frequent family after Poaceae in grassland ecosystems, since they allow application of N fertilizer to be reduced while maintaining acceptable production levels.