We review the history of arable naturalization and initial cropping of five legume species in Hungary in the period between the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. Nowadays, these species have an increasing importance as green manure and seed production. The cultivation of Vicia villosa Roth, an old established plant in the Carpathian Basin of Near Eastern origin, was started for green forage, mainly owing to encouraging experiences in Germany. It produced good yields even among unfavourable weather and edaphic conditions. Although Vicia pannonica Crantz is likely native to Hungary, it was brought into cultivation due to reports of satisfactory farming experiences from the USA. It had a good seed production capacity and also provided tasty forage in Hungary as well. Vicia sativa L. was probably cultivated already in the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages in the Carpathian Basin. Later, in the transitional period between the three-field system and crop rotation, its foreign cultivars were re-naturalised and sowed into the fallow as a forage crop. Trifolium incarnatum L., a plant of Mediterranean origin, was first cultivated in Hungary as a stubble–sowed crop, or for clover replacement, but later it became a relevant seed–export item. The seeds of Trifolium alexandrinum L. for its first Hungarian field experiments probably came directly from Africa. Mostly, it was cropped as a secondary sowed forage in irrigated fields and as a shift crop in rice growing areas.

The paper aims to examine the connection between environmental conditions during seed maturation and the ability of seeds to compressive stress, supported by statistically significant findings. The study involves using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analysis on red clover seeds under varying pressure levels, specific tensions, and selected quality parameters. The methodology relies on a general FT-IR spectroscopic approach, with spectral comparisons made against results from pressure-induced rupture. Through this research, new methods for seed testing are intended to be informed by differential and correlation results across technical parameters and different measurement settings. The analyses indicated a noticeable difference of several 10 N in visible features between seed maturation stages and compressive tolerance. Given the novelty of the aspects being explored, one primary influencing factor is identified as the scarcity of available literature, which also serves as a limitation of this research. The obtained results have potential applications for analysts, agricultural specialists, consultants, and experts involved in seed management and distribution.