Openers Ben Slater (76) and Ben Duckett (43) added 75 for the first wicket, before Clarke excelled in his first Championship innings since moving to Trent Bridge from Worcestershire.

He ended 109 not out after several home batsmen failed to build on starts.

South African paceman Duanne Olivier, making his Championship debut for Yorkshire, finished the day with 2-74.

England Test captain Joe Root (0-27) bowled 12 overs of off-spin without taking a wicket for the visitors, and there is the enticing prospect of him facing international team-mate Stuart Broad when Yorkshire get their opportunity to bat.

• Relive day one of the County Championship season

Notts have ambitions of pushing for a first Division One title since 2010 after adding young English talents Duckett and Clarke to their batting line-up.

Duckett, who spent the final month of last season on loan from Northants before signing a three-year contract, scored a double-century in Notts' final warm-up match and began promisingly against Yorkshire.

However, he pulled a short Steven Patterson delivery to Matthew Waite at deep square leg to give the Yorkshire captain his first wicket of the season.

Fellow left-hander Slater was caught behind off Olivier, who has put his international career with South Africa on hold to play for Yorkshire on a three-year Kolpak deal, and he later accounted for Notts captain Steven Mullaney (31).

But 22-year-old Clarke remained unmoved and got to his century, the first in the County Championship this season, off 165 balls with his 16th boundary.