Relative performance of white clover (Trifolium repens) cultivars and experimental synthetics under rotational grazing by beef cattle, dairy cattle and sheep

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (11) ◽  
pp. 926
Author(s):  
M. Z. Z. Jahufer ◽  
J. L. Ford ◽  
G. R. Cousins ◽  
D. R. Woodfield

Assessment of the relative performance of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars, using multi-year and multi-location seasonal growth trials, is key to identification of material with specific and broad adaptation. This paper is based on a multi-year and multi-location study of 56 white clover entries comprising 14 commercial cultivars and 42 experimental synthetic lines evaluated for seasonal growth under rotational grazing across four locations in New Zealand over 4years. The four locations (and animals grazing) were: Kerikeri (beef cattle), Aorangi (beef cattle), Ruakura (dairy cattle), Lincoln (sheep). Significant (P<0.05) genotypic variation among the 56 entries, and genotype × year, genotype× location and genotype× season interactions, were estimated. We were able to identify cultivars and experimental synthetics with specific and broad adaptation to the three grazing management types. Cvv. AberDance, Apex, Demand, Prestige, Quartz and Riesling, with leaf size ranging from small to medium–large, showed highly above-average performance under sheep grazing. Synthetic lines 15 and 45 also had highly above-average performance under sheep grazing. Cvv. Legacy and Kopu II showed above-average performance under cattle and dairy grazing. Synthetics 15, 48, 49, 44, 22 and 18 and cv. Quartz had above-average performance under all three grazing managements. Synthetics 27, 33 and 38 had highly above-average performance across all three grazing managements and were superior to all 14 cultivars evaluated. Several of these superior synthetics are being tested across multiple grazing environments. Among the 14 cultivars evaluated, Legacy and Quartz showed superior seasonal growth performance across the three grazing managements. Quartz is being evaluated in several on-farm trials across temperate regions of the world.

Author(s):  
D.L. Ryan

Four white clover cultivars 'Grasslands tluia', 'Grasslands Tahora', 'Grasslands Kopu' and 'Grasslands Pit& were evaluated at Grasslands Division, Gore, for 4 years, under 2 grazing managements. Year round rotational grazing was compared with rotational grazing incorporating a 1 P-week period of set stocking during spring. Huia was the best cultivar under both grazing managements. Tahora yields were comparable with those of Huia in spring and summer, and ryegrass yields were best in Tahora wards. The larger leaved and less stoloniferous Kopu and Pitau were not suited to the climatic conditions or the mtensive sheep grazing practices of the region. Keywords: Trifolium repens, Huia, Tahora, Pitau. KOPU, grazing management, stolon morphology, persistence, sheepfarming


Author(s):  
J. Van den Bosch ◽  
J.A. Lancashire ◽  
B.M. Cooper ◽  
T.B. Lyons ◽  
W.M. Williams

G18 white clover (trifolium repens L.), a larger leaved, more upright growing clover than 'Grasslands Hula'and'Grasslands Pitau', has been bred for intensive lowland farming, particularly dairy farms. It originated from crosses between 'Grasslands Pitau' and Ladino plants, selected in soil infested with stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipasci (Kuhn) Filipjev). G18 has produced more than both Pitau and Huia in trials in Northland and Manawatu Total pasture production has often been similar for the three cultivars, but clover DM has increased 25.84% over four years compared with a Huia pasture in Northland, the superiority being greatest under laxer rotational grazing. G18 has persisted well, even after more than 3 1/2 years of continuous sheep grazing, with some spells for yield cuts. Keywords: white clover, Trifolium repens L., G18, Ladino, Pitau, stem nematode, production, persistence.


2000 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. HOPKINS ◽  
M. G. LAMBERT ◽  
D. J. BARKER ◽  
D. A. COSTALL ◽  
P. M. SANDERS ◽  
...  

An investigation was made during 1988 to test the hypothesis that ‘Grasslands Huia’ white clover (Trifolium repens L.) could be eliminated under close sheep grazing. The effects of grazing management, topography and fertilizer on the contribution of Huia plants to the white clover population in an 85 ha experimental upland pasture ecosystem in the southern North Island, New Zealand (lat. 40° 20′ S, long. 175° 50′ E, 125–350 m altitude) were quantified 11 years after oversowing. Replicated sampling sites (108 in total) were located on nine combinations of slope and aspect within grazing management treatments comprising rotational grazing with cattle (RC), rotational grazing with sheep (RS) and continuous grazing with sheep (CS), with high and low fertilizer treatments in each case. White clover occurrence, leaf area, phosphoglucoisomerase-2 (PGI-2) allele frequencies and the proportion of Grasslands Huia plants in the white clover population were determined at each site. White clover frequency was lower on steeper slopes. Aspect, slope and grazing management affected area of individual clover leaves. The proportion of Huia plants in the white clover population averaged 54·9, 49·0 and 33·6% for RC, RS and CS, respectively (P < 0·039, 5 D.F.). Fertilizer and topography did not affect the proportion of Huia. It was concluded that although Huia did persist after 11 years of close sheep grazing, its contribution to the total white clover population was unsatisfactory in some cases, and use of better adapted cultivars is suggested.


Author(s):  
B.R. Watkin

AN Aberystwyth selection of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), known as S170, was sown with certified New Zealand white clover (Trifolium repens) and re' clover (T. pratense) and compared under sheep grazing with other grass/clover pastures at the Grasslands Division Regional Station at Lincoln (Watkin, 1975) .


1989 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. M. Hay ◽  
J. L. Brock ◽  
V. J. Thomas

SUMMARYDensities of physiologically independent plants of white clover were studied in New Zealand in pastures stocked at 22·5 ewes plus lambs/ha by set stocking, rotational grazing or a combination of both systems. Plants were sampled once a month for 1 year (1984/85) by taking turves and washing out the plants. Numbers of growing points and stolon dry weight per plant were obtained. At each sampling fifty, 50 mm diameter pasture plugs were taken from each sward and growing point density and stolon mass/m2 of white clover were measured. The density of white clover plants in the swards was estimated on the basis of both stolon dry weight and number of growing points.The two estimates gave similar results. There was a trend of lowest densities in set-stocked pastures (334/m2), intermediate densities in combination management pastures (431/m2) and highest densities in the rotationally grazed pastures (553/m2). The overall mean density of white clover plants was 439/m2 and the range was 193–811/m2.The structure of swards under the three systems of grazing differed and this was considered to contribute towards the variation in density of white clover plants in the various swards.


2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 515 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Ayres ◽  
R. D. Murison ◽  
A. D. Turner ◽  
S. Harden

The presence of cyanogenic glucosides in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an anti-nutritional factor due to the potential for cyanide to pre-dispose selenium deficiency in grazing animals. Considerable genotypic variation in cyanogenesis occurs in white clover and it is important that highly cyanogenic white clover lines are identified to ensure that germpasm used in breeding programs does not lead to the release of cultivars that exceed safe levels. A procedure for rapid semi-quantitative screening of large white clover germplasm collections is described. This procedure is based on the picrate assay and utilises computer imagery and calibration relationships between spectral intensity (red, green, blue bands) of the colour reaction on picrate paper with cyanide in standard solutions to predict hydrocyanic acid concentration in white clover leaf.


1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. G. Clark ◽  
M. J. McFadden

Summary. The herbage yield, stolon characteristics and soil seed reserves of a diverse range of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars were studied at Hamilton in south-western Victoria. The cultivars were sown with perennial grass (Phalaris aquatica L.) and the pasture was rotationally grazed by sheep. The aim of the study was to identify white clover types which would persist under sheep grazing. The widely used cultivar, Haifa, fails to persist in this environment. Cultivars were divided into 3 groups depending on leaf size (range 2.5–13.0 cm2). Large-leaved cultivars were the most productive in the first year of the experiment but by year 3 some of the intermediate leaf-size cultivars were the most productive. Haifa (large leaved) was particularly unproductive in the third year compared with other large and intermediate leaf-size cultivars. Stolon characteristics were measured in early spring 1987, mid summer 1988 and early autumn 1988. Total stolon yield on each occasion was 0.46–0.99, 0.65–1.68 and 0.05–0.25 t DM/ha respectively. Intermediate leaf- size cultivars tended to have the highest stolon yields on each occasion. Stolon yield declined at the same rate (mean 87%; range 81–92%) in all cultivars between the second and third sampling date indicating that there is no variation in the cultivars’ ability to survive the summer drought period. Although seed reserves for most cultivars were high at the end of the experiment (range 11–130 kg/ha) no seedling recruitment was observed and seed is thought to play no role in sward survival in this environment. Plant breeders developing white clover cultivars for this environment should concentrate on maximising stolon yield at the beginning and end of the summer drought period (January–mid March). Intermediate leaf-size genotypes are likely to provide the best combination of stolon and herbage yield. Grazing management should also aim to maximise stolon yield at these critical times. The use of large-leaved, non-stoloniferous cultivars should be discouraged by advisers as they are not suited to this marginal environment under sheep grazing.


Author(s):  
K.H. Widdup

White clover populations from Europe and New Zealand together with ecotypes collected from old pastures in Southland-Otago were evaluated as spaced plants at Gore. Plants were screened for herbage production and morphological and flowering characteristics. The Southland ecotypes and North Island hill country material are adapted to active growth in spring and summer. Their dense growth habit ensures continued production of branched stolons from nodal meristems which is necessary for high clover yield and persistence under intensive sheep grazing. In this region flowering characteristics are unimportant in relation to agronomic performance. Some largerleaved Huia and French lines have high-yielding features which are evident during autumn under lenient grazing. Hybrids between superior plants showing adaptive and high yie!ding features are being screened in order to select new types with the desired characteristics. Keywords: White clover, Trifolium repens L., plant breeding, southern region, ecotypes, growth, morphology.


2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 897 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Z. Z. Jahufer ◽  
J. L. Ford ◽  
D. R. W. Woodfield ◽  
B. A. Barrett

Optimal evaluation and use of introduced germplasm for species improvement is an ongoing challenge. Research was conducted to survey a select set of introduced white clover (Trifolium repens L.) germplasm from broad geographic origins to assess their genetic potential, based on F1 crosses to elite New Zealand cultivars. The bulk progeny generated from test crosses to Grasslands cultivars Demand, Sustain and Kopu II were evaluated at Palmerston North under rotational grazing by sheep. The replicated trial consisted of the 26 germplasm accessions, three cultivars used as maternal parents, and 78 F1 bulk progeny breeding lines. Three morphological traits and estimated seasonal dry matter yield were measured over four years. Significant (P < 0.05) genotypic variation was observed for all these traits among the parents and F1 progeny lines. F1 progeny lines with traits values greater than the cultivars were identified. Significant (P < 0.05) genotype-by-season (σ2gs) and genotype-by-year (σ2gy) interactions were estimated for dry matter yield. Principle component analysis of the F1 progeny-by-trait BLUP matrix identified 16 elite progeny lines with mean seasonal dry matter yield equal to or higher than the cultivars. Half of the lines had Demand as the cultivar parent, while only three had Kopu II as a parent. Fourteen of these progeny lines were derived from crosses to Australasian adapted germplasm. This study indicated that choice of adapted cultivar with which to cross is important, and introduced germplasm from Australasia is a valuable source of adaptive variation in these F1 progeny. More complex approaches may be needed to identify and use adaptive allelic variation from germplasm sources beyond Australasia.


1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (55) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
EC Wolfe ◽  
A Lazenby

During the spring of both 1968 and 1969 three phalaris-white clover pasture types, differing in botanical composition from clover-dominant to grass-dominant, were grazed by beef cattle. The cattle were scored twice a day for bloat incidence and severity and were weighed each month. No cattle died from bloat or any other cause. Of the 289 moderate and severe cases of bloat observed during the experiment, 221 occurred on the high clover pasture type (60-80 per cent white clover) ; comparable figures on the medium clover (30-50 per cent white clover) and low clover (15-25 per cent white clover) pasture types were 58 and 10 respectively. In addition to the greater incidence of bloat, liveweight gains on the highest clover pasture were 20-30 per cent lower than on the the other two pasture types in both years. The digestibility and availability of the herbage on the clover-dominant pasture equalled or exceeded that of pastures containing <50 per cent white clover ; reduced liveweight gains were attributed to a depressive effect of bloat on herbage intake.


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