scholarly journals Host plant recognition by the root feeding clover weevil, Sitona lepidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

2004 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 433-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.N. Johnson ◽  
P.J. Gregory ◽  
P.J. Murray ◽  
X Zhang ◽  
I.M. Young
Keyword(s):  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Plant Roots ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
Sitona Lepidus ◽  
Macro Scale ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Invasive Techniques ◽  
Root Feeding

AbstractThis study investigated the ability of neonatal larvae of the root-feeding weevil, Sitona lepidus Gyllenhal, to locate white clover Trifolium repens L. (Fabaceae) roots growing in soil and to distinguish them from the roots of other species of clover and a co-occurring grass species. Choice experiments used a combination of invasive techniques and the novel technique of high resolution X-ray microtomography to non-invasively track larval movement in the soil towards plant roots. Burrowing distances towards roots of different plant species were also examined. Newly hatched S. lepidus recognized T. repens roots and moved preferentially towards them when given a choice of roots of subterranean clover, Trifolium subterraneum L. (Fabaceae), strawberry clover Trifolium fragiferum L. (Fabaceae), or perennial ryegrass Lolium perenneL. (Poaceae). Larvae recognized T. repens roots, whether released in groups of five or singly, when released 25 mm (meso-scale recognition) or 60 mm (macro-scale recognition) away from plant roots. There was no statistically significant difference in movement rates of larvae.

The effect of associate perennial grasses on a simple pasture mixture of phalaris and subterranean clover

1956 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
WD Andrew ◽  
CA Neal-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Festuca Arundinacea ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Yield Component ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Small Change

Over the period 1952-1954 there was no significant difference in the yield of herbage produced annually by the addition to a Phalaris tuberosa L.–Trifolium subterraneum L. pasture mixture, of any one of the following grasses: Agropyron obtusiusculum Lange., Bromus coloratus Steud., Bromus inermis Leyss., Dactylis glomerata L., or Festuca arundinacea Schreb. There were indications of a small change in seasonal production where certain grasses, notably D. glomerata, were included in the mixture. Over the 3-year period the proportion of the sown grass component, in the mixtures where either D. glomerata, B. inermis, or B. coloratus were included, increased by a greater amount than where the simple mixture of phalaris and subterranean clover was used. The addition of each grass also lessened the amount of P. tuberosa in the sown grass component of the yield. In the third year, despite the varying proportions of the phalaris and associated sown grass species, the mean population of the sown perennial grasses in each treatment did not differ significantly from the mean figure of 1.34 plants/sq. lk. The increased production of the sown grass yield component following the association of certain of the above species with P. tuberosa suggests that the latter does not fully exploit the environment. The principle of including another perennial grass when sowing phalaris and subterranean clover might have wide application as a means of combatting "phalaris staggers".

A comparison of the effects of feed supplements cobalt and selenium, and perennial and annual pastures on the production of medium Peppin Merino weaner sheep in south-western Australia

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 361
Author(s):  
HL Davies ◽  
PP Mann ◽  
B Goddard
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Feed Supplement ◽  
Protein Meal ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Phalaris Aquatica ◽  
High Protein Meal ◽  
Cereal Group

Two experiments on weaner production are reported. In experiment 1, the liveweight and wool production were measured in medium Peppin Merino sheep that grazed at 10.5 weanerstha 8 plots of a mixed Phalaris aquatica-subterranean clover pasture or 8 plots of annual pasture (Trifolium subterraneum cv. Woogenellup and volunteer annual grass species). This was repeated over 2 years using autumn-born sheep; 4 groups on each pasture type were offered no supplement, 2 groups a cereal supplement (340 goats), and 2 groups of supplement isoenergetic with the cereal group but having a high protein meal replace some of the cereal (250 g oats and 60 g protein). The feed supplement was offered over the summer (January-April). The sheep on 2 of the unsupplemented plots and 1 of the 2 plots receiving either a cereal or cereal + protein supplement were offered access to a composite mineral block formulated to meet the mineral requirements of sheep with the exception of cobalt and selenium. There were 16 sheep on each plot within each group of 16 weaners, 4 were given an intraruminal cobalt 'bullet', 4 were given 5 mg of selenium orally, 4 given cobalt plus selenium and 4 were untreated controls. Experiment 2 was in year 3 with spring-born weaners on the same plots. The mineral block treatment was discarded on the plots receiving supplement and the effect of supplementary feeding at the beginning of March was compared with feeding in early January; barley was also compared with oats and protein. The stocking rate was raised to 13.5 sheep/ha. There were no statistically significant differences in sheep liveweight due to pasture type in either of the years of experiment 1 or experiment 2. Supplementation with cereals or protein-fortified cereals resulted in a significantly ( P < 0.05) increased liveweight at the end of March (5.6 kg in year 1,2.4 kg in year 2 of experiment 1, and 2.5 kg in experiment 2), and wool production (0.49 kg clean wool in year 1 and 0.3 1 kg in year 2 in experiment 1, and 0.49 in experiment 2). There was a significant liveweight response on the perennial plots to selenium + cobalt in year 1 of experiment 1. All cobalt-treated sheep were heavier ( P < 0.001) in year 2. Neither selenium nor cobalt significantly affected liveweight in experiment 2. The proportion of Phalaris aquatica on the perennial pasture diminished from 18% to less than 9% by the end of year 2 in experiment 1. These results suggest that, if perennial pastures cannot be maintained, then their establishment in the south-west of Western Australia would not result in greater animal production than on annual pasture. Decisions on using supplements would be dependent upon feed and wool prices.

Seed size as a factor in the growth of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) under spaced and sward conditions

1957 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 335 ◽  
Author(s):  
JN Black
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Seed Size ◽  
Seed Weight ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Incident Light ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Significant Difference

The significance of seed weight in the growth of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L) , of the Bacchus Marsh strain, has been assessed under both spaced plant and sward conditions at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute. Under conditions of spacing, plants of three widely separated seed size grades were grown a t a density of 1 per 25 sq. links. The dry weights of the plants were proportional to seed weight from the time of sowing (in May) till the end of October – over almost the entire growing period of the crop. Three sets of swards were grown a t a density of 25 plants per sq. link, each sward being planted with seed of one of the three sizes. Dry weight was proportional to seed weight in the early part of the season but when the swards reached a leaf area index of about 4 (i.e. when there were 4 sq. links of leaf surface on 1 sq. link of ground), a reduction in growth rate occurred. This critical leaf area index was reached first in "large seed" swards, followed later by "medium seed" and finally by "small seed" swards. Thus there was a period in which the swards were growing at different rates, and in which the dry weights came to parity, so that on the final sampling occasion (in December) there was no significant difference between the dry weights of the swards from the three seed sizes. It is concluded that a t a leaf area index of about 4, interception of incident light energy is complete.

Effect of pasture management on the contributions of fixed N to the N economy of ley-farming systems

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 459 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Peoples ◽  
R. R. Gault ◽  
G. J. Scammell ◽  
B. S. Dear ◽  
J. Virgona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
N2 Fixation ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Ley Farming ◽  
Ley Farming Systems

The effects of different management regimes on N2 fixation by subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) in annual pastures and lucerne (Medicago sativa) in perennial-based pastures were examined in 5 experiments and 55 commercial paddocks, in which the pastures were grown in phased rotation with crops. The objectives were to quantify the inputs of fixed N2 and to determine ways of increasing nitrogen (N) inputs into ley-farming systems of southern New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria. Estimates of annual amounts of N2 fixed, based on above-ground herbage production in grazed pastures, ranged from 5 to 238 kg N/ha for subterranean clover and from 47 to 167 kg N/ha for lucerne. Legume reliance upon N2 fixation for growth (Pfix) was high (>65%) in most annual and perennial pastures examined. The levels of Pfix were generally unaffected by management treatments. As a consequence the amounts of N2 fixed were predominantly regulated by the legume content and herbage yield of pastures rather than by any marked differences in the ability of the legume to fix N. When all experimental results were combined with on-farm measurements of N2 fixation, the data indicated that lucerne and subterranean clover fixed 22-25 kg N for every tonne of legume dry matter produced. Management inputs to annual pastures which improved the productivity of subterranean clover and the amounts of N2 fixed included applications of superphosphate and the removal of grass species with herbicide, although the response to these treatments was not consistent across all sites in all years. Potential inputs from N2 fixation were high in annual pastures, and improved management during a good clover season enhanced the levels of mineral N detected in the soil profile (0-200 cm) the following autumn by 100-200 kg N/ha. However, year-to-year variability in annual pasture productivity and clover content resulted in large fluctuations in amounts of N2 fixed. Perennial pastures containing lucerne provided consistently greater annual herbage production, had more stable legume contents, and fixed on average 90-150% more N2 than neighbouring subterranean clover-based pastures. Even during the 1994 drought when annual pastures failed, lucerne still managed to fix >70 kg N/ha. It is proposed that lucerne-based pastures could represent a more reliable means of improving soil fertility for subsequent crops than annual pastures.

Some effects of botanical composition of pasture on growth and wool production of weaner sheep

1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (57) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
KFM Reed
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Trifolium Repens ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Fleece Weight

August-born Corriedale lambs were weaned at ten weeks old and, for the following 12 months, were grazed on 16 plots. Each plot had been sown six years previously, to one of eight pasture mixtures which differed in their grass component, but not in their clover component. Trifolium perenne, Phalaris tuberosa, Dacylis glomerata, Trifolium repens, T . subterraneum, and T. fragiferum were sown. Hordem leporinum volunteered in most plots. Where perennial grass species were sown, Trifolium repens (white clover) contributed less than two per cent to the pasture present on the plots. For the two plots where perennial grass was not sown, white clover contributed up to 31 per cent. The total for all sown clover species present in the pasture varied from approximately 100 to 1000 kg ha-1, or approximately 3-30 per cent. Apart from the two plots where perennial qrass was not sown, the clover species present was mainly Trifolium subterraneum (subterranean clover). Average fleece weights varied from 3.1-4.9 kg on the different plots. The amount of sown clover present in the pasture accounted for 77 per cent of the between-plot variation in fleece weight and 66 per cent of the between-plot variation in annual liveweight gain. Measurements of pasture growth were made for four pasture mixtures. Total pasture growth showed differences of over 50 per cent due to pasture mixture, yet, when grazed at 20 weaners per hectare, differences in annual liveweight gain and fleece weight (10 months wool), due to pasture mixture, did not exceed 10 per cent. Annual liveweight gain and fleece weight were not correlated total pasture growth. However, pasture growth rate measured at monthly intervals, accounted for 43 per cent of the variation in mean daily liveweight gain during these individual months.

Nutrient potential and capacity. II. Relationship between potassium potential and buffering capacity and the supply of potassium to plants

1966 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 849 ◽  
Author(s):  
NJ Barrow
Keyword(s):  
Free Energy ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Buffering Capacity ◽  
Plant Roots ◽  
Exchangeable Potassium ◽  
Percentage Saturation ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Free Energy Of Exchange

The potassium status of 22 soils with low reserves of non-exchangeable potassium was assessed by measuring: (a) the potassium potential (the free energy of exchange of potassium for calcium plus magnesium); (b) the soil's capacity to resist a change in potential ("buffering capacity"); (c) the amount of exchangeable potassium and its percentage saturation. The ability of these measures to predict the supply of potassium was tested by growing subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) in pots and determining its potassium content at successive harvests. The soil's buffering capacity was found to affect the supply of potassium even when uptake was small. It is suggested that this was partly because buffering capacity affects the rate of supply by diffusion to plant roots. As the uptake of potassium became progressively larger, the potential became increasingly unsuitable as a single index of availability, but a multiple regression containing terms for potential and for buffering capacity continued to account for a large proportion (89%) of the variation. The relationship obtained can be used to indicate the amount of potassium required to bring a deficient soil to a desirable status.

scholarly journals Effect of clover root weevil larvae on four annual forage legumes

2007 ◽  
pp. 213-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.R. Crush ◽  
L. Ouyang ◽  
P.J. Gerard ◽  
S. Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
N Fixation ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Sitona Lepidus ◽  
Clover Root ◽  
Species Tolerance ◽  
High Level

The effect of clover root weevil (Sitona lepidus) (CRW) larval feeding on subterranean, suckling, striated and clustered clovers was compared with white clover in a glasshouse experiment. Growth of suckling, striated, and clustered clover was significantly reduced by CRW, approaching the levels of damage recorded in white clover. N fixation in suckling and clustered clovers was also reduced. Growth and nitrogen fixation of two subterranean clovers (cv. Denmark, cv. Leura) were changed relatively little by CRW larval feeding. The relatively high level of the isoflavonoid biochaninA that was present in subterranean clover roots may explain the species' tolerance of CRW. These results suggest that CRW may not pose a major threat to dryland farming systems based on subterranean clover. Keywords: annual clover, clover root weevil, roots, Trifolium dubium, Trifolium glomeratum, Trifolium striatum, Trifolium subterraneum

Competition among seedlings of perennial grasses, subterranean clover, white clover, and annual ryegrass in replacement series mixtures

2000 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 377 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Lodge
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Plant Competition ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Maximum Likelihood Estimates ◽  
Annual Ryegrass ◽  
Replacement Series ◽  
Successful Establishment

Seedlings of 3 perennial grasses, Danthonia linkii Kunthcv. Bunderra, D. richardsonii Cashmore cv. Taranna(wallaby grasses), and Phalaris aquatica L. cv. Sirosa,were each grown in replacement series mixtures with seedlings ofTrifolium repens L. (white clover),Trifolium subterraneum L. var. brachycalycinum (Katzn.et Morley) Zorahy & Heller cv. Clare (subterraneanclover), and Lolium rigidum L. (annual ryegrass). Plantswere sown 5 cm apart in boxes (45 by 29 by 20 cm) at a density of 307plants/m2. Maximum likelihood estimates were usedto derive parameters of a non-linear competition model using the dry matterweights of perennial grasses and competitors at 3 harvests, approximately 168,216, and 271 days after sowing. Intra-plant competition was examined inmonocultures of each species, grown at plant spacings of 2, 5, and 8 cm apartwith plants harvested at the above times.Competition occurred in all perennial grass–competitor mixtures, exceptin those of each perennial grass with white clover and thephalaris–subterranean clover mixture (Harvest 1) and those withD. richardsonii and phalaris grown with white clover(Harvest 2). For D. richardsonii (Harvests 1 and 2) andD. linkii (Harvest 1 only) grown with white clover andthe phalaris–subterranean clover (Harvest 1), the two species in themixture were not competing. In the phalaris–white clover mixture, eachspecies was equally competitive (Harvests 1 and 2). These differences incompetition and aggressiveness reflected differences in individual plantweights in monocultures where there was an effect (P < 0.05) of species ondry matter weight per box, but no significant effect of plant spacing.These data indicated that for successful establishment,D. richardsonii and D. linkiishould not be sown in swards with either subterranean clover or white clover,or where populations of annual ryegrass seedlings are likely to be high.Phalaris was more compatible with both white clover and subterranean clover,but aggressively competed with by annual ryegrass.

The influence of seed size and depth of sowing on pre-emergence and early vegetative growth of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.)

1956 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 98 ◽  
Author(s):  
JN Black
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Seed Size ◽  
Vegetative Growth ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Relative Rate ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Total Leaf Area ◽  
Pot Culture

Changes in the pre-emergence distribution of dry matter in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) variety Bacchus Marsh were followed at 21°C, using three sizes of seed and three depths of sowing, ½, 1¼, and 2 in. Decreasing seed size and increasing depth of sowing both reduce the weight of the cotyledons a t emergence. Seed of the three sizes were sown a t three depths in pot culture a t staggered intervals so that emergence was simultaneous. Dry weight in the early vegetative stage was proportional to seed size, and total leaf area and leaf numbers showed similar trends. Plants of each seed size grew at the same relative rate. No effect of depth of sowing could be detected, and this was shown to be due to the cotyledon area a t emergence being constant for any given seed size, regardless of varying depth of sowing and hence of cotyledon weight. It was concluded that seed size in a plant having epigeal germination and without endosperm is of importance: firstly, in limiting the maximum hypocotyl elongation and hence depth of sowing, and secondly, in determining cotyledon area. Cotyledon area in turn influences seedling growth, which is not affected by cotyledon weight. Once emergence has taken place, cotyledonary reserves are of no further significance in the growth of the plants.

CANTERBURY EXPERIENCE WITH SUBTERRANEAN CLOVER (Trifolium subterraneum)

1935 ◽  
pp. 64-68
Author(s):  
H. Neave ◽  
C.H. Hewlett
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum

The information contained in this paper is principally first-hand knowledge extending over a period of six years gained from personal experience from our own "Oakleigh" farm.

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