scholarly journals PERFORMANCE OF WHITE CLOVER LINES ON NEW ZEALAND HILL COUNTRY

Author(s):  
W.M. Williams ◽  
J.R. Caradus

Eighty-two white clover lines from overseas and 13 hill country collections from within New Zealand have been examined on a hill country site for their persistence and production potential under sheep grazing on infertile soils. By the third year of the trial only seven lines were equal to or better than Huia. These included only two overseas lines (one cultivar from France ('Crau') and a line from New Hampshire, U.S.A.) and five of the 13 collections from New Zealand hill country. This is considered to be a strong argument for the use of New Zealand material in breeding white clover for New Zealand hill country conditions.

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.


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) .


Nematology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris F. Mercer ◽  
John Van Den Bosch ◽  
Kylie J. Miller

Abstract Selections of white clover resistant or susceptible to Heterodera trifolii in earlier rounds of a recurrent selection programme were intercrossed and selected in three further rounds of selection. Resistance and susceptibility were measured by comparisons of cysts per gram of root dry weight (cpg). In the third, fourth, and fifth rounds of recurrent selection, the mean cpg of progenies from resistant parents was 23% (n = 974), 6% (n = 870) and 11% (n = 98) of that of progenies from susceptible parents. In each selection round, the resistant selections had 31, 4 and 7% of the number of cysts on susceptible selections. The percentages of immune plants (i.e. with 0 cysts) in the resistant groups were 1, 39, and 50% after the third, fourth, and fifth rounds of recurrent selection, respectively. Inoculum from 16 populations of H. trifolii from around New Zealand was added to two resistant and two susceptible white clover lines. After one generation of nematode development there were fewer cysts on the resistant lines for each population tested. Two resistant and two susceptible lines were compared in a glasshouse trial for their reaction to parasitism by H. trifolii . Infection reduced the shoot weight of all four lines but resistant lines grew better than either one or both susceptible lines at 109, 126, and 160 days after inoculation. In contrast, the uninfected lines did not differ in shoot weight over five samplings. More cysts were recovered from susceptible lines (means of 370 and 430 cysts per plant) than from resistant lines (means of 41 and 56 cysts per plant). Results indicate that development of a white clover cultivar resistant to H. trifolii is achievable and that the resistance will be effective against the nematode in most of New Zealand. The growth study indicated that advantages will be conferred in pastures where the presence of H. trifolii causes major limitations to white clover growth and persistence. Zusammenfassung- Die Wirksamkeit einer mehrfach wiederholten Selektion von Weissklee (Trifolium repens) auf Resistenz gegen das Kleezystenalchen (Heterodera trifolii)- In einem fruheren Selektionsprogramm gegen Heterodera trifolii resistente oder anfallige Weisskleeselektionen wurden gekreuzt und in weiteren Selektionsrunden selektiert. Resistenz und Anfalligkeit wurden durch Vergleich der Anzahl der Zysten je Gramm Wurzeltrockengewicht (cpg) bestimmt. In der dritten, vierten und funften Runde der Wiederholungsselektion betrugen die cpg-Werte bei Nachkommen von resistenten Eltern 23% (n = 974), 6% (n = 870) und 11% (n = 98) der Werte bei Nachkommen anfalliger Eltern. In jeder der Selektionsrunden hatten die resistenten Selektionen nur 31, 4 und 7% der Zystenzahlen an den anfalligen Selektionen. Nach der dritten, vierten bzw. funften Selektionsrunde betrugen die Anteile immuner Pflanzen (d.h. mit 0 Zysten) 1, 39 bzw. 50%. Das Inoculum von 16 Populationen aus ganz Neuseeland wurde an zwei resistente und zwei anfallige Weisskleelinien gegeben. Nach einer Generation der Nematodenentwicklung waren an den resistenten Linien bei jeder der untersuchten Populationen weniger Zysten. Die Reaktion von zwei resistenten und zwei anfalligen Linien auf einen Befall mit H. trifolii wurde in einem Gewachshausversuch gepruft. Der Befall verringerte das Sprossgewicht aller vier Linien, doch wuchsen die resistenten Linien nach 109, 126 und 160 Tagen besser als die beiden anfalligen Linien. Im Gegensatz dazu unterschieden sich die Linien bei Nichtbefall bei funf Probenahmen im Sprossgewicht nicht voneinander. An den anfalligen Pflanzen wurden mehr Zysten gefunden (im Mittel 370 und 430 je Pflanze) als an den resistenten Pflanzen (im Mittel 41 und 56 je Pflanze). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Entwicklung einer gegen H. trifolii resistenten Weisskleesorte erreichbar ist, und dass diese Resistenz gegen die Nematoden im grossten Teil Neuseelands wirksam sein wird. Die Wachstumsuntersuchungen haben gezeigt, dass die Vorteile besonders auf solchen Weideflachen deutlich werden, wo die Anwesenheit von H. trifolii erhebliche Einschrankungen des Wachstums und des Uberdauerns von Weissklee verursacht.


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):  
G.J. Goold ◽  
T.E. Ludecke ◽  
J.N. Pari

IN NORTH AUCKLAND, as is the case in all other areas of New Zealand, the key to pasture improvement lies in the introduction of legumes. Almost invariably poor pasture production is associated with poor clover growth. Contributing factors to poor clover establishment and growth are low amounts of available phosphate, potassium, molybdenum and sulphur, acid soil conditions and ineffective nodulation. This paper is concerned with the germination and establishment of white clover on unimproved North Auckland clay hill country. White clover establishment has been investigated on the soils of two northern yellow-brown earth soil suites, namely, the Marua suite from greywacke parent material and the Waiotira suite, from massive sandstone. These soils have been described by Taylor and Sutherland (1953) and are shown in their order of leaching in Tables 1 and 5, respectively.


Author(s):  
D. Scott ◽  
J.F.L. Charlton

Observations in trials over a decade are now showing that birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) has the particular characteristics of high persistency and continued production under moderate soil fertility conditions on drier hill and high country sites. Hence it may have a role in the agriculture of such areas, probably as late summer or autumn feed. The species is seen as a 'poorer land grazing lucerne' rather than as a hay species as it is overseas. One particular disadvantage is likely to be its slow establishment from seed. In evaluations of introductions and overseas cultivars, some of the unselected introductions, showing early spring growth and an upright habit, performed better than cultivars. Keywords: Birdsfoot trefoil; Lotus corniculatus; infertile hill country; lucerne


Author(s):  
W.M. Williams ◽  
M.G. Lambert ◽  
J.R. Caradus

A white clover variety selected for New Zealand moist hill country was compared with three other white clover varieties in hill country at Ballantrae. Small plots of the hill country selection, Grasslands Huia, Grasslands Pitau, and the resident Ballantrae white clover were planted into paddocks receiving high or low superphosphate applications and three different managements - rotational grazing by cattle, rotational grazing by sheep, or set-stocked sheep for most of the year. Numbers of white clover stolons, white clover dry matter (DM) and total DM production, and proportion of white clover in cut herbage were determined twice yearly for three years. After one year of grazing the hill country selection consistently had approximately double the stolon numbers of Huia, a significantly higher proportion of clover in the herbage than Huia and clover DM yields 25-63% higher than Huia. These differences were not affected significantly by either management or soil fertility. Pitau and the local Ballantrae white clover were at no time more productive than Huia and frequently were poorer, although stolen numbers of the Ballantrae clover were usually higher during the trial and almost matched the selected variety after three years. The hill country selection is being multiplied for pre-release testing.


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