Effect of inbreeding on growth of white clover

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 131-134
Author(s):  
Greig Cousins ◽  
Derek Woodfield

Determining the impact of inbreeding on white clover growth will assist in determining the optimal breeding strategies for future population improvement. A dominant self-fertility allele (Sf) at the S locus was used to inbreed white clover to nearhomozygosity (F=0.99). Inbreeding depression was higher in the glasshouse experiment than was observed under sheep grazing in the field. It was also higher for comparable generations with a 54% reduction in herbage yield of the S1 generation in the glasshouse compared with 29% yield reduction under grazing. The level of inbreeding depression for herbage yield of the S1 and S2 generations observed in the glasshouse were consistent with the theoretical reduction in yield. However in later generations the actual herbage yield was consistently higher than expected. This may be due to heterozygosity being maintained during inbreeding or to the elimination of weaker individuals under higher competition and grazing experienced under field conditions. The degree to which inbreeding depression is overcome by outcrossing (heterosis) in white clover will determine whether hybrids or semi-hybrid cultivars can be successfully developed

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.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 831 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Kimbeng ◽  
E. T. Bingham

Summary. Inbreeding depression, the lowered fitness of inbred individuals compared with their non-inbred counterparts, is an important concept in lucerne improvement; but is poorly understood. Two-allele autotetraploid populations are suitable for studying inbreeding depression, especially when the population improvement strategy involves inbreeding, because they are derived from chromosome-doubling of hybrid diploid plants. They have a maximum of 2 alleles and a single allelic interaction per locus. Inbreeding depression was compared in original 2-allele autotetraploid populations and populations that had undergone inbreeding and selection. The original and improved (selected) populations were produced by intercrossing 2 single-cross lines from the original and improved 2-allele autotetraploid populations respectively. Herbage yield of the S1 and intercrossed generations derived from these populations was evaluated in field trials at Arlington, Wisconsin, USA, and used to estimate inbreeding depression. Herbage yield of the S1 and intercrossed generations derived from the improved population were significantly (P<0.01) higher, by 13.3 and 24%, respectively, than those derived from the original population. Selection during inbreeding probably decreased the frequency of deleterious alleles and accumulated favourable alleles. Inbreeding depression values were higher in the improved compared with the original population. Genetic load of deleterious alleles may account for much of the inbreeding depression observed in the original population, whereas, in the improved population, loss of heterozygosity or non-additive gene interactions between favourable alleles on linked chromosome segments may account for the substantial inbreeding depression. Therefore, in a population improvement program, the causes of inbreeding depression seem to be more important than their estimated value.


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) .


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel A. Lozada-Soto ◽  
Christian Maltecca ◽  
Duc Lu ◽  
Stephen Miller ◽  
John B. Cole ◽  
...  

Abstract Background While the adoption of genomic evaluations in livestock has increased genetic gain rates, its effects on genetic diversity and accumulation of inbreeding have raised concerns in cattle populations. Increased inbreeding may affect fitness and decrease the mean performance for economically important traits, such as fertility and growth in beef cattle, with the age of inbreeding having a possible effect on the magnitude of inbreeding depression. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in genetic diversity as a result of the implementation of genomic selection in Angus cattle and quantify potential inbreeding depression effects of total pedigree and genomic inbreeding, and also to investigate the impact of recent and ancient inbreeding. Results We found that the yearly rate of inbreeding accumulation remained similar in sires and decreased significantly in dams since the implementation of genomic selection. Other measures such as effective population size and the effective number of chromosome segments show little evidence of a detrimental effect of using genomic selection strategies on the genetic diversity of beef cattle. We also quantified pedigree and genomic inbreeding depression for fertility and growth. While inbreeding did not affect fertility, an increase in pedigree or genomic inbreeding was associated with decreased birth weight, weaning weight, and post-weaning gain in both sexes. We also measured the impact of the age of inbreeding and found that recent inbreeding had a larger depressive effect on growth than ancient inbreeding. Conclusions In this study, we sought to quantify and understand the possible consequences of genomic selection on the genetic diversity of American Angus cattle. In both sires and dams, we found that, generally, genomic selection resulted in decreased rates of pedigree and genomic inbreeding accumulation and increased or sustained effective population sizes and number of independently segregating chromosome segments. We also found significant depressive effects of inbreeding accumulation on economically important growth traits, particularly with genomic and recent inbreeding.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1099
Author(s):  
Hongyin Qi ◽  
Dingfan Kang ◽  
Weihang Zeng ◽  
Muhammad Jawad Hassan ◽  
Yan Peng ◽  
...  

Persistent high temperature decreases the yield and quality of crops, including many important herbs. White clover (Trifolium repens) is a perennial herb with high feeding and medicinal value, but is sensitive to temperatures above 30 °C. The present study was conducted to elucidate the impact of changes in endogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) level by exogenous GABA pretreatment on heat tolerance of white clover, associated with alterations in endogenous hormones, antioxidant metabolism, and aquaporin-related gene expression in root and leaf of white clover plants under high-temperature stress. Our results reveal that improvement in endogenous GABA level in leaf and root by GABA pretreatment could significantly alleviate the damage to white clover during high-temperature stress, as demonstrated by enhancements in cell membrane stability, photosynthetic capacity, and osmotic adjustment ability, as well as lower oxidative damage and chlorophyll loss. The GABA significantly enhanced gene expression and enzyme activities involved in antioxidant defense, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and key enzymes of the ascorbic acid–glutathione cycle, thus reducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and the oxidative injury to membrane lipids and proteins. The GABA also increased endogenous indole-3-acetic acid content in roots and leaves and cytokinin content in leaves, associated with growth maintenance and reduced leaf senescence under heat stress. The GABA significantly upregulated the expression of PIP1-1 and PIP2-7 in leaves and the TIP2-1 expression in leaves and roots under high temperature, and also alleviated the heat-induced inhibition of PIP1-1, PIP2-2, TIP2-2, and NIP1-2 expression in roots, which could help to improve the water transportation and homeostasis from roots to leaves. In addition, the GABA-induced aquaporins expression and decline in endogenous abscisic acid level could improve the heat dissipation capacity through maintaining higher stomatal opening and transpiration in white clovers under high-temperature stress.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ryan Miller ◽  
Jason K. Norsworthy

AbstractTo address recent concerns related to auxin herbicide drift onto soybean, a study was developed to understand the susceptibility of the reproductive stage of soybean to a new auxin herbicide compared with dicamba. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl is under development as the second herbicide in a new structural class of synthetic auxins, the arylpicolinates. Field studies were conducted to (1) evaluate and compare reproductive soybean injury and yield following applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl or dicamba across various concentrations and reproductive growth stages and (2) determine whether low-rate applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl or dicamba to soybean in reproductive stages would have similar effect on the progeny of the affected plants. Soybean were treated with 0, 1/20, or 1/160, of the 1X rate of florpyrauxifen-benzyl (30 g ai ha−1) or dicamba (560 g ae ha−1) at R1, R2, R3, R4, or R5 growth stage. Soybean plant height and yield was reduced from 1/20X dicamba across all reproductive stages. High drift rates (1/20X) of florpyrauxifen-benzyl also reduced soybean plant height >25% and yield across R1 to R4 stages. Germination, stand, plant height, and yield of the offspring of soybean plants treated with dicamba and florpyrauxifen-benzyl were significantly affected. Dicamba applied at a rate of 1/20X at R4 and R5 resulted in 20% and 35% yield reduction for the offspring, respectively. A similar reduction occurred from florpyrauxifen-benzyl applied at R4 and R5 at the 1/20X rate, resulting in 15% to 24% yield reduction for the offspring, respectively. Based on these findings, it is suggested that growers use caution when applying these herbicides in the vicinity of reproductive soybean.


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&lt;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.


Solid Earth ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. J. S. Sonneveld ◽  
M. A. Keyzer ◽  
D. Ndiaye

Abstract. Land degradation has been a persistent problem in Senegal for more than a century and by now has become a serious impediment to long-term development. In this paper, we quantify the impact of land degradation on crop yields using the results of a nationwide land degradation assessment. For this, the study needs to address two issues. First, the land degradation assessment comprises qualitative expert judgements that have to be converted into more objective, quantitative terms. We propose a land degradation index and assess its plausibility. Second, observational data on soils, land use, and rainfall do not provide sufficient information to isolate the impact of land degradation. We, therefore, design a pseudo-experiment that for sites with otherwise similar circumstances compares the yield of a site with and one without land degradation. This pairing exercise is conducted under a gradual refining of the classification of circumstances, until a more or less stable response to land degradation is obtained. In this way, we hope to have controlled sufficiently for confounding variables that will bias the estimation of the impact of land degradation on crop yields. A small number of shared characteristics reveal tendencies of "severe" land degradation levels being associated with declining yields as compared to similar sites with "low" degradation levels. However, as we zoom in at more detail some exceptions come to the fore, in particular in areas without fertilizer application. Yet, our overall conclusion is that yield reduction is associated with higher levels of land degradation, irrespective of whether fertilizer is being applied or not.


Author(s):  
Stela Jendrišáková ◽  
Zuzana Kováčiková ◽  
Vladimíra Vargová ◽  
Milan Michalec

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-533
Author(s):  
Kinga Kostrakiewicz-Gierałt ◽  
Maciej Kozak ◽  
Katarzyna Kozłowska-Kozak

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