Plant introduction trials

Abstract

Two hundred and forty-two overseas introductions and 11 New Zealand lines of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) were grown as spaced plants on fertile flat land at Palmerston North and compared for productivity with the New Zealand cultivar ‘Grasslands Huia’. Although 219 (86%) of the lines were clearly inferior to ‘Huia’, several introductions with possibilities for use in white clover breeding programmes were identified, including two (ex Spain and Italy) of particular interest. The majority of promising lines came from the Mediterranean region, although four lines from the eastern U.S.A. and one from Poland were also of interest. No plants containing condensed tannins in the foliage were detected.