Evaluation of white clover (Trifolium repensL) populations at Gore

Abstract

White clover populations from Mediterranean countries, Europe, and New Zealand were evaluated as spaced plants at Gore. Characteristic patterns of seasonal growth and plant type were identified. Mediterranean material grew better than ‘Grasslands Huia’ in autumn and winter but less in spring. European lines were generally inferior to Huia but exhibited a contrasting growth pattern to the Mediterranean lines. Infestation by stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci) reduced the performance of many clovers by the end of the trials. Most of the clover growth in the southern regions of New Zealand occurs in the warm moist spring and summer seasons, very little production occurring in the autumn and winter. Future breeding emphasis should be placed on material from this region and Europe because it has the right plant habit and seasonal distribution of growth and can sustain production. Selection within Huia warrants further investigation and hybridisation between such selections and locally adapted types would produce recombinante most likely to meet the breeding objectives for this region.