Effects of water deficit and plant interaction on morphological growth parameters and yield of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) mixtures

Plant growth and soil microbial community structure of legumes and grasses grown in monoculture or mixture

“…In agreement with other studies (Høgh-Jensen and Schjoerring, 1997; Lucero et al, 1999;Steenwerth et al, 2003), decreasing soil moisture content decreased root and shoot growth, with the reduction in root dry weight being less pronounced than in shoots. In monoculture plants, the percentage decrease in total plant biomass due to lower soil moisture was greater in white clover and tall fescue plants than in alfalfa and sudan grass (Table 1).…”

Effects of soil moisture and plant interactions on the soil microbial community structure

“…In agreement with other studies [19,23,31], increasing soil moisture improved the growth of both white clover and ryegrass. The plant biomass of ryegrass was greater than that of white clover and the effect of increasing soil moisture on growth was more pronounced in ryegrass than in clover.…”

Severe water deficit restricts biomass production of Lolium perenne L. and Trifolium repens L. and causes foliar nitrogen but not carbohydrate limitation

“…4c, d), with the dead fraction being 97% and 124% of living biomass, respectively. This indicates severe tissue dehydration in T. repens (Lucero et al 1999). Thus, while T. repens might have an advantage over L. perenne under moderate drought events and predominant N limitation, it seems severely and at least equally impaired like the grass species under increasing water shortage and severe drought, a reaction that has recently been shown in a multi-site study (Hofer et al 2016).…”