Varietal Stability of Finnish Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.), White Clover (T. repens L.) and Alsike Clover (T. hybridum L.) from Seed Produced in Israel¹

Abstract

Seed of Finnish Tepa tetraploid red clover, diploid Tammisto white clover, diploid Tammisto and tetraploid Iso alsike clovers was multiplied for two generations in Israel. Changes in the varietal populations were evaluated concurrently in Finland (approx. 60°N) and in Israel (approx. 32°N).The percentage of flowering plants in the original population was generally lower and the period of time over which individual plants started to flower was longer in Israel than in Finland. The first‐generation progeny of most varieties showed an increase in the number of early‐flowering plants compared to the original seed. This was most pronounced in Tammisto alsike clover in Israel. Seed harvested from the second year stand tended to be less affected than that harvested in the seedling year, depending on the time of harvest. The second‐generation progeny produced from the varieties showed also in many cases an increase in the number of early‐flowering plants. The shift was most pronounced in the first harvest year seed lots of Tepa red clover and Tammisto white clover. On the other hand, only a slight increase in early types was found in the second generation progenies of Tammisto and Iso alsike clovers. All Tammisto white clover seed lots overwintered similarly.Conclusions drawn from the evaluation trials of identical seed lots in the area of seed growing (Israel) were fairly similar to those from the area of forage adaptation (Finland), except in diploid Tammisto alsike clover in which the shift to earliness was more pronounced in the evaluation in Israel than in Finland.

Evaluation of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.)

“…Recorded genetic shifts in forage species have usually involved reproductive characters. It has been suggested that early-flowering genotypes contribute disproportion8~ely to total seed yield (Dovrat et al 1968), causing ,t shift toward early flowering (Taylor et al 1966;~tanford et al 1962;Rumball 1970). …”