THE SEARCH FOR AN IMPROVED Lotus pedunculatus FOR HIGH COUNTRY PASTORAL SYSTEMS

Abstract

The performance of 55 Lotus pedunculatus lines of diverse type and origin was assessed on acid and infertile soils on the East Otago Plateau at 3 sites representing an altitudinal sequence of increasing severity of climate. Tetraploid lines and lines with Mediterranean parentage were more susceptible to out-of-season frosting than their diploid equivalents and lines without Mediterranean parentage. By the 3rd summer, a diploid NZ selection, G4701, showed a good combination of high herbage yields, rhizome spread and tolerance of frosting at all sites. G4701, its tetraploid equivalent, G4702, and a selection from within the cultivar Grasslands Maku for rapid germination at low termperatures produced the highest yields averaged over the 3 sites in the altitudinal sequence. The use of these lines is likely to enhance the role of lotus in tussock grassland pasture systems. Keywords: Maku, G4701, G4702, low temperature germination, frost damage, rhizome spread, herbage yield.