Effect of ryegrass containing the endophyte (Acremonium lolii), on the performance of associated white clover and subsequent crops

Abstract

Ryegrass seed lines with (+E) and without (-E) the fungal endophyte Acremonium lolii were sown with white clover. Fewer clover seedlings survived under +E ryegrasses irrespective of whether the plots were mown or grazed. The dominant contrast was an inverse competitive relationship between grass yield and clover seedling survival. A further component unexplained by effects of defoliation or competition is interpreted as an allelopathic effect. Two pot trials, using wheat, were established to determine it there was any residual effect of +E wards on following crops. Wheat grown in soil with a history of +E or-E ryegrass with clover produced higher yields from the-E than the +E soil. However, wheat grown on soil from previously clover-free pastures showed no difference between +E and -E. Residual effects on wheat crops are therefore interpreted as being related to lower nitrogen fertility, as a result of reduced clover growth in +E pastures. Keywords: Ryegrass, endophyte, white clover. competition, vigour. allelopathy, soil nitrogen, wheat yield, Acremonium lolii