Evaluation of elite white clover germplasm under rotational cattle and sheep grazing

Abstract

Four white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars, 4 pre-release cultivars and 24 breeding lines were evaluated in small plots in mixed species swards under rotational cattle and sheep grazing for 2 years. There was no significant stock class x line interaction for proportion of clover in the sward. There was no evidence that medium- and smallleaved types yielded better under sheep grazing while larger-leaved types yielded better under cattle grazing. Lines with the highest clover content tended to be large leaved and upright irrespective of stock class. They also had moderate to high stolon growing point densities. Breeding programmes have developed lines with high stolon growing point densities, ensuring vegetative persistence, while still maintaining a high proportion of clover in the sward. These pre-release cultivars and breeding lines gave significantly better clover contents than existing cultivars. Keywords cultivars, selections, plant habit, cyanogenesis, stolon growing point density, clover content, cattle grazing, sheep grazing