Grasslands Tribute: a multi-purpose white clover for Australasia

Abstract

Grasslands Tribute is a medium-large leaved white clover released in 2003. It was initially bred for drought tolerance and winter activity in Victor ia, Australia from crosses among elite New Zealand germplasm. Tr ibute was then screened for agronomic performance in New Zealand and reselected for medium-large leaf size, uniform flowering pattern, absence of foliar disease and high seed yield potential. Almost half of the 11 parental lines of Tribute came from half-sib families based on a Syrian accession with the remaining half-sibs based on Sustain, Southern Europe II and Crau in approximately equal proportions. The decision to release Tribute was based on its consistent performance and persistence under grazing in a series of seven New Zealand trials. Tribute was the best medium-large leaved variety under both sheep and dairy grazing, with only the large-leaved Kopu II having better performance under dairying. It shows strong growth in all seasons but has very good coolseason growth, and good drought tolerance in Canterbury. Keywords: breeding, cultivars, dairy, sheep, Trifolium repens, white clover