Inheritance of multifoliolate leaves in white clover

Abstract

During 1988/89 selected white clover (Trifolium repens L.) genotypes were studied to determine their inheritance of multifoliolate (mf) leaves in relation to the multifoliolate percentage of the parent material. Genotypes differing in multifoliolate frequency were crossed in an incomplete diallel with plants from three Grasslands white clover cultivars, Huia, Kopu and Tahora. Each cultivar was used in three separate pair crosses, with genotypes expressing multifoliolate leaf percentages of 25%, 50% and 75% respectively. These mf plants were also pair crossed and plants from within each cultivar were pair crossed 3 times. All plants in the total of 21 pair crosses were bee pollinated. Harvested seed from each genotype was sown and raised under glasshouse conditions, and after ninety days each young plant was evaluated for mf leaf production. Leaf count results showed that 31% of cultivar x mf genotypes expressed mf leaves, while in the mf x mf programme 90% of genotypes displayed mf leaves. A distinct increase in the percentage of multifoliolate leaves occurred in crosses between mf plants and the trifoliolate cultivars when the mf genotype was the maternal parent. It is apparent that the multifoliolate character is heritable and that the percentage of mf leaves can be increased through breeding and selection. Keywords: expression levels, inheritance, multifoliolate, white clover