Publication Date
1989
Description
Within the EEC the need to develop low cost less intensive systems of animal production has led to an increase in the importance of legumes generally, and white clover in particular. At present, annual white clover seed usage within the EEC is approximately 4,000 tonnes, however, the self sufficiency rate is expected to fall below 50 % by the end of the 1980s due principally to unpredictable seed yields which make it an unprofitable crop for seed growers. The main component of seed yield in white clover is the number of ripe inflorescences at harvest (Zaleski, 1961) however, the proportion of ripe inflorescences at harvest is limited by the intermittent pattern of flowering resulting, at harvest, in inflorescences at different stages of maturity which not only reduces harvestable seed yield but makes decisions on harvest date difficult (Marshall et al., 1988). The pattern of inflorescence production can be manipulated by higher temperatures (Ridley and Laude, 1968) and longer days (Norris, 1985), both factors increasing the number of successive nodes producing inflorescences·. Under UK conditions, white clover seed yields might be increased by using plant growth regulators to manipulate the growth, development and flowering pattern. Preliminary experiments (Marshall and Hides, 1986) identified the growth regulator Parlay (PP 333, paclobutrazol), already used in grass seed crops (Hampton and Hebblethwaite, 1985), as a potentially useful chemical for white clover. This paper reports the results of glasshouse and field experiments carried out to assess the effect of Parlay on the stolon growth and seed yield components of white clover and its potential for use in commercial white clover seed crops.
Citation
Marshall, A H. and Hides, D H., "Modification of Stolon Growth, Development and Flowering by Plant Growth Regulators in White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) Seed Crops" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 3.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session5/3
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Modification of Stolon Growth, Development and Flowering by Plant Growth Regulators in White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) Seed Crops
Within the EEC the need to develop low cost less intensive systems of animal production has led to an increase in the importance of legumes generally, and white clover in particular. At present, annual white clover seed usage within the EEC is approximately 4,000 tonnes, however, the self sufficiency rate is expected to fall below 50 % by the end of the 1980s due principally to unpredictable seed yields which make it an unprofitable crop for seed growers. The main component of seed yield in white clover is the number of ripe inflorescences at harvest (Zaleski, 1961) however, the proportion of ripe inflorescences at harvest is limited by the intermittent pattern of flowering resulting, at harvest, in inflorescences at different stages of maturity which not only reduces harvestable seed yield but makes decisions on harvest date difficult (Marshall et al., 1988). The pattern of inflorescence production can be manipulated by higher temperatures (Ridley and Laude, 1968) and longer days (Norris, 1985), both factors increasing the number of successive nodes producing inflorescences·. Under UK conditions, white clover seed yields might be increased by using plant growth regulators to manipulate the growth, development and flowering pattern. Preliminary experiments (Marshall and Hides, 1986) identified the growth regulator Parlay (PP 333, paclobutrazol), already used in grass seed crops (Hampton and Hebblethwaite, 1985), as a potentially useful chemical for white clover. This paper reports the results of glasshouse and field experiments carried out to assess the effect of Parlay on the stolon growth and seed yield components of white clover and its potential for use in commercial white clover seed crops.
