Crosses between red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) Varieties to find a suitable combination for reciprocal recurrent selection

Summary As an introduction to a program of reciprocal recurrent selection in red clover crosses of varieties were tested. Five varieties were crossed with Leisi and five with Groninger red clover. Flowering showed that the crosses were successful. Varieties were tested under different conditions. A significant positive difference in dry matter yield between the cross and the better parent of the pair occurred in one of the ten crosses namely Red clover CB × Groninger red clover and under particular conditions. Only a poor comparison was possible in this case because Groninger red clover was attacked by eelworms.It was concluded that none of the tried crosses warranted a program of reciprocal recurrent selection.The data of flowering of the crosses with Leisi showed that in most cases there is intermediate inheritance of the number of flowering heads. In the cross Lembke × Leisi rich flowering was dominant to less rich flowering.