Vegetative Growth and Freezing Tolerance of White Clover ( Trifolium repens L.) Genotypes from Svalbard |
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| Authors: | Mette M. Svenning Kirsti Røsnes Leidulf Lund Olavi Junttila |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Departments of Crop Production Ecology , Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences , Uppsala, Sweden tomas.persson@evp.slu.se;3. Departments of Crop Production Ecology , Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences , Uppsala, Sweden;4. Departments of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics , Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences , Uppsala, Sweden;5. Departments of Forest Mycology and Pathology , Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences , Uppsala, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | Vegetative growth and freezing tolerance of two genotypes of white clover ( Trifolium repens L.) collected at Svalbard (latitude 78°;39' N, longitude 16°;23' E) were studied in a daylight phytotron at controlled temperature and humidity. For comparison, two genotypes of a new Norwegian cultivar, Norstar, and one genotype of the cultivar AberHerald were included in the experiments. The genotypes from Svalbard gave higher dry-matter yields than the genotypes of Norstar, and one of them also exceeded the AberHerald genotype in dry-matter production at the temperatures studied, constant 12°;C and alternating 15 9°;C and 12 6°;C (12 12 h). The genotypes from Svalbard were more tolerant of freezing than all the other genotypes. After a successive hardening treatment at 6°;C and 0.5°;C they obtained LT 50 values (temperature for 50% survival) of -16°;C. The origin of these genotypes is not known, but their high productivity and freezing tolerance may make them useful for further breeding of white clover for marginal conditions. |
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| Keywords: | Biomass Allocation Cold Acclimation Frost Hardiness |
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