Heritability of, and relationships between phosphorus and nitrogen concentration in shoot, stolon and root of white clover (Trifolium repens L.)

• Published in: Plant and soil 1992-10, Vol.146 (1-2), p.209-217
• Main Author: Caradus, J.R. (Division of Grasslands DSIR, Palmerston North (New Zealand))
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation to environment and cultivation conditions; Agrology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; AZOTE; Biological and medical sciences; Clover; ESTOLON; FOSFORO; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; GENOTIPOS; GENOTYPE; GENOTYPES; HEREDABILIDAD; HERITABILITE; HERITABILITY; NITROGEN; NITROGENO; NUTRICION DE LAS PLANTAS; NUTRITION DES PLANTES; PHOSPHORE; PHOSPHORUS; PLANT NUTRITION; Plant roots; Plants; RACINE; RAICES; ROOTS; Sandy loam soils; STEMS; STOLON; STOLONS; TALLO; TIGE; TRIFOLIUM REPENS; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims
• ISSN: 0032-079X; 1573-5036
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00012014

Ninety eight white clover genotypes were cloned and grown in pots at two levels of phosphorus (P) supply in soil. After harvest the nitrogen (N) and P content of shoot (leaf, petiole and unrooted stolon), stolon and root tissue was determined. Broad sense heritabilities for % N, % P, and proportion of total N or P in each tissue type were calculated. Heritabilities ranged from 0.22 to 0.68. They were generally higher for % P than % N; and higher in shoot and stolon tissue than root tissue for % P, % N, and proportion of N or P. Level of P in which plants were grown had little effect on heritability values. Genotypes from bred cultivars differed from those collected from hill country pastures for plant size, and partitioning of Í and Ñ to shoot, stolon and root. Relationships between plant characters were examined to determine the consequences of selection.