The effect of withholding water during flowering on seed production in Trifolium subterraneum L

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in a glasshouse to study the effects of withholding water during flowering on seed production in subterranean clover. Two strains, Northam A (long duration of flowering) and Geraldton (shorter duration) were grown as swards in boxes, defoliated weekly until flowering, and subjected to the following watering regimes: T₁, a control; T₂, water withheld over the whole of the flowering period; T₃ and T₄, water withheld for short periods only, during flowering. Regular determinations were made of soil water, leaf water potential and inflorescence number. Seed yield and some of its components were measured in all treatments.

The prolonged stress (T₂) reduced seed yield by about 80% in both strains. Rates of inflorescence production, duration of flowering and individual seed weight were also reduced.

The shorter stress treatments (T₃, T₄) had no effect on seed yield in the longer-flowering cultivar Northam A, but in cv. Geraldton, T₄ caused a marked reduction in seed yield. The practical implications of this differential strain response are discussed.