Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Crop and Pasture Science Crop and Pasture Science Society
Plant sciences, sustainable farming systems and food quality
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > CP > AR06359
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(7)

Ecogeographical studies identify diversity and potential gaps in the largest germplasm collection of bladder clover (Trifolium spumosum L.)

K. Ghamkhar A D , R. Snowball B and S. J. Bennett C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

B Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, 3 Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, WA 6151, Australia.

C CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: kioumars@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58(7) 728-738 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR06359
Submitted: 15 November 2006  Accepted: 19 April 2007   Published: 26 July 2007

Abstract

Plant germplasm collections are important reservoirs of diversity for plant breeders and adding to the knowledge of the diversity among and within germplasm accessions helps plant breeders to use them more efficiently. The annual legume, bladder clover (Trifolium spumosum L.), was the model plant in this study. The hypothesis that ecogeographical variables are important sources of diversity in the germplasm collection of bladder clover and some variables are more important than others has been studied. Three themes have been addressed here: firstly, analysis of the existing passport data to determine a minimum set of ecogeographical descriptors required for capturing ecological aspects of each collection site; secondly, illustration of the ecogeographical regions and subregions using GIS techniques to identify areas with the greatest likelihood of filling gaps in the collection; thirdly, development of an approach for the evaluation of genetic diversity by grouping accessions with a focus on outliers within the collection using principal component and cluster analyses. In this paper the importance of longitude as a geographical factor has been documented and the overall ecogeographical diversity in the germplasm collection of bladder clover has been screened.

Additional keywords: collection gap identification, flora, geographical information systems, Mediterranean region, multivariate analysis.


Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Grain Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Australia, for funding this study. Thanks also to the staff of the Australian Trifolium Genetic Resource Centre (ATGRC), who maintain the passport and collection site database. Germplasm collectors who are the originators of these data are also gratefully acknowledged.


References


Beale PE, Bounejmate M, Lahlou A, Marr DB, Christiansen S (1993) Distribution of annual Trifolium species in Morocco. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 44, 1303–1310.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bennett SJ (1997) Genetic variation between and within two populations of Trifolium glomeratum (cluster clover) in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 48, 969–976.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bennett SJ (1999) Ecotypic variation between and within two populations of Trifolium tomentosum (wooly clover) from Syria and Western Australia: its success as a colonising species. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 50, 1443–1450.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bennett SJ (2000) Genetic variation of five species of Trifolium L. from south-west Turkey. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 47, 81–91.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bennett SJ, Bullitta S (2003) Ecogeographical analysis of the distrbution of six Trifolium species in Sardinia. Biodiversity and Conservation 12, 1455–1466.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bennett SJ, Maxted N, Sabanci CO (1998) The ecogeography and collection of grain, forage and pasture legumes in south-west Turkey. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 45, 253–262.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bethoux JP, Gentili B, Tailliez D (1998) Warming and freshwater budget change in the Mediterranean since the 1940s, their possible relation to the greenhouse effect. Geophysical Research Letters 25, 1023–1026.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Cocks PS (1993) Legumes from the Mediterranean basin: a continuing source of agricultural wealth for southern Australia. Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, Technical paper No. 1, Perth, W. Aust.

ESRI (2002) ‘Geography network.’ (www.geographynetwork.com). Accessed Sept. 2006.

Falling Rain Genomics Inc. (2005) ‘Global Gazetteer, 2.1.’ (www.fallingrain.com/world/) Accessed Sept. 2006.

Frankel OH , Brown AHD (1984) Plant genetic resources today: a critical appraisal. In ‘Crop genetic resources: conservation and evaluation’. (Eds JHW Holden, JT Williams) pp. 249–257. (IBPGR and George Allen and Unwin Ltd: London)

Ghamkhar K , Snowball R , Bennett SJ (2005) Improving the utilisation of germplasm of Trifolium spumosum L. by the development of a core collection using ecogeographical and molecular techniques. In ‘Molecular breeding for the genetic improvement of forage crops and turf’. (Ed. MO Humphreys) p. 262. (Wageningen Academic Publishers: Wageningen, The Netherlands)

Gillet JM , Taylor NL , Collins M (2001) ‘The world of clovers.’ (Iowa State University Press: Ames, IA)

Greuter W , Burdet HM , Long G (1989) ‘Med-Checklist: a critical inventory of vascular plants of the circum-mediterranean countries. Vol. 4. Dicotyledones (Lauraceae-Rhamnaceae).’ (Conservatoire Botanique de Genève: Geneva)

Harrison DL (1964) ‘Fauna of Arabia. Vol. 1. Insectivora, Chiroptera, Primates.’ (Ernest Benn: London)

Heller D (1984) Trifolium L. In ‘Flora Iranica. Vol. 157. Papilionaceae II’. (Ed. KH Rechinger) pp. 275–325. (Akademische Druck – u. Verlagsanstalt: Graz, Austria)

Heywood VH , Ball PW (1968) Leguminosae. In ‘Flora Europaea. Vol. 2’. (Eds TG Tutin, VH Heywood, NA Burgess, DM Moore, DH Valentine, SM Walters, DA Webb, PW Ball, AO Chater, IK Ferguson) pp. 80–136. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK)

Komarov VL (1945) ‘Flora U.S.S.R. Vol. 11.’ (Mosqua: Leningrad)

Loi A, Howieson JG, Nutt BJ, Carr SJ (2005) A second generation of annual pasture legumes and their potential for inclusion in Mediterranean-type farming systems. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, 289–299.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Loi A , Nutt BJ , McRobb R , Carr SJ (2003) Trifolium spumosum L. an exciting prospective legume for fine textured soils in Mediterranean farming systems. In ‘The Proceedings of the 11th Agronomy Conference’. (Eds M Unkovich, G O’Leary) pp. 1–4. (The Australian Society of Agronomy: Geelong, Vic.)

Maxted N , Bennett SJ (2001) Future conservation and utilization priorities. In ‘Plant genetic resources of legumes in the Mediterranean’. (Eds N Maxted, SJ Bennett) pp. 357–378. (Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, The Netherlands)

Microsoft Corporation (1998) ‘Microsoft Encarta world atlas.’ (Microsoft: Redmond, Washington, DC)

Rohlf FJ (2004) ‘NTSYS pc: numerical taxonomy system v. 2.2.’ (Exeter Publishing Ltd: Setauket, NY)

Sneath PHA , Sokal RR (1973) ‘Numerical taxonomy.’ (Freeman: San Fransisco, CA)

Steiner JJ, Greene SL (1996) Proposed ecological descriptors and their utility for plant germplasm collections. Crop Science 36, 439–451. open url image1

Takhtajan AL (1986) ‘Floristic regions of the world.’ [Trans. T. Crovello] (University of California Press: Berkeley, CA)

Townsend CC , Guest ER (1974) ‘Flora of Iraq. Vol. 3.’ (Bentham-Moxon Trust: Kew, UK)

Walter KS , Gillett HJ (1998) ‘1997 IUCN Red list of threatened plants.’ (IUCN – The World Conservation Union: Gland, Switzerland)

White R (2006) ‘ILDros. Inf. Serv. (International Legume Database and Information Service).’ (www.ildis.org) Accessed April 2006.

Zohary M (1973) ‘Geobotanical foundations of the Middle East. Vol. 1.’ (Gustav Fischer Verlag: Stuttgart, Germany)

Zohary M , Heller D (1984) ‘The genus Trifolium.’ (Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities: Jerusalem)