Tannins in pasture legumes

Abstract

A total of 787 lines or ecotypes representing 179 species were tested for the presence or absence of tannins in their leaves using the vanillin/HCI spot test. Of the 11 3 species of Trifolium included in the survey, only five were found to contain tannins in their leaves and there was no evidence of tannin production in the 530 ecotypes of T. subterraneum tested. Our results, in agreement with previously published surveys, indicate that species with tannins in their leaves are very common in the tribe Hedysareae, less common in the tribe Loteae and rare in the other tribes of the Leguminosae, particularly the Trifolieae, which contains most of the important temperate pasture legumes. These findings are discussed in relation to the problem of developing, by interspecific hybridization or by induced mutation, low bloat risk pastures for temperate Australia.