Developmental patterns of flowers and pods and the effect on seed number in French serradella (Ornithopus sativus) and yellow serradella (Ornithopus compressus) cultivars
Laura E. Goward
A B * , Rebecca E. Haling A , Rowan W. Smith B , Beth Penrose B C and Richard J. Simpson A
A
B
C Present Address:
Abstract
Reliable seed production is a key requirement for successful year-on-year regeneration of annual pasture legumes.
The study aims were to investigate the developmental patterns of flowers and pods and the effect on seed number among cultivars of French (Ornithopus sativus Brot.) and yellow serradella (O. compressus L.); and to assess the effects of early flower loss.
Four cultivars of each species were grown in a glasshouse under non-limiting growth conditions. Date of flowering and numbers of flowers, pods and seeds were assessed for up to 20 reproductive nodes on two stem axes per plant (n = 5 plants). A flower removal treatment was imposed to assess whether early flower loss affected flower and/or pod production.
Flowering in the serradellas was indeterminate, but for all cultivars there was a peak period of flower and pod production, with the timing and duration of the peak period differing among cultivars. Peak flowering occurred primarily because the proportion of plants flowering began to decline, but the number of flowers per reproductive node and the number of pods formed per node also declined with time. Compensation for early flower loss was observed for most cultivars because of a longer duration of pod formation and/or greater numbers of pods developed on higher reproductive nodes.
This study demonstrated that there is diversity in the patterns of flowering and podding and number of seeds initiated among serradellas.
Diversity in flowering and podding patterns combined with a capacity to compensate for early flower loss may be used to develop serradellas better able to cope with environmental stressors (frost, drought, heat) experienced during the flowering window.
Keywords: adaptation, alternative legumes, annual pasture, Mediterranean, optimal flowering time, persistence, rate of reproductive node development, temperate.
References
Cocks PS (1990) Dynamics of flower and pod production in annual medics (Medicago spp.). I. Spaced plants. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 41, 911-921.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Dodd MB, Orr SJ (1995) Seasonal growth, flowering patterns, and phosphate response of 18 annual legume species grown in a hill-country soil. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 38, 21-32.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Dyson CB, Conyers MK (2013) Methodology for online biometric analysis of soil test–crop response datasets. Crop & Pasture Science 64, 435-441.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Edward AY, Ewing MA, Revell CK (1998) Fate of serradella, medic and biserrula seeds in pods ingested by sheep. In ‘Proceedings of the 9th Australian Agronomy Conference’. pp. 199–202. (Australian Society of Agronomy) Available at http://agronomyaustraliaproceedings.org/images/sampledata/1998/1/289edward.pdf
Enriquez-Hidalgo D, Cruz T, Teixeira DL, Steinfort U (2020) Phenological stages of Mediterranean forage legumes, based on the BBCH scale. Annals of Applied Biology 176, 357-368.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Flohr BM, Hunt JR, Kirkegaard JA, Evans JR (2017) Water and temperature stress define the optimal flowering period for wheat in south-eastern Australia. Field Crops Research 209, 108-119.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Francis CM, Gladstones JS (1974) Relationships among rate and duration of flowering and seed yield components in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum). Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 25, 435-442.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Fu SM, Hampton JG, Williams WM (1994) Description and evaluation of serradella (Ornithopus L.) accessions. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 37, 471-479.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Gladstones JS, Devitt AC (1971) Breeding and testing early-flowering strains of yellow-flowered serradella (Ornithopus compressus). Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 11(51), 431-439.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Goodspeed MJ (1975) Computer routines for solar position, daylength and related qualities. Technical Memorandum No. 75/11. (CSIRO Division of Water and Land Resources) Available at https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Computer%20Routines%20for%20Solar%20Position%2C%20Daylength%20and%20Related%20Qualities.%20Technical%20Memorandum%20No.%2075%2F11&author=M.J.%20Goodspeed&publication_year=1975
Goward LE, Haling RE, Smith RW, Penrose B, Simpson RJ (2023) Flowering responses of serradella (Ornithopus spp.) and subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) to vernalisation and photoperiod and their role in maturity type determination and flowering date stability. Crop & Pasture Science 74, 769-782.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Hackney B, Rodham C, Dyce G, Piltz J (2021) Pasture legumes differ in herbage production and quality throughout spring, impacting their potential role in fodder conservation and animal production. Grass and Forage Science 76, 116-133.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Haling RE, Goward L, Stefanski A, Simpson RJ (2023) Variation in flowering time and flowering date stability within a cultivar of French serradella. Crop & Pasture Science 74, 756-768.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
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 | Google Scholar |
Loi A, Revell C, Nutt B (2021) Technical dossier for SerraMax Yellow Serradella (Ornithopus compressus L.). Available at https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/sites/gateway/files/Technical%20dossier%20for%20SerraMax%20-%20Final%20version%207%20Dec%20%28A5516500%29.pdf
Moreau D, Salon C, Munier-Jolain N (2007) A model-based framework for the phenotypic characterization of the flowering of Medicago truncatula. Plant, Cell & Environment 30, 213-224.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
Nichols PGH, Loi A, Nutt BJ, Evans PM, Craig AD, Pengelly BC, Dear BS, Lloyd DL, Revell CK, Nair RM, Ewing MA, Howieson JG, Auricht GA, Howie JH, Sandral GA, Carr SJ, de Koning CT, Hackney BF, Crocker GJ, Snowball R, Hughes SJ, Hall EJ, Foster KJ, Skinner PW, Barbetti MJ, You MP (2007) New annual and short-lived perennial pasture legumes for Australian agriculture – 15 years of revolution. Field Crops Research 104, 10-23.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Nutt B (2004a) French serradella (Ornithopus sativus) ‘Margurita’. Plant Varieties Journal 17, 311-312.
| Google Scholar |
Nutt B (2004b) French serradella (Ornithopus sativus) ‘Erica’. Plant Varieties Journal 17, 313-315.
| Google Scholar |
PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System) (2023) Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Sydney. Available at https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au [Accessed 9 May 2023]
Reed KFM, Mathison MJ, Crawford EJ (1989) The adaptation, regeneration, and persistence of annual legumes in temperate pasture. In ‘Persistence of forage legumes’. (Eds GC Marten, AG Matches, RF Barnes, RW Brougham, RJ Clements, GW Sheath) pp. 69–89. (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd) doi:10.2134/1989.persistenceofforagelegumes.c6
Revell CK, Taylor GB, Cocks PS (1999) Effect of length of growing season on development of hard seeds in yellow serradella and their subsequent softening at various depths of burial. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 50, 1211-1223.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Rossiter RC (1966) The success or failure of strains of Trifolium subterraneum L. in a Mediterranean environment. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 17, 425-446.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Ru YJ, Fortune JA (2000) Effect of grazing intensity and cultivar on morphology, phenology, and nutritive value of subterranean clover II. Nutritive value during the growing season. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 51(8), 1047-1055.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Rudall PJ (2020) ‘Anatomy of flowering plants: an introduction to plant structure and development.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK) doi:10.1017/9781108782104
Thomas DT, Flohr BM, Monjardino M, Loi A, Llewellyn RS, Lawes RA, Norman HC (2021) Selecting higher nutritive value annual pasture legumes increases the profitability of sheep production. Agricultural Systems 194, 103272.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
