Uittreksel
‘n Ondersoek op Stellenbosch met die oog op die moontlike benutting van eeniarige Medicago‐spesies in die sommerreëngebied word gerapporteer. In ‘n proef onder gekontroleerde toestande het langdagtoestande blominisiasi vervroeg en opbrengs verhoog, maar nie tot dieselfde mate by alle spesies en cultivars me. In ‘n someraanplanting onder besproeiing het dit geblyk dat spesies en cultivars ook in kouebehoefte vir blominisiasie verskil. Onder somerverbouing het beide gevoeligheid teenoor daglengte en kouebehoefte ‘n rol by opbrengs gespeel. Vroeë cultivars van Medicago truncatula en M. littoralis met min of geen kouebehoefte het normaal gegroei gedurende die somer en goeie opbrengste gelewer. Dit word besluit dat hierdie spesies behoorlik in die somerreëngebied getoets behoort te word.
Abstract
An investigation at Stellenbosch into the possibility of utilizing annual medics in the summer rainfall region is reported. In a trial under controlled conditions long photo‐period was found to hasten flower initiation; different species and cultivars differed however in their sensitivity to photo‐period. In a summer trial under irrigation it appeared that species and cultivars also differed in their low temperature requirement for flower initiation. Both sensitivity to photo‐period and low temperature requirement influenced yield during summer. Early cultivars of Medicago truncatula and M. littoralis with little or no low temperature requirement grew normally during summer and yielded well. It is concluded that thorough testing of these species in the summer rainfall region is warranted.