Soil aluminium, phosphate, and moisture interactions affecting the growth of four white clover (Trifolium repens L.) lines

Abstract

A glasshouse pot experiment using a yellow-brown earth hill-country soil was conducted over 14 weeks during autumn 1988. The objective of the trial was to determine the effects of differing levels of soil aluminium (AI), phosphate, and moisture (alone and in combination) on four white clover lines, i.e. ‘Grasslands Huia’, ‘G. Tahora’, ‘Prop’, and a selection from hill country in China. Plant growth, morphology, and nutrient content were measured. Decreased growth as a result of Al toxicity was exacerbated under conditions of low soil phosphate, and responsiveness to added phosphate was diminished under moisture stress. No AI by moisture interaction was observed. Although Huia attained the greatest yields under most conditions, it was less responsive to added phosphate than other lines, and was less tolerant of high soil AI than Tahora. Morphological differences between the lines were not affected by the treatments.

Keywords:

• aluminium
• phosphate
• moisture
• stress
• interaction
• hill country
• white clover lines