MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION AMONG WHITE CLOVER (TRIFOLIUM-REPENS L) POPULATIONS COLLECTED FROM A RANGE OF MOIST HILL COUNTRY HABITATS

Genotypes of white clover were collected from a range of hill country habitats defined by aspect, slope, fertiliser input, management, and stock class, and grown as spaced plants in a uniform environment. Few morphological differences were found among genotypes that could be related to habitat of origin. However, genotypes from rotationally grazed cattle pastures were taller than those from rotationally grazed sheep patures. Effects of fertiliser input level on plant height and on leaf/flower height ratio, and effect of slope on leaf and flower heights and growth, were inconsistent. Hill country genotypes had characters intermediate between 'Grasslands Tahora' and 'Grasslands Huia'. Genotypes with (a) high and low proportions of nodes branching, (b) long and short internodes, and (c) large and small leaf sizes were selected and crossed in isolation. Comparison of progeny with parents showed that differences in nodal branching frequency and internode length observed in the field were environmentally induced, whereas leaf size differences had a large genetic component.