SELECTION FOR ROOT HAIR LENGTH IN WHITE CLOVER (TRIFOLIUM-REPENS L)

Results are given which show that the root hair length of a white clover population can be increased and decreased by selection. An increase of 50 μm in root hair length over the mean of an unselected population of the cultivar Tamar was achieved resulting in an 11% calculated increase in the volume of soil explored by root hairs. The realised heritability for selection in the long root hairs was 0.33, and for the short root hairs 0.44. © 1979 H. Veenman En Zonen B.V.