Naturalized subterranean clover strains in Western Australia: A preliminary agronomic examination

Abstract

Ninety naturalized and four commercially introduced subterranean clover strains present in Western Australia were examined. Flowering time, hardseededness, contents of the oestrogenic isoflavones formononetin, genistein, and biochanin A, and plant morphological characteristics were measured in spaced plants. Probabilities of random relationships were calculated for all character pairs.

Wide variation was found among strains for all characters measured. A number of strains had low oestrogenic isoflavone contents. Levels of the three isoflavones appeared to vary independently of each other and of all other characters. Hardseededness decreased with lateness of maturity, but evidence is adduced that the relationship was not causal. Correlations were recorded among several morphological characters.

Some 20 naturalized, non-commercial strains were selected as worthy of further agronomic study.