Effect of plant density on yield and root traits of two Trifolium subterraneum cultivars

Trifolium subterraneum is the most widely sown annual pasture legume in the P-deficient soils of southern Australia. Controlled-environment studies have demonstrated that variation exists between genotypes of this legume to acquire P and yield in low-P soils, and there appears to be a plant density effect on these traits. However, the magnitude of this effect is largely unknown. Two cultivars of T. subterraneum, that differ significantly for the aforementioned traits when using the same sowing rate, were grown to determine differences in shoot growth, P uptake and root traits with changing plant density. Microswards of both cultivars were grown at five plant densities and five P levels. Yield and P content of shoots and roots were determined after 5 weeks growth. Root samples were assessed for diameter, length and root hair length. Shoot dry mass of both cultivars increased in response to increasing P supply and increasing plant density. Differences between the cultivars for shoot yield were most pronounced at low plant densities and diminished as plant density increased. This response was particularly evident at lower soil-P levels, whereas maximum yield was relatively independent of plant density in the high-P soil. In contrast, differences between cultivars for root morphological traits such as specific root length were maintained regardless of plant density. The results demonstrate that plant density effects sward P-acquisition and hence shoot yield achieved in the P-deficient soil. Accurate screening for P-acquisition and shoot yield across the T. subterraneum genome therefore requires a uniform plant density comparable to densities observed in the field. The identification of T. subterraneum cultivars capable of improved growth in low-P soils would improve P-use efficiency in Australian soils which are often P-deficient and require annual applications of P fertiliser for high yields. This would consequently lead to greater resilience of the agricultural sector.