High phosphorus concentration in Trifolium balansae and Medicago polymorpha seed increases in herbage and seed yields in the field

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Abstract
Seed of Trifolium balansae and Medicago polymorpha, of the same size (mean ± s.d., T. balansae 0.8 ± 0.01 mglseed, M. polymorpha 3.6 ± 0.05 mg/seed) but with increasing phosphorus (P) concentration in the seed (T. balansae 0.34 to 0.63% P, M. polymorpha 0.40 to 0.64% P), were sown in field experiments as singlestrain, dense, ungrazed swards on 2 different soil types (a sand and a lateritic gravel sand) in south-western Australia. Different amounts of superphosphate were drilled with the seed (5-40 kg P/ha for the sand, and 15-100 kg P/ha for the lateritic gravel sand). Increasing P concentration in seed increased yields of dried herbage measured at each harvest, and also increased seed yields (measured for M. polymorpha only). Increasing P concentration in the seed increased the effectiveness of superphosphate drilled with the seed, so that less fertiliser was required to produce the same yield as P concentration in the seed increased.

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