Flower initiation in relation to cool season growth of four lines of white clover

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Abstract
The relationship between the time of inflorescence initiation in white clover (T. repens L.) in autumn/winter/spring and the growth activity over the same period was investigated. Two cultivars originating from low latitudes (''Tamar'' and ''C1067 Spanish), that initiate inflorescences in early and late autumn, respectively, were compared with 2 from high latitudes (''Kent Wild White'' and ''Kalinin'') that do not start to initiate inflorescences until spring. In all lines growth declined markedly in autumn/winter, but the 2 from low latitudes formed longer internodes and fewer branches and adventitious roots than those from high latitudes. There was no apparent difference in the rates of leaf emergence (and hence leaf initiation) between the 4 lines in winter. Differences in time of inflorescence initiation between plants originating from high and low latitudes do not seem to be related to differences in leaf initiation rates at stolon apices in winter. Evidently, a relationship between elongation growth and the time of inflorescence initiation exists.