Naturalised subterranean clover in New Zealand

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Abstract
Subterranean clover seed was collected from 51 old pastures in 9 regions of New Zealand. Spaced plants from these 51 populations were grown at Palmerston North and compared with a range of Australian commercial lines. Mt Barker types were present in every New Zealand population sampled and constituted 74% of the total collection. Tallarook and Woogenellup made up 21% and 2% of the collection respectively. A very late-flowering dwarf type with Mt Barker leaf markings occurred in 8 samples, and a larger-leaved, late-flowering variant of Mt Barker dominated 2 old populations from the Auckland district. The predominant forms of Mt Barker, Tallarook, and Woogenellup collected in New Zealand differed little from the corresponding Australian commercial lines, although New Zealand Tallarook and Woogenellup were less productive, possibly because of reduced seed size. Mt Barker showed significant variation between populations which may reflect local adaptation. Where Tallarook had been sown with Mt Barker, usually in equal quantities, both had persisted. Tallarook tended to dominate Mt Barker after mixed sowings in a few southern North Island pastures, but there was little firm evidence to suggest that natural selection had favoured one variety more than the other. Genetic shift in flowering time of some Tallarook plants suggested that crossing with Mt Barker had occurred where Tallarook formed a small proportion of the population. The best of the Australian commercial cultivars belonged to T. subterraneum sens. str. and included Mt Barker, Tallarook, Woogenellup, Bacchus Marsh, Nangeela, and Howard.

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