Indirect selection for persistence and seed yield in large‐leaved white clover

Abstract

AbstractHigh persistence and seed yield are important targets in white clover breeding but their assessment is expensive. The efficiency of indirect selection for these traits performed on characters recorded during a medium‐term dry matter (DM) yield evaluation was verified for large leaved populations in separate experiments for medium‐term (three‐year) and long‐term (fourth and fifth year) DM yield (Trial 1) and seed yield (Trial 2). The best results were provided by stolon density observed at the end of the third cropping year for prediction of long‐term yield, and by the product of number of heads times number of florets per head assessed prior to mowing in Trial 1 for prediction of seed yield in Trial 2. Indirect selection was about as efficient as direct selection in these cases. Predictions of persistence from three‐year or third year DM yield, and seed yield from single seed yield components in Trial 1 were less accurate.