Abstract
Growth of full-sib families of an F1 interspecific hybrid between Trifolium ambiguum M.Bieb and T. repens L, and two generations of backcross hybrids (BC1F2 and BC2F1) with T. repens as the recurrent parent, were compared to their parental species. Plants were grown in a N-free medium and inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii rhizobia effective on T. ambiguum or T. repens. Hybridisation produced progeny that nodulated with rhizobia from either T. ambiguum or T. repens, but plant growth varied. Mean weights of T. repens and hybrids, particularly F1 and BC1F2, were higher when inoculated with a mixture of strains isolated from field grown T. repens than with the New Zealand inoculant strain for T. repens. When inoculated with the mix of rhizobia from T. repens, mean weights were 242, 189, 132, 125, and 100 mg/plant for T. repens, BC2F1, BC1F2, F1 and T. ambiguum, respectively. However, although the mean weight of BC2F1 lines was significantly less than T. repens, there was considerable variation in individual full-sib families indicating the potential to select within BC2F1 hybrids for high plant growth/symbiotic nitrogen fixation. The weight of T. ambiguumplants inoculated with the New Zealand inoculant strain for hexaploid T. ambiguum was similar to T. repens inoculated with the mix of rhizobia from T. repens (253 and 242 mg/plant, respectively). Mean fresh weights of F1 hybrid plants were similar when inoculated with rhizobia for T. ambiguum or T. repens (125 and 130 mg/plant, respectively). However, weight of T. repens, BC1F2 and BC2F1 hybrids inoculated with rhizobia for T. ambiguum were all less than 90 mg/plant. There was a significant relationship between plant fresh weight and ethylene production. The results indicate that measuring weights of inoculated plants growing in N-free media is a rapid initial method of screening a range of plant germplasm for plant growth/symbiotic nitrogen fixation rates.
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