Differences in aluminium tolerance of ryegrass and white clover plants grown from seed or propagated vegetatively

Abstract

The effect of aluminium (Al) on the relative yield of plants grown from seeds of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) or white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and either tillers (ryegrass) or stolon tip cuttings (white clover) were investigated using a low ionic strength (2.7 x 10 -3 M) solution culture technique. In ryegrass, plants grown from tillers had higher relative yields than plants grown from seedlings in the tops when solution Al concentrations were greater than 16 μM and in the roots when solution Al concentrations were greater than 7 μM. In white clover, relative yields in the tops and roots plants were higher in plants grown from stolon tip cuttings than from seedlings when solution Al concentrations were greater than 10 μM. There were no significant cultivar effects. The results indicate that plants used in Al-tolerance experiments can be grown from seed or vegetatively propagated, provided solution Al rates are adjusted to reflect differences in Al tolerance.