Influence of neighbors on node production, stolon growth, and branching of Trifolium repens transplants in a pasture

Abstract

Ten individual plants of Trifolium repens L. were transplanted into a 49-year-old cattle pasture in British Columbia. They were protected from grazing and their subsequent growth was monitored at 2- to 3-week intervals throughout the summer from May to October. The rate of stolon elongation was greatest (2.01 cm ∙ week−1) in late July and a maximum rate of node production (1.48 new nodes per stolon ∙ week−1) occurred in early August. As stolons extended through the pasture they encountered a number of different grass species: Dactylis glomerata, Holcus lanatus, Lolium perenne, Phleum pratense, and Poa spp. The stolons grew through a total of 2 m of H. lanatus neighborhood and produced only 3 branches, whereas they produced 11 branches in only 57.2 cm of P. pratense neighborhood. Neighboring grasses impose different local environments on the nodes and stolons of T. repens and consequently influence the dynamics of node production, the rate of stolon elongation, and the amount of stolon branching. Key words: stolon branching, neighbors, light quality, Trifolium repens.