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Title: ACID SOIL RESISTANCE RESISTANCE OF FORAGE LEGUMES AS ASSESSED BY A SOIL-ON-AGAR METHOD

Author
item Voigt, Paul
item MOSJIDIS, J - AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/28/2002
Publication Date: 9/1/2002
Citation: VOIGT, P.W., MOSJIDIS, J.A. ACID SOIL RESISTANCE RESISTANCE OF FORAGE LEGUMES AS ASSESSED BY A SOIL-ON-AGAR METHOD. CROP SCIENCE. 2002. v. 42. p. 1631-1639.

Interpretive Summary: Acid soils can limit the establishment, production, and persistence of some small-seeded legumes. To effectively evaluate and select germplasm for improved performance under such conditions efficient techniques are required. We developed a soil-based procedure for these purposes and have evaluated the effectiveness of our technique for determining acid-soil resistance of small-seeded forage legumes. We characterized the acid-soil resistance of 43 cultivars of 18 different species. In general, differences in acid-soil resistance observed were in good agreement with previous knowledge. Large differences in acid-soil resistance such as those among crimson, white, and berseem clover were visually obvious and dramatic. Smaller differences were not as clear but could frequently be detected statistically, for example the greater acid-soil resistance of striate compared to Korean lespedeza. Contrary to limited earlier work, we efound that kura clover was more resistant to acid-soil stress than white clover. We confirmed the superior acid-soil resistance of 'AU Dewey' compared to other cultivars of that species and determined that 'Cossack' kura clover was more sensitive to acid-soil stress than 'Rhizo' kura clover. The soil-on-agar technique can do an effective job at predicting differences in acid-soil resistance among small-seeded legumes. It could be useful to researchers needing to know the acid-soil adaptation of new species or cultivars.

Technical Abstract: Aluminum resistance is often a major component of acid-soil resistance. A soil-on-agar procedure was proposed as a soil-based system for characterizing acid-soil resistance, that is closely related to aluminum resistance, of small-seeded forages. Our objective was to use the procedure to characterize acid-soil resistance of small-seeded forage legume species and cultivars and relate the results obtained to those reported in the literature. We ran six experiments in which we evaluated 43 cultivars of 18 different species. In general, species differences observed were in good agreement with previous knowledge. Large differences in acid-soil resistance between crimson, white, and berseem clover were visually obvious and dramatic. Smaller differences were not as clear but could still be detected statistically, for example the greater acid-soil resistance of striate compared to Korean lespedeza. Within species the known greater acid-soil resistance of 'AU Dewey' birdsfoot trefoil, compared to other cultivars of that species, was detected. One major difference between our results and those in the literature was our finding that kura clover was more acid-soil resistant than white clover. We found also that 'Cossack' a kura clover bred from germplasm selected in Utah is more sensitive to acid-soil stress than 'Rhizo' a cultivar developed in eastern Kentucky. The soil-on-agar technique can do a very effective job at evaluating differences in acid-soil resistance of small-seeded legumes.