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Effects of Inbreeding on Field Performance of White Clover Selections¹

Three selected clones (A, B, and C) of white-clover (Trifolium repens, L.) that had been selected from old pastures were each crossed with a different set of five clones. Double-cross and full-sib matings were made among the progeny to estimate the effect of inbreeding on field performance and variability for resistance to crown rot. One generation of full-sib mating reduced forage yield by 9 to 15% relative to that of the doublecross matings. Inbreeding depression was much greater for stand loss than for forage yield. By the end of the second summer more than two-thirds of the sibmated plants were lost compared to slightly over onehalf of the double-cross plants. Planting the test in a field in which forage legumes had been previously grown for more than 10 years resulted in severe crown rot; this procedure may be useful in future experiments to evaluate crown rot resistance. Differences among fullsib families, among double-cross families and between these families and the check cultivars were significant for yield and disease tolerance. Inbreeding may be useful in breeding for disease resistance, but one must avoid mating related clones to produce a synthetic cultivar.

Key Words: Trifolium repens L • In-breeding • Crown rot

² ~Research Agronomist, ARS-USDA, and professor of Crop Science at North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, N. C. 27607.

Received for publication June 4, 1977.

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