Two cultivars of balansa clover (Trifolium michelianum Savi.) were sown on eight
occasions from 14 October 2005 to 5 February 2007 in Canterbury, New Zealand
which gave a range of photoperiod at emergence between 8.6 and 15.7 hours. The
duration from emergence to flowering was related to the length and direction of
change in photoperiod at the time of emergence. Thermal time from emergence to
flowering was constant at ~620 °Cd for ‘Bolta’ and ~365 °Cd for ‘Frontier’ balansa
clover plants, provided they emerged into increasing photoperiods. For plants which
emerged into decreasing photoperiods, thermal time from emergence to flowering
decreased from ~1500 to ~630 °Cd for ‘Bolta’ but was constant at ~690 °Cd for
‘Frontier’. Models are presented to predict the thermal time requirement from
emergence to flowering for ‘Bolta’, ‘Frontier’ and, based on re-analysed data, CPI45856 balansa clovers in relation to daylength at emergence. These results are
discussed in relation to farm sowing and management practices.[Show full abstract]
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