Regrowth pattern of Lotus corniculatus L. natural populations under limited irrigation

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Lazaridou M., Abraham E.M., Karatassiou M. and Kostopoulou P.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Lotus corniculatus L. (birdsfoot trefoil) is a perennial legume forage species native to the Mediterranean basin, well adapted to marginal environments. In the present study, the regrowth pattern of two L. corniculatus natural populations from different origins was examined under optimum and limited irrigation. Plants from two semi-arid areas of northern Greece (Macedonia) were selected and transplanted to pots. They were grown under a transparent shelter in two water regimes: (1) irrigation up to field capacity, and (2) limited irrigation (40% of optimum). Plants were harvested at different dates (phenological stages) in spring and left to regrow. The harvested plants grew for 8, 30, 39 and 46 days. The yield, the leaf and stem weight and the number of stems were measured and the leaf weight ratio (LWR) was calculated. The results showed that limited irrigation reduced the yield and the number of stems of both tested populations. There was a greater decrease in stem biomass than of leaves, giving higher LWR under limited irrigation, especially in the ‘Drama’ population. This decline in yield suggests that this species is suitable for cultivation in semiarid Mediterranean areas under rain-fed conditions.