Morphological variability, density and yield of Trifolium repens in different ecological and coenotic conditions

Kazan Federal University, 420008, Kremlyovskaya str., 18, Kazan, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: nbprokhorenko@mail.ru

Abstract

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is a valuable melliferous, pasture and a promising species for use as a medicinal raw materials. T. repens herb contains ascorbic acid, carotene, alkaloids, glycosides and other substances. Fourteen coenopopulations of T. repens were studied on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan. The assessment of habitats of T. repens was carried out by indicator methods using the ecological scales of G. Ellenberg. The density of coenopopulations, comparative morphometric analysis and reserves of dry aboveground biomass are analyzed in this article. It was found that the soils in the subtaiga subzone are weakly acidic, fresh in terms of moisture, with a nitrogen content above average; soils in the north of the broad-leaved subzone are dry and periodically fresh, with a slightly acidic reaction and an average content of mineral nitrogen; and the soils in the south of the broad-leaved subzone are dry and periodically fresh, predominantly neutral, with a nitrogen content above average. A comparative analysis of the scoring of soil characteristics with the content of the main nutrients in the soil has been carried out. T. repens coenopopulations in the north of the broad-leaved subzone have of low density, and high biomass shoots are formed. The yield of the studied T. repens plants is from 21-178 kg of dry weight/ha. The highest yields of dry aboveground biomass of plants was observed in the northern deciduous subzone. We recommend the highest-yielding coenopopulations of T. repens for harvesting plant material.