Evaluation of two cultivars of Trifolium alexandrinum L. for growth and resistance to drought

Two cultivars of Trifolium alexandrinum L., “Kastalia” and “Pinias”, were grown and tested for their resistance to drought. The experiment was conducted in a glasshouse in Drama, northern Greece. Two water regimes were applied. The measurements were taken in full bloom stage. They included leaf, stem and root weights, leaf area, stomatal conductance and transpiration. Moreover, total and above ground biomass, the allometric relations Leaf Area Ratio (LAR), Leaf Weight Ratio (LWR) and root to shoot ratio (R/S), as well as the total plant transpiration and the Plant Water Use Efficiency (PWUE) were calculated. It was found that a) the two cultivars presented different leaf growth, stomatal conductance and plant water use efficiency, and b) their resistance to drought was similar involving mechanisms that resulted in less root growth reduction compared to shoots, reduced transpiration and increased water use efficiency.