Biodiversity of red clover is changing. It is become more difficult to find new breeding material. Moreover, populations with predominant morphological features of cultivars are more frequently found in wild habitats. Therefore, it is important to identify genetic structure and diversity within and among wild populations and cultivars worldwide. During this research, seed samples from wild red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) habitats were collected in different Lithuanian sites in nemoral environmental zone. Subsequently, samples were germinated in greenhouse and randomly taken for genetic analyses. ISSR fingerprints of 339 genotypes from 13 populations and 5 varieties were analysed. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) has shown high genetic variation within populations (83%). The highest polymorphism was identified in population pop2887 (PPL = 82.28%). Interestingly the polymorphism of varieties was high and ranged from 64.56 (‘Vytis’) to 83.54 (‘Liepsna’). Meanwhile, variance among populations was low—17%. Fixation index FST = 0.182 revealed high differentiation of the populations while gene flow was high with an exchange of 2.2474 migrants per generation. This revealed a high genetic diversity within populations and high gene flow between wild populations and cultivars in Lithuania.

Abiotic and biotic factors can cause great damage to crops. So, a key approach is to investigate whether the crops’ wild relatives are more flexible to withstand abiotic and biotic stress. As well as to evaluate their phenotypic variability and productivity in response to changing climatic conditions. In this study, red clover germplasm was collected from natural red clover habitats and a field trial was arranged ex situ. Twelve phenotypic traits and their effects on final harvest were analysed in 2018–2019. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated that the most important trait for biomass yield was the height of the plant during the first season of harvest (2018). Interestingly, that the most significant trait in the second year of harvest (2019) was growth habit. Meantime, two way-joining analysis was performed to extent of phenotypic variation within and among red clover accessions, based on the most important trait for biomass yield. We found three main groups based on variation in plant height: “cultivars”, “wilds” and “mediators”. This analysis leads to identify typical populations of wild type red clover, which has not been done yet. Finally, the feed value of each red clover accession was analysed. It was found that “cultivars” have a higher level of crude proteins, while “wilds” contains higher levels of crude fibre. This indicates that there is a relationship between plant structure elements and forage value which is particularly important to select a breeding material.

Phenotypic traits for wild red clover seed yield under drought conditions | Giedrius Petrauskas, Eglė Norkevičienė, Vaclovas Stukonis, Vilma Kemešytė | Agricultural Journals

To evaluate the agro-biological traits and select the promising populations of alfalfa under pedoclimatic conditions, field experiments were carried out in two locations of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (western Lithuania 55°70′ N, 21°49′ E and central Lithuania 55°23′ N, 23°51′ E). Eleven populations were established in acidic soil with a pH of 4.0 (experimental site I) and neutral soil with a pH of 7.0 (experimental site II). The productivity and agro-biological traits: fresh matter yield, dry matter yield, seed yield, stem thickness, and stem, leaf, and inflorescence weight of alfalfa populations were evaluated from 2019 to 2021. In the acidic soil, the populations 3056, 3132, 3130, and 3058 yielded more fresh and dry matter compared to the standard cultivar Birutė in the period from 2019 to 2021. In the acidic soil, populations 3131 and 3057 had a higher seed yield compared to the cultivar Birutė in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The 3086 population significantly differed in leaf weight compared to the cultivar Birutė. The cultivar Birutė and population 3132 were similar in stem thickness and fresh matter yield. In the neutral soil, population 3056 yielded more fresh matter compared to the cultivar Birutė.

Agricultural reforms, land consolidation, and the abandonment of livestock farming effects grassland ecosystems worldwide. Utilising data from four medium-sized livestock farms across different regions in Lithuania, we assess floristic composition, productivity, and grass quality in both permanent grasslands and leys. Our findings reveal significant differences in flora diversity, with 120 species identified in permanent grasslands compared to only 20 in leys. Additionally, dry matter yield was notably higher in leys (13.97 t ha⁻¹) than in permanent grasslands (5.66 t ha⁻¹), underscoring the productivity potential of leys. The crude protein levels remained stable across both types, but leys demonstrated significantly lower neutral detergent fibre content, indicating better forage quality. However, the high biodiversity of permanent grasslands supports ecosystem services.