Abstract
The reproductive potential of white clover ( Trifolium repens L.) plants is favored by moderate water deficits that reduce vegetative growth without impairing development of inflorescences, florets, and ovules. We examined the effects of this type of water deficit on reproductive characters involved in pollination, ovule fertilization, seed set, and seed filling. Two experiments were conducted under controlled conditions with four genotypes either in soil columns or vermiculite, and with various levels of water deficit that were maintained for 68 d. Treatments were classified as moderate (M) and severe (S) water deficit on the basis of the reduction of leaf relative water content (RWC) compared with the well‐watered plants (C) and of previously established relationships between RWC, soil water potential and vegetative growth. Florets were hand pollinated and seed set was determined in all possible cross‐pollinations between pollen and florets from plants subjected to C, M, or S treatments. Pollen viability declined as water deficit increased. Control and M plants had similar high levels of nectar production. In S plants, the proportion of florets containing nectar was reduced by 60 to 70%. Pollen from S plants induced a lower fertilization efficiency than pollen from C or M plants. Most of the reduction of seed set by severe water deficit, however, was linked to the decrease in female plant water status resulting in abortion of embryos. These results show that pollination, fertilization, seed setting, and seed filling can be limited by a severe water deficit applied during reproductive development. A moderate water deficit characterized by an avoidance of leaf dehydration and a reduction of vegetative growth did not impair fertilization efficiency and resulted in maximum seed set and thousand seed weight, compared to C and S plants.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Pollen viability declined as water deficit increased.
- Taxon
- White Clover
Trifolium repenst0 - Treatment
- water deficite0
- Outcome
- Pollen viabilitye0
- Direction
- declinede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pollen viability declined as water deficit increased.”
t0“White Clover”
Claim · model-written summary
Control and moderate deficit plants had similar high nectar production.
- Taxon
- White CloverTrifolium repenst0
- Treatment
- Me0
- Outcome
- nectar productione0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- Controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Control and M plants had similar high levels of nectar production.”
t0“White Clover”
Claim · model-written summary
Severe deficit reduced the proportion of florets containing nectar by 60 to 70%.
- Taxon
- White CloverTrifolium repenst0
- Treatment
- Se0
- Outcome
- proportion of florets containing nectare0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 60 to 70%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In S plants, the proportion of florets containing nectar was reduced by 60 to 70%.”
t0“White Clover”
Claim · model-written summary
Pollen from severe deficit plants induced lower fertilization efficiency than control or moderate deficit pollen.
- Taxon
- White CloverTrifolium repenst0
- Treatment
- Se0
- Outcome
- fertilization efficiencye0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- C or M plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pollen from S plants induced a lower fertilization efficiency than pollen from C or M plants.”
t0“White Clover”
Claim · model-written summary
Severe deficit decreased female water status, leading to embryo abortion and most of the reduced seed set.
- Taxon
- White CloverTrifolium repenst0
- Treatment
- severe water deficite0
- Outcome
- reduction of seed sete0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Qualifier
- decrease in female plant water status resulting in abortion of embryose0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Most of the reduction of seed set by severe water deficit, however, was linked to the decrease in female plant water status resulting in abortion of embryos.”
t0“White Clover”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate deficit did not impair fertilization efficiency.
- Taxon
- White CloverTrifolium repenst0
- Treatment
- A moderate water deficite0
- Outcome
- fertilization efficiencye0
- Direction
- did not impaire0
- Comparator
- C and S plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A moderate water deficit characterized by an avoidance of leaf dehydration and a reduction of vegetative growth did not impair fertilization efficiency and resulted in maximum seed set and thousand seed weight, compared to C and S plants.”
t0“White Clover”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate deficit produced maximum seed set relative to control and severe deficit.
- Taxon
- White CloverTrifolium repenst0
- Treatment
- A moderate water deficite0
- Outcome
- seed sete0
- Direction
- maximume0
- Comparator
- C and S plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A moderate water deficit characterized by an avoidance of leaf dehydration and a reduction of vegetative growth did not impair fertilization efficiency and resulted in maximum seed set and thousand seed weight, compared to C and S plants.”
t0“White Clover”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate deficit produced maximum thousand seed weight relative to control and severe deficit.
- Taxon
- White CloverTrifolium repenst0
- Treatment
- A moderate water deficite0
- Outcome
- thousand seed weighte0
- Direction
- maximume0
- Comparator
- C and S plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A moderate water deficit characterized by an avoidance of leaf dehydration and a reduction of vegetative growth did not impair fertilization efficiency and resulted in maximum seed set and thousand seed weight, compared to C and S plants.”
t0“White Clover”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate deficit reduced vegetative growth.
- Taxon
- White CloverTrifolium repenst0
- Treatment
- A moderate water deficite0
- Outcome
- vegetative growthe0
- Direction
- reductione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A moderate water deficit characterized by an avoidance of leaf dehydration and a reduction of vegetative growth”
t0“White Clover”
The same questions in other papers
drought · growth · Trifolium repens (white clover)Results differ
20 papers in the same direction as this paper · 7 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
24 papers more in this group
See all 28 papers →drought · yield · Trifolium repens (white clover)Positive and negative results
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 10 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
11 papers more in this group
See all 15 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.