Estudio comparativo de dos subespecies de "Trifolium subterraneum L.", basado en caracteres de interés taxonómico y agrícola

Abstract

The variation of eleven vegetative characters with taxonomic and agronomic interest (most of them used at level of Variaty differentiation) was studied in two subspecies of Trifolium subterraneum L. by means of coefficients of variability. It was observed that six characters out of the eleven had a lower variability in the ssp. brachycalycinum than in the ssp. subterraneum; outstanding among them: hairiness of the upper leaf surface, petiole length and leaflets size. The other five ones had a variability of about the same order in both subspecies. The means of the characters were compared, at infraspecific level, by a Student's t test, finding significant differences for all of them, except for main branches thickness. The more represented Spanish forms and the Australian cultivars were also compared at infraspecific level. The comparison was done with all the characters by means of Spearman's rank correlation coefficients, rs (used as similarity coefficients). A greater homogeneity was found within the ssp. brachycalycinum thant within the ssp. subterraneum