THE INFLUENCE OF PASTURE AGE, PLANT-DENSITY, AND GENOTYPE ON INTRASPECIFIC DIVERSITY OF TRIFOLIUM-REPENS (WHITE CLOVER)

Morphological variation, as expressed in PCA axis scores, for clovers growing in different aged pastures, was apportioned to pasture age, qu adrats within pastures, intraspecific densities within quadrats, and g enets within densities. Of those factors that have an effect on variat ion, genets is the greatest, followed by quadrats, intraspecific densi ty, and age of the pasture. There is also an age-related decline in va riation in plants of Trifolium repens as seen in genetic origin, quadr ats within a pasture, and intraspecific density. These results indicat e a need to determine more accurately the relationship between genetic and phenotypic responses in the decline in among-plant variation over time. Key words: Trifolium repens, variation.