The potential benefits from cultivar specific red clover - potato crop rotations

The aim of this study was to determine if endophytic bacteria could contrib ute to cultivar specific interactions between red clover (Trifolium pratens e L.) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) in crop rotations. Endophytic bac teria were isolated from the roots of four red clover cultivars (AC Charlie , Altaswede, Marine and Tempus) grown in the field. Populations of bacteria from each cultivar were similar. The most abundant genus was Rhizobium, bu t species of Curtobacterium, Pseunomonas, and Xanthomonas were common to al l cultivars. Plantlets of two potato cultivars, Russet Burbank and Shepody, were inoculated individually with the seven bacterial isolates most freque ntly recovered from each red clover cultivar, and grown in Magenta vessels for 6 wk. Significant differences were found for plant height, and wet weig hts of roots, shoots and their total. Potato cultivars differed for root we t weight only, while red clover cultivar, as a source of bacteria, had a si gnificant effect on all traits except plant height. Differences among bacte ria were significant for all traits except shoot wet weight. There was a si gnificant interaction of potato cultivar by red clover cultivar. The potato cultivar Russet Burbank did best with bacteria from the red clover cultiva r, Marine; and Shepody, with bacteria from Altaswede.