1. Identification of Clover Seeds
Robert Price
California Dept. of Food & Agriculture
Seed Laboratory

2. Why Clovers? Commonly grown as forage and cover crops
Challenging to the seed analyst [15 spp. in AOSA Rules out of ca. 250]
Strawberry Clover, Trifolium fragiferum L.
White Clover, Trifolium repens L.

3. Alsike Clover, Trifolium hybridum L.
White Clover, Trifolium repens L.

4. Goals of the Study
To try to distinguish seeds of 3 clover species using quantitative measured characters
To see how effectively random sets of the seeds can be distinguished by traditional qualitative characters

5. Quantitative Characters
1. Seed length (cotyledonary lobe) COTLL
2. Seed length (radicle lobe) RADLL
3. Seed width SEEDW
4. Seed thickness SEEDT
5. Weight of 10 seeds

6. Seed Measurements
COTLL
RADLL
SEEDW

7. Measurement Results (SPSS)
Differences significant at .001 level

8. But some dimensions much more similar for Alsike and Strawberry clovers

9. How similar are observers?

10. Weights of 10 seeds (g)

11. 50 Seed Separation Exercise
15 White clover, T. repens
10 Strawberry clover, T. fragiferum
8 Alsike clover, T. hybridum
10 Red clover, T. pratense
5 Arrowleaf clover, T. vesiculosum
2 Persian clover, T. resupinatum

12. Strawberry clover, Trifolium fragiferum L.

13. Conclusions
Most seeds of the 3 clover species will be separated efficiently by standard separation by color pattern, radicle lobe divergence, and general size
For unmottled seeds of similar length, it may be helpful to weigh the individual seeds and examine under high magnification (Alsike often more roughened)

14. Alsike Clover, Trifolium hybridum L.

15. Acknowledgments Referee Participants Debbie Meyer Riad Baalbaki
Referee Committee