White clover roots cause stolon burial

A large proportion of clover stolon in the field (20- 95%) is found below the soil surface (Hay 1983, Sackville Hamilton & Harper 1989). The proportion increases dramatically through the autumn and is reduced in spring. This pattern of burial has been attributed to earthworm casting and livestock trampling (Hay et al. 1987). In greenhouse experiments we observed that stolons were often held tightly to the soil surface and some nodes on mature stolons were beneath the surface. Three experiments designed to measure downward movement of stolons relative to the soil surface in controlled conditions without trampling or earthworm casting are described. Keywords: roots, stolon burial, Trifolium repens L.