Resumen
White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is one of the legume herbages with high feed quality, but it is sensitive to water deficiency. The objectives of this study were to compare morpho-physiological responses to drought stress and post-drought recovery in four-leafed white clover cultivars. Under well-watered conditions, drought stress (3 d, 6 d, 9 d and 12 d), and rehydration, the relative water content (RWC), membrane lipid permeability, osmoregulatory substances, photosynthetic characteristics and stomatal features of Chinese native Longping No.1 (LP, small-leafed) and three introduced cultivars, namely Pudi (PD, small-leafed), Rivendel (RD, medium-leafed) and Koala (KL, large-leafed), were evaluated. Results showed that small-leafed white clover maintained higher RWC and better membrane stability and osmotic regulation with increased drought intensities, compared to the medium-leafed and large-leafed cultivars. Following rewatering, small-leafed white clover recovered more rapidly with all of the parameters than the other cultivars. The increase of drought stress intensity led to the decline of net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (Cs). However, the decreased range of Pn, Tr and Cs in the small-leafed white clover was significantly smaller than that in the medium-leafed and large-leafed white clovers. Meanwhile, the small-leafed white clover showed a smaller size and higher density of stoma either under normal or drought conditions than the intermediate- and large-leafed cultivars. Taken together, the results indicated that the adaptability of small-leafed white clover to drought stresses and post-drought recovery was better than that of medium-leafed and large-leafed white clovers. The study will provide better insights into the mechanism of drought response and recovery potential in different white clover cultivars.