A study of phenotypical diversity in wild narrow-leaved vetch (V. angustifolia L.)

Abstract

About 160 species of the genus Vicia are used for food and forage. In Lithuania, narrow-leaved vetch V. angustifolia L. is considered to be the progenitor of this genus. This species is quite common and grows on various soils, in dry grasslands, forests and in cereal crops as a weed. Nineteen V. angustifolia coenopopulations were investigated in the LUA collection under identical soil and plant management conditions during the period 2001–2003. Morphological plant assessment was based on measurements of stem height, branching point, the number of branches and pods, pod length and width, seed number per pod, 1000 seed weight, air-dried weight per plant. Crude protein content was determined in air-dried mass. A great intercoenopopulation diversity of V. angustifolia was determined. The greatest variation was found in the following parameters: branching, air-dried weight per plant, the number of productive stems. Four groups of vetch earliness were distinguished according to the date of the beginning of flowering. In terms of practical relevance, the group of medium earliness is considered to be the most valuable since it is characterised by the highest leafiness and protein content in air-dried mass. Keywords: V. angustifolia, coenopopulations, biodiversity, ex situ