EVALUATION OF THE MANIFESTATION OF AGROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERS IN A COLLECTION OF BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL (LOTUS CORNICULATUS L.)

Abstract

The plain grasslandsin Western Romania are real germplasm reservoirs for Birdsfoot trefoil. The Birdsfoot trefoil occupies all the gaps in the natural meadows, where other legumes fail because it has a great capacity to adapt to harsh conditions. Wild Birdsfoot trefoil populations, from the grassland flora, are reservoirs of genes with tolerance to environmental factors, resistance to diseases and pests. In this context, the paper aims to evaluate the genetic potential of some populations of trefoil, obtained from seeds harvested from the spontaneous flora of the plain grasslandsof Western Romania, in terms of important quantitative features, which will have a theoretical basis for obtaining new varieties. Birdsfoot trefoil populations analyzed in the paper come from seed harvested in natural grasslandsin the plains of the Banatregion,in WesternRomania. The seeds were sown in vegetation pots and in the spring of 2019 the plants were transplanted in the field. In this study,all data on the main characteristics analyzed were obtained in the second year of culture (2020).Birdsfoot trefoil analyzed populations fluctuate the studied characters and can be successfully used in breeding programs for creating new varieties. The Lv8population proved promising for its characters: the number of generative shoots per plant, the number of umbels per plant, the number of pods per plant, the number of seeds per plant, and the weight of seeds per plant.In the future, plant breeding will require an expansion of the genetic base to meet the challenges posed by climate change and the need to ensure food security,which requires the use of more local people in raising the productive level of Birdsfoot trefoil culture.