INTRASPECIES POLYMORPHIZM OF GUAR (<i>CYAMOPSIS TETRAGONOLOBA</i> (L.) TAUB.)

Abstract

In Russia, VIR is the only holder of a collection of guar ( Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.) – an annual leguminous plant originating from India and Pakistan and used for forage, green manure and as a vegetable. Since after World War II, it got application as an industrial crop. This leguminous plant has a large endosperm with galactomannan providing guar gum. Variability of morphological traits in guar accessions in the VIR collection was evaluated in protected ground conditions of the Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR in 2017-2019. According to morphological traits description, a method of guar varieties DUS testing was developed. Pod peculiarities provided a basis for differentiating between vegetable and seed/forage guar accessions. The pod size, pod horn length and absence of pubescence were used as the differentiating criteria. On the basis of pod structure, a subdivision of guar into two intraspecific groups, that is the vegetable and grain/forage groups, was suggested. The grain/forage group from Northwestern India and Pakistan demonstrates the traits of wild type, while the vegetable guar has recessive traits, so the former group may be considered as the original one. Dwarf American cultivars represent a separate group of cultivars; yellow-grain cultivars originating from Pakistan and vegetable Australian cultivars from the VIR collection are also distinguished as different morphotypes. A possible intraspecific diversity development of the crop is under discussion.