Description and evaluation of serradella(OrnithopusL.) accessions

摘要

Serradella(OrnithopusL.) species are annual forage legumes used in many parts of the world, especially in sandy and infertile dryland areas. One hundred and seven accessions of serradella have been described and evaluated in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Fifty accessions were from a forage germplasm collection in Southwest Europe, whereas the remainder had been introduced to and/or collected from Australia and New Zealand. Four species(O. sativus, O. compressus, O. perpusillus, andO. pinnatus)and one subspecies(O. sativusssp.isthmocarpus)were identified and accessions are described in terms of their morphological properties and agronomic characters. Morphological properties varied less than agronomic characters. Variations in potentially useful agronomic characters such as length of the vegetative period and days to seed ripening were recorded in some accessions within species. For most accessions, seed multiplication in a glasshouse was successful.