STUDY OF PHENOTYPIC VARIABILITY OF Vicia faba GERMPLASM BY USING OF VARIETAL DIVERSITY IN MONO-CROPPING AND INTERCROPPING SYSTEMS

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic variability of Vicia faba germplasm by using varietal diversity in identifying genotypes with morpho-productive traits, disease and pest resistance, weed infestation, which can be used as a model in the development of genetic mixtures in integrated management practices for environmentally friendly, diseases, pests and weeds. Productivity, disease and pest descriptors at 50 Vicia faba genotypes of different biological status (10 obsolete cultivars, 30 local populations, 10 inbreed lines), were determined, by testing in intercropping experiments with small grain cereals and mono-cropping, in two different climatic years under the northeastern part of Romania conditions. The statistical estimators resulting from the unidirectional Anova analysis determined in mono-cropping and intercropping systems a hierarchy of heterogeneity of local populations for productivity traits and degree of attack of faba bean weevil (Bruchus rufimanus) and ascochyta blight (Ascochyta fabae) on seeds, for incidence of micromycete Uromyces viciae fabae and of aphids Aphys fabae in intercropping system. There was a weak competition of Vicia faba species, regarding the presence of weeds compared to small grains cereals variants and potentially beneficial for nitrogen symbiotic fixation by increasing oat productivity, in two years of intercropping with faba bean. By using Euclidean distance and Pearson correlation, in classification of genotypes and morpho-productive traits, diseases and pest in clusters from dendograms, similarities were highlighted between productivity and its components and between attacks to diseases and pests and dissimilarities between genotypes, members cluster three with phenotypic variability with maximum values of productivity traits and minimum attacks to disease and pest resistance compared to the other two clusters with possibilities for use in the development of genetic mixtures programs.