Herbage and Seed Production of Two Species of Lathyrus L. under Rainfed Condition of Borujerd, Iran

Abstract. Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) has a high potential for forage production in both rangelands and cultivated rainfed areas of Iran. It is well adapted to semi-arid areas of west and north of country where annual rainfall is 250–350 mm. To study the seed and Dry Matter (DM) yield and agronomic traits, six genotypes of Lathyrus sativus L. and two genotypes of Lathyrus inconspicuous L. were provided by Natural Resources Gene Bank and sown in a randomized block design with three replications in rainfed area of Borujerd, Iran during spring 2011 and 2012. Data recorded included stem number per plant, pods number per plant, seed weight per plant, Dry Matter (DM) yield, seed yield, straw yield, 100 grains weight, flowering date, pod emergence date, maturity date and harvest index over two years. Results showed that the genotype 1554 with average values of 9328 kg ha-1 DM yield and 3053 kg ha-1 seed yield could be introduced as a promising genotype for cultivation in rainfed area of Borujerd, Iran. It was concluded that selection for improved grass pea varieties in dry condition should focus on increased DM yield, and grain yield coupled with early flowering, more grains per pod, more pod per plant and heavy seeds