Multivariate analysis of the Vicia sativa L. aggregate

GIL, J. & CUBERO, J. I., 1993. Multivariate analysis of the Vicia sativa L. aggregate . The sativa group of species was studied by using multivariate analysis and karyological analysis. Thirty biometrical characters were studied by using 92 Vicia sativa L. accessions from a variety of geographical sources. The four main taxa analysed were: sativa, macrocarpa, cordata and angustifolia. Principal component analysis provided clear separation among sativa, cordata and angustifolia in terms of the first two components. Karyotype analysis confirmed the PCA results, and by combining both methods, misclassed specimens can be correctly determined. Cluster analyses using the characters which displayed the greatest loads over the first components were performed in order to identify the most valuable characters from the taxonomic point of view. These were flower length, calyx length, pod width, constriction of the pod between seeds, leaf length, leaflet width, seed length and seed width. Our results suggest an early separation of angustifolia from the ancestral stem. The taxon cordata may be useful in future plant breeding programmes not only for crossing with V. saliva to increase the leaflet size of this taxon, but also as a bridge species between sativa and angustifolia.