Morphological and productive characterization of <i>Macroptilium lathyroides</i> (L.) Urb. native to the semi-arid region of Brazil

Abstract

Fifteen accessions of Macroptilium lathyroides (L.) Urb. were collected in three semi-arid Brazilian municipalities and evaluated to characterize their morphology and yield in a greenhouse for three 60-day growth cycles. In the first two cycles, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, and soil plant analysis development index (SPAD) were estimated, and root dry mass was determined in the third cycle. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance and Kruskall-Wallis test when appropriate. Principal component analysis and clustering were performed for all accessions. Leaf length, leaf number, leaf mass and total aerial mass production differed between accessions and growth cycles. Root dry mass differed between accessions and SPAD index and stem dry mass between growth cycles. The first two principal components (representing 67% of the variation) generated three clusters based on leaf and leaflet length, plant height, and total aerial mass. The variation in plant height, leaf number, and leaf and total aerial mass in all accessions of M. lathyroides indicates that there is merit in collecting further germplasm of this species to support future breeding programs. Access 62F (Bom Jardim) stands out considering most of the morphological and productive.