GENETIC DIVERSITY IN Lotus corniculatus DETERMINED BY MORPHOLOGIC TRAITS AND RAPDs

Abstract

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) is a widely distributed perennial forage legume species found in temperate regions of Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, and North and South America. It is one of the 100 species composing the complex genus of Lotus. Its nutritious quality is compared to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.), and consumed in fresh do not produce meteorism in livestock; it resists drought and saline soils. An efficient utilization of germplasm collections requires an understanding about range of the variation present. The objectives of this research were to characterize and compare morphological and RAPD classifications of 28 ecologically diverse genotypes from the birdsfoot trefoil collection, and determine the phylogenetic relationship between RAPD and morphological descriptors with ecologic traits of the sites where the genotypes were collected. The genotypes were polymorphic and classified into five groups by using 18 morphologic traits, and into four groups by using 130 polymorphic random amplified polymorphic DNA bands. Morphological similarities among genotypes were related to the general geographic proximities of their collection sites and also with the ecological characteristics of their origin sites. The similarity between their genetic and ecologic classifications suggests that genotypes adapted to similar habitats, even if geographically distant, have acquired similar phenotypes. Therefore, classifications of L. corniculatus L. should rely on both ecogeographic and morphologic characteristics.