Morphological Identification of some Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Genotypes

Twenty faba bean genotypes were evaluated at Faculty of Agriculture's farm, Cairo University, during 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons to assess their morphological traits using UPOV descriptors. The genotypes exhibited wide phenotypic variability across all evaluated traits. For vegetative traits, C5 recorded the greatest plant height, whereas C25 produced the shortest plants. The highest number of stems per plant was observed in C4, C5, C30, inb207, inb208, and inb337, while inb266 and inb319 exhibited the lowest values. G429 had the longest leaflet, while inb208 showed the shortest. Regarding reproductive traits, C49 produced the highest number of flowers per plant, whereas inb266 recorded the lowest. G716 outperformed all others in the number of pods, while inb319 produced the fewest. For pod dimensions, C4 had longest and widest pods, whereas inb284 produced short and narrow pods. Seed evaluation revealed that C5 and C4 recorded highest 100-seed weight, while inb284 and inb398 had the lowest. Seed shapes ranged from flattened to angular and round, with flattened seeds being the most common. G716, G843, and C30 exhibited desirable round, cream/yellow seeds, whereas darker testa colors appeared in inb207, inb266, and inb337. Qualitative traits indicated strong stem anthocyanin pigmentation in inb266 and inb387, while C5, C25, and C30 lacked pigmentation. Early flowering was observed in C4, C5, M3, and G716, whereas inb207, inb208, and inb284 were late. Overall, C5, C30, 206, C49, and G716 were superior across several agronomic and seed traits, making them promising candidates for breeding programs targeting higher productivity and improved seed quality.