Comparative Evaluation of Agronomic Traits in Various Vetch Genotypes

Abstract The present research, “Evaluating the agronomic performance of various vetch genotypes,” was conducted at the Fodder and Forage Crop Section at the National Agricultural Council (NARC), Islamabad, Pakistan. The basic objective of this trial was to compare the yield and related attributes of different vetch varieties in the Pothohar zone. Six different vetch genotypes comprising Koshak, NARC-S1, NARC-S2, NARC-S3, NARC-S4, and NARC-S5 were used as experimental material in this study. All the genotypes were subjected to the same agronomic practices throughout the growth period. The results revealed that the maximum emergence per unit area (58 plants) was found in NARC-S1, while the lowest value (46.7 plants) was observed for NARC-S2. Similarly, based on visual crop stand ranking, NARC-S4 exhibited the best performance (by depicting the highest value) while the lowest was observed for Koshak. Significant variations among the tested genotypes were found as NARC-S3 resulted in the highest fresh weight per plant, while the lowest was recorded for NARC-S1. In terms of dry weight, NARC-S2 revealed the highest value per plant, while the lowest and statistically at par values were found for Koshak and NARC-S1. Both root and shoot lengths of the tested genotypes did not vary significantly. It can be inferred from the findings of this trial that the tested newly developed genotypes varied for some traits and showed similarity for the rest. The existence of genotypic variation can be exploited in the future to develop new ones with better performance in terms of seed emergence, crop stand, and crop biomass accumulation. Similarly, some of these genotypes outclassed the check variety Koshak based on the tested traits, which suggests that these genotypes can be recommended for sowing by farmers in the Pothohar region.