New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts

---

Description and evaluation of serradella (Ornithopus L.) accessions

S. M. FU*
J. G. HAMPTON

Seed Technology Centre
Department of Plant Science
Massey University
Palmerston North, New Zealand

W. M. WILLIAMS

AgResearch Grasslands
Private Bag 11008
Palmerston North, New Zealand

*Present address: Grassland Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Huhehaote, Inner Mongolia, China.

Abstract  Serradella (Ornithopus L.) species are annual forage legumes used in many parts of the world, especially in sandy and infertile dryland areas. One hundred and seven accessions of serradella have been described and evaluated in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Fifty accessions were from a forage germplasm collection in Southwest Europe, whereas the remainder had been introduced to and/or collected from Australia and New Zealand. Four species (O. sativus, O. compressus, O. perpusillus, and O. pinnatus) and one subspecies (O. sativus ssp. isthmocarpus) were identified and accessions are described in terms of their morphological properties and agronomic characters. Morphological properties varied less than agronomic characters. Variations in potentially useful agronomic characters such as length of the vegetative period and days to seed ripening were recorded in some accessions within species. For most accessions, seed multiplication in a glasshouse was successful.

Keywords  serradella; Ornithopus sativus Brot.; O. compressus L.; O. perpusillus L.; O. pinnatus (Miller) Druce.; annual legumes; forage; morphological properties; agronomic characters; accessions

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1994, Vol. 37: 471-479

0028-8233/94/3704-0471 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1994

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (596K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

---

This year's abstracts | Journal home page | All abstracts | Publishing home page