Seed yields and biochemical compounds of grasspea (<i>Lathyrus sativus</i> L.) lines grown in semi-arid regions of Turkey

Abstract

Grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is adapted to a wide range of ecological conditions and grow under rainfed conditions. The objective of this study is to investigate the seed yields of grasspea lines and biochemical compounds of seeds grown under rainfed conditions in semi-arid regions of Turkey. Five  grasspea lines were obtained from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) (38, 439, 452, 455 and 463). Field experiments were designed based on randomized block design with three replications during the growing seasons of 2004/05 and 2005/06. Seed yields, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), crude fat (CF) and amino acid (aa) contents of grasspea lines were determined. The seed yields ranged from 1079 to 1583 kg.ha^-1, CP content varied from 24.19 to 27.44%, ADF from 5.24 to 7.35%, NDF from 10.18 to 13.55% and CF content from 3.22 to 5.07% based on two-year averages of the experiment.

Key words: Grasspea, crude protein content, neutral detergent fiber content, amino acid.