Abstract Detail

Crops and Wild Relatives

Herron, Sterling [1], Ciotir, Claudia [1], Miller, Allison [1], Van Tassel, David [2], Crews, Timothy [2], Schlautman, Brandon [2].

Comparative analysis of germination, first-year growth, and biomass allocation among annual and perennial congeners in Glycine, Lupinus, Phaseolus (Fabaceae).

Perennial grain crops pose a potential alternative to traditional annual agricultural systems, due to their increased retention of soil and nutrients via extensive root systems. However, perennial herbaceous plants have rarely been domesticated for seed production, and little is known about how selection for increased seed yield and size will affect other plant traits. The legume family (Fabaceae) is an appropriate model system to address these questions due to its long domestication history as a global protein source for humans and livestock and as a source of nitrogen fixation to improve soil fertility. Domestication traits in annual legumes include increased germination rate (decreased seed dormancy) and increased seed size. This study compares congeneric annual and perennial herbaceous legume species within the genera Glycine (soybean; 2 annuals,12 perennials), Lupinus (lupine; 3 annuals, 8 perennials), and Phaseolus (common bean; 2 annuals, 5 perennials). We compared seed size, germination, and first year growth traits to understand variation 1) between wild annual and perennial congeners, 2) between domesticated annual and domesticated perennial congeners, and 3) tradeoffs in root/shoot resource allocation within both annual and perennial domesticates under selection for increased reproductive output. A total of 5900 seeds (representing 303 USDA accessions from different geographic locations) were germinated, and a subset of 1500 germinant seeds were grown out at The Land Institute in Salina, KS from June to September 2016. Seeds were assessed for lateral area, weight, and germination percentage. Plants were assessed for growth rate, stem width, height, node number, aboveground biomass, and belowground biomass. Preliminary results indicate a somewhat higher germination percentage (when scarified) among perennials than annuals, as well as a greater increase in seed size during domestication for some perennials over annuals. Still, higher shoot growth rate in Lupinus and Glycine annual wild species and annual domesticates was typically found when compared to perennials. Multi-year growth trials will need to be established to fully understand the temporal component of yield and growth potential in perennial grain legume candidates.

1 - Saint Louis University, Department of Biology, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63103-2010, USA
2 - The Land Institute, 2440 East Water Well Road, Salina, KS, 67401, USA

Keywords:
perennial grain
legume
Crop Wild Relatives
domestication
annual perennial comparison
sustainable agriculture.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 39, Crops and Wild Relatives
Location: Sundance 2/Omni Hotel
Date: Wednesday, June 28th, 2017
Time: 2:00 PM
Number: 39003
Abstract ID:509
Candidate for Awards:None