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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Dairy Forage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413350
Research Project: Developing Sustainable Forage and Cover Crop Systems for Dairy Farms

Location: Dairy Forage Research

Title: United States hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) germplasm contains two subpopulations

Author
item Tilhou, Neal
item Kissing Kucek, Lisa
item Mirsky, Steven
item REBERG-HORTON, CHRIS - North Carolina State University
item MOORE, VIRGINIA - Cornell University
item EHLKE, NANCY - University Of Minnesota
item Riday, Heathcliffe

Submitted to: North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/2024
Publication Date: 6/24/2024
Citation: Tilhou, N.W., Kucek, L.K., Mirsky, S.B., Reberg-Horton, C., Moore, V., Ehlke, N., Riday, H. 2024. United States hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) germplasm contains two subpopulations. North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference. June 24-26, 2024.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.) is a promising legume cover crop for the northern United States. Recent genomic data and subsequent literature reviews indicate that two morphologically similar but agronomically distinct subpopulations exist within hairy vetch germplasm. We used a panel of single sequence repeat (SSR) markers to assign hairy vetch cultivars and breeding materials to two subpopulations and found that many commercial cultivars are distinct from commonly accepted V. villosa. Based on an elastic net model trained with multi-site trial results from over 55 site-years, the outlier subpopulation (smooth vetch) has superior biomass accumulation in the south-central United States and regions of the Pacific Northwest where cover crop seed production occurs. Specifically, smooth vetch has superior biomass relative to hairy vetch at sites with mild winters, cool spring temperatures, high sand, or low clay soils. Despite these advantages, smooth vetch has poor winter survival and reduced biomass in the northern United States. Differentiating these subpopulations will greatly improve agronomic outcomes and accelerate ongoing breeding efforts for V. villosa as a cover crop.