1National Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Meknes, Research Unit of Plant Breeding and Plant Genetic Resources Conservation, Morocco
*Corresponding Author: Oumaima Chetto, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Meknes, Research Unit of Plant Breeding and Plant Genetic Resources Conservation, Morocco, Email: oumaima.chetto@inra.ma
Online Published on 07 November, 2023.
Faba bean is a crop of agro-ecological and socio-economic importance in Morocco. Thus, in a changing climatic context, it is important to develop varieties that are resilient to several abiotic constraints, such as synthetics. However, the reproductive system must be understood.
We aimed to estimate faba beans outcrossing rate under natural Moroccan conditions, using two varieties, ‘Reina Mora’ and ‘Zina’ and two phenotypic markers, seed coat color and its size and shape, in two contrasted locations, Saïs and Gharb. Varieties were sown in six alternate rows with six seeds per row and three replicates per location. The experiment consisted in counting the number of purple seeds within ‘Zina’s beige offspring. Besides, seeds collected from ‘Reina Mora’ were counted and processed for differences in size and shape. In total, 859 seeds were measured, including their length, width, thickness, geometric diameter, area and sphericity, enabling to distinguish hybrids from parental seeds and self-seeds.
Results showed an average inter-crossing of 3.7% in Saïs and 7.22% in Gharb. A more reliable open-pollination could be achieved by introducing bees and bumblebees colonies as well as using varieties from same geographic gene pools.
Allogamy, Autofertility, Broad bean, Cross-pollination, Synthetics
