Hay yield and quality of different grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) genotypes

A member of the Fabaceae, grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) has a short vegetation time and is highly drought-tolerant. The grass pea is important in terms of animal nutrition, animal health with yield and quality of animal products. This study aimed to determine the hay yield and quality of different grass pea genotypes. The twelve grass pea genotypes (Gap Mavisi, İptaş, Karadağ, 1603, 2006, 2401, 4301, 4403, 5001, 6408, 6410 and S3) were used in the study. The experiment was conducted under the ecological conditions of Bilecik for a period of 2 years (2022 and 2023) and 3 repetitions in the Randomized Block Design. The plant height, hay yield, crude protein ratio, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), mineral contents (K, P, Ca, and Mg), crude ash ratio, condensed tannin, total flavonoid, total phenolic, radical scavenging activity (DPPH), total alkaloid, and ODAP (N-oxalyl-L-alpha, beta-diamino propionic acid) contents were determined in this study. According to two-year results, genotypes hay yield ranged between 3.00-4.55 t ha-1. The highest crude protein ratio was determined in 1603 (%19.44), 2006 (%20.00), 2401 (%19.82), and 6410 (%19.28) genotypes. The condensed tannin content of the genotypes was 1.03-1.40%, total phenolic content was 48.99-66.79 mg GA g-1, total flavonoid content was 47.02-62.65 mg GA g-1, and DPPH content was between 47.25-62.51%. The populations of 2006 (2.20 mg g-1), 2401 (2.00 mg g-1), 5001 (1.32 mg g-1), and 6408 (1.77 mg g-1) were at the desired level in terms of ODAP content. As a result of this study, which was carried out to determine the forage yield and some quality traits of 12 grass pea genotypes under rain-dependent conditions, there was no difference in hay yield between the genotypes, while the quality traits helped determine the prominent genotype(s) in the ecology where the study was conducted. Accordingly, the 2006, 2401, 5001 and 6408 populations have shown superior performance compared to other genotypes in terms of forage quality and seem promising for the region. Besides, these prominent populations can also be evaluated as breeding material.