LOTUS-CORNICULATUS CLASSIFICATION BY SEED GLOBULIN POLYPEPTIDES AND RELATIONSHIP TO ACCESSION PEDIGREES AND GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN

The birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) accessions from the Nati onal Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) have not been systematically evalua ted to determine the genetic relationships of individuals or groups of similar accessions. This study was done to classify and determine the diversity of a collection of birdsfoot trefoil accessions using high salt-soluble globulin polypeptides (SGPP) and to compare their classif ication with geographic and ecological distribution, morphology, and k nown accession pedigrees. Seeds of 128 plant introductions, germplasms , and cultivars that represented a wide-range of geographic regions an d collection site ecological habitats were analyzed for SGPPs. The acc essions were grouped into five major classes based on 13 protein bands ranging in molecular weights from 23.1 to 65.3 kDa. Seventy-nine perc ent of the accessions were placed into two major classes with subclass differences due to collection from either highland or lowland ecoregi on sites. Sixteen percent of the accessions were placed in a third cla ss and a limited number of accessions were placed into two distinct mi nor classes that exhibited atypical birdsfoot trefoil morphology. Appr oximately 79% of the cultivars and germplasms from North and South Ame rican and Europe have been selected from a limited base of genetic res ources found in the two major classes. Few improved cultivars or germp lasms have been developed from materials similar to accessions found i n Class 3 (18%), Class 4 (3%), and Class 5 (0%). Using established wor ld ecoregion descriptions greatly assisted with the interpretation of the SGPP classification and provided a useful approach that should app ly to other germplasm collections.