Multivariate analysis approach to evaluate a germplasm collection of Hedysarum coronarium L.

Autochthonous germplasm collected in Spain (Cadiz and Baleares provinces), Italian ecotypes and cultivated material supplied by a commercial firm were analysed by using a multivariate approach applied to a set of morphological traits. According to these analyses the cultivated material could clearly be separated from the autochthonous germplasm. Variation was observed among the traits studied; Principal Stem Diameter, Leaf Area at Flowering and Susceptibility to Odium were the main trait in grouping and separating ''sulla'' (Hedysarum coronarium L.) entries. A new ecotype (''Tarifa'') could be used in plant breeding as being a source of resistance to Oidium. The multivariate approach appears to be a valid system for germplasm evaluation in ''sulla'' with a higher discriminant capacity than multiple single trait analysis.