Vetches and Grasspea for Hay, Straw and Grain Production in Afghanistan.

Annual legumes such as common vetch (Vicia sativa), narbon vetch (V. narbonensis) and grasspea (Lathyrus sativus) could be used to produce nitrogen-rich hay, or grain and straw to supplement low-quality cereal straw diets, but limited research has been conducted in Afghanistan to identify adapted high-yielding entries. Hay, straw and grain yields of 10 entries of grasspea (445, 476, 519, 527), common vetch (2064, 2556) and narbon vetch (2380, 2383, 2561) introduced from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Syria were evaluated at Baghlan in northern Afghanistan using a local common vetch variety as control. Averaged across years, hay yield ranged from 5.33 t/ha for common vetch entry 2556 to 10.10 t/ha in common vetch 2064. Hay yields of common vetch entry 2064 and narbon vetch entries 2383 and 2561 were greater (P<0.05) than the control. Straw yieldof grasspea entries 445 and 476 were greater (P<0.05) than the control, ranging from 2.21 t/ha in narbon vetch 2561 to 5.16 t/ha for grasspea 445. Grain yield of grasspea entries 445 and 476 and common vetch entry 2064 were higher (P<0.05) than the local variety, ranging from 1.57 t/ha for narbon vetch 2380 to 3.06 t/ha in grasspea 476. Averaged across species, hay yield of the grasspea and narbon vetch entries was greater (P<0.05) than the common vetch; whilst the straw and grain yield of the grasspea lines were higher (P<0.05) than the common and narbon vetch entries. Farmers interested in hay production could grow common vetch entry 2064, narbon vetch entry 25661, 2383 and grasspea; whilst those interested in grain and straw could grow common vetch 2064 and grasspea 445 and 467.