http://http://dspace.unitus.it:80 The DSpace digital repository system captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material. Sun, 19 May 2013 08:44:04 GMT 2013-05-19T08:44:04Z http://hdl.handle.net/2067/1359 Title: Ecogeography of Perennial Legume Collecting Missions in Italy Authors: Russi, Luigi; Bennett, Sarita Jane; Pagnotta, Mario Augusto; Norman, Hayley; Nutt, Brad; Porqueddu, Claudio; Cagiotti, Mauro Roberto; Snowball, Richard; Moore, G. Abstract: An ecogeographic survey was conducted in three regions of Italy in 1999. The three regions selected for the survey were central Italy, Sicily and Calabria, and Sardinia. A total of seventy-nine sites were visited across the three regions in May when the botanical composition of perennial legume species was documented, including recording companion annual species. Detailed ecogeographic information was collected at each site, and soil samples were taken for later laboratory analysis. Climate data for each site were obtained from the Central Bureau of Agricultural Ecology. The sites were revisited in July to collect seed of the perennial species. One hundred and forty-seven legume species were identified, fifty-two of which were perennial. The most common perennial species were Trifolium pratense, T. repens and Lotus corniculatus, and these were also found to be the species with the widest distributions. Species distribution and site variability was analysed using #-rneans clustering. This identified eleven different climate clusters and nine soil clusters. Particularly acid soils were rare. Cross-tabulation of soil and climate clusters resulted in several environment combinations, which could be explained by geography to a limited extent. The results obtained in this study provide useful preliminary information in the search for perennial legumes for the farming systems of southern Australia, particularly in areas with acid soils. Tue, 31 Dec 2002 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2067/1359 2002-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2067/1360 Title: Evaluation of perennial legumes collected in Italy: First year data Authors: Pagnotta, Mario Augusto; Bennett, Sarita Jane; Cocks, Philip S.; Ewing, Mike A.; Howieson, John; Moore, G.; Norman, Hayley; Nutt, Brad; Porqueddu, Claudio; Russi, Luigi; Snowball, Richard Abstract: Ecotype variation was studied between and within different perennial legumes species collected in three Italian regions: Calabria-Sicily, Tuscany-Lathium-Umbria, and Sardinia. The germplasms have been evaluated at the Tuscia University’s experimental field in a randomised block design with two replications, each plot consisted of about 12 plants. Eighteen morphological characters have been evaluated and analysed using analysis of variance, principal components analysis, and discriminant analysis, correlation between morphological characters and edaphic factors of the collection sites were performed. The analyses were run both considering all the species of the trail, and focusing only on the species with more accessions, i.e. Trifolium pratense, Medicago lupulina and Lotus. The major differences were, as expected, between species, but there were also some statistical differences between accessions. There were weak correlations between morphological characters and environmental conditions of the collection site. Considering all the evaluated collection as a whole, the environmental factor with the highest number of correlations was pH; it affected the plant structure (petiole length and internodes), the flowering time and seed production. Some of the species did not flower at all as Astragalus monspessulanus, Trifolium hybridum, and Argyrolobium zanonii. M. lupulina was the earlier species, while Lotus was later beginning to flower in June. Utilizing a discriminant analysis with all the characteristics recorded and the species as a grouping strategy, it was possible to monitor the similarity between species. Some species were very similar as, for example, the clovers and the Lotus, whereas other were sharply different as, for example, Psoralea bituminosa. Tue, 31 Dec 2002 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2067/1360 2002-12-31T23:00:00Z