B. GROF

Centro International de Agricultura Tropical, Apartado Aereo 6713, Call, Colombia, South America.

Abstract

Studies were conducted in Colombia, South America, to evaluate F₅'s of a cross between Centrosema pubescens Q8216 and C. aff. pubescens Q8998. Earlier generations had displayed segregation in readily discernible morphological characters, but transgressive segregates selected from F₄ families possessed important agronomic characteristics, including greater forage yield, strong stoloniferous root development, and resistance to cercospora leaf spot, other fungal diseases and mosaic leaf virus. These attributes were retained in the F₅ generation. Nine F₅ families grown as spaced plants significantly out-yielded indigenous C. pubescens from Ecuador and Colombia. Two F₅'s also showed superior stolon root development and significantly higher disease resistance than the controls, and these two families were bulked and combined in the F₇ generation to form a new experimental line of C. pubescens.