Impact of morphologic characters in natural resistance of Vicia faba against Aphis fabae

Abstract

Vicia faba is one of the most important leguminous crop in the word. Aphis fabae is considered the most insect pest of this crop. The first aim of the present study was the assessment of the level of resistance of 68 broad bean cultivars against A. fabae in the field. To identify possible relationships between the external of cultivars and their resistance levels, measurements were taken on the stem, foliage, flower, pod, and dry seed of all cultivars. Among 68 cultivars tested, 11 were extremely vulnerable, while 19 of them were resistant. Only the leaflet width and the dry seed weight among all characters differ significantly between the resistant and highly susceptible cultivars. This least had a wider leaflets and a low weight of dry seeds. The taller cultivars had more stems and pods. The longer leaflets were wider. Cultivars with more flowers produce larger pods and a higher dry-seed weight. The resistant cultivars had a narrow leaflet and a high weight of dry seeds with healthy aspects.