Autogamy and allogamy in genus Lathyrus

Introduction In Tunisia the genus Lathyrus is represented by 15 native species , distributed essentially in marginal environments in the north of the country. Many of them are of considerable agronomic interest as forage (L. ochrus and L. articulatus) and as human food (L. cicera and L. sativus). These species are under utilised and in the past little effort has been made to expand the selection and breeding of Lathyrus as a food crop. However, many Lathyrus species have potential as an alternative pulse in many cropping systems as they are tolerant to low rainfall conditions. Research is now being conducted to address aspects of improvement of some species such as L. sativus, including reducing concentrations of the neurotoxin β-N-oxalyl-L-α, βdiaminopropanoic acid (ODAP) in the seed, introducing insect and disease resistance, and increasing yield .