Vicia faba presents a reproductive system with a relatively high frequency of allogamy in each generation. This behaviour is mainly connected with the presence of pollinating insect and a high incidence of proterandric flowers. A Faba bean flower morphology preventing insects visit, associated with high self-fertility, could represent an important advantage for simpler breeding and seed production technologies. An European line, carrying a mutation inducing forced autogamy (closed flower), normally associated with a very low self-fertility, was crossed with an Ethiopian line, with a normal flower, but showing a stable and high level of self fertility. In the F₂ generation the closed flower and the high self-fertility characters recombined and the desired recombinants showed stability in the F₃ and F₄ generations for both forced autogamy and high fertility.

Cited By (since 1996): 2Export Date: 26 August 2010Source: Scopus