The Determination of Botanical Properties of Forage Kochia Population Grown in Konya Conditions

Abstract
Adverse soil and environmental factors cause a decrease in pasture yield in our country. Shrub species are given importance in breeding studies carried out in order to increase the yield in marginal pastures in the world. Forage kochia (Kochia prostrata), which is a naturally growing and semi-shrub in Turkey's flora, shows tolerance to adverse soil and climatic conditions. This research was established in Konya in October 2017 according to the Randomized Complete Block Design with 4 replications. In the research, the morphological and yield values of the forage kochia populations collected from 5 different locations in Konya (i.e., Karapınar Kartal Kayaları, Bahri Dağdaş I.A.R.I, Campus Beltway-Selçuklu, Ardıçlı Rural- Selçuklu, and S.U.F.A. Forage Kochia Demonstration Garden) were examined during 2018-2019. We investigated the blooming time (Scoring), plant height (cm), canopy diameter (cm), number of branch, stem diameter (mm), shape of habitus (Scoring), leaf length (mm), leaf width (mm), color of anther and stigma (Scoring), fodder yield per plant (g) and hay yield per plant (g). In this study, the Campus Beltway- Selçuklu Population (3P) bloomed the earliest in this area between the end of August and early September (Score 5,36). Among the forage kochia populations showing semi-decumbent habitus (Score 7,05-7,63) the Karapınar Kartal Kayaları Population (1P) had the highest yield potential regarding plant height (i.e., 46,63 cm), canopy diameter (i.e., 50,50 cm), fodder yield per plant (i.e., 112 g), and hay yield per plant (i.e., 45,28 g). In line with the findings obtained in the study, while the Karapınar Kartal Kayaları Population (1P) and the Campus Beltway- Selçuklu Population (3P) stand out in terms of yield and yield components. These results show us that each population is a valuable gene resource in plant breeding for pasture improvement.