Forum:

cover crops

Hungarian Vetch - Vicia pannonica

pollinator

Posts: 184

Location: Colrain, MA, USA (5a - ~1,000' elev.)

posted 4 years ago

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Said to be very cold hardy and low in seed toxins. Has anyone grown it as a cover crop? Fed the seed to poultry? Does anyone have seed to distribute?

"Hungarian vetch is native to eastern Europe and Caucasus and is well adapted to severe winter cold. The cultivation of this
species is expanding rapidly in Turkey, replacing less productive Vicia spp. (Sabanci pers. comm.). Adapted to heavy soils it
tolerates poorly drained soils better than other vetches (Duke 1981). The species has distinct promise as a grain crop as
relatively non shattering lines are available. Similar to V. villosa it is an outbreeding species where fertilisation and fruit set can
be increased by visits of pollinators (Zhang & Mosjidis 1995). Like all vetches, its main uses have been for hay and green
manure. In Moldavia, Avedeni (1989), found lines with high cold tolerance, high biomass, seed weight, seed yield and protein
content. ICARDA is focussing on the selection of genotypes with higher harvest index, reduced shattering and resistance to
Ascochyta blight. Progress has been rapid and several lines have produced seed and biological yields equal to the best V. sativa
lines with seed yields of 1372 kg/ha recorded at Tel Hadya, Syria.
The species is extremely low in known vetch toxins (canavanine, beta cyano-alanine) in two samples examined. Bell &
Tirimanna (1965) found low levels of VA3, recently identified as GEC [= gamma glutamyl - S ethenyl -cysteine](Enneking et al., 1998) in the seeds of this species but the
seed is certainly worth testing by monogastric bioassay to assess its performance. Coupled with its resistance to extreme cold
it is a potentially a very valuable feed, if not a food grain, and deserving of a greater breeding effort."
Francis, C. M.; Enneking, D.; Abd El Moneim, A. (1999) When and where will vetches have an impact as grain legumes? In: Knight,
R. (ed.) Linking Research and Marketing Opportunities for Pulses in the 21st Century. Proceedings of theThird International Food Legume
Research Conference, Adelaide 1997 . Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture. Vol. 34. Kluwer Academic Publishers ,
Dordrecht/Boston/London, pp. 671-683

USA Introduced range by state.
New England county range: https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/vicia/pannonica/
Pictures (There are cream-colored and purple-colored flower types) https://identify.plantnet.org/afn/species/Vicia%20pannonica%20Crantz/data
Brian
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P.S. Available to Europe from an Irish firm: https://www.fruithillfarm.com/seeds-and-propagation/green-manures-cover-crops/bulk-winter-green-manures/organic-hungarian-vetch.html
And from: https://www.continentalsemences.com/en/vicia-pannonica/487/

Ryan M Miller

pollinator

Posts: 431

Location: Dayton, Ohio

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posted 3 years ago

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This year, I'm experimenting with common vetch (Vicia sativa) as a cover crop because it's easier to grow than fava beans (Vicia faba) in my climate in Ohio and it seems to be the next best thing to fava beans. So far, none of the plants have died yet and temperatures often drop to -10°F where I live in winter. This species of vetch has also naturalized in large parts of North America, including Ohio and Massachusetts, so It seems well adapted to my climate. I plan on letting some portion of the cover crop go to seed to use for next year, so I might have some seed to share with you by May of this year.

I have never heard about Hungarian vetch until your initial post here on this thread since this plant is not featured in the Plants for a Future database online, but I will gladly try this plant out as a cover crop if it performs better than common vetch in my climate; tastes as good; and I can find a source of seeds.

Mandrake...takes on and holds the influence
of the devil more than other herbs because of its similarity
to a human. Whence, also, a person’s desires, whether good
or evil, are stirred up through it...
-Hildegard of Bingen, Physica

Ryan M Miller

pollinator

Posts: 431

Location: Dayton, Ohio

129

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posted 3 years ago

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It seems that the USDA germplasm database might have seed for this plant available in a few accessions, but I have never obtained seeds through them before:
https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/search

Ryan M Miller

pollinator

Posts: 431

Location: Dayton, Ohio

129

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posted 3 years ago

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Brian Cady wrote: Progress has been rapid and several lines have produced seed and biological yields equal to the best V. sativa
lines with seed yields of 1372 kg/ha recorded at Tel Hadya, Syria.
The species is extremely low in known vetch toxins (canavanine, beta cyano-alanine) in two samples examined.

The fact that this plant has lower toxins than common vetch and has yields comparable to common vetch suggests this plant has high potential as an alternative food crop. I'll try to acquire some seeds of this plant species by Fall of this year.

Brian Cady

pollinator

Posts: 184

Location: Colrain, MA, USA (5a - ~1,000' elev.)

posted 3 years ago

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Ryan M Miller wrote:
The fact that this plant has lower toxins than common vetch and has yields comparable to common vetch suggests this plant has high potential as an alternative food crop. I'll try to acquire some seeds of this plant species by Fall of this year.

I'm trying to import an expensive little packet from France.

Morfydd St. Clair

pollinator

Posts: 365

Location: Hamburg, Germany

120

posted 3 years ago

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Brian Cady wrote:

Ryan M Miller wrote:
The fact that this plant has lower toxins than common vetch and has yields comparable to common vetch suggests this plant has high potential as an alternative food crop. I'll try to acquire some seeds of this plant species by Fall of this year.

I'm trying to import an expensive little packet from France.

What's your source in France? I'd be interested in looking at it in Germany.

Brian Cady

pollinator

Posts: 184

Location: Colrain, MA, USA (5a - ~1,000' elev.)

posted 3 years ago

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Morfydd St. Clair wrote:

Brian Cady wrote:

Ryan M Miller wrote:
The fact that this plant has lower toxins than common vetch and has yields comparable to common vetch suggests this plant has high potential as an alternative food crop. I'll try to acquire some seeds of this plant species by Fall of this year.

I'm trying to import an expensive little packet from France.

What's your source in France? I'd be interested in looking at it in Germany.

There's a Germany source: https://www.dsv-seeds.com/cover-crops/terralife/terrafile-components/hungarian-vetch.html
As well as an Italian: https://www.continentalsemences.com/en/vicia-pannonica/487/
And an Irish source: https://www.fruithillfarm.com/seeds-and-propagation/green-manures-cover-crops/bulk-winter-green-manures/organic-hungarian-vetch.html

The Irish source exports to Europe, but not North America.

Brian
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Brian Cady

pollinator

Posts: 184

Location: Colrain, MA, USA (5a - ~1,000' elev.)

posted 3 years ago

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Morfydd St. Clair wrote:

Brian Cady wrote:

Ryan M Miller wrote:
The fact that this plant has lower toxins than common vetch and has yields comparable to common vetch suggests this plant has high potential as an alternative food crop. I'll try to acquire some seeds of this plant species by Fall of this year.

I'm trying to import an expensive little packet from France.

What's your source in France? I'd be interested in looking at it in Germany.

Morfydd, to answer your question directly, as I should have, I ordered from B & T World Seeds.

Brian
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Morfydd St. Clair

pollinator

Posts: 365

Location: Hamburg, Germany

120

posted 3 years ago

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Brian Cady wrote:

Morfydd St. Clair wrote:

Brian Cady wrote:

Ryan M Miller wrote:
The fact that this plant has lower toxins than common vetch and has yields comparable to common vetch suggests this plant has high potential as an alternative food crop. I'll try to acquire some seeds of this plant species by Fall of this year.

I'm trying to import an expensive little packet from France.

What's your source in France? I'd be interested in looking at it in Germany.

Morfydd, to answer your question directly, as I should have, I ordered from B & T World Seeds.

Brian
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Thank you for the sources, Brian!

Brian Cady

pollinator

Posts: 184

Location: Colrain, MA, USA (5a - ~1,000' elev.)

posted 3 years ago

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Morfydd St. Clair wrote:

Brian Cady wrote:

Morfydd St. Clair wrote:

Brian Cady wrote:
I'm trying to import an expensive little packet from France.

What's your source in France? I'd be interested in looking at it in Germany.

Morfydd, to answer your question directly, as I should have, I ordered from B & T World Seeds.
Brian
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Well, I gave up ordering through B & T World Seeds - neither one of us knew how to deal with the USDA import restrictions, which require Vicia seed treatment for Bruchidae seed beetles.
Brian
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Oh. Hi guys! Look at this tiny ad:

permaculture and gardener gifts (stocking stuffers?)

https://permies.com/wiki/permaculture-gifts-stocking-stuffers