GENETIC DIVERSITY OF ECOLOGICAL POPULATIONS OF SOME TRIGONELLA L. SPECIES (FAMILY: LEGUMINOSAE) IN EGYPT

Abstract

The study aims to: a) revise the classification and identification of the taxa of the available Trigonella species in Egypt, on the basis of an extensive array ofcharacters of gross morphology, stem and petiole anatomy, leaflet micromorphology, palynology and seed morphology; b) test Small et al. (1987) hypothesis of excludingof T. polyceratia from the genus Trigonella; c) assess the inter- and intra- specificvariations between the studied taxa in order to provide basic information for evaluating their genetic resources; and d) determine the genetic diversity between different populations of the most widely distributed species, T. maritima andT. stellata, using molecular analysis techniques.