KICHEVA, P. and S. ANGELOVA, 2006. Study on the productive potential of some Vicia L. species. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 12: 29-34 The great plasticity and adaptation of vetch species, their high protein content (19-35 %), as well as the possibilities for their introduction as alternative crops provoke the interest of many scientists in this field from the beginning of the last century (Tupikova, 1926; Muratova, 1926; Maxted, 1995). According to Houerou (1985) the vetch species have an enormous potential as legume crops for dry areas. A total of 19 species of the genus Vicia (including Vicia faba) are cultivated all over the world mainly for forage, grain and as a green manure crops (Enneking, 1995). A few annual vetch species are cultivated in our country – mainly common vetch V. sativa and occasionally bitter vetch (V. ervilia), hairy vetch (V. villosa) and Hungarian vetch (V. pannonica). From the perennial species with a certain economic importance is V. tenuifolia, which has been used from its natural habitats in the Eastern Rhodope mountain (Terziiski, 1986). There are few attempts for introducing promising wild vetch species as alternative crops or as a breeding material in Bulgaria (Koeva et al., 2002; Kicheva, 2003; Terziiski, 1986). The main aim of the study is to establish the economic suitability of different promising annual vetch species, stored in the genebank of IPGR-Sadovo as well as the possibilities for their utilization as alternative forage crops.
