# Phenotypic, Genetic, and Metabolite Variability among Genotypes of _Vicia sativa_ L.
## 4 Discussion
Varieties with low 100 SW produce more seeds/plants; however, large seeds are considered as more tolerant for plant emergence and can survive under stress conditions [57]. No genetic variation was observed for the CS of the flower (color of standard petal), where the predominant color was medium violet. It seems that violet is the most common color of the standard petal in the European varieties of _Vicia sativa_, as according to [PERSON] et al. [58], a violet to purple color of the standard petal was predominant in 80% among 44 accessions of _Vicia sativa_ from different European regions and countries. According to the PCA, a significant percentage (63.1%) of the total variation was explained by the two main components, while the contribution of each genotype in the total variation ranged from 31% (M-6900) to 5% (BK-45). Therefore, the morphological traits used herein proved rather effective in discriminating the studied genotypes and revealing the phenotypic diversity and could be suggested as quite reliable indices in breeding programs. The genetic analysis of the common vetch is mainly focused on SSR molecular markers [5; 32; 55], EST-SSR [21], RAPDs [59], and AFLPs [60]. According to the results of the present study, 55.2% of the alleles were polymorphic. This percentage is lower than that of a combination of SRAP and ISSR markers (82.01%) [12], RAPD markers (94%) [59], and URPs markers (73.5%) [61]. However, the experiment conducted by [PERSON] et al. [6] revealed substantial genetic variation in the common vetch populations based on the DNA products amplified from the five chosen SCoT primers, with 100% of polymorphic loci. These findings indicate that differences in the genetic information of different common vetch populations could be attributed not only to the corresponding sampling size and the geographical origin of the studied populations but also to the careful selection of the most informative primers. Nevertheless, the authors highlighted that when it comes to molecular-assisted breeding, SCoT markers are more advantageous than other molecular markers like SSR, AFLP, and SSAP because of their ease of use, cost affordability, and abundance of polymorphisms. The same high results were reported for other species of the genus _Vicia_ for SSR markers (99%) [62]. A high proportion (81%) of SCoT genetic variation was observed. Similarly, [PERSON] et al. [55] showed that most of the SSR genetic diversity was recorded within 545 accessions of _V. sativa_ all over the world. The common vetch, as an annual forage legume, usually undergoes self-pollination. Following population genetics principles for species with distinct breeding systems, one would anticipate a relatively abundant genetic diversity within the common vetch species. This diversity is likely attributed to the trait of strictly closed pollination in the common vetch [6]. According to [PERSON] et al. [63], even if _V. sativa_ is being characterized as a strictly self-pollinated plant, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [64] reported findings that reveal that various _Vicia_ species originating from the same source were clustered together, suggesting the possibility that _Vicia_ may also undergo cross-pollination. Different factors such as mating system, gene flow, population size, selection, etc., influence the genetic diversity flow between populations, thus reducing the genetic variation between populations [20]. On the other hand, the fact that it is an annual plant results in higher genetic variation within the population. According to the UPGMA cluster analysis and PCoA, the studied genetic materials were genetically distinguishable, especially the populations BK45 and BK27. According to the UPGMA cluster analysis and PCoA, the population BK23 showed a high genetic similarity to commercial varieties (M-6900 and BI-65), which is a finding that is also supported by the Nei's genetic distance values. Additionally, these findings are in accordance with the STRUCTURE analysis.