An Integrative Review of the Genus Onobrychis: Biological Characteristics, Economic Importance, and Multilevel Taxonomic Tools
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18110294Keywords:
Onobrychis, Taxonomy, Morphology, Cytogenetics, Economic importance, PhenologyAbstract
The genus Onobrychis is a plant genus comprising many important forage species cultivated in different regions of the world, particularly for their good forage quality, drought resistance, and contribution to sustainable agriculture. This review summarizes general information about the biological characteristics, economic importance, and taxonomic structure of the genus by combining different approaches. First, the growth conditions and phenology of Onobrychis species are discussed. Morphological characteristics commonly used to identify and separate species are examined, along with recent changes in the genus's classification and newly added species. Cytogenetic studies, such as chromosome number, karyotype analysis, and genome size differences, are presented to illustrate how they aid in understanding the relationships among species. The use of other tools, including DNA markers and phylogenetic analyses, is also described, particularly in addressing taxonomic problems where morphology alone is insufficient. Recent advances in genomic techniques are also discussed, as they provide more detailed information about genetic diversity and support more accurate taxonomic decisions. Overall, this review brings together information from morphology, cytogenetics, molecular biology, and genomics to provide an up-to-date overview of the genus Onobrychis. The aim is to provide a clear and useful overview for researchers studying this group and those interested in its agricultural and economic value.
References
Tan M, Serin Y. Agricultural characteristics, economic importance, taxonomies and general structural features of legume forage crops. In: Forages (Legume Forage Crops), Vol 2. Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs General Directorate of Agricultural Production and Development; 2009:277-289
Kuete V, Viertel K, Efferth T. Antiproliferative Potential of African Medicinal Plants. In: Kuete V, ed. Medicinal Plant Research in Africa. Elsevier; 2013:711-724. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-405927-6.00018-7
Ahmad A, Anwar F, Hira S. Review on Medicinal Importance of Fabaceae Family. Pharmacol OnLine. 2016;3:151-157
Simpson MG. Diversity and Classification of Flowering Plants: Eudicots. In: Simpson MG, ed. Plant Systematics (Second Edition). Academic Press; 2010:275-448. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-374380-0.50008-7
Aktoklu E. Revision of Onobrychis Miller (Fabaceae) species grown in Turkey. PhD Thesis. İnönü University, 1995.
Okcu M. Identification of wild sainfoins (Onobrychis spp.) in Eastern Anatolia region and determination of their some characteristics. PhD thesis. Atatürk University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences; 2009.
Carbonero CH, Mueller-Harvey I, Brown TA, Smith L. Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia): a beneficial forage legume. Plant Genet Resour. 2011;9(1):70-85. doi:10.1017/S1479262110000328
Yildiz B, Çiplak B, Aktoklu E. Fruit morphology of sections of the genus Onobrychis miller (fabaceae) and its phylogenetic implications. Isr J Plant Sci. 1999;47(4):269-282. doi:10.1080/07929978.1999.10676784
Hayot Carbonero C, Carbonero F, Smith LMJ, Brown TA. Phylogenetic characterisation of Onobrychis species with special focus on the forage crop Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. Genet Resour Crop Evol. 2012;59(8):1777-1788. doi:10.1007/s10722-012-9800-3
Amirahmadi A, Kazempour-Osaloo S, Kaveh A, Maassoumi AA, Naderi R. The phylogeny and new classification of the genus Onobrychis (Fabaceae-Hedysareae): evidence from molecular data. Plant Syst Evol. 2016;302(10):1445-1456. doi:10.1007/s00606-016-1343-1
Sirjaev G. Onobrychis generis revisio critica. Publ Fac Sci Univ Masaryk. 1925;56:96-97.
Akhani H. Flora Iranica: Facts and figures and a list of publications by K. H. Rechinger on Iran and adjacent areas. Rostaniha. 2006;7:19-61.
Mohsen HHS, Nasab MZ. Cytotaxonomy of some Onobrychis (Fabaceae) species and populations in Iran. Caryologia. 2010;63(1):18-31. doi:10.1080/00087114.2010.589705
Kaveh A, Kazempour-Osaloo S, Amirahmadi A, Maassoumi A, Schneeweiss GM. Systematics of Onobrychis sect. Heliobrychis (Fabaceae): morphology and molecular phylogeny revisited. Plant Syst Evol. 2019;305(1):33-48. doi:10.1007/s00606-018-1549-5
Ranjbar M, Karamian R, Afsari S. Meiotic chromosome number and behaviour of Onobrychis avajensis (Fabaceae): a new species from western Iran. Plant Ecol Evol. 2010;143(2):170-175. doi:10.5091/plecevo.2010.431
Semnani SN, Majd A, Ghassempour H, Lesani SN, Javar N. Pollen Morphology of the Genera Onobrychis (Hedysareae, Fabaceae) in Iran. Journal of Applied Biological Sciences, 2014:6.
Amirabadizadeh H, Jafari A, Mahmoodzadeh H. Comparative morphology, anatomy and palynological studies of perennial species of Onobrychis (Fabaceae) in northeast Iran. Nord J Bot. 2015;33(2):159-169. doi:10.1111/njb.00580
International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS). ILDIS. 2022. https://ildis.org/cgi-bin/Araneus.pl?version~10.01. Accessed October 10, 2022
Amirahmadi A, Khoshsokhan M. Molecular and morphological evidence of Onobrychis avanakensis, a new species from Iran. Phytotaxa. 2021; 487:75-82. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.487.1.6
Polhill RM. Advances in Legume Systematics. Kew R Bot Gard. 1981;Part 1.
Teki̇n M, Yilmaz G. Comparative Root and Stem Anatomy of Four Rare Onobrychis Mill. (Fabaceae) Taxa Endemic in Turkey. Not Sci Biol. 2015;7(3):308-312. doi:10.15835/nsb739595
HealthyHay Project | Legume Plus. https://cotswoldseeds.com/legumeplus-healthyhay-project.asp. Accessed December 5, 2022.
Mora Ortiz M, Smith LMJ. Onobrychis viciifolia; a comprehensive literature review of its history, etymology, taxonomy, genetics, agronomy and botany. Plant Genet Resour. 2018;16(5):403-418. doi:10.1017/S1479262118000230
Kök A. General structural (morphological) characteristics of legumes feed plants. Part 1: Vegetative features. 2019:1-120.
Wijekoon C, Acharya SN, Siow YL, Sura S, Thandapilly S, Sabra A. Canadian sainfoin and fenugreek as forage and functional foods. Crop Sci. 2021;61(1):1-20. doi:10.1002/csc2.20280
Bhattarai S, Coulman B, Biligetu B. Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.): renewed interest as a forage legume for western Canada. Can J Plant Sci. 2016;96(5):748-756. doi:10.1139/cjps-2015-0378
Mora-Ortiz M, Smith LMJ. Onobrychis viciifolia ; a comprehensive literature review of its history, etymology, taxonomy, genetics, agronomy and botany. Plant Genet Resour Charact Util. 2018;16(5):403-418. doi:10.1017/S1479262118000230
Açıkgöz A. Forage Crops. 2001.
Deveci M, Sıralı R, Cınbırtoğlu Ş. The Importance Of Sainfoin (Onobrychis sp.) Cultivation For Beekeeping. Arıcılık Araştırma Dergisi. 2012;8(2):16-19.
Okcu M, Şengül S. A study on the determination of the morphological, Yield and quality characteristics of some sainfoin species (Onobrychis spp.) native to East Anatolia. Pak J Bot. 2014; 46:1837-1842.
Wang Y, McAllister TA, Acharya S. Condensed Tannins in Sainfoin: Composition, Concentration, and Effects on Nutritive and Feeding Value of Sainfoin Forage. Crop Sci. 2015;55(1):13-22. doi:10.2135/cropsci2014.07.0489
Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). Agricultural statistics database. https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Kategori/GetKategori?p=tarim-111&dil=1. Accessed November 6, 2022.
Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). Agricultural statistics database. https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Kategori/GetKategori?p=tarim-111. Accessed September 11, 2025.
Karabulut E, Erkoç K, Acı M, et al. Sainfoin (Onobrychis spp.) crop ontology: supporting germplasm characterization and international research collaborations. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2023; 14:1177406. doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1177406.
Akçelik. Bazı yabani korunga (Onobrychis sp.) türlerinin kromozom sayılarının tespit ve karyotip analizi (MS Thesis, Ankara University, Institute of Science, Ankara).
Avci IE, Erayman M, Sancak C. Analysis of onobrychis genetic diversity using SSR markers from related legume species. J Anim Plant Sci. 2014;24:556-566.
Bhattarai S. 1989. Characterization of Diverse Germplasm of Sainfoin (Onobrychis Viciifolia Scop.) Using Agro-Morphological Traits and AFLP Molecular Markers. Thesis. University of Saskatchewan; 2017. Accessed January 9, 2022. https://harvest.usask.ca/handle/10388/7977
Altindal D, Altindal N. Allelopathic effects of olive oil mill wastewater (omw) on sainfoin (Onobrychis Viciifolia Scop.) germination. Uluslar Tarım Orman ve Yaşam Bilim Derg. 2018;2(2):87-92.
Dumanoğlu Z, Çaçan E, Kökten K. A Research on Determination of Physical Properties of Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) Genotypes Seeds. J Anatol Environ Anim Sci. 2021;6:18-24. doi:10.35229/jaes.802858
Demdoum S. Caracterización agronómica, genética y composición química de una colección de variedades de esparceta. Ph.D. Thesis. Universitat de Lleida; 2012. Accessed October 17, 2022. http://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/124106
McGregor SE. Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 1976.
Hedge IC. Onobrychis Adans. In: Davis PH, ed. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands. Vol 3. Edinburgh, Scotland: University Press; 1970:560-589.
Zarrabian M, Dehkordi AN, Ehtemam MH, Majidi MM. Relationships of Worldwide Onobrychis species: from seed & pod morphology and molecular perspective. bioRxiv. Preprint posted online May 3, 2022:2022.05.02.490301. doi:10.1101/2022.05.02.490301
Azizi N, Talebi SM, Tabaripour R, Hatami M. Characterization of wild Onobrychis Mill. Subgenus Sisyrosema bunge (Fabaceae) germplasm resources from Iran using macro and micro-morphological traits. Genet Resour Crop Evol. September 22, 2023. doi:10.1007/s10722-023-01734-1
Nadeem MA, Nawaz MA, Shahid MQ, et al. DNA molecular markers in plant breeding: current status and recent advancements in genomic selection and genome editing. Biotechnol Biotechnol Equip. 2018;32(2):261-285. doi:10.1080/13102818.2017.1400401
Abou-El-Enain MM. Chromosomal criteria and their phylogenetic implications in the genus Onobrychis Mill. sect. Lophobrychis (Leguminosae), with special reference to Egyptian species. Bot J Linn Soc. 2002;139(4):409-414. doi:10.1046/j.1095-8339.2002.00075.x
Zarrabian M, Majidi MM. Genetic diversity and relationships within and among Onobrychis species using molecular markers. Turk J Bot. 2015;39(4):681-692. doi:10.3906/bot-1406-47
Hayot Carbonero C, Carbonero F, Smith LMJ, Brown TA. Cytological characterisation of the underutilized forage crop Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. and other members of the Onobrychis genus. Genet Resour Crop Evol. 2013;60(7):1987-1996. doi:10.1007/s10722-013-9967-2
Yucel G, Betekhtin A, Cabi E, Tuna M, Hasterok R, Kolano B. The Chromosome Number and rDNA Loci Evolution in Onobrychis (Fabaceae). Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(19):11033. doi:10.3390/ijms231911033
Tek AL, Kara Öztürk SD. High allelic diversity of the centromere-specific histone H3 (CENH3) in the legume sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia). Mol Biol Rep. 2020;47(11):8789-8795. doi:10.1007/s11033-020-05926-1
Amirahmadi A, Osaloo S, Mozaffar M, Charkhchian M. A new species of Onobrychis sect. Onobrychis (Fabaceae) from Iran. Turk J Bot. 2014;38(4):658-664. doi:10.3906/bot-1309-54
Noori M, Dehshiri M, Sharifi M. Numerical Taxonomy of Onobrychis Miller (Hedysareae, Fabaceae) from Markazi Province, Iran Using Pod and Seed Morphological Characters. Int J Mod Bot. 2014;4:40-47. doi:10.5923/j.ijmb.20140402.02
Cenci CA, Bassi G, Ferranti F, Romano B. Some morphometric, anatomical and biochemical characteristics of fruits and seeds of Onobrychis spp. in Italy. Plant Biosyst - Int J Deal Asp Plant Biol. 2000;134(1):91-98. doi:10.1080/11263500012331350395
Avci S. Heliobrychis Seksiyonuna Ait Bazı Korunga (Onobrychis sp.) Türleri Üzerinde Morfolojik Araştırmalar. Tarla Bitkileri Merkez Araştırma Enstitüsü Dergisi, 2010, 19.1-2: 11-16.
Avci S, Sancak C, Can A, Acar A, Pınar N. Pollen morphology of the genus Onobrychis (Fabaceae) in Turkey. Turk J Bot. 2013;37(4):669-681. doi:10.3906/bot-1207-52
Talebi SM, Azizi N, Yadegari P, Matsyura A. Analysis of pollen morphological characteristics in Iranian Onobrychis Miller (Fabaceae) taxa. Braz J Bot. 2020;43(3):609-632. doi:10.1007/s40415-020-00623-6
Okcu M, Şengül S. A study on the determination of the morphological, Yield and quality characteristics of some sainfoin species (Onobrychis spp.) native to East Anatolia. Pak J Bot. 2014;46:1837-1842.
Massoud R, Karamian R, Hadadi A. Cytosystematics of three Onobrychis species (Fabaceae) in Iran. Caryologia. 2010;63(3):237-249. doi:10.1080/00087114.2010.10589733
Ghanavati F, Mozafari J, Naghavi MR, Amirabadizadeh H, Darvish F. Phylogenetic relationships of Onobrychis Mill.(Fabaceae: Papilionoideae) based on ITS sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA and morphological traits. Crop Breeding Journal. 2012;2(2):91-99.
Sepet H, Emre İ, Kiran Y, Kursat M, Sahin A. Karyological studies on eight species of Onobrychis genus in Turkey. Biologia (Bratisl). 2011;66(6):996-1002. doi:10.2478/s11756-011-0112-4
Şakiroğlu M. Population Genomics of Perennial Temperate Forage Legumes. In: Population Genomics. Springer International Publishing; 2021:1-39. doi:10.1007/13836_2021_90
Zargar SM, Raatz B, Sonah H, et al. Recent advances in molecular marker techniques: Insight into QTL mapping, GWAS and genomic selection in plants. J Crop Sci Biotechnol. 2015;18(5):293-308. doi:10.1007/s12892-015-0037-5
Zarrabian M, Majidi MM, Ehtemam MH. Genetic Diversity in a Worldwide Collection of Sainfoin Using Morphological, Anatomical, and Molecular Markers. Crop Sci. 2013;53(6):2483-2496. doi:10.2135/cropsci2013.03.0130
Darvish MR. Assessment of genetic variability of 36 populations of sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa) based on RAPD markers. Int J Biosci. 2013;3:15-26. doi:10.12692/ijb/3.10.15-26
Nosrati H, Feizi M, Latifian F, Razban Haghighi A. Eco-geographical variations of issrs among populations of onobrychis viciifolia (Sainfoin, Fabacae). Ann Univ Oradea Fasc Biol. 2016;23:62-66.
Özkan S, Bilgen BB. Genetic characterization of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) varieties and populations using microsatellite markers. J Tekirdag Agric Fac. 2019;16(1):51-60.
Sutcu T, Bilgen BB, Tuna M. Analysis of genetic diversity among Onobrychis accessions with high agronomic performance by simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Mol Biol Rep. 2022;49(6):5659-5668. doi:10.1007/s11033-022-07584-x
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 GREEN FOODS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
