LOTUS spp: BIOTECHNOLOGICAL STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE BIOECONOMY OF LOWLANDS IN THE SALADO RIVER BASIN (ARGENTINA)

ANTONELLI, CRISTIAN J.; CALZADILLA, PABLO I.; ESCARAY, FRANCISCO J.; BABUIN, MARÍA F.; CAMPESTRE, MARÍA P.; ROCCO, RUBÉN; BORDENAVE, CÉSAR D.; PEREA GARCÍA, ANA; NIEVA, AMIRA S.; LLAMES, MARÍA E.; MAGUIRE, VANINA; MELANI, GUSTAVO; SARENA, DANIEL; BAILLERES, MATÍAS; CARRASCO, PEDRO; PAOLOCCI, FRANCESCO; GARRIZ, ANDRÉS; MENÉNDEZ, ANA; RUIZ, OSCAR A.

AGROFOR

University of East Sarajevo, Faculty of Agriculture

Año: 2016 vol. 1

2490-3434

The Lotus genus is included in Fabaceae, which is the third largest family ofAngiosperms. This family has a high biological diversity, with approximately 720genera and more than 18,000 species worldwide. The legume species take profitfrom root symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi (Sannazzaro et al, 2004), characterizedby their ability to establish symbiotic interactions with nitrogen-fixing bacteria(Estrella et al, 2009). These associations increase their competitiveness, turningthem as ?pioneer? plants in constrained soil environments. These legumesadvantages became an important part of sustainable agricultural systems and othersmarginal soil area. In particular, the tribe Loteae DC is a monophyletic groupcomposed by four genera. The name Lotus was introduced by Linnaeus in 1753and since then, there were several changes in the species delimited by this name.Recently, developed molecular tools have significantly contributed to restrict thegenus to 100?130 species. Most Lotus species are native to Europe, Asia, Africa,Australia and some to the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Islands. Few species weredescribed as native to the New World, but they were later segregated in non-Lotusgenera. However, Lotus species have a worldwide distribution, except in very coldregions and certain tropical areas of Southeast Asia and Central America. Thisworldwide distribution is partially due to their introduction to non-native areas byhuman activities and its adaptability to different environmental stresses (Escaray etal, 2010).