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In this study, three pea varieties (Pisum sativum), including one field pea variety 'Dodoni', and two varieties of garden peas 'Early Onward' and 'Rondo', were irradiated with 100 Gy gamma rays. The irradiated seeds were then cultivated in the experimental field of the Plant Breeding and Agricultural Experimentation Laboratory of the Agricultural University of Athens, in the period of 2021–2022, affording them the chance to reveal their full potential under natural environmental conditions. The M1 generation plants were compared to non-irradiated plants in terms of their agro-morphological traits. The results indicate a statistically significant difference on several traits: plant height, plant weight, dry biomass, pod length, and the number of seeds per pod. On the other hand, no significant difference was detected in: plant growth rate, the number of shoots and leaves per plant, pods and seed yield per plant, and 1000-seed weight. However, the three pea varieties did not seem to respond in the same way. The M1 generation plants of the two garden pea varieties ('Early Onward' and 'Rondo') showed a shorter plant height and pod length than their corresponding non-irradiated plants. Likewise, the number of seeds per pod for both 'Early Onward' and 'Dodoni' was lower for the mutant plants than it was for the plants used as the control. In contrast, mutant plants of the 'Dodoni' variety indicated a greater plant weight and dry biomass per plant compared to non-irradiated plants. Finally, the correlation found between agronomic traits was the same regardless of the treatment (control and mutant plants). The number of seeds per plant indicated a positive correlation with the pods per plant and plant weight. Similarly, the dry biomass was positively correlated with plant weight, while being negatively correlated with pod length. Thus, the results obtained in the present study clearly indicate that there were differences between seeds irradiated with gamma rays and non-irradiated seeds in terms of their overall performance and various quantitative pea traits, which should to be further investigated in M2 and the following generations. Peas have gathered a significant market interest and demand. Given their narrow genetic base, we employed gamma irradiation technology, which can be effectively integrated with omics technologies in future generations. This study underscores the necessity to explore performance characteristics and integrate them with quality traits. Our findings reveal that each generation exhibits unique attributes, and specifically, provide a valuable foundation for identifying valuable characteristics for future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little progress has been made in translating the increased awareness of neglected and underutilized crops into a viable tool for advancing not just sustainable development in rural areas but also sustainable agricultural and secured food systems. This is caused, in part, by a lack of understanding the importance of several underutilized crops that are currently in cultivation. Among underutilized crops, grasspea (Lathyrus sativus) is an orphan legume crop with great agronomic potential due to its suitability for a variety of sustainable food and feed production systems throughout the world's semi-arid and arid regions and its high protein content. The current study presents a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis to unravel the following: What are the strengths and weaknesses of Lathyrus spp. cultivation, what factors are opportunities or initiatives that encourage the adoption of the crop by growers, and what factors are disincentives or threats that prevent its adoption? What strategies could help expand cultivation? We use data from a questionnaire survey of farmers in Central Greece (Thessaly) to examine their attitudes and perceptions with regards to the above questions. The outcome of this study strongly suggests that farmers are willing to adopt the new Lathyrus spp. cultivation if they are assisted via contractualization, training, and new financial tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]