Author's Name:	Gezahagn Kebede
Subject Area:	Life Sciences
Subject	Agricultural
Section	Research Paper

accessions, branch number, dry matter accumulation, plant height, vetch species.

Twenty accessions of vetch species were evaluated for their growth dynamics under nitosol (Holetta) and vertisol (Ginchi) conditions of Ethiopia. The study was conducted in randomized complete block design with three replications. Data on dynamics of shoot and root dry matter accumulations, plant height and branch number over the sampling periods were collected by sampling 6 plants in every 10 days starting from 64 days after sowing and analyzed using the general linear model procedures of SAS and duncan multiple range test at 5% significance was used for mean comparisons. The result showed that the rates of shoot and root dry matter accumulations, plant height and branch number were different (P<0.05) for vetch species and their accessions at both locations over the sampling periods. Among the vetch species, Vicia dasycarpa accumulated the highest shoot dry matter in fastest rate followed by Vicia atropurpurea, Vicia villosa, Vicia sativa and Vicia narbonensis over the sampling periods. The accessions of vetch species had relatively lower and similar shoot and root dry matter, plant height and branch number at the early stage of growth at both locations. But at the subsequent sampling periods, the rate of measured growth parameters was different at both locations. Generally, higher shoot and root dry matter accumulations, plant height and branch number with faster rate were recorded at Ginchi than Holetta due to variations in soil types, temperature and amount of rainfall in both testing sites.