History of La Veza
Vicia, from the Greek Veza, is a plant that dates back to ancient times and is part of our history, with data dating back to the Neolithic era, although the most reliable data on its existence are obtained from ancient Rome.
Described botanically back in 1750 by the Swedish botanist Carlos Linneo in his publication Species Plantorum. Since its origin, it has been attributed different uses: human food, livestock feed or as green manure. It is a plant that is currently spread throughout the Iberian peninsula and the rest of the world.
Description, Taxonomy and types of Vetch
Annual herbaceous climbing plant with a stem up to 80-90 cm high.
Its leaves are petiolate, alternate and composed of 2 to 16 leaflets, oblong and ending in a branched tendril. The flowers are located in the axils of the leaves, depending on the species they are reddish, purple or white in colour and are reduced to 2 flowers with 3 mm pedicels. The fruit is a compressed pod of greenish, then dull brownish-brownish colour when ripe.
It belongs to the family Fabaceae (leguminoseae) and taxonomically classified as:
Kingdom
Plantae
Division
Magnoliophyta
Class
Angiosperm
Order
Fabales
Family
Fabaceae
Subfamily
Papilonoideae
Gender
Vicia
Currently, there are more than 250 species of Veza, although the most commonly used species, given their characteristics and properties, are Veza Villosa (Latin epithet meaning hairy) and Veza Sativa (Latin epithet meaning cultivated).
What are the differences between Veza sativa and Veza Villosa?
Is Veza Villosa more rustic and resistant than the Sativa species and does it have a longer cycle, whereas Veza sativa requires better quality, fertile soils and more organic matter?
As for the climatic conditions, the Veza Villosa has a good resistance to frost, drought and saline soils, but in no case soils prone to waterlogging, while the Veza Sativa requires more temperate and humid climates.
Its annual water requirements are around 450 mm, always depending on the type of agricultural soils where it is going to be sown.
The Villosa vine is more resistant to diseases than the Sativa, as the latter requires humid and temperate climates and is more prone to attack by fungal foliar diseases.
As for its uses, they are a good option as cover crops, although there are studies by international bodies which recommend the Veza Villosa for its ease of adaptation to the environment and the amount of nitrogen units symbiotically fixed by Rhizobacteria, we must also refer to the amount of leaf mass it is capable of producing, which is also superior to the Sativa, a fact which makes many farmers choose to include it as a fodder plant for their livestock.
Esseeds and Orium, your Veza Villosa
After strict quality controls and subject to different multiplication protocols, we have obtained a high quality seed, due to its high percentage of varietal purity and germination.
It stands out for its enormous capacity to produce biomass and fine stems, adaptation to different types of climates and high altitude areas, and can be used as fodder or green manure.
In short, we have managed to make Orium (Veza Villosa) a high quality, multi-purpose seed and its performance in livestock feed as well as in cover crops or green manure is a great choice for the agricultural and livestock sector.
