Hairy vetch is commonly used as a green manure cover crop; the species excels in winter hardiness and nitrogen supply to subsequent cash crops. With prevalent pod dehiscence (PD) and seed dormancy, hairy vetch does not exhibit a typical domestication syndrome. Breeding efforts are underway to reduce or eliminate PD in hairy vetch. This study aimed to characterize PD among diverse genotypes of hairy vetch, and to identify the most efficient phenotyping methods for PD.