Journal of Crop Breeding

Given the importance of rice for food and its strategic position in the global food security, it is necessary the comprehensive study of the diversity of its germplasm to achieve high performance, quality and other important economic and agronomic traits. For this purpose, 137 rice recombinant lines from F₆ population derivated from Tarom Deilamani and Saleh cultivars as maternal and paternal parents, respectively, along with four check cultivars (Tarom Deilamani, Hashemi, Saleh and Ali Kazemi) were evaluated in an augment design un four blocks for 11 important quantitative and qualitative traits. The results of analysis of variance showed a non-significant difference between studied lines for all traits except amylose content and gelatinization temperature traits. The factor analysis presented three factors that explained 87% of total variation and according to the factors loading were named related to grain number, plant type and structure and cooking quality, respectively. Cluster analysis results based on Ward's minimum variance and Square Euclidean distance criteria grouped the cultivars in three main groups that the number of groups was confirmed based on discriminant function analysis. Identification of available phenotypic variation, provide useful information in collection management and allow breeders to approach valuable genetic resources.