Journal of Crop Breeding

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an only oilseed crop which, is native to Iran where, is known as its diversity center. The genetic variation study provides valuable information about maintenance and their usage of germplasm for breeders to increase efficiency of breeding programs. In the current study, sixty-four genotypes were assessed for 20 agronomic nag morphological traits for genetic variation evaluation of in safflower. The number of wizened seeds per lateral capitulum trait had the greatest CV (coefficient of variation) while the diameter of lateral capitulum trait indicated the lowest CV. Also, some traits including seed weight of lateral capitulum, number of lateral branches, number of capitula per lateral branches, diameter of main capitulum, yield of single plant, thousand seed weight and seed yield showed relatively high CV amounts. Results of cluster analysis through morphological traits and based on Euclidean distance and Ward method showed that there were five different clusters. The genotypes of the third cluster had high values in some important traits such as thousand seed weight, seed yield and oil content while the genotypes of the other clusters were high in number of capitulum and harvest index traits. Cluster analysis according to agronomic and morphological traits could not separate safflower genotypes based on their geographical origins whereas Iranian genotypes were located in different clusters which shows Iranian genotypes had high genetic variation. Therefore, regarding this mismatch of genetic variation and geographical origin, it is better to select safflower genotypes for breeding programs using genetic variation. Also, local Iranian landraces can be used as a rich genetic source for safflower for breeding programs.

In order to evaluate the genetic diversity of oily sunflower lines, screening drought tolerance indices and identification of drought tolerant lines, 100 oily sunflower lines were evaluated in a simple lattice design under both well-watered and water-limited stressed conditions in 2016. Based on the potential (Yp) and stress (Ys) yield, quantitative drought tolerance criteria such as: mean productivity (MP), tolerance index (TOL), geometric mean productivity (GMP), harmonic mean (HM), stress susceptibility index (SSI) and stress tolerance index (STI) were calculated. Generally, the line with code number of 8 with average yield of 81.25 gr/plant and line 66 with average yield of 5.43 gr/plant showed maximum and minimum seed yield, respectively. Correlation analysis between drought tolerance indices with well-watered and water-limited stress yields revealed that indices such as MP, GMP, HM and STI are the most suitable criteria for screening sunflower lines. In well-watered and water-limited stressed conditions, the highest value of MP, GMP, STI and HM were observed in line 8. Regarding these four criteria and high values of Yp and Ys, line 8 was chosen as the best line for using as a parental line in hybrid varieties production and development of segregating populations.

Identification and introduce of high potential and water deficit stress tolerant is one of effective methods that caused to economic production beside other methods of water deficit management. In order to identification of barley lines, 9 barley elite lines and Bahman variety (check) studied under full irrigation and water deficit stress conditions in season cropping years 2013-2015. The results of combined variance analysis showed that the interaction effect, line × year was significant for grain yield. Under full irrigation condition, in first year, significant difference between Bahman (check) variety with other assessed lines was not seen, but in second year, the highest grain yield was belong to line no. 5 (6.81 t.ha^-1), that showed significant difference with Bahman variety. Under water deficit stress, in first year, Bahman variety showed the highest grain yield (4.80 t.ha^-1) that was situated in same statistical group with lines no. 2, 3, 4, 5. 7 and 8. But in second year, the highest grain yield was belong to line no. 9 (Jolgeh) with 5.18 t.ha^-1. Results of two years mean for grain yield showed under full irrigation condition, lines no. 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 (Jolgeh) and 10 (Mahtab variety) had grain yield by 10-35% greater than Bahman variety. Under water deficit stress comparison with the full irrigation condition, promising lines no. 2 and 7 by 15% and 19% respectively, had atleast reduction grain yield among studied barley genotypes. The path analysis result showed that under full irrigation condition, traits flag leaf photosynthesis and biomass had a positive and significant direct effect on grain yield, while traits spike weight and grain number per spike had a negative and significant direct effect on grain yield. On the other hand, traits 1000 grain weight and grain number per spike had a positive and negative significant direct effect on grain yield under water deficit stress condition, respectively. Finally, based on the ranking of assessed lines, we can recommend the elite lines no. 5 and 10 (Mahtab variety) for full irrigation condition, line no. 7 for water deficit stress condition and line no. 9 (Jolgeh) for both conditions.
 

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) as one of the main crops is important economically for Iran. Genetic diversity and it`s evaluation is foundation of plant breeding projects. Awareness about genetic variation is effective in selection of parental lines for future breeding programs. This study was aimed to evaluate both morphological and physiological characteristics followed by classification of 18 barley inbred lines based on RCBD design with four replications. Results of descriptive statistics revealed vast range of variation for most of studied traits. Among studied traits, seed yield with standard deviation of 614.06 possessed maximum divergent. Also, hectoliter weight and grain yield had the lowest and the highest coefficients of variation values of 0.58 and 8.88, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analysis of variance depicted remarkable genetic variation among studied genotypes based on morphological and physiological traits. Classification of studied barley genotypes using both types of inspected traits could classify them in 3 separate groups. In this research, there was not any coincidence between two types of classifications. This is resulted that line number 3 with high pedanclean length (7.18 cm), 1000 kernel weight (42.2 gr), yield (5172.5 kgh^-1), dry matter percentage (31.3 %), fresh weight (0.463 gr), turgusens weight (0.717 gr), relative water content (58.82 %) and also another moderate characteristics could considerable as promising one for arid and semi-arid region after regional field trials.