SEED AND PLANT IMPROVEMENT JOURNAL
Year:2011 | Volume:27-1 | Issue:4|Papers Count:10

Most almond cultivars in Iran are self-incompatible. In 2008-2009, a study was carried out to determine the level of self-compatibility of 54 almond cultivars grown in collection garden of Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Fars in Zarghan, Iran, as well as the most suitable pollinizers of six selected cultivars. To determine the level of self-compatibility for each cultivar, four branches were selected and at least 100 buds on each branch were covered, and self-pollinated. The fruit set percentage was recorded 30 and 60 days after pollination. To determine the suitable pollinizers, the six selected cultivars were crossed in a di-allele method. Regarding self compatibility, 41% fruit set formation was observed in Tuono in two years. No fruit set formation was observed in self pollination of other cultivars. Furthermore, cultivars Merced, Tuono and Cristomorto were determined as the most suitable pollinizers for Kapareil, cultivar Tuono for Cristomorto, cultivars Kapareil, Tuono and Merced for Tuono, cultivars Ai and Kapareil for Ferragnes, cultivars Cristomorto and Tuono for Merced and cultivars Tuono and Cristomor for Ai.

In this study 56 accessions of 17 wild almond species and varieties were compared and classified based on their nut and kernel characteristics. Ten quantitative and six qualitative traits of nut and kernel were recorded. Wild almond species showed a high diversity in mentioned characteristics. Prunus haussknechtii had the biggest and heaviest nut and kernel, while P. lycioides var. horrida produced the smallest nut. P. scoparia, P. spartioides and P. erioclada showed the lightest kernel color. Based on nut and kernel characteristics, wild genotypes were classified into two clusters. These two clusters agreed the two series Icosandrae and Dodecandrea, which have already been determined. The former serie contained species from Euamygdalus and Spartioides sections.

Bromus tomentellus is one of the important and valuable grass species for forage production. In order to study the seed and dry forage yield and drought tolerance, eleven genotypes of B. tomentellus were evaluated in two separate experiments under irrigated and rainfed conditions using randomized complete block design with three replications in Agricultural Research Station of Broujerd, Iran, during 2005-2006. Using principal component analysis of drought resistance indices as mean productivity (MP), tolerance index (TOL), stress susceptibility index (SSI), stress tolerance index (STI) and geometric mean productivity (GMP) and seed yield and  forage yield in irrigated (Yn) and rainfed (Ys) conditions, genotypes were distributed in two-dimensional diagram based on of the first two principal components. Genotype 3752M with average seed yield of 265 kgha-1 and genotypes 587M, 587P7, 587P12 and 587P3 with average forage yield of 1680.3 to 1897 kgha-1 exhibited suitable drought tolerance.

In this study 278 ecotypes of cultivated barley were evaluated for qualitative and quantitative traits within a trial in SPII experimental field (Karaj, Iran). Different characters showed different levels of diversity based on descriptive statistics and Shannon diversity index. Yield, number of spikelet per spike and plant height represented the highest diversity between quantitative traits based on coefficient of variation (CV). In quantitative traits, growth habit, grain color and lemma type were the most diverse traits. Number of spikelet per spike was significantly correlated with grain yield indicating their close relationship. Cluster analysis based on agronomical and morphological traits and the origin of morphotypes resulted in clustering the ecotypes into four different groups.

Responses of twenty chickpea genotypes to drought stress were evaluated in the farm of College of Agricultutre, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran in 2006-2007. The experiment was carried out in randomized complete block design with three replications under two water stress and non-stress conditions. The results showed significant differences among the genotypes for most of the traits. Maximum yield in stress and non-stress conditions belonged to genotype X96TH41K4. Coefficient of variation resulted from drought stress revealed  that most of the damage resulted from drought stress related to seed yield which showed 62.46% reduction compared to nonstress condition. Drought stress exhibited positive effects on unfilled pod percentage, cell membrane stability, SPAD, chlorophyll and proline content. The Stepwise regression analysis in non-stress condition showed that the most effective factors on the yield were days to maturity, relative water content, relative water loss and unfilled pod percentage which justified 51% of seed yield variation, while in stress condition, relative water loss, number of pod per plant and cell membrane stability justified 52% of seed yield variation. Positive significant correlation was observed between mean yield and most of the trails. Cluster analysis classified the genotypes into four different groups so that the genotype X96TH41K4 as the most tolerant genotype was discriminated in a separate group.

To understand genetic diversity in maize inbred lines under heat stress condition, fifteen inbred lines were studied in 2007 in two planting dates, 6 July (to coincide heat stress with pollination time and grain filling period) and 27 July (optimum) based on 30 morphological traits in a randomized complete block design with three replications in Shoushtar, Iran. The results showed that under heat stress condition, the highest coefficient of phenotypic variation was obtained for ASI, grain number per ear, grain number per ear row and grain yield, and in optimum condition for of grain abortion and ASI. Cluster analysis by Ward,s minimum variance, clustered lines into three groups in both conditions. In the heat stressed condition lines K166A and K166B in the third cluster, and in the optimum condition lines K19, K3651/2, K166B and K47/2-2-1-3-3-1-1-1 in the third cluster were suitable because of having higher values for yield and other desirable traits and also lower amounts of grain abortion percent, ASI and grain protein contents. In heat stress condition, lines of the second and third clusters and in optimum conditions lines of the first and third clusters seem to be suitable for creating diversity in different characteristics if they are used in hybridization programs.

One hundres five accessions of Kabuli type chickpea received from National Plant Gene Bank of Iran, Karaj, with five check cultivars (Arman, Jam, Hashem, Bivanij and ILC- 482) were grown on the basis of augment design during 2006 and 2007 in research field of College of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. Based on ANOVA, coefficient of variations for chickpea seed yield, number of primary branches and harvest index were 22.89, 22.2 and 19.49, respectively. Correlation analysis indicated positive and significant correlation between seed yield with harvest index and canopy width. Factor analysis identified six factors, accounting 75.82 % of total variations. In RAPD analysis with 26 random primers, 564 bands were amplified that 321 of them were polymorph. Nnumber of polymorphic bands ranged from 15 to 28 per primer and the most informative loci was D12. Polymorphic information content (PIC value) ranged from 0.09 to 0.66 and marker index (MI) ranged from 5.26 to 41.27 per primer. A maximum genetic similarity value of 0.97 was observed between accessions No. 85 and 86 and a minimum similarity value of 0.68 between accession No. 20 and ILC-482. Clustering analysis classified the chickpea accessions and cultivars into 10 major groups and the number of the subgroups were strongly supported by high bootstrap value. The results showed that RAPD molecular marker can reveal relatively acceptable polymorphism and genetic variation detected in this study can be useful for enhancing the genetic base of breeding programs.

One hundred and twelve local bread wheat genotypes available in the wheat collection of Cereal Research Department, Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII) were evaluated in a non-replicated experiment in research farm of SPII, Karaj, Iran in 2009-2010 cropping season. The genotypes were compared with two bread wheat check cultivars Pishgam and Pishtaz. Each genotype was planted in two rows of one meter long. The checks were repeated between the rows of every 20 genotypes. Descriptive analysis of data showed presence of a vast genetic variability among the genotypes for the quantitative and qualitative traits. Stepwise regression analysis showed that seed number per spike and biological yield had positive and significant effects on yield and remained in the final model with adj.R2~70%. Cluster analysis using UPGMA method grouped the bread wheat genotypes in eight groups. Based on field evaluations and data analysis, 22 genotypes were selected for further evaluation in succeeding years.

To determine chromosomal localization and relationship between field and laboratory indicators of drought tolerance, an experiment was conducted in 2003-2004 cropping season at Sararood agricultural research station, Kermanshah, Iran. Seven genotypes of wheat-barley disomic addition lines provided by International Center for Agricultural Research in Dryland Areas (ICARDA), their donor and recipients together with barley (cv. Sararood-1) and bread wheat (cv. Sardari) checks were grown in a RCBD in field and a CRD in laboratory with three replications. The results of analysis of variance exhibited highly significant differences for promptness index (PI), root length (RL), coleoptile length (CL), yield potential (Yp) and stress yield (Ys). Mean comparison indicated that drought tolerance attributes were related to chromosomes 4H and 5H. Relationship between field (STI) and laboratory (GSI) indicators of drought tolerance showed that GSI can be considerd as an early selection criterion for drought tolerance. Three –D plot and cluster analysis also confirmed that most probably the genes controlling field and laboratory characteristics of drought tolerance in barley might be located on chromosomes 4H and 5H.

To identify the drought tolerant genotypes of chitti bean, an experiment was conducted in Bean Research Station of Khomein in 2007. One hundred Chitti bean genotypes were evaluated in an augment design with three controls under irrigation and drought  stress conditions. Irrigations in normal and drought stress conditions were applied after 50 and 100 mm evaporation from class A tank. The results showed that drought stress decreased the yield of genotypes up to 41.16 percent. Drought tolerance indices namely arithmetic mean (MP), geometric mean (GMP), stress tolerance (STI), stress susceptibility (SSI) and tolerance were calculated. Based on the correlation between drought stress indices and yield in two conditions, STI and SSI were found to be the best indices to identify tolerant genotypes. genotypes KS21181, KS21247, KS21212, KS21216, KS21189 and KS21191 were identified as drought tolerant using biplot, SSI, GMP and other indices.