نشریه تحقیقات ژنتیک و اصلاح گیاهان مرتعی و جنگلی ایران
سال بیست و نهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 57، بهار و تابستان 1400)

Spectacular yarrow (Achillea nobilis) is an important medicinal plant with various therapeutic properties that naturally grows in large areas of Iran. In this study, the genetic diversity of 33 populations of A. nobilis available in the gene bank of the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (RIFR) was evaluated using ISSR markers. Ten plants were selected from each population and their DNA was extracted. From a total of 12 ISSR primers, six primers with an average of 88% polymorphism were used to study the diversity and differentiation of the populations. The P12 and P5 primers showed the highest number of bands with 13 and 11 bands, respectively, while primer 1-7 with 7 bands showed the lowest number of bands. The Polymorphic Information Content (PIC), Marker Index (MI), Effective Multiple Ratio (EMR), and Resolution index (Rp) were calculated for all the primers. Subsequently, P12 primer was recognized as the best for genetic diversity analysis of spectacular yarrow. Cluster analysis of the molecular data showed a close relationship between the geographical distribution and genetic diversity of A. nobilis populations. Accordingly, the populations collected from each region (North, center, and West of Iran) were placed in a separate group. Based on the genetic parameters, the highest genetic diversity was among populations from the North of Iran. Segregation of the populations based on the morphological traits did not correlate significantly with geographical distribution. According to the results, ISSR markers were efficient for studying the genetic diversity of A. nobilis populations and can be used in future studies to analyze the germplasm collection of A. nobilis Additionally, due to the extinction risk of medicinal species, breeders can take advantage of the wide genetic diversity among A. nobilis populations for targeted crosses, in breeding improve varieties and conservation strategies of this species.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the general combining ability of vegetative traits of Pistcia atlantica. For this purpose 10 male trees were crossed with seven female trees in the Islamic island of Lake Urmia in 2003. The hybrid seeds were sown in the Forest and Rangeland Research Institute. Annual growth mean and collar diameter of progenies measured at 2006, 2007 and 2017; the canopy area and trunk wood volume were measured in 2017. Estimation of the general combining ability based on mean annual growth and collar diameter in the offspring of different crosses in 2006, 2007 and 2017 showed that the best combination were F12 × M10, in 2006, F13 × M6, in 2007 and F13 × M12 in 2017. This indicated that the offsprings showed their potential over time. In the 2017, the F13 × M13 hybrid were the best in terms of annual growth mean, but their produced progenies had the lowest amount growth. Female parent 13 and male parent 9 were the best parents for the collar diameter and canopy surface. In addition, their combination produced offspring with the highest average collar diameter and canopy surface. The results indicate the high heterosis in P. atlantica and its possibility in breeding improved varieties to development of reforestation and rehabilitation of habitats with the aim of producing industrial products, medicines or edible oils and Wood production with higher yield.

The destruction of Hyrcanian forests has led to the fragmentation of the Caspian poplar (Populus caspica Bornm.) habitat and the destruction of a large part of its genetic resources. This species is distributed in the southern regions of the Caspian Sea, although it has been reported in the list of endangered trees. To select various trees and conserve their gene pools via the collection, their diverse habitats throughout the southern Caspian strip from Astara to Golestan forest were studied, and subsequently, 20 habitats were identified. DNA extraction from the leaves of 359 trees belonging to these habitats was then extracted. After homogeneity removal, genetic parameters were estimated for 314 trees using 14 microsatellite markers. These primers showed 80 alleles in 314 trees of P. caspica. Expected heterozygosity values in each locus ranged from 0.085 to 0.765, while the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.069 to 0.689. The highest and lowest amount of allelic richness with values of 3.03 and 2.17 were estimated in Loveh and Tonekabon, respectively. The inbreeding coefficient was a possible factor in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium deviation. Only 0.8% of trees in a population were immigrants. In general, gene flow was asymmetric and its severity was low. Mantel test showed that there was no significant correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance. However, altitude was a serious barrier to gene flow across the eastern and western slopes of the Caspian poplar distribution. Finally, to preserve its genetic resources, based on the results of molecular, some stocks of this species were clonaly propagated and planted in a relevant collection.

Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis L.) is one of the most important industrial species in Hyrcanian forests which exploited via forestry projects with various methods, including a single selection method since the last half-century. Genetic diversity in forest trees is critical for their adaptation to the new environmental conditions. This study was aimed to study the effect of single selection method on genetic diversity of oriental beech in the forests of the east of Mazandaran province, Iran by comparing two management method in protected and exploited plots using single selection method in Haftkhal Forestry Plan. Paired sampling was performed from the leaves of 60 mature trees in the control and exploited plots. Ten microsatellite primers were used to assess the genetic diversity. The results showed that a total of all 10 microsatellites loci produced polymorphism bands. The amount of heterozygosity was 0.52 and 0.49 in the control and exploited stands, respectively. The frequency of specific alleles in mother trees were 3.75 and 3.19 in the control and exploited stands, respectively. Based on the single selection method, beech trees were not significantly different in the control and the exploited plots in terms of the total number of alleles, specific alleles, allelic richness and heterozygosity. However, the observed heterozygosity was 41 and 45% lower than the expected heterozygosity in the control and exploited stands, respectively. Therefore, based on the genetic parameters extracted from 10 microsatellite primers; it was concluded that the single selection exploited method did not have a negative effect on the genetic diversity of mother beech masses in the studied forests.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a heliophytic plant and native to southwestern Asia and the Mediterranean regions. This study was aimed to study the morphological diversity, phenological characteristics, and also expression of two important genes involved in the γ-Terpinene and Linalool biosynthesis pathways in the 14 different Iranian endemic populations of coriander as a medicinal plant. The seeds were planted in the growth chamber in the College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University in three replications in 2015-2016. The studied traits were included number of days to germination, number of days to emergence, number of days to stem, number of days to beginning of flowering, number of days to end of flowering, number of days to sowing, stem height, dry weight of single plant, single plant yield and one thousand seed weight. The results showed that the average seed yield obtained per plant with 14.37 and 14.47 g, was belong to populations of Tehran and Urmia, respectively. Markazi and Tehran populations had the highest weight of 1000 seeds with the average of 8.45 and 8.15 g, respectively. Tehran population had the lowest in terms of the number of days to germination and the number of days to emergence. After classifying the 14 populations in terms of genome size, from the three groups obtained and in each group, two populations were selected for the gene expression analysis. The results of expressions of CsLINS and CsγTRPS genes in six selected coriander populations showed that CsLINS in Mashhad and Tehran populations and CsγTRPS in Tabriz and Zanjan populations had the highest relative gene expressions. Yazd and Estahban populations showed moderate relative gene expression for both genes.

In order to determination of appropriate stability parameters, the flower yields of 35 Rosa damascena genotypes in eight regions of Iran (Kurdistan, Hamedan, Kerman, Fars, Khuzestan, Isfahan, Markazi, and Khorasan) were evaluated for two years (2007-2008) using randomized complete block design with three replications. Significant differences (P≤0.01) were observed for flower yield among genotypes (G), locations (L), environments (E), and also for genotype× location (GL) and genotype× environment (GE) interactions. The stable and adaptable genotypes with some static concepts of stability parameters such as environmental variance (S2) and regression coefficient (b ≈ 0) had low yield, but with environmental coefficient of variation (CVE) had high performance. The stable genotypes according to Eberhart and Russell model and the concept of stability dynamics (bi ≈ 1, ∑ Sdi2 ≈ 0, and high Ῡi) had moderate to high flower yields. According to the superiority index (P), high yielding genotypes were determined as compatible (stable in location). The stable genotypes with the lowest year by location (YL) variance had the lowest flowers yield. The flower yield was positively correlated with S2, b and MSY/L (p<0.01) and negatively correlated with superiority index (P) and CVE (p<0.01). Based on both flower yield and stability, it was found that genotypes of Yazd 2, Isfahan 5, Isfahan 8, Isfahan 4, and Khuzestan 1 had high flower yield, stability, and general adaptation over locations. The genotypes Isfahan 9 and Isfahan 7 had high flower yield, stability, and specific adaptation with semi-arid and arid areas and also the genotype of Isfahan7 had high flower yield, stability and specific adaptation with semi temperate and cold areas in Iran. It was concluded that a genotype can demonstrate both static and dynamic stability with a high flower yield at the same time. In addition, coefficient of variation (CV), statistics regression (b ≈ 1, Sd2≈ 0), and superiority index (P) suggested as desirable parameters to evaluate different aspects (static and dynamic) of flower yield in R. damascena.

Salvia mirzayanii Rech. F. & Esfand. is an endemic medicinal species to Iran belonging to the Lamiaceae family. In order to study the genetic diversity of some natural populations of S. mirzayanii using morphological markers, 132 individual plants belonging to the six populations were collected at the flowering stage in their natural habitat of Hormozgan and Fars provinces. To evaluate the morphological traits, 15 characteristics such as plant height, leaf length and width, plant dry weight, number of branches and number of leaves per node were investigated. Data belonging to the six populations were analyzed based on Nested ANOVA. There were significant differences among the populations in terms of all traits (P< 0.01, 0.05). Genetic diversity indices such as Margalef, Shannon-Weiner, and Simpson, revealed that all the six populations had high intra-population diversity. Using factor analysis based on verimax rotation method, four main factors were identified that explained 96.34% of the total variation among 132 genotypes. Based on Ward's cluster analysis, the six natural populations were divided into four independent groups. The two populations of Bastak and Sirmand were placed in cluster1, Tang-e-Zagh and Sarchahan populations were placed in cluster2, and two other populations of DaghFino and Khonj were placed in clusters 3 and 4, respectively. Evaluation of existing phenotypic diversity can provide valuable information in term of management of S. mirzayanii germplasm and can be useful in identifying suitable populations for breeding improve varieties of this species.

In order to evaluation the diversity of morphological traits and determine antibacterial activity against three bacterial strains including Klebsiella pneumonia, Listeria monocytogenes, and Streptococcus agalactia, three ecotypes of Mentha longifolia were collected from three habitats in Khorramabad, Aleshtar, and Delfan in Lorestan province, Iran. The measured traits were plant height, leaf length and width, number of leaves, branches, and inflorescences, length of inflorescences, and percentage of essential oil. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with five replications. The result showed that there was a significant difference among the ecotypes in terms of leaf length and width, plant height, and essential oil percentage. Khorramabad ecotype had the highest plant height, inflorescence length, and essential oil percentage. A positive and significant correlation was observed between both plant height and leaf width with essential oil percentage. According to stepwise regression and path analysis results, it was concluded that plant height could be considered as the most important index for the selection of parental lines in the breeding programs. Based on the Minimum Inhibitory (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) indices, it was concluded that the minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of M. longifolia essential oil ranged from 0.03 to 0.2 mg/mL.The antimicrobial activity showed that L. monocytogenes and S.agalactiae were inhibited by Delfan ecotype essential oil and K. pneumonia was inhibited by the essential oil from the Aleshtar ecotype. In contrast, the three studied bacteria had the lowst susceptibility to the essential oil from Khorramabad ecotype.

The smooth brome grass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) is one of the most important forage and rangeland plants distributed in the rangelands of Iran. In order to investigate the genetic diversity of yield and morphological traits and identify the high yielding populations, 22 populations of B. inermis were evaluated using in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the research farm of the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of the northwest and west of Iran in the 2018-2019 cropping year. Result showed significant differences (P≤0.05) among the populations in terms of the studied traits, which indicated presence of high genetic variability. The populations of B.in-15, B.in-9, B.in-8, and B.in-1 with higher value of than 540 g/plant had annual higher forage production and B.in-1 and B.in-19 with 100 and 60 g/plant seed yield, respectively had higher seed production than other populations. The simple correlation among the studied traits showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between the annual forage yield and the number of stems, crown diameter, forage yield in the first and second cuts, seed yield, and canopy diameter. Based on the principal component analysis (PCA), four components were introduced with respect to eigenvalues greater than one, which explained total of 82% of variation among the populations. According to the cluster analysis, the populations were arranged into three groups. Therefore, the studied population provided a suitable genetic background for selecting superior populations from different clusters, which can be used for breeding improved varieties through polycross and hybridizations.

Tall fescue is a high yielding perennial grass with wide adaptability to the adverse environmental conditions.This study was carried out to measure dry forage yield, chemical compositions and metabolizable energy (ME) of six tall fescue genotypes at two phonological stages. The selected genotypes were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the research farm of Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of the Northwest Region in Tabriz in 2017. Based on the results of analysis of variance, the tested genotypes showed significant differences for all measured traits (P˂0.01). Dry forage yield was high in the genotypes Boroujen1 and Kamyaran2 with 325 and 270 g/plant respectively and low in the genotype Kamyaran3. The amount of crude protein, ME and acid detergent fibers (ADF) in the genotypes Boroujen1 and Borjen2 were better than the genotypes Fariman, Kamyaran1, Kamyaran2 and Kamyaran3 (P˂0.05), whereas the genotype Kamyaran3 had the lowest crude protein and ME and the highest ADF. Interaction of genotype ´ phonological stage was significant for all traits. At the heading stage, dry forage yield of the genotypes Boroujen1 and Kamyaran2 were the highest with 536 and 442 g/plant respectively and in the genotypes Fariman and Kamyaran3 were the lowest (P˂ 0.05). Based on the results of dry forage yield, the amount of crude protein, ADF and ME, the best genotypes were Boroujen1 and Kamyaran2.

Myrtus communis L. is a valuable medicinal, economic and ornamental. In recent years, unfortunately, improper use of this plant by profiteers due to obtain pure extracts and active essential oil, was extincted of natural locality of this plant. For this reason, its reproduction, especially through micropropagation, is an important step in conservation of its locality. The aim of this research is the study of medium and regulators influence on Myrtle micro propagation. Plant seeds were collected from Hajiabad region of Hormozgan province. The best medium for shoot regeneration was obtained DKW medium with BA, TDZ and Kinitin in 1, 1 and 0.1 mgl-1, respectively. The best medium for root regeneration was determined MS medium with 1 mgl-1IBA and 0.1 mgl-1NAA. It had the highest number of primary and secondary roots. Finally in this research the best micropropagation protocole of Myrtle was obtained.

Rye (Secale spp.) is native to Southwest Asia and it two species including S. cereale and S. strictum is grown in Iran. This study was conducted to evaluate the diversity of phenological, morphological, and cytogenetic traits in two species of this genus. In this experiment, seeds of 91 ecotypes (including 78 S. cereale and 13 S. strictum) were provided from National Plant Gene Bank of Iran. Seeds sown in the research farm of the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Karaj, Iran, in the 2014-2015 crop year. All phenological and morphological traits (quantitative and qualitative) including 23 traits were measured according to the instructions of the International Institute of Bioversity. The descriptive statistics parameters showed different range of variation in traits among the species. Multivariate analysis showed significant differences among the species for phenological traits as flowering date and maturation date and morphological traits as grain shedding index, ear color, spike length and the number of spikelets per spike. These traits were considered of great importance in species segregation. Cytogenetic evaluation of the chromosomes of S. cereale and S. strictum showed that although both species were diploid (2n=14), a noticeable difference in chromosome length and the average arm ratio was observed in these two species, which can help to identify cytogenetically differentiate between them. Overall, the phenological, morphological, and cytogenetic traits in rye species show considerable diversity and can be used to identify and differentiate of the species. If there is a time limit or impossibility of cultivation, cytogenetic evaluation can be used as a fast and reliable method to identify species.