پژوهشنامه اصلاح گیاهان زراعی
پیاپی 47 (پاییز 1402)

Germination and seedling emergence potential of monogerm sugar beet seed in the field, depends on seed quality. Also, crop yield and resource use efficiency of agricultural inputs depend on successful plant establishment in the field, and it is the vigor of seeds that defines their ability to germinate and establish seedlings rapidly, uniformly, and robustly across diverse environmental conditions. Our knowledge of variation in vigor and function of seed in crop yield, is limited. Accordingly, the quality characteristics of seeds, including seed vigor, are essential in the process of sugar beet breeding to provide cultivars with vigor and seed function good in the field. The present study was conducted to evaluate and rank single crosses and hybrids being improved in terms of different traits of seed vigor and determining the relationship between them to achieve maximum seed quality.

In this study, the seed vigor traits of 22 single crosses and 22 top cross hybrids, from crossing along with the sugar beet pollinating line, under greenhouse conditions in Sugar Beet Seed Institute in 2020-2021 were studied. The quality traits of single crosses and hybrids in two separate experiments in greenhouse conditions, each with 22 treatments were evaluated in a randomized completely block design with four replications.

The results showed that seedling emergence traits in single crosses and top cross hybrids resulting from their crossings in sugar beet were influenced by genotype. Genetic variation was observed between single crosses and hybrids in terms of seed vigor. Hybrids with low abnormal germination percentage, low non-germinated seeds and high germination uniformity in the laboratory have a significant increase in seedling emergence compared to other hybrids. Finally, hybrids that high germination uniformity in the laboratory, had the higher coefficient velocity of germination and were green in less time.

It seems that the uniformity trait of sugar beet seed germination has a decisive and significant role compared to the rest of the quality traits in the laboratory and can be used in breeding programs as an index of seed quality selection; Also, the multivariate cluster analysis method and the ideal genotype selection index (SIIG) of genotypes based on the qualitative traits of sugar beet seeds (seedling emergence percentage, seedling emergence rate, mean emergence time of seedling, emergence uniformity of seedling, mean dry weight of seedling) obtained a statistically significant difference in the cluster and their ranking in SIIG. It seems that the germination traits of sugar beet seeds can be used in breeding programs as one of the indexes of seed quality selection; Therefore, it is expected that selecting and screening superior genotypes to increase the quality of sugar beet seeds, it will lead to the improvement and increase of seedling emergence in the field and finally, will be accompanied by an increase in crop yield.

The study of genetic diversity with the help of molecular markers is the main precondition and an important step in the improvement of vegetable plants, including tomato and is the basis for the effective use of heterosis and the protection of genetic pools. Several studies have been conducted using molecular markers between different tomato lines, but there is little studies in Iran. Based on this, the present study intends to estimate the genetic distance between a numbers of tomato lines using ISSR molecular markers.

In the present study, 12 tomato lines were investigated using microsatellite primers (ISSR) at Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed by ISSR primers and PCR products fractioned on 1.5% using agarose gel electrophoresis then the bands were analysed.

The primers used showed acceptable polymorphism (85.28) and suitable score able banding patterns. The highest and lowest polymorphism information content (PIC) with values of 0.40 and 0.22 were related to ISSR2 and ISSR10 primers, respectively. The ISSR2 primer was more efficient than other primers in identifying and classifying the studied lines. The degree of genetic similarity varied from 0.23 to 0.95 between the studied lines and lines Fanal and Harlekyn had the most similarity and lines CP with Bibor and after that SP with Bibor showed greatest genetic distances. Results of cluster analysis and evaluation of quantitative characterestics of studied lines showed that genotypes 4, 5, 6 and 8 placed in first group had better yield and earliness comparing other genotypes.   

Lines CP, SP and Bibor had a great genetic distance from each other and hybridization between CP and SP with Bibor as well as utilizing of selected genotypes in first group is recommended for next breeding programs in tomato. The ISSR2 primer has useful information in distinguishing the studied lines than other primers and its useful in breeding programs of tomato.

Variety of cultivars is considered one of the important factors affecting performance. Therefore, accurate and correct identification of the genotypes of its seeds is very useful, in addition to being necessary in plant breeding programs; it is also very effective in preserving genetic reserves. The present research was conducted to investigate the cumin landraces in diversity terms of yield components and to select landraces with suitable potential for selectivity.

To investigate the phenological, morphological, and functional characteristics of native cumin stands, a study was conducted at the Targh research station in 2019-2018 on 30 native stands of cumin in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The Characteristics of the number of days to 50 % flowering and at physiological and seed maturity, plant height, branch number, number of umbels per plant, number of umbellate per umbel, number of flowers in umbellate, biomass, and yield were measured.

A significant difference was observed between the landraces in all of the studied traits. Cover canopy (47-633 cm2), plant height (17.7-30 cm), branch number (6.3-62.3), number of umbels per plant (5.7-27.3), number of umbellate per umbel (3.17-5.33), number of flowers in umbellate (4.30-5.85), biomass (1.92-17.38 g), seed yield (0.129-6.72 g) per plant, were varied. Based on the results of the clustering, the landraces were placed in three separate groups. The Cluster grouping and comparison of the average of the groups with the total average showed that the landraces belonging to the second group, including Arak 6 (15316), Boshruyeh (38904), and Markazi 15 (14654) in morphological traits, yield components, and grain yield compared to the total average and other groups were the best. Cumin landraces belonging to the third group had a lower average than the total average in most traits. The results showed that among the landraces that showed the highest level of resistance to Fusarium disease, Ayask (C103) from the third group and Khash (22074) from the first group had a yield of 11 grams per plant. However, despite the high yield rate in the Ayask, due to the effectiveness of other traits in addition to performance, this landrace cannot be recommended for breeding programs.

Considerable variation was observed between landraces in terms of studied traits. The highest amount of grain yield was observed in the khash belonging to the first group and the Boshruyeh from the second group, and due to the relatively high resistance of these landraces to Fusarium disease. So, we proposed that as selected landraces for breeding programs.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), as the "queen of forage plants", is the most important fodder plant all over the world, including Iran. One of the common methods in alfalfa breeding is the improvement of synthetic verities. Numerous research activities for breeding and cultivation of alfalfa have been done in Iran, but so far only two improved populations have been introduced. This research was done to introduce the first synthetic variety of alfalfa using alfalfa-rich germplasm.

For evaluation of the general combining ability of Azarbaijan alfalfa ecotypes with polycross test and selection of synthetic variety parents, 30 native ecotypes were collected from the Azarbaijan region, and polycross nurseries were conducted in East Azarbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Tabriz, Iran. The 30 half-sib families resulting from polycross nurseries were planted individually in pots and 30- day old seedlings were transplanted to the field and various traits were measured for 3 years. Based on 30 half-sib family's evaluation, 11 ecotypes were selected as parents for synthetic variety. The selected superior ecotypes were polycrossed under controlled conditions and the synthetic variety was produced. The synthetic cultivar was evaluated in several projects and several locations over several years along with parental ecotypes and control cultivars.

Statistical analyses showed significant differences among alfalfa half-sib families and it is possible to select parents. The narrow sense heritability values of fresh and dry forage yield, plant height, and ratios of the fresh and dry weight of leaves to the fresh and dry weight of stem were estimated as 51%, 50%, 46%, 11%, and 19% respectively. According to the ability of the general combination of ecotypes and especially based on fresh and dry forage yield, the top eleven ecotypes were selected for synthetic seed production. Considering 30% selection intensity, the expected genetic gain response for fresh and dry forage yield was calculated as 3.2 and 1.58 tons, respectively, which was expected to be 18% and 17.5% for fresh and dry forage yield, respectively. The ratios of fresh and dry weight of leaves to fresh and dry weight of stem showed low narrow sense heritability, so the expected genetic gain responses for them were very low.

Based on the results of several studies, the average yield of fresh and dry forage yield of the synthetic variety was 38609 and 10231 (Kg/ha), respectively. The superiority of this variety for fresh and dry forage yield in comparison with control cultivar was about 22%. The results of several research projects showed that the improved modified synthetic variety has the necessary superiority to be introduced as a new agricultural variety to the farmers for widespread cultivation and introduced and it was introduced as the first synthetic variety named Nafis.

Field Sowthistle (Sonchus arvensis L.) is a plant with high potential medicinal and nutritional values, the medicinal properties of this plant are due to the presence of important phytochemical compounds, especially phenols, and flavonoids. Drought is an important abiotic stress and the most limiting factor for plant growth and production. S. arvensis has valuable secondary metabolites, hence investigation on the responses of this plant against drought stress is of great importance. The purpose of this research was to study the effect of drought stress on morphological characteristics and some phytochemical and biochemical parameters in S. arvensis.

To investigate the effect of drought stress on the morphological, phytochemical, and biochemical characteristics of Field Sowthistle, a pot experiment was carried out as a completely randomized design in three replications. The treatment of drought stress included four levels of 100% (non-stress), 75%, 50%, and 25% of field capacity. The morphological traits studied were shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root dry weight, plant height, and root length. Also, phytochemical traits include photosynthetic pigments, relative water content, total phenol, total flavonoid, antioxidant capacity with two DPPH and FRAP methods, proline and soluble sugar, and biochemical traits such as activity of antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione Peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and total protein were also measured in middle and lower leaves.

The results showed that drought stress had a significant effect on the growth components, the relative content of leaf water, proline, soluble sugar, chlorophyll a and b and total chlorophyll, carotenoid, total phenol, total flavonoid, antioxidant activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase and inhibition of DPPH radical activity and iron reducing power (FRAP). With the decrease in soil water content, plant height, fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots, relative water content, chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll decrease, and in contrast to root length, chlorophyll b, carotenoid, proline, soluble sugar, total protein, phenol and Total flavonoid, antioxidant enzymes, inhibition of DPPH radical activity and iron reducing power (FRAP) increased. Also, some traits were investigated in the middle and lower leaves, and there was a difference between the above traits between the middle and lower leaves, and the middle leaves contained more of the examined traits.

The results of the present study indicated that drought stress decreases morphological traits except for root length. Also, a higher amount of phytochemical traits were observed in the middle leaves compared to the lower leaves. In general, drought stress caused an increase in the biochemical and phytochemical traits, except for the relative water content, chlorophyll a, and total chlorophyll.

Thyme is one of the medicinal plants that is cultivated in some parts of the world and some of its species are native to Iran. The evaluation of the phytochemical diversity of the essential oil of these species is one of the important steps in the breeding of thyme, and such diversity in essential oil compositions is caused by the different effects of environmental and habitat factors. The present research was carried out in order to understand the phytochemical diversity of the essential oil of different populations of thyme.

In this study, the percentage essential oli compounds in 15 populations (8 populations of T. kotschyanus species, 3 populations of T. migricus, 2 populations of T. fedtschenkoi and a population of T. fallax and T. pubescens) from natural habitats of northwest and west regions of Iran, were studied. In order to evaluate the essential oil percentage and components, flowers of the populations were harvested during flowering season. Identification of essential oil components was performed by gas mass spectrometer (GC/MS) gas chromatography.

A total of 27 compounds were observed in the essential oils of the studied populations, and there was considerable diversity among them. According to the results, Thymol, P-cymene, and Gamma-terpinene were the dominant components of the essential oil. The highest essential oli percentage was related to Thymol taht Bukan- Kouhbardzard (69.75%) and Barugh-Takaghaj (62.13%) had the highest amount. The superiority of West-Azarbaijan populations was significant in Thymol components. In addition, Carvacrol was high in Urmia-Qushchi (58.29%), Sardasht (44.77%), and Linalool was high in Saghez (53.21%) population. By principal component analysis (PCA) it was determined that the first three components explained 60% of the variations in the data. Also, the cluster analysis of the populations of West Azerbaijan province and Kurdistan province was divided into two separate groups. Thymol was negatively correlated with 1,8-cineole. Gamma-terpinene, which was one of the other dominant compounds of the essential oil, with 1,8-cineole and Beta. Ocimene compounds showed a negative correlation. The strongest positive correlation between 1,8-cineole with Beta. Ocimene, Caryophyllene oxide with Camphor, and Lavandulyl acetate with Camphene were observed. Alpha-thujen had the highest negative correlation with other essential oil compounds and Carvacrol did not have a high correlation with other compounds.

Bukan and Barugh case of high amount of Thymol, and Sardasht, Urmia-Qushchi and Naghadeh populations because of their high levels of Thymol and Carvacrol, are superior and can be useful in pharmaceutical industry, products and breeding programs.

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) also called macaroni wheat is a tetraploid species of wheat that has been improved during consecutive selection processes in Emmer wheat. Hence, it seems that a high level of genetic diversity exists in its germplasm and it can serve as an ideal gene pool for the improvement of cultivated varieties. The main objective of this study was to evaluate genetic diversity in a set of durum wheat genotypes in terms of grain yield and some agronomic traits.

In this research, 94 durum wheat genotypes were investigated at the country's dryland agriculture research station in Serarud, Kermanshah, in the form of an augmented design with six repeated controls during two crop years 2016-2017 and 2017-2028. To study the genetic diversity of the studied genotypes agronomic traits such as the number of days to heading, number of days to physiological maturity, plant height, 1000-kernals weight, and grain yield were measured. After collecting experimental data, analysis of variance was done based on the best linear unbiased estimation (BLUE) models. The GT-biplot method was used to identify the superior genotypes based on grain yield and other traits. 

The results showed that the genotypic effect was significant for all measured traits in both years (except for grain yield for the first year). The estimated genotypic variance for each of the measured traits was high in both agronomic years. According to the results obtained from the comparison of the genotypes' mean, it was found that genotypes numbers 24, 80, and 83 were relatively superior to other genotypes in terms of grain yield and other agronomic traits. Also, the results of GT analysis indicated the existence of a higher level of genetic diversity in terms of measured traits. As another result of this study, grain yield positively and significantly correlated with 1000-kernel weight.

In general, according to the results obtained from this research, a high level of genetic diversity was found for grain yield and other measured traits in the investigated durum wheat genotypes, so this genetic diversity can be used in breeding programs to improve yield performance. Moreover, it seems that some selected genotypes for grain yield and other agronomic traits can be exploited for the simultaneous improvement of more than one trait in crossbreeding programs.

During the recent years, rice has again received a lot of attention from farmers in the north of the country by improving the self-reliance coefficient of the product and productivity. On the other hand, temperature drop at the time of flowering and grain filling, despite the quality improvement, leads to a sharp decrease in the yield of the rice in double cropping stage. Therefore, identification of suitable cultivars in terms of precociousness and tolerance to cold, which will result in acceptable grain yield, is one of the priorities of rice cultivation.

In this research, evaluation of cold tolerance for 24 rice genotypes including five EMS mutant lines, two gamma ray mutant varieties from the Tarom-mahalli cultivar, five foreign lines, three improved cultivars and nine landrace cultivars in the research farm of the Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University was carried out in the form of a randomized complete block design in three replications under replanting conditions. At the end of the growing season, various traits such as the number of days to full heading stage, the number of days to maturity, the height of the plant, the number of panicles per plant, the length of the panicle, the number of seeds per panicle, the number of unfilled grains per panicle, the number of fertile grains per panicle, length of grain, 1000-grain weight, panicle harvest index, panicle fertility percentage, grain density and paddy yield were measured. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to categorize genotypes.

Out of 24 rice genotypes cultivated under cold conditions at the end of the season, only 14 genotypes reached the heading stage. The results of analysis of variance showed that there is a significant difference between the genotypes in all studied traits. The mean comparison results showed that Zarak and Kohsar cultivars and L181, L183, L184 and L185 mutants were among the low-duration genotypes. The highest and lowest number of grains in the panicle was related to D100 and Binam genotypes with 147.47 and 50.67, respectively. The mean comparison results showed that the highest grain yield of L183 genotype was 339 g.m-2, which was 79% higher than the Binam (control cultivar). The dendrogram obtained from the cluster analysis showed that all the studied genotypes were segregated into four separate groups that the second and fourth group had the highest amount of yield. The results of principal components analysis showed that the number of four components had an eigenvalue higher than one and they accounted for 86.36% of the total variance. In the first component, the number of days to full heading stage (0.73), the number of days to maturity (0.71), plant height (0.74), panicle length (0.79), the number of grains per panicle (0.70), 1000-grain weight (-0.68), panicle harvest index (-0.73), and panicle fertility (-0.76) had the highest factor loading.

By evaluating the agronomical characteristics and grain yield, the mutant line (L183) was selected and introduced as the best line both in terms of maturity period and agronomical characteristics.

Fusarium head blight disease is one of the most important and destructive diseases of wheat in hot and humid climates, which, in addition to reducing yield, causes the accumulation of mycotoxins in the grain, which is dangerous for humans and animals. Passive resistance against Fusarium includes many morphological and phenological traits such as plant height, flowering time, heading time, number of spikes and spike density, which help to escape the disease or create a kind of resistance to Fusarium head rot disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the studied genotypes with respect to Fusarium head blight disease and to estimate the simple and canonical correlation between morphological traits and disease resistance traits.

In order to evaluate 92 improved and native genotypes of Iranian bread wheat against Fusarium head blight in two crop years (2019-2022), experiments were conducted in the form of a randomized complete block design in the farm of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Morphological traits measured included plant height (PH), spike length (SL), and number of seeds per spike (TSS), and agronomic traits measured included heading time (DTH) and flowering time (DTF). Disease traits were: disease incidence (INC), disease severity (SEV), Fusarium damaged kernels (FDK), FHBdx index and ISK.

For all disease-related traits and morphophenological traits, a significant difference (p<0.001) was observed between genotypes. According to the result of correlation analysis, there was a positive and significant correlation (p<0.001) between DTH, DTF and PH traits with traits related to Fusarium head blight of wheat. The analysis of canonical correlation between the variables of disease-related traits and morphophenological traits showed a significant canonical correlation (0.687), which explains 81% of the total variance. According to the results of cluster analysis based on morphophenological traits and traits related to FHB disease, the investigated genotypes were classified into five separate group, the genotypes of the first group had a lower average among the other groups and the average of all genotypes in terms of all traits related to FHB disease and at the same time, compared to other groups, they were earlier.

Rizhav, Chamran, Darya, Arta, Neishabur and Gonbad cultivars showed the highest resistance to Fusarium disease in the study and can still be used as parental cultivars to improve new wheat cultivars resistant to Fusarium Head Blight disease. Also, among the landrace, three genotypes, Larg Karaj, Parand Saveh, and Malayer, showed acceptable resistance, which indicates that some landrace cultivars are also relatively resistant to Fusarium head blight disease, and it may be possible if they have complementary gene loci of specific genes. Resistance to this disease can probably be used for breeding purposes and programs for resistance to Fusarium disease, which needs further investigation in future studies.

Coriander is one of the important medicinal plants in the world which has been used widely in medicinal, cosmetic and health care industries.

In order to investigate the genetic diversity of this plant in Iran, 20 Coriander populations were collected from different parts of the country and evaluated out using randomized complete block design with three replications in Karaj Vegetable Research Center of Horticultural Sciences Research Institute in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 crop years. During the growth period, the phenological, morphological and physiological characteristics were recorded. Days to generation, Largest basal leaf length, Basal leaf number, Days to full flowering, Days to Maturity, Plant height, Umbel number per plant, Fertile umbel number per plant, Unfertile umbel number per plant, Umbellate number per umbel, Seed number per umbel, thousand seed weight, Grain yeild per plant, Biomass per plant, Harvest index per plant, Grain yield, Biomass and Harvest index traits were investigated. Data were analyzed using SAS and SPSS software and for Grouping of the population, the cluster analysis was performed by Ward’s method and factor analysis was done using the Variomax rotation method.

According to the results of analysis of variance, there were significant differences between the studied populations in terms of most traits include the largest basal leaf length, basal leaf number, plant height, umbel number per plant, fertile umbel number per plant, unfertile umbel number per plant, umbellate number per umbel, grain number per umbel, 1000-seed weight, seed weight per plant, biomass per plant, harvest index per plant, grain yield, biomass and harvest index. Phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation were high for most of the traits which indicated the high diversity of these traits in the studied populations. The heritability in broad-sense of the traits largest basal leaf length, basal leaf number, plant height, umbel number per plant, fertile umbel number per plant, umbellate number per umbel, seed number per umbel, 1000-seed weight, seed weight per plant, biomass per plant, harvest index per plant, grain yield, biomass and harvest index were high, which makes the response to the selection of these traits expected in breeding programs. Cluster analysis classified 20 studied populations into five groups.

According to the results, the Kermanshah population had the highest grain yield in two years. The higher yield of this populaion was due to having the highest number of umbels per plant, number of fertile umbels, number of umbels per umbel and weight of 1000 seeds. Also, the traits of the length of the longest basal leaf, the number of basal leaves, the number of umbels per plant, the number of fertile umbels per plant, the number of umbels per umbel, the number of seeds per umbel, the weight of 1000 seeds, the yield of seeds per plant, the biomass of a single plant, the harvest index of a single plant, seed yield, biomass and harvest index had high heritability, which indicates the high role of genetic factors and the low influence of environmental factors on the control of these traits.

Considering the increase in per capita consumption of rice in the country and the need to increase rice production per unit area, it is very important to introduce new high-quality varieties with high yield and stable grain yield. The grain yield depends on the genotype and its response to environmental conditions. To increase the quantity and quality of rice, this research was conducted to evaluate the interaction between genotype × environment and to determine the stability of the grain yield of rice genotypes.

In this experiment, 8 quality rice lines were carried out including Kadus, Ali Kazemi, and Champa local cultivars in the form of Randomized Complet Block Design with three replications in Cheram and Basht regions during 2017 and 2018. In each year, the performance of tested genotypes was tested separately using simple variance analysis and using Duncan's method, and at the end of the second year, combined analysis was performed to determine the compatibility. To analyze the stability and compatibility of lines, Shukla's stability variance, Francis and Kanenberg's coefficient of environmental changes, Wrickes ecovalence, deviation from Eberhart and Russell's regression line, Finley and Wilkinson's regression coefficient and Pintos' coefficient of identification were used.

The results showed a great diversity between the investigated genotypes in terms of grain yield and other agricultural traits. Composite variance analysis showed that there is a significant difference between years at the 5% probability level. The stability analysis of the genotypes by calculating the stability parameter shows that the highest stability was related to the local Champa variety and lines 7, 8, 5, and 6. Based on the calculated Eberhart & Russell Method, genotypes 7, 6, and 8 and the local Champa variety were favorable in both test environments. In terms of Wrickes ecovalence, and stability parameter, the local Champa cultivar and genotypes 6 and 5 were the best. Based on the results of the analysis and comparison of the average of the treatments, the superiority of the grain yield was related to lines 7 and 5 with an average yield of 9.60 and 8.85 tons per hectare. The mentioned lines were recognized as superior genotypes due to their average yield, conversion efficiency, high percentage of whole rice, and average amylose content.

Based on the results obtained from the stability methods of lines number 7 and 5, respectively, with an average yield of 9.60 and 8.85 tons per hectare and having stability variance, environmental change coefficient, and intra-location variance less than one, as well as the coefficient of the regression line equal to one they are recommended as stable genotypes for both regions and other similar regions.

The impact of drought stress on crops is devastating annually, resulting in yield losses of 17%. Research seems, therefore, necessary to improve crop tolerance to drought stress and minimize water losses in agriculture. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between yield and yield components with physiological traits and use these relationships to select high-yielding cultivars under normal irrigation and drought stress conditions at the flowering stage.

To explore the effect of drought stress at the flowering stage, four genotypes were investigated as factor A by factorial experiment based on the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications under the normal and drought stress conditions at the flowering stage as factor B in the research greenhouse of Azerbaijan Shahid Madani University during the 2016-2017 crop season. The relationship between yield and yield components with physiological traits and the relative importance of traits affecting yield were investigated using an analysis of variance, mean comparison, and canonical correlation analysis after measuring the traits of the studied genotypes.

Analysis of variance results revealed significant differences between genotypes for most traits studied. Under normal irrigation conditions and drought stress, the Arum genotype was the best in terms of biological yield, awn length, grain number per spike, and grain number in spikelet traits and the Mihan genotype outperformed others concerning plant dry weight, number of grains per spike, days to spike formation, root dry weight, root volume, and number of grains per spikelet traits. The results of this canonical correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between the canonical variables of yield and yield components with the canonical variables of physiological traits under both normal and stress conditions. To increase grain yield and 1000-grain weight under normal irrigation conditions in the greenhouse, traits of malondialdehyde concentrations, hydrogen peroxide content, proline content, peroxide, and catalase content, and chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll concentrations may be appropriate selection criteria. The results of canonical correlation analysis, under stress conditions in the greenhouse, revealed that to increase 1000-grain weight, number of grains per spike, and grain yield, traits such as malondialdehyde, chlorophyll b concentration, protein content, peroxidase, proline content, chlorophyll a concentration, and catalase are important and influential factors.

According to canonical correlation analysis, it can be argued that under normal irrigation and drought stress conditions in the greenhouse, traits of malondialdehyde concentration, peroxidase content, and chlorophyll a concentration are appropriate selection criteria to increase grain yield.

Cotton has special economic and agricultural importance and it is considered the most important fiber used in the world's textile industry. Identification of germplasms based on important quantitative and qualitative characteristics is necessary for the transfer of traits in crossbreeding programs and the improvement of superior cultivars. This research was carried out to evaluate cotton several genotypes of cotton based on measured quantitative and qualitative characteristics.

To evaluate genotypes of cotton using GTBiplot graphical analysis and selection of the best genotypes, an experiment including nine genotypes along with two commercial cultivars as reference checks (Bakhtegan and Golestan) carried out in the form of a randomized complete block design with 4 replications at the Darab Agricultural Research Station in 2017-2018. In this experiment, the traits of plant height, sympodial length, sympodial number, number of bolls per plant, boll weight, earliness percentage, yield, fiber length, uniformity percentage, fiber micronaire, fiber strength, fiber elongation, and lint percentage were investigated.

The results of principal components analysis showed that the three PCAs explained 80.4% of the total agronomical variability residing in tested cotton genotypes. The first two PCAs accounted for 44.6% and 22.3% of the total variation, respectively. In the first component, respectively, the traits of the yield and the number of bolls had the largest contribution in justifying the variance between the data. In the second component, earliness percentage and fiber length in the positive direction and sympodial length in the negative direction had the largest contribution in justifying the variance between the data.
In GTbiplot analysis, the polygonal diagram obtained from the analysis showed that the genotypes GTbiplot arising Bakhtegan, A-NB414, A-NBK, VA-1, VA-2, and 96-A3, which were located at the vertices of the polygon, were the superior genotypes. The results showed that A-NB414 and A-NBK genotypes were superior to other genotypes in terms of yield, plant height, boll number, uniformity, lint percentage, and earliness. The highest diversity was justified by from A-NB414, A-NBK, Bakhtegan, and Golestan genotypes. In this research, the A-NB414 and A-NBK genotypes were identified as superior in terms of measured quantitative and qualitative traits and compared with VA-1, VA-2, A3-96, 48-92, 90-92 10481, A-SKG, and 34-92 had a negative correlation.

In conclusion, the genotypes A-NB414 and A-BNK were superior to other genotypes in many quantitative and qualitative traits and they were not correlated with Bakhtegan variety which had good micronaire and boll weight. These genotypes can be used in breeding programs to achieve maximum diversity and obtain hybrids with favorable yield, early variety, with high boll weight and number, high uniformity percentage, high lint percentage, and suitable micronaire of fibers for use in the textile industry.

This research is aimed to evaluate and investigate the performance stability of superior promising cotton genotypes that have been obtained through various breeding methods including hybridization and mutation and were superior rather than their parents in the Hashemabad region of Gorgan.

In this experiment, six genotypes A-NBK, A-NB414, A-SKG, A3-96, Va-1, and Va-2 along with control cultivar (Golestan) were evaluated in the form of randomized complete block design with 3 replications during three years (2017-2019). A Combined analysis of variance, cluster, and principal component analysis methods using graphical analysis of genotype in traits were used to analyze data.

Based on the results of the combined ANOVA, the investigated genotypes were not significantly different in the traits of the number of reproductive branches and the yield of the first picking. Despite, height, number of bolls, percentage of early maturity, yield of 30 bolls, total yield, yield of fibers (30 bolls), length of fibers, uniformity, finess of fibers, strength, elongation of fibers, total keel and keel of 30 bolls was significantly different among genotypes. A-NB414 genotype had a highest of 110.3 cm and the Golestan variety had the lowest height (83.7 cm). The yield trait of the second harvest of genotype A-NB414 (1283.2 kg/h) and the total yield trait in genotype A-NB414 (5067.1 kg/h) were significantly higher than other genotypes. Based on the results, three components had roots of more than two (7.79, 2.76, and 2.49). The results of cluster analysis were classified into 3 groups.

The results showed that A-NBK and A-NB414 genotypes can be introduced as new cultivars and also be used in breeding programs to create higher genetic diversity. It can be obtained by crossing the A-NBK genotype with the Golestan cultivar to a desirable variety due to the different genetic background. Genotype Va-1 appeared as an early genotype with high fiber uniformity and high first-harvest yield. A-NB414 and A-NBK genotypes with high height, boll number, fiber uniformity percentage, and high yield among the studied genotypes are suitable for introduction as a new variety.

The development of oilseeds cultivation is one of the important and major goals of the country in achieving self-sufficiency in this field, which will play an important role in food security. Camelina is a promising oilseed that could potentially be used as a low-input crop for production in the drylands. However, little is known about camelina’s breeding lines. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate and screen advanced camelina lines in terms of agronomic characteristics, yield, and percentage of seed oil using various statistical methods.

In this study, 19 advanced high oil lines along with cultivar Soheil were screened for agronomic characteristics, yield, and percentage of seed oil. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replicates under rain-fed conditions at Sarab-Changai Research Station, Lorestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Centre, Khorramabad, Iran during the 2020-2021 cropping year in rainfed condition.

According to the results, the oil yield and grain yield traits with more than 40% had the highest coefficient of variation. Day-to-flowering and day-to-maturity traits had the least variability according to this statistic. Analysis of variance indicated significant genotypic diversity between the studied genotypes in terms of most traits. The highest grain yield (901 kg/ha), oil content (35.83%), and oil yield (324 kg/ha) were recorded for DH60 line. According to the results of means comparison, plant height of genotypes was between 70.17 and 80.33 cm, day to flowering between 124 and 136, and day to maturity between 156 and 167. The correlation between grain yield and seed oil content (0.744**) and oil yield (0.995**) was positive and highly significant. Genotypes were clustered into three groups and the groups were statistically significantly different in most of the traits.

lines DH60, DH61, and DH105 were known as desirable and candidates for further breeding and agronomic research programs based on the results of various statistical methods including mean comparisons, cluster analysis, “genotype × trait” biplot, and SIIG index. lines DH41, DH69, DH128, and DH82 were also identified as the weakest genotypes in terms of the studied traits and are not recommended for economic cultivation. The results of this study showed that camelina is a crop plant adapted to dry conditions and a short growth period that has the potential to provide diversity in dryland crop rotation.

Recently, there has been an increased interest in identifying natural antioxidant compounds for use in the pharmaceutical and food industries, mainly due to increased unintentional side-effects of synthetic antioxidants. The present study aimed to evaluate the total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract from aerial parts of Ferulago angulata in three developmental stages from two natural habitats of Ilam Province.

The extracts were prepared from aerial parts of Ferulago angulate plant. The total phenol and flavonoid contents of extracts were measured spectrophotometrically by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and aluminium chloride, respectively. The antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH method. The results of this method were expressed by calculating the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the extract in different developmental stages.

The results showed that the highest phenolic and flavonoid content is in the flowering development stage of Kabirkouh habitat. The DPPH scavenging activity results of methanolic extracts showed that the lowest IC50 value (the highest antioxidant activity) and the highest IC50 value (the lowest antioxidant activity) of methanolic extracts were 0.71 and 2.06 mg/ml at developmental flowering and pre-flowering stages, respectively.

All extracts showed antioxidant activity, which is more effective in the developmental flowering stage of Kabirkouh habitat. This plant can be considered an available source of natural antioxidants that can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the study of two habitats and three developmental stages, Kabirkouh habitat and the flowering developmental stage are suggested as the most suitable habitats and developmental time to collect this medicinal plant.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) ranks second in terms of cultivated area in Iran after wheat, and according to the latest statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad (2019), its cultivated area in the country is reported to be 1.547 million hectares, which the amount the production of seeds was 3.514 million tons. The objective of this study was to select the superior barley genotypes based on grain yield and its stability, and also yield components, and important yield-related agronomic traits in temperate regions of Khorasan Razavi province.

To identify the optimal genotypes of barley, three promising lines along with Nusrat, Yusuf, Gohran, and Rihan cultivars in the form of randomized complete block design with five replications in three cities of Firouzeh, Bardeskan (Anabod sector) and Khalilabad (Kander sector) during the crop year 2018-2019 were cultivated and studied. Several main traits i.e., number of spikes per unit area, number of kernels per spike, plant height, thousand kernel weight, biological yield, harvest index, and grain yield were recorded. GGE (genotype and genotype×environment) biplot analysis and genotype×function×trait biplot analysis were used to investigate the objectives of this research.   

Based on the results of stability analysis, the promising line MB95-4 was the Ideal genotype, and the closest genotype to it was the promising line MB95-11. In this study, GYT bioplate was used to identify desirable genotypes based on several traits simultaneously. Based on the results, the promising lines MB95-4 and MB95-11 promising lines were the best in combining grain yield with the evaluated traits, respectively. According to the GYT index, the promising lines MB95-4 and MB95-11 had the highest values, respectively. On the other hand, these two lines did not have negative values for combined yield with different traits. This indicated the relative superiority of these cultivars in combining grain yield with the evaluated traits. The value of the GYT index for the Goharan cultivar was close to zero (0.01) and this means that this cultivar had average values of traits in this study.

In general, based on the results of this study, the best genotypes in temperate regions of Khorasan Razavi province based on grain yield and its stability as well as yield components and important agronomic traits were MB95-4 and MB95-11 promising lines.

Grain quality is one of the most important goals of rice breeding. One of the important traits in rice grain quality is its aroma, which is the result of the expression of recessive mutations of the OsBadh2 gene and determines the economic value of rice. In this research, the phenotypic and molecular screening of 50 different genotypes of rice was done based on the markers related to the aroma trait.

In this research, 50 local and improved genotypes of rice were prepared from the collection of the Rice Research Institute of Iran, and the aroma trait was based on biochemical evaluation related to phenotypic selection based on the intensity of the aroma created in the treatment with 1.7 potassium hydroxide solution percentage and genotypic selection were done based on the band pattern created from the amplified gene sequence by using 3 pairs of specific primers (Badh2, Badex7-5 and Nksbad2) contiguous with the gene locations controlling the scent trait. To analyze the correlation between genes and the observed phenotype, the generalized linear logistic regression model was used.

Based on phenotypic evaluation, 31 aromatic cultivars and 19 non-aromatic cultivars were identified, which were in full agreement with the data obtained from genotypic screening, and it was found that Badh2 and Nkshad2 markers are able to predict and distinguish aromatic and non-aromatic cultivars with high confidence and accuracy.

Badh2 and Nksbad2 markers can be used as efficient markers in genetic localization of diverging populations for fragrance as a Codominant marker instead of a phenotypic evaluation method.

The soybean genotype's stability and high performance are essential factors for long-term development and food security. That the occurrence of various stresses, including drought stress, can cause high losses in the production and supply of this product. This factor has caused the wide attention of researchers to evaluate the stable and tolerant genotypes to drought stress in different environments to introduce the best variety.

This research investigated the interaction effects of G × E on yield stability in 12 soybean genotypes in four different northern Iran environments. This experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with three replications in each environment. During several harvests, yield component traits such as plant height, number of pods, number of seeds per pod, the weight of 1000 seeds, biological yield, harvest index, seed yield, oil percentage, oil yield, and seed protein content were evaluated in 1400 and 1401. Stability tests for multivariate stability parameters were performed based on AMMI and GGE biplot analysis.

Among the investigated cultivars, the Sari variety had the highest yield in all three studied regions, and the Hill variety had the lowest yield among the cultivars. The variety Sari in the two environments of Karakhil and Kapik and the varieties Tapur and SBA2 were more compatible with the Bai-Kola region than the rest of the varieties. Sari, Tapur, Caspian, and SBA3 cultivars were in this range. And Telar, Nekader, SBA2, and SBA4 cultivars are in the field of TOL and SSI indices, these cultivars were also identified as drought-sensitive cultivars.

In addition to yield stability in the two regions, the Sari variety was tolerant to drought stress and had a higher yield than the rest of the studied varieties. This variety has drought-tolerance genes and is the best parent for transferring these genes. Based on the results of cluster analysis, Hill and SBA6 cultivars had the furthest distance from SBA2. The best parents to improve the generation are crossed to create a diverse population to produce superior cultivars or genotypes.

Soybean is a perennial and diploid plant (n2=40x2) and one of the most important plants for providing protein and fodder. Soy has been the food of Asian people, especially China, for centuries, and Chinese people consume it along with rice as their main food. The United States of America is the largest producer of soybeans and produces almost two-thirds of the world's crop. In Iran, soybeans are known as (oily beans), (Chinese beans), soja, and soybeans. By using new and high-yield varieties, the economic performance of this product can be increased. Therefore, the selection criteria of parents should be considered not only in terms of agricultural value, but also for lack of genetic differentiation. The production of new and improved cultivars can be increased with new sources of genetic diversity. Therefore, the selection criteria of parents' shares should be considered not only in terms of agricultural value, but also for lack of genetic differentiation. Therefore, understanding the genetic diversity of soybean germplasm is necessary to broaden the genetic base and use it more in the breeding program.

In this research, the number of 21 soybean varieties based on the characteristics of fresh and dry weight of whole plant, leaf fresh and dry weight, turgor index, RWC, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, plant height, number of lateral branches, number of nodes and distance between Nodes were investigated in the form of a completely randomized experimental design in five replications in the year 1400 at the Research Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Postgraduate Studies of Industry and Advanced Technology.

The highest amount of fresh weight (452.1 grams) was related to (F3) DM and BUNYA cultivars and the highest number of nodes (30.4) was related to NAHO, NOD-139 and ROSE cultivars. The lowest amount of fresh weight (107.22 grams) was related to BRAGG variety and the lowest number of knots (8.8) was related to BRAGG variety. The highest number of lateral branches (9) was related to the variety KATOL and the lowest distance of the number of lateral branches (2) was related to the variety S355-4. The highest relative amount of water (RWC) (1.77) was related to SALAND and DM(F3) varieties and the lowest relative amount of water (RWC) (48.4) was related to FORREST variety.

Considering that the DM(F3) variety has the highest biomass (wet weight and dry weight), relative water index content (RWC) and turgor index, it can be used as a suitable parent in crossbreeding projects for soybean genetic improvement.