سیدابوالقاسم محمدی

Hyoscyamine and scopolamine alkaloids are valuable secondary metabolites that are mainly produced by plants of the Solanaceae family, especially the henbane genus. The production of these alkaloids in henbane is influenced by genetic processes, but environmental factors play a more prominent role in the economic synthesis of these alkaloids.
 
This research was carried out in 2020 to investigate the effect of environmental factors on the quantity and quality of hyoscyamine and scopolamine alkaloids on 10 henbane populations in northwest of Iran. The seeds of H.niger, H.reticulatus and H.pusillus species were collected from Ardabil and East Azarbaijan provinces and dried in shade. After extracting alkaloids from the populations, the amount of these alkaloids was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To study the physical and chemical properties of the soil, soil sampling was done from the root development depth of each plant (30 cm) in the studied habitats.
 
The results of variance analysis showed that the effect of above mean sea level factor on the amount of hyoscyamine and scopolamine alkaloids is significant at the 1% probability level. The results of variance analysis showed that soil nitrogen and phosphorus have a significant effect on the increase of hyoscyamine and nitrogen on the increase of scopolamine at the probability level of 1%. While the effect of potassium on the amount of hyoscyamine and the effect of phosphorus and potassium on the amount of scopolamine is not significant. The research results showed significant phytochemical diversity in terms of hyoscyamine and scopolamine among species, populations, and genotypes of henbane. Based on this, H.pusillus species in terms of scopolamine content and H.reticulatus species in terms of hyoscyamine content were at the top of the studied species, and Meshkinshahr population was at the top in terms of scopolamine and hyoscyamine, while Tabriz and Givi populations were at the bottom in this respect. The high amount of alkaloid in some of the studied ecotypes is affected by the high amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon in the soil and due to the low potassium in the studied habitats.
 
Maximum similarity was observed between the populations of Ahar with Herris, Shabester with Azarshahr, Givi with Tabriz, and Shabester with Khalkhal in terms of the amount of hyoscyamine and scopolamine. In this case, in addition to genetic factors, the similarity of the ecological characteristics of the studied habitats can also be involved.

Salinity stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses that have harmful effects on plant performance and quality. So that according to the predictions made until 2050, 50% of agricultural lands will lose their ability to be cultivated due to salinity. Due to the complexity of salinity resistance traits, there is little information about the number of genes, their chromosomal location, and the relative contribution of each gene in the incidence and phenotypic distribution. Locating quantitative genes can break down this complex genetic model into individual genetic components, in which case quantitative traits will also be investigated like monogenic traits.

In order to identify QTLs controlling some root and shoot traits under salinity stress in bread wheat, 148 recombinant inbred lines of spring bread wheat obtained from the cross of Yecora Rojo cultivar (early and dwarf as a parent of American origin) and genotype No.49 (late and tall as a parent originating from Sistan and Baluchestan) were studied with the parents. This research was carried out in 2020 in the research greenhouse of Mohaghegh Ardabili University under salinity and non-stress conditions in pitmas and perlite culture medium and factorial based on a completely randomized design with five replications. Traits measured in this experiment included root length, root fresh weight, root dry weight, fresh and dry weight of shoots. In this study, linkage map was used based on 202 markers (177 SSR markers and 51 Retro transposon Markers). The map length was about 691.36 cM with the average distance of 3.42 cM in every marker pair, and 21 chromosomes covered in bread wheat. QTL analysis was done based on composite interval mapping (CIM) method, and additive effects were estimated for the identified QTLs.

The results of QTL analysis showed that in stress-free conditions, one QTL for root dry weight and shoot dry weight, two QTL shoot fresh weight and three QTL for root wet weight and root length were identified. Under salinity stress conditions, one QTL was identified for root dry weight and root length, two QTLs for shoot dry weight and three QTLs for shoot fresh weight. Among the QTLs identified, QRFW6A.n had the highest additive effect under normal conditions and QSFW2A.s under salinity stress conditions. For shoot dry weight and root fresh weight under normal conditions and shoot fresh weight under salinity stress, the positive additive effect of the located QTL s showed the inheritance of the desired allele at this site from Yecora Rojo's parent. The phenotypic variance justified by these QTLs varied from 5.43 to 8.97 under normal conditions and from 5.51 to 7.43 percent under salinity stress.

In this study, the number of QTLs identified for root and shoot-related characteristics was low, which could be due to the high number of low-impact QTLs, interactions, and environmental effects.

The perennial fennel plant is one of the most important and widely used medicinal plants of the Apiaceae family, which is mainly cultivated for the purpose of using the essential oil obtained from it in various pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and health industries.

To investigate callogenesis and secondary metabolites production from calli, 13 populations of Iranian fennel as well as two populations from Germany and two populations from Turkey were evaluated by GC-MS.

Five types of explants (leaf, hypocotyl, epicotyl, cotyledon, and root segments) were cultured in MS medium supplemented with combination of 2,4-D + Kinetin (1:1), and also NAA + BA (0.5:1).

Among five explants used in this study, only hypocotyl explant had appropriate response to the callogenesis. According to the GC-MS analysis, the highest trans-anethole content (67.23 %) was produced in the callus of Turkish population (TUR1) under NAA + BA treatment (1:1). Callus extracts of other Turkish population (TUR2) contained considerable amounts of limonene (67.70 %) under 2,4-D + Kinetin treatment (0.5:1).

Callus induction with different plant regulators can have a significant contribution to the production of secondary metabolites, so callus that produce more secondary metabolites can be cultured in suspension or cell culture bioreactor systems. Based on the results of this research, Turkish fennel populations had the capacity to produce significant amounts of main secondary metabolites.

Henbane has a high medicinal value due to the presence of hyoscyamine and scopolamine alkaloids. Improving the quality and quantity of henbane alkaloids using modern breeding methods requires evaluating the genetic diversity. The genetic diversity of henbane has been investigated using morphological, biochemical and molecular markers in several studies and the superiority of molecular markers over other markers has been proven. To this end, in 2018, the genetic diversity of 96 henbane genotypes collected from the habitats of northwest Iran was investigated using IRAP and REMAP molecular markers. For IRAP markers, out of 36 possible combinations obtained from eight LTR primers, seven combinations had a fine and scalable amplification. In the REMAP technique, the combination of 11 ISSR primers with eight LTR primers was used, and 12 combinations could be scored out of 88 possible combinations. The average amount of polymorphic information for IRAP and REMAP markers was 0.30 and 0.32, respectively, and the average marker index for these two markers was estimated as 2.59 and 2.47. Based on these criteria, REMAP marker was more efficient than IRAP in estimating the genetic diversity of henbane. In the analysis of molecular variance using IRAP and REMAP markers, intra-population variability was estimated to be higher than inter-population, which indicates the high diversity of these populations in northwestern Iran. Cluster analysis based on IRAP marker failed to separate species and populations, but REMAP marker was able to separate H. pusillus and H. reticulatus species to a high degree. A high shannon index in this research suggests that IRAP and REMAP retrotransposon markers resulted in a high genetic diversity within henbane populations with a high insertion in the genome of henbane populations.

Bacterial canker is one of the most devastating diseases on the stone fruit trees. This disease is caused by a gram-negative bacterium called Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. Consecutive use of antibiotics and copper compounds has caused the emergence of new resistance races. One of the most promising replacement compounds is the use of bacteriophages. In this research, 56 soil samples were collected from the suspected trees of having bacterial canker from northwestern of Iran. In order to check the presence of phage particles, double-layer soft-agar technique was used to purify individual phage plaques. A total of 75 phage isolates, all of which had clear plaques, were isolated from the samples, among them, five phages with the highest lysing capability were selected for electron microscopy and greenhouse studies. Among the selected phages, three phages showed morphological similarity to Myoviridae, Tectividae and Microviridae families. Although all five phages were effective in reducing the growth of bacterial population in liquid culture medium, significant differences were observed between them. The cocktail prepared from the mixture of five phages showed a much stronger effect than the individual phages. The results of the greenhouse tests showed that these phages effectively reduce the development of the pathogen inside the bean and can reduce the bacterial symptoms in the treated plant by 90%. The five isolated phages in this research showed acceptable results in the control of the agent of bacterial canker of the stone fruit trees in the laboratory and in greenhouse experiments, and their actual formulation is recommended at the regional level.

Henbane has high medicinal value due to hyoscyamine and scopolamine alkaloids. The genetic diversity of this plant has been evaluated using different markers. However, so far, there has been no report on the use of retrotransposon markers in studying genetic diversity and improving the quality and quantity of alkaloids of this plant. In this study, the genetic diversity of 10 henbane populations was investigated using IRAP and REMAP molecular markers. Among 36 possible combinations of 8 LTR primers, 7 combinations had appropriate and scalable amplification. In the REMAP technique, 11 ISSR primers were combined with 8 LTR primers, and of the 88 possible combinations, 12 combinations were scalable. The mean values of polymorphic information for IRAP and REMAP markers were 0.30 and 0.32, respectively, and the mean marker index for these two markers was 2.59 and 2.47, respectively. Taking into account these criteria, REMAP marker was more efficient than IRAP due to the more considerable role of microsatellites in the estimation of henbane genetic diversity. In the analysis of molecular variance using IRAP and REMAP markers, intra-population variation was estimated to be higher than inter-population. This finding can be due to the existence of many genetic differences in the individuals in the population in terms of amplified gene locations. It also indicates the heterogeneity within the population and the desirable diversity of these populations in northwest Iran. Cluster analysis based on IRAP marker failed to separate species, but REMAP marker could separate H. pusillus and H. reticulatus species to a high degree.

Salinity is a big problem for agriculture and crop productivity worldwide. Barley is considered notably salt-tolerant and there is considerable genetic variation in barley in response to salinity. In the present study, the expression pattern of AOS, AOC, OMT, L1S1, and NHX1 genes were investigated in the roots of three barley genotypes, Sahara3771, Clipper, and an advanced breeding line (A-line) 24 hours, 3 days, and 3 weeks after 100 and 200 mM NaCl treatments as well as control (no NaCl). Analysis of variance revealed significant salinity x genotype x salt exposure time interaction for all the studied genes, except AOC. The highest expression level of the AOC gene was noted under 200 mM NaCl in Clipper and the lowest expression was recorded under 200 mM and 100 mM NaCl in A-line and Clipper, respectively. For the AOS gene, the highest expression level was recorded 3 weeks after 200 mM NaCl treatment. The maximum expression level of NHX1 was measured in A-Line 24 hours after 100 mM NaCl treatment and the lowest in Sahara3771 3 weeks after 200 mM NaCl treatment. The OMT gene showed the highest expression in Sahara3771 3 weeks after 100 mM NaCl treatment and the lowest was observed in A-Line under 200 and 100 mM NaCl. For the LlS1 gene, the highest level of the transcripts was measured 3 weeks after 100 mM NaCl treatment. LlS1 gene showed the lowest expression level 24 hours after 200 mM NaCl in Sahara3771.

Abiotic stresses, especially water deficit stress in plants, cause oxidative stress and as a result, they produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause serious damage to the DNA, protein and internal structure of plants. Plants have enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense mechanisms and systems to deal with these stresses. Currently due to climate changes, Water deficit stress is one of the problems of agricultural production. Given the importance of molecular studies and molecular and enzymatic responses of plants under abiotic stress conditions, therefore, relative expression of catalase and DREB-2 genes were studied by RT-PCR and catalase enzymatic activity were studied in SC706 and SC260 genotypes. The experiment was performed as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications and three irrigation conditions of (normal irrigation, intermediate stress and severe water deficit stress) under field condition. Results of relative expression analysis of genes showed a significant difference between the treatments so that by increasing the intensity of water stress compared to normal irrigation, the amount of enzyme activity and relative expression of the studied genes were increased. Under severe and intermediate water deficit stress, compared to normal irrigation, DREB-2 gene showed the highest increase with 690 and 211% respectively. In this study, based on the activity of catalase enzyme and the expression of CAT genes, DREB2 of SC706 genotype had higher performance than SC260, more appropriate physiological-molecular behavior and more expression of genes, which indicates more tolerance of SC706 genotype than SC260. The stress conditions applied in this study are the results that can be used in molecular breeding programs of maize.

In order to identify the QTLs controlling the morphologic traits of bread wheat, 148 recombinant inbred lines of spring wheat derived from American Yecora Rojo (early maturity and dwarf as the male parent) and No.49 genotype from Sistan Baluchestan (late maturity and tall as the female parent) were studied with the parents. The studied traits included peduncle length, spike length, awn length, flag leaf length, the number of spikes, spike weight, and the number of grains in spike. In this study, linkage map was used based on 202 markers (177 SSR markers and 51 Retro transposon Markers). The map length was about 691.36 cM with the average distance of 3.42 cM in every marker pair and covered 21 chromosomes in bread wheat. QTL analysis was done based on composite interval mapping (CIM) method, and additive effects were estimated for the identified QTLs. The results of QTL analysis showed that one QTL was detected on chromosomes 7B, 5A, 3A, 4A, 3A and 3A respectively for plant height, peduncle length, spike length, awn length, flag leaf length, the number of seed per spikes; two QTL was detected on chromosomes 3A and 2D for the number of spike and seed wieght per spike; and three QTLs were detected and mapped on chromosomes 3A, 4A, and 3A for spike weight. Among the detected QTLs, QSNS3A had the highest additive effect. For spike length, spike weight, the number of grains in spike, and seed weight per spike. The negative additive effect of the mapped QTLs indicate the optimal allele inheritance to crosses in this position of No.49 parent. The phenotypic variance explained by these QTLs varied from 4.93 to 13.63. In this study, the number of QTLs found for spike traits was so limited; it can be due to the large number of small-effect QTLs, mutual effects, and environmental effects.

Determination of genetic diversity level is fundamental for identification of desirable parents to be used in different breeding programs, and molecular markers have been succssfully taken for the analysis of genetic diversity in various crops. The objective of this study was to inversitgate genetic diversity among 28 genotypes of barley using root and shoot characters and 14 ISSR primers through two separate experiments (greenhouse and molecular experiments).

The greenhouse experiment was carried out as randomized complete block design with two replications in the research greenhouse of Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Iran. The traits measured in the greenhouse were root dry weight, root volume, shoot dry weight and ratio of root to shoot dry weight. The molecular experiment was conducted to study the diversity of barley genotypes using 14 ISSR primers. The polymorphic information content and marker index were calculated for each ISSR primer.

Analysis of variance showed significant differences among the genotypes under study for all traits. According to the mean comparisons, genotypes 3, 5, 9 and 20 had higher mean in terms of all characters. The cluster analysis, based on Ward 's algorithm and Euclidean distance, grouped genotypes in four clusters. Group 3 had the highest mean in terms of all of the studied characters. Out of 14 ISSR primers used, 11 primers generated scorable and appropriate banding pattern. A total of 559 polymorphic bands with 80-3000 bp were produced. Polymorphic information content was estimated to be between 0.116 and 0.252 with the average of 0.187. The marker index ranged from 3.528 to 27.972 with the mean of 9.704. Classification of the studied barley genotypes was conducted by molecular data using neighbor joining algorithm based on distance coefficient of number of differences, which assigned the genotypes into four groups. There was a concordance between the grouping of genotypes based on molecular data and the characters in the greenhouse, but this concordance was not complete. Association analysis of ISSR markers with measured characteristics of barley genotypes showed that ISSR1 and ISSR5 had significant relationship with most of the root and shoot traits.

Highgenetic diversity was observed among barley genotypes with respect to root and shoot traits. The results showed that ISSR primers have the ability to separate barley genotypes from each other. Also, it seems that ISSR markers under study can be used in marker assisted selection of barley genotypes in breeding programs.

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are simple PCR-based co-dominant markers, which are highly polymorphic and informative due to the number and frequency of alleles, and thus they are most utilized among the molecular markers. However, the development of SSR markers is costly and time-consuming. Cross-species transferability of SSRs allows the SSRs isolated from one species to apply on a closely related species, which increases the utility of previously isolated SSRs. This study demonstrated the cross-species transferability of 196 SSR primer pairs of wheat in genetic diversity analysis of 40 varieties of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Of the 196 SSR primer pairs assayed, 59 (30.1%) showed transferability. Of the 59 primer pairs, 21 pairs were polymorphic with the polymorphism information content ranging from 0.19 to 0.70. The number of alleles detected at each locus ranged from one to seven with an average of 3.57. Cluster analysis using the Minimum Evolution algorithm and the coefficient of Number of Differences assigned the genotypes into five groups.

Salinity is one of the most crucial factors, which inhibits crop production. A large number of evidence reveal that epigenetic mechanisms modulate the gene expression in plants under abiotic stresses. Obviously, by understanding epigenetic regulation of plant growth and response to stresses, a heritable variation could be develop for crop breeding. In this study the DNA methylation alteration under salt stress analyzed in two barley cultivars differing in salt tolerance, namely Sahara3771 and Clipper. Coupled Restriction Enzyme Digestion-Random Amplification (CRED-RA) was utilized to detect CCGG sequence methylation alternation in shoot and root of the plants growing under o and 100 mM NaCl treatment. Leaf and root samples for DNA extraction were harvested 24 hours, 3 weeks, and 5 weeks after salt treatment. The results revealed that under salinity stress in shoot of Sahara3771 26.20% and 15.86% of sites were hypermethylated and demethylated respectively compared to control. Average number of hyper and demethylated sites in root of Sahara3771 were 74.7% and 38.9% respectively. In shoot of Clipper 17.02% of sites was hypermethylated and 11.74% of them demethylated. Average number of hyper and demethylated sites in root of Clipper were 67.10% and 5.7% respectively. Totally, number of methyl-changed sites in shoots was higher than roots in both genotype. In addition, number of methyl-unchanged sites in shoot of Sahara3771 was higher than Clipper. These results revealed that alteration of DNA methylation in plants could be a key factor in adaptation and toleration of plants to salinity.

Comparative genomics has revealed a high degree of collinearity between related species, which allows transferability of interspecies and intergenus   markers. The aim of this study was to examine the transferability of barley microsatellite markers among species of Triticum and Aegilops genus for determination of their genetic relationships. The experiments was carried out in faculty of agriculture, university of Tabriz, Iran, in 2016. Among 165 evaluated barley microsatellite primer pairs in 40 genotypes from nine species of Triticum and Aegilops genus, 62 (37.57%) showed successful amplification at least in the genome of one species and 50 (30.3%) were polymorphic. Using 50 polymorphic primer pairs, 223 alleles were amplified and number of alleles varied from 2 to 14 with an average of 4.46. The mean of polymorphic information content and genetic diversity were 0.55 and 0.6, respectively. The studied genotypes were assigned into four groups using Nieghbor-Joining clustering algorithm and Guckes Cantor evolutionary distance coefficient. The species of Triticum and Aegilops genera were grouped separately, and within each genus, grouping was in accordance with their genome structure. In principal coordinate analysis, two first coordinates explained 24.63 and 21.86% of molecular variation, respectively, and distribution of the genotypes based on two first coordinates was in concordance with grouping of cluster analysis. The results indicated that the transferable barley markers could be successfully utilized in wheat and its wild relatives genetics and breeding studies.

Based on recent statistical survey, the cancer is the third important factor in Iran mortality. Vinblastine and vincristine alkaloids are dominantly biosynthesized in the aerial parts of periwinkle, broadly applied for cancer treatment. Therefore, over production of these alkaloids by using the biotechnological approaches is inevitable. Since the terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAS) biosynthesis pathway is adjustable, modification of underlying substrate and enzymes concentration by biotic and abiotic elicitors are important approaches for overproduction of these metabolites. Abiotic and biotic are induced the immune systems of periwinkle and subsequently increased the biosynthesis and accumulation of vinblastine and vincristine. So this study we reviewed and discussed the impacts of different abiotic and biotic elicitors on terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAS) biosynthesis and consequent secondary metabolites over production. Based on our knowledge this is the first study on the reviewing of the different elicitors on vinblastine and vincristine and it will be more helpful in the future studies.

To study the inheritance of several agronomic and physiological traits, an experiment was conducted in the research station of the University of Tabriz, Iran, under water deficit stress and normal conditions using the generation mean and generation variance analyses. The generations were produced from the cross of Arg and Moghan3 varieties. The experiment was conducted as a split-plot design based on randomized complete blocks with two replications. The irrigation conditions were arranged in the main plots and generations in the subplots. In the stress condition, irrigation was withheld after pollination. Based on the results of generation means analysis for flag leaf length in the normal condition and flag leaf width, flag leaf area and leaf chlorophyll content in both conditions, the additive-dominance model explained variation among generation means. For other traits, including flag leaf length under water stress condition and plant height, peduncle length, spike length, fertile tillers, days to heading, number of grains per spike, head weight, straw weight, biomass, grain yield and harvest index in both water-stress and normal conditions, the six-parameter model was fit for the generation means implying the presence of non-allelic interactions in the inheritance of these traits. Broad sense heritability and narrow sense heritability for the traits were estimated as 0.70 - 0.99 and 0.03 - 0.30 in the water-stress conditions and 0.60 - 0.99 and 0.10 - 0.55 in the normal conditions, respectively. At both conditions, the dominance genetic variance was higher than the additive genetic variance for most of the traits under study. The average degree of dominance for all characters at both water-stress and normal conditions was greater than unity which showed the existence of over-dominance gene action in controlling the traits under study. These results suggest the need for exploiting non-additive gene action by producing hybrid varieties in wheat if breeders overcome the barriers of producing hybrid seed.

To map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for harvest index, 148 recombinant inbred lines and their parents, Yecora Rojo and an Iranian landrace line (No. 49), were evaluated under normal and terminal water deficit stress conditions in the research stations of Mahabad University and Miyandoab Agricultural Research Center, Iran, during 2014 and 2015. The experiment was carried out as design alpha lattice design with two replications. A linkage map of 51 retrotransposon and 177 microsatellite markers was used in this investigation. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for additive effects and additive × additive interactions were determined by QTL Network 2.0 software using CIM and mixed-linear methods. QTL analysis revealed that under normal condition, six QTLs (R2A= 0.04 to 12.0%), two QTL × environment (E) interactions (R2AE= 6.28%), five additive × additive epistatic effects (R2AA= 0.7 to 8.68%) and 12 additive × additive × E (R2AAE= 3.76 to 11.4%) were significant. Under water deficit stress conditions, two QTLs (R2A= 5.0 to 7.0%), two additive × additive interactions (R2AA= 3.72 to 5.48%) and seven additive × additive × E interactions (R2AAE= 8.04 to 9.58) were identified. Among the eight QTLs identified, three QTLs were located on chromosome 2D, suggesting the importance of this chromosome in controlling harvest index, which may be used for marker assisted selection in breeding programs.

Drought stress and iron (Fe) deficiency are abiotic stress factors limiting crop production and its quality, especially in rainfed areas. With the aim of evaluation of genotypic variation for Fe efficiecny, 121 barley genotypes during the growing season of 2015-2016, a research farm was carried out at the agricultural research institute of the dryland (Maragheh) were studied under rainfed field conditions. . The experiment was conducted in square lattice. Based on ANOVA, there was significant differences among genotypes for seed Fe concentartion and content traits. The high range of variation for these traits showed that there is a great genotypic variation among barley genotypes. The existance of high general heritability (h2) for seed Fe concentration and content could be helpful in breeding for these traits under different environments. Seed Fe concentration had significant and positive correlation (r=0.63**) with seed Fe content. In short, the result of this study revealed the great genotypic variation among barley genotypes for Fe absorption and accumulation in seed. Moreover, the efficient genotypes could alleviate drought stress that will result in higher grain yield with Fe-dense grains under cold dryland conditions.

Dehydration is the most important limiting factor in agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions, and water shortages (especially at the reproductive stages) due to lack of precipitation and unequal distribution are inappropriate for limiting the yield. In this research, cross between the Gasspard cultivar (dehydrated susceptible parent) and DN11 line (resistant parent) was performed. F1, F2, F3, BC1 and BC2 generations along with parents, were planted in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications in normal and water deficit conditions for two consecutive years. Physiological traits were measured for single plant samples. Weighted analysis of variance showed that water deficit stress caused significant decrease in flag leaf area and unsignificant decrease in stomatal conductance. Generation mean analysis for Chlorophyll index was accompanied by different results in terms of regression fitted models for each environment, but for stomatal conductance, the results of the generation mean analysis were the same in both environments. In addition to additive and dominant effects, epistatic interaction effects also played role in the inheritance of all studied traits. Most of these effects were double-effects. In flag leaf area, additive, additive × dominant and dominant × dominant effects were involved in inheritance. In water relative content, in addition to these effects, dominant effect was also involved in inheritance. Generations variance analysis showed that the gene action was additive for relative water content, dominant for flag leaf area and over dominant (in both conditions) for stomatal conductance. The gene action for Chlorophyll index under stress and normal conditions were over dominant and additive respectively.

Drought stress is the most important environmental stress that affects many morphological, physiological and, especially, yield traits of arable crops. In this research, a cross between the cultivar Gaspard (dehydrated susceptible parent) and DN11 line (drought resistant parent) was performed. F1, F2, F3, BC1 and BC2 generations along with parents, were planted and compared in a randomized complete block design with three replications in normal and water deficit conditions for two years. Then, using generation means analysis and generation variance analysis; genetic parameters were investigated in normal and water deficit conditions. Weighted analysis of variance showed that water deficit stress had a significant effect on the reduction of 100 grains weight, volumetric weight and seed yield per plant. The results of mean generation analysis for 100 grains weight and volumetric weight were the same and the same regression models were obtained for two environments. In addition to additive and dominant effects, epistatic effects also played a role in the inheritance of all studied traits. Additive and dominant effects along with additive×dominant and dominant×dominant interactions effects had played a role in the inheritance of single plant yield, moreover, in biological yield, dominant and dominant×dominant interaction effects had played a role, too. Generations variance analysis showed that the gene action for plant height, 100 grains weight (both conditions), spike length, spikelet number per spike and number of seeds per spike were additive. For the number of spikes and grain yield per plant were dominant and for the volumetric weight (both conditions), overdominance was observed. The results of two generations mean and variance analysis in traits such as biological yield were not the same, which can be attributed to the degree of genetic dispersion and bi-directional dominance. In harvest index and grain yield, due to high environmental variability, narrow sense and broad sense heritability was low.

IntroductionGrain growth in wheat depends on current photosynthesis and stem water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC). In semiarid regions with terminal drought, grain filling in wheat crops may depend more on stem WSC content than on current assimilates. Reduction in grain yield under drought is attributed to shorter duration of linear grain growth despite increased contribution of stem reserves to grain yield. The amount of stem reserves is measured either by changes in stem dry weight (indirect method) or by stem WSC content (direct method). Genotypic variation in the rate and duration of linear grain growth and in percent contribution of stem reserves to grain yield has a little evaluated in wheat. Materials and methods The objectives of this study were grouping of spring wheat recombinant inbred lines in term of phenological and partitioning of assimilates in normal and water deficit conditions. Plant materials used in this experiment, include 148 bread wheat recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross between Yecora Rojo and genotype No. 49. Lines were produced at Riverside University and through of Center of Excellence Molecular Breeding, University of Tabriz was placed at the disposal of this research. Studied lines with parents were planted on research farms of Mahabad University and Miyandoab Agricultural Research Center in 2014-2015. In both experiments used alpha lattice design with two replications under normal and water defect conditions. Irrigation in stress and non-stress treatments was done after 90 mm evaporation from class a pan, depending on the temperature and evapotranspiration until heading stage. In water deficit stress treatment, irrigation was stopped at heading stage. Measuring of these traits were done sampling before and anthesis stage. Results and discussionAccording to the combined analysis there was a significant difference between two normal and water deficit conditions in terms of days to head, remobilization, grain yield and remobilization portion in grain yield. Also genotypes had significant difference for all traits. Also, grain yield had a positive and significant correlation with days to heading, stem partitioning, spike partitioning and the remobilization rate in both conditions. Based on the results of cluster analysis, genotypes were classified into 4 groups in both conditions. In both conditions, genotypes 7, 17, 27, 32, 40, 50, 58, 62, 67, 69, 83, 106, 107 and 138 were classified in cluster number four which had the highest values of phonological traits, photosynthetic allocation and grain yield. These genotypes were identified as suitable genotypes for breeding programs to create high yielding cultivars. In factor analysis based on principle component analysis, in both conditions three factors were recognized that explained 77.85 and 68.76 percent of total variation of data under normal conditions and water deficit conditions respectively. ConclusionsIn this study, grain yield had a positive and significant correlation with days to heading, stem partitioning, spike partitioning and the remobilization rate in both conditions therefore genotypes with high values of these traits, had a high grain yield potential. Genotypes of 7, 17, 27, 32, 40, 50, 58, 62, 67, 69, 83, 106, 107 and 138 were identified as suitable genotypes for breeding programs to create high yielding cultivars.

Study of heritability and gene action to improve agronomic and physiological traits, especially under drought stress conditions, are very important. The objectives of this study were to investigate heritability for important agronomic traits and some physiological characters in a cross between two spring wheat cultivars. The experiment was carried out using different generations (BC1, BC2, F3, RF3) derived from crosses between two cultivars, Arg (tolerant to salinity and drought) and Moghan3, under drought stress conditions using randomized complete block design with two replications in 2014 cropping season at the University of Tabriz research station, Iran. In all plots, irrigation was withheld after antesis until the end of season. Generation mean and generation variance analyses were used to estimate gene action and genetic variance components, respectively, for agronomic and physiological traits of wheat under water deficit conditions. Based on the analysis of variance, significant differences were observed between generations for peduncle length, spike length, flag leaf width, flag leaf area, number of fertile tillers, leaf chlorophyll content, days to heading, spike weight, straw weight, biomass, grain yield and harvest index which revealed the presence of genetic differences between two parents. The generation mean analysis for the flag leaf width and flag leaf area showed that the three-parameter model was the best fit. However, for other traits chi-square of the three parameter model was significant, indicating the presence of non-allelic interactions in the inheritance of these traits. Although both types of additive and dominance effects were significant in control of the studied traits, but dominance component was larger than the additive effect. The dominance × dominance epistasis was also more important than other epistasis components for the studied traits. The broad-sense and narrow-sense heritability of the traits ranged from 0.754 to 0.941 and from 0.144 to 0.579, respectively. Estimates of variance components revealed that dominance variance was greater than additive variance for peduncle length, spike weight, straw weight, biomass, grain yield and harvest index. While, the additive genetic variance was higher than the dominance genetic variance for spike length, flag leaf width, flag leaf area, fertile tiller number, chlorophyll content and days to heading. The average degree of dominance was more than one for all of the traits which indicated the presence of over-dominance gene action in controlling these traits. Presence of non-additive genetic effects in controlling the traits showed the necessity of selection in advanced segregating generations, when populations are relatively fixed line, using bulk-pedigree method or for development of hybrid varieties in wheat, should the pollination and male sterility barriers will be overcome.

Identification and selection of appropriate breeding methods and use of correct and applicable selection criteria for introducing resistant cultivars to water deficit stress is very important. In order to study the inheritance of physiological and agronomical traits in wheat, 50 F3 lines along with parents and F1 generations in a randomized complete block design with three replications under normal and water deficit conditions for two consecutive years were examined. The results showed that there are significant differences between and within the F3 families for all traits in two environments. So there is a lot of genetic variation for these traits. Gene effects in two different humidity conditions did not change significantly, and the genetic component of diversity in all traits in two environments was much larger than that of environmental diversity. In 100 grain weight, plant height, spike length, number of grain per spike, number of spikelets per spike and grain diameter in both environmental conditions, the result of narrow since heritability shows a moderate level indicating a greater role of additive variance in controlling of these traits, therefore, for improving of these traits, selection can be done in early generations. Grain yield per plant in both environmental conditions, showed high broad since heritability but low narrow since heritability, which indicates that, inheritance of this trait under genetic control, but it is not controlled by additive effects and, on the contrary, dominance effects play important role in controlling of it.

In order to investigate the relationship between agronomic and morphological traits affecting wheat yield, two genotypes of wheat (Gasspard cultivar and DN11 line), along with generations of crosses (F1, F2, F3, BC1 and BC2), were examined in a randomized complete block design with three replications in normal and water deficit conditions in two consecutive years in the field of Research Institute of Nuclear Agriculture of Karaj. Stepwise regression analysis showed that straw yield was the first trait that entered the model and alone explained 46% and 65% of grain yield per plant in normal and water deficit conditions, respectively. Following this trait, under normal conditions, number of grain per spike, 100 grain weight, number of tiller per plant and number of spikes per plant had the high effect on grain yield per plant, explained about 78% of the total variation. In water deficit condition, the number of grain per spike, number of spikes per plant, 100 grain weight and days to maturity justified 92% of the grain yield per plant. The results of path analysis showed that in normal conditions, 100 grain weight, grain number per spike, tiller number per plant, straw yield and number of spike per plant and in water deficit condition, number of spike per plant, number of grain per spike, 100 grain weight and straw yield had the most direct effect on grain yield per plant.

In bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), crop height is an important determinant of agronomic performance. To map QTLs with additive effects and additive×additive epistatic interactions, 148 recombinant inbred lines and their parents, (‘YecoraRojo’ and Iranian landrace (No. #49)) were evaluated under normal and water deficit conditions. The experiments were carried out on research farms of Mahabad University and Miyandoab Agricultural Research Center in 2014-2015. The experimental design was an alpha lattice design with two replications. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the studied traits were carried out for additive effects and additive×additive epistatic interactions using the QTL Network 2.0 software based on the mixed-linear model. A number of 177 microsatellite and 51 retrotransposon markers were used to construct the linkage map. In the present study stem length, plant weight, peduncle length, and peduncle weight were measured. Results showed that under both normal and water deficit conditions, both positive and negative transgressive segregations were significant, also the highest and lowest broad and narrow sense heritability were estimated for stem length (73.69 and 36.74 percent) and peduncle length (40.51 and 20.25 percent), respectably. The results showed that under the normal condition, seven QTLs (R2A=5 to 11%), and eight additive×additive epistatic interactions (R2AA=1.66 to 10.92%) were significant. Under the water deficit condition seven QTLs (R2A=4.27 to 9%), and five additive×additive epistatic interactions (R2AA=3.8 to 14.58%) were significant. Five QTLs from the 14 QTLs identified in this study were located in chromosome 5A, indicating the importance of this chromosome in controlling the plant architecture characteristics and possibly using it for marker-assisted selection and genetic engineering.

Fungal diseases, especially leaf and stripe rusts are wheat yield reducing factors in Iran and the world. In this study, genetic diversity of 20 wheat varieties with different response to leaf and stripe rusts were studied using primers designed based on the conserved regions of plant disease resistance genes. The banding patterns of polymorphic markers were scored as dominant and number of amplified bands and percentage of polymorphism were determined. In addition, for each primer combination, polymorphic information content (PIC) and marker index (MI) were calculated. Out of the 11 used single primers and primer combinations, five primer combinations and a single primer produced scorable amplification. The maximum and minimum of PIC were observed for LLOOP-1 and H2016-H2020 primer combination with mean value of 0.50 and 0.28, respectively. The primer combinations of H2016-H1146 and H2016-H2020 with mean values of 4.80 and of 2.84, had minimum and maximum of MI, respectively. Cluster analysis based on Neighbor-Joining algorithm and evolutionary P-distance coefficient assigned the varieties into four groups which were in agreement with their response to yellow rust. In principal coordinate analysis, the scatter plot of varieties based on two first coordinates confirmed the groups obtained from cluster analysis.