ghasem mohammadinejad

Onion stands as one of the primary and extensively consumed vegetables at global scale, with numerous genotypes, both native and imported, being cultivated in the country annually. The southern provinces of the country have allocated about 50 percent of the cultivated area to onion cultivation. Therefore, selecting superior genotypes compatible with southern regions is essential to achieve maximum yield. Considering the long history of onion cultivation as one of the native plants of our country, there is a lot of genetic diversity in this plant. However, to date, inadequate breeding programs have been conducted to develop new, high-yield varieties in our country, leading most farmers to rely on local cultivars for cultivation. Therefore, it is necessary to design targeted breeding programs to produce new varieties superior in yield potential, flavor, aroma, resistance to pests and diseases, and other characteristics. In this regard, collecting diverse onion germplasm and evaluating genetic diversity in it is one of the basic steps for designing targeted breeding. The main purpose of this project is to evaluate genetic diversity in yellow and white onion cultivars in terms of morphological traits and selecting superior genotypes. The results of this project are a necessary prerequisite for long-term plans for the production of new varieties of onions.

The research was carried out in the Faryab region, situated in the southern part of Kerman province. We assessed four commercial yellow onion hybrids- Rio Bravo, Soberana, Eiden, and Ascro Goldeneye -and four commercial white onion hybrids-Minerva, Cirrus, Macran, and 4043-using a 4x4 Latin square design during the 2022 growing season. Various observable traits, such as days to bulbing, days to maturity, onion bulb diameter, plant height and leaf length, fresh and dry plant weight, number of edible layers, fusarium infection percentage, and average tuber yield were recorded. To analyze the data, we used descriptive statistics to show the maximum, minimum, and average values of the traits, along with variance analysis, correlation analysis, and mean comparisons.

The analysis of variance revealed significant variations across the measured traits. Within the yellow onion genotypes, Rio Bravo displayed the shortest maturity cycle, averaging 113 days to maturity, while Aiden exhibited the longest maturity duration with an average of 141 days. The Sobrana cultivar consistently outperformed other varieties across all investigated traits and was introduced as the best yellow onion cultivar. Bulb yield displayed strong and positive correlations with bulb diameter, bulb length, plant height, leaf length, number of edible layers, and both fresh and dry plant weight. However, the correlation between days to maturity and bulb yield was low, suggesting that the duration from planting to maturity did not affect the enhancement of bulb yield in yellow onions. The findings indicated that in contrast to yellow onion cultivars, white onion cultivars exhibited a longer average duration to bulb formation and maturity, alongside a lower bulb yield. Among the white onion genotypes, Minerva displayed the earliest maturity, while Cirrus was observed as the longest maturing genotype. Cirrus cultivar exhibited the highest average bulb diameter, bulb length, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, leaf length, and bulb yield. Conversely, the Macran genotype displayed the lowest mean values for bulb diameter, bulb length, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, and bulb yield. Additionally, a significant and strong positive relationship was observed among bulb diameter, bulb length, plant fresh weight, and plant dry weight. Typically, onion quality is often assessed based on bulb diameter, where larger bulb diameters tend to correspond with higher bulb yields. Evidently, both in yellow and white onion cultivars, those with higher yields also demonstrated larger bulb diameters.

In the southern regions of Kerman province, the early maturity of onions is very important. Among the yellow onion genotypes, Rio Bravo was the earliest variety. The Soberana cultivar had a higher bulb yield compared to Rio Bravo, but it matured approximately twenty days later than Rio Bravo. Among the white varieties, Minerva was also the earliest maturing variety. However, the Cirrus cultivar had a higher bulb yield compared to Minerva. Yet, in comparison to Minerva, it was both later to mature and more susceptible to fusarium. The selection of onion varieties can significantly depend on the specific conditions of the region and the needs of the farmers. If timing and fusarium sensitivity are crucial factors for farmers, Minerva and Rio Bravo, with lower susceptibility to fusarium, might be suitable options. However, if bulb yield and product quality hold greater importance for farmers, Soberana among yellow onions and Cirrus among white onions are recommended. Additionally, considering breeding goals, these varieties can be utilized in onion breeding programs according to breeding objectives.

The bioconversion of sweet sorghum bagasse as lignocellulosic biomass into bioethanol is a complex and challenging process. The present study focuses on optimizing the pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation processes during bioethanol production from the bagasse of a drought-tolerant and high-yield sweet sorghum genotype (ISCV 25264).A comparison of acid and alkali pretreatment methods on enhanced enzymatic saccharification of sweet sorghum bagasse indicated that alkali pretreatment with NaOH was more effective. Three independent variables including the NaOH concentration (2-4%), pretreatment time (10-40 min), and pretreatment temperature (80-120°C) were optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on central composite design. Pretreatment optimization resulted in a glucose concentration of about 84 g/L during the enzymatic hydrolysis. Afterward, the key variables affecting the hydrolysis process, which included the substrate concentration (5-10%), time (20-70 h), and the temperature (38-50°C) of the hydrolysis reaction were optimized by RSM. Glucose concentration was increased to 93 g/L by using the optimized enzymatic hydrolysis parameters (substrate concentration of 10%, incubation time of 60 h, and incubation temperature of 50°C). Subsequently, Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) and separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) methods were performed for bioethanol production using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The results indicated that the ethanol concentration after 48 h was higher under the SHF method (48.714 g/L), compared to SSF (29.582 g/L); however, this method was not commercially attractive due to the much longer total time for bioethanol production. Finally, optimization of the parameters during the SSF process (substrate and yeast concentrations of 30% and 4%, respectively) led to an ethanol concentration of 33 g/L. The optimization of the bioethanol production process in this research has created a platform for pilot-scale studies to investigate the feasibility of bioethanol production from sweet sorghum bagasse at the industrial level.

Studying the genetic system that controls important agricultural traits is one of the most important prerequisites for choosing a suitable breeding method. The most genetic diversity of a plant species can be seen in its native genotypes and wild species. Investigating heritability, how genes work, and determining an effective breeding method to improve physiological traits, especially in conditions of moisture stress, is very importance. Drought stress is one of the most important factors that reduce the yield of plants, considering that the safflower plant is mostly grown in semi-arid and dry areas, nowadays much attention has been paid to the production of drought-tolerant varieties. Safflower is a one-year plant from the chicory family as an oil and fodder plant with various uses that can be cultivated under drought and normal stress conditions.

Therefore, in order to investigate the mode of gene action for some quantitatively important traits in safflower, a cross was made between two cultivars of Goldasht (resistant to drought stress) and American (sensitive to drought stress). And after self-fertilization of F1 plants and crossing them with both parents, F2, BC1.1 and BC1.2 generations were obtained. And the parents along with the F1, F2, BC1.1 and BC1.2 generations resulting from the cross were tested under moisture stress conditions in the research farm of the Research Institute of Plant Production Technology of Shahid Bahnar University in 2021-2022. The experiment was conducted in the form of split plots in the form of a randomized complete block design with two replications Moisture stress was applied at the stage of 10% tillering and until the stage of full maturity. The examined traits were 8 traits, including height, number of sub-branches, main stem diameter, number of bolls, single plant yield, photosynthesis, number of days to 50% flowering and SPAD were noted.

The results of analysis of variance showed that the mean square of the generations for all the traits in this crossing is significant, so the best genetic model was investigated for each studied trait. The interaction effect of generation and location (irrigation conditions) was significant for the studied traits. To check the appropriate genetic model, Meter and Jakens method and individual scale test (A, B, C and D) were used. The results of the above tests indicate the existence of additive and dominant effects, as well as epistasis effects (additive × additive, additive × dominant, and dominant × dominant) also played a role in the genetic control of most traits. In normal irrigation conditions, most of the traits except Spad, number of bolls and diameter of chi-square and their individual scale test were not significant and were affected by the three-parameter additive-dominance model. Also, in the conditions of moisture stress, most of the traits were significant in the control of inheritance, except for the main diameter of chi-square and scale test (A, B, C, and D), and additive effects, dominance and epistasis had an important role in their control. The existence of dominance × dominance effects compared to the parameter of additive effects in the boll number trait indicates the high importance of non-additive genetic effects (epistasis) and complex inheritance of this trait. Also, selection in the early generations for the above trait will not be successful. The additive effects played the most important role in controlling the inheritance of the main diameter trait under moisture stress conditions. Therefore, it will be useful to modify this attribute from the selection method. Also, additive effects play the most important role in controlling the inheritance of the number of sub-branches in normal conditions (no stress). But in the conditions of moisture stress, the mentioned trait was affected by the additive × additive epistasis. Therefore, one cannot hope for the success of selection in the early generations of diverging populations.

The genetic control model of all studied traits under both stress and non-stress conditions were not similar in terms of presence and absence of non-allelic interactions and were affected by stress.

Late spring cold stress in the early reproductive growth of wheat causes damage due to a sudden drop in temperature. The genetic diversity of plants determines their potential to increase efficiency and, as a result, their use in breeding programs. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating population structure, diversity of wheat genotypes, and selection of superior genotypes under cold and normal stress conditions.

Sixty-seven bread wheat genotypes were evaluated through pot cultivation in the field under two normal conditions and late spring cold stress. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design with two replications. Stress was applied by transferring the pots to a growth room with a temperature of -3ºC at the beginning of the reproductive stage. Phenotypic traits, including performance and performance components, were measured. Genotyping was done using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array with 9K density. A total of 17,093 SNP markers were used in this study.

The polymorphic information content for SNP markers ranged from 0.03 to 0.38, with an average of 0.26. Population structure analysis grouped the genotypes into five subpopulations. Molecular variance analysis showed that 75% of the observed variance in the population was related to intra-population differences. The studied genotypes were divided into four groups based on SNP markers and five and six groups based on phenotypic traits under normal and stress conditions, respectively. The genotypes in the first group, which exhibited higher average traits than other groups under stress conditions, were identified as tolerant to late spring cold.

The results indicated that main spike weight, seed yield per plant, seed weight in main spike, and weight of 100 seeds were the most important factors for grouping under late spring cold stress conditions. The calculated molecular indices, including marker indices and diversity indices, demonstrated that the SNP markers used performed relatively well in calculating genetic diversity within the studied population. In cluster analysis based on the genotypic matrix, cold-tolerant genotypes formed separate groups, indicating different tolerance mechanisms among these genotypes. These findings provide useful information for wheat breeders regarding the selection of diverse genetic resources to improve cold tolerance.

Glycyrrhiza glabra L., commonly known as licorice is a perennial medicinal plant, which possesses multiple health benefits. Licorice root extract can be used for traditional medicine and food and pharmaceutical industries since it contains bioactive compounds and main ingredients, glycyrrhizin, liquiritin, and glabridin. The utilization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria as biofertilizers is increasingly being suggested as a way to reduce the application rate of chemical fertilizers in agricultural systems. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of Azotobacter as one of the plant growth-promoting bacteria alone and in combination with a reduced application rate of chemical fertilizer on photosynthesis, gas exchange, and biomass production of licorice plants propagated through seeds and rhizomes. A field experiment was conducted by inoculating the seeds and rhizomes of licorice plants with Azotobacter chroococcum (Ac; strain 1087) alone or in combination with reduced level of chemical fertilizer. The five treatments for the experiment were (i) control (no inoculation and fertilization) (ii) Ac inoculation; (iii) 100% recommended N (100% N) (iv) 50% recommended N (50% N); and (v) Ac inoculation + 50% N which were evaluated in both propagation methods (seeds and rhizomes). Net photosynthesis rate, leaf transpiration rate, intracellular CO2, photosynthetic water use efficiency, chlorophyll content (SPAD value), plant height, leaf area, and shoot, root, and rhizome dry weight, and total biomass production (root + rhizome) were measured. The observed results revealed that the licorice plants produced from the rhizomes showed an increase in plant height by 75%, a four-fold increase in the leaf area, a nine-fold increase in the shoot dry weight, a 6.6-fold increase in each rhizome weight, and increase of 23-fold, 7.3-fold, and 11.1-fold in production of the rhizome, root, and total biomass respectively, compared with the plants produced from seeds. The findings also showed that Ac inoculation further influenced root and rhizome biomass production more than vegetative growth-related parameters and shoot biomass production. Integrated inoculation of Ac with 50% N applied, interestingly, improved the plant shoot dry weight by 134 and 147% and total biomass production by 149 and 94% through improving the leaf area by 180 and 114%, SPAD value by 13 and 9%, net photosynthesis rate by 119 and 15%, and water use efficiency by 43 and 42% in plants resulted from rhizomes and seeds, respectively. Moreover, results demonstrated that simultaneous inoculation of Ac and the application of 50% N showed similar results compared with the application of 100% N. These findings suggest that inoculation of A. chroococcum integrated with a reduced dose of urea can reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilization up to 50% without significantly reducing the yield of licorice produced through seeds and rhizomes. The results of this study also showed that the licorice produced from the rhizomes showed a multifold increase in various growth and yield traits compared to the licorice obtained from the seed during the first growing year. This can be considered in the production of licorice plants in different conditions, based on different production aspects.

Drought is one of the major environmental stresses that adversely affect the growth and development of wheat. This study aimed to determine the structure of the population and to identify markers associated with physiological and agronomic traits in bread wheat under drought stress conditions.

A total of 238 bread wheat genotypes were evaluated using a randomized complete block design with two replications under drought stress conditions. Various physiological traits, including carbon dioxide exchange, photosynthesis rate, and chlorophyll content, as well as agronomic traits such as days to heading, days to maturity, flag leaf length and width, plant height, seed weight per plant, number of seeds per unit area, seed yield, and biological yield, were measured. Genotyping was performed using 9K SNP array. The population structure analysis was conducted using 17,093 SNP markers in R software. Marker-trait association (MATs) was carried out using GLM model in TASSEL.

The analysis of population structure divided the 238 wheat genotypes into five subgroups. A total of 132 MTAs were identified for different traits. Notably, four SNPs, on chromosomes 6B, 4A and 6A exhibited pleiotropic effects on traits such as seed number per unit area, seed weight, and yield. Furthermore, eight MTAs for seed weight were identified on chromosomes 4B, 5B, 6B, and 7A. Chromosome 6B contained the highest number of SNPs, covering a region between 481-519 Mbp. For the number of seeds per unit area, 12 MTAs were located on chromosomes 3B, 4A, 5A, 6A, and 6B. The region with the highest number of SNPs was found between 561-492 Mbp on chromosome 6B, which overlapped with the region associated with seed weight per plant. These findings highlight the significance of this specific region in the wheat genome for improving bread wheat yield.

The results of this research provide valuable insights for breeders seeking to enhance wheat yield potential. Identified markers associated with key agronomic traits can be utilized in marker-assisted selection programs, aiding in the selection of desired traits.

 Foxtail millet, as a multi-purpose crop, enjoys nutritious and remedial properties. This research was aimed at identifying diversity and the investigated based on 14 agronomic traits in a wide range of foxtail millet germplasms (134 genotypes).

 In this research a total of 134 seeds of foxtail millet genotypes corresponding to a wide range of foxtail millet germplasms were procured by Research and Technology Institute of Plant Production (RTIPP) affiliated to the Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. This experiment was designed as a randomized complete block with three replications under normal condition in 2017. Agronomic traits include: seed germination percentage, plant height, number of leaves per plant, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, number of tillers, panicle length, seed yield, number of plants per line, forage yield, seed weight of superior plant, 1000-seed weight , Harvest index and biological yield were measured  and the data were then analyzed.

 Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the differences between the studied genotypes were significant for all traits except for flag leaf width and the number of plants on the line was significant. According to the phenotypic correlation coefficients, the seed and forage yields had positive and significant correlations with all investigated traits except for the flag leaf width.
Also, the seed yield had the highest correlations with forage and biological yields (0.97 and 0.94, respectively). Then, principal components analysis showed that the first four main principal components could justify explained more than 75.62% of the total variance of the traits, and the first to fourth components explained 49.89, 9.87, 8.32, and 7.54% of the total variance, respectively. Based on the cluster analysis, all genotypes were categorized into four groups. Compared to other groups, the first group of genotypes had superior seed and forage yields.

 In general, genotypes had significant differences in terms of the investigated traits. These results indicated the presence of a wide range of diversity in the investigated germplasm of foxtail millet. Besides, the common genotypes held in the first group (G160, G68, G15, G23, G72, G73, G39, G170, G57, G122) had significant superiority in terms of seed and forage yields under condition.Therefore, they can be considered and used for future studies of plant breeding as superior genotypes in breeding and selection programs in order to increase the forage and grain yield of fox tail millet.

Cumin is one of the most agriculturally valuable plants, in the semi-arid tropical regions of Iran. In this research, drought tolerance of 49 cumin ecotypes were evaluated under irrigated, and rained conditions in the field during two years (2010 and 2011). Five drought tolerance/susceptibility indices including mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), stress tolerance index (STI), tolerance (TOL) and susceptible stress index (SSI) were applied. Results of combined analysis based on the experiments showed a significant variation among ecotypes for grain yield and, it was decreased due to drought stress. The mean grain yield of Ardestan and Ravar in normal and drought stress conditions possessed the highest values respectively. According to the results derived from principal component analysis, bi-plot display and STS equation, Ravar was identified as the most drought tolerant ecotype. In conclusion, this suitable ecotype could be recommended for cropping in regions with limited water resources, also MP, GMP and STI indices were found to be more effective in identifying drought-tolerant and high yielding ecotypes in both conditions.

The response of  Iranian new promising  transchromosomal secondary tritipyrum lines with one Iranian  wheat cultivar (Roshan) and a promising transchromosomal non-Iranian primary tritipyrum line{(Ka/b)(Cr/b)} were evaluated in normal soil (EC=1ds/m2) with normal (EC=0.8 ds/m2) and saline water (EC=15ds/m2) at field condition in  completely randomized block design with three replications. The analysis of morphological/physiological traits showed that there was significant differences between all Iranian new promising transchromosomal secondary tritipyrum lines for all traits. Interaction between salinity and genotypes was significant in all physiological and morphological traits, too. Although the lowest reduction in plant yield, relative water content and chlorophyll a under 15ds/m2 salinity belonged to the non-Iranian promising transchromosomal primary tritipyrum line (Ka/b)(Cr/b) and Iranian promising transchromosomal secondary tritipyrum line derived from the Omid × (Cr/b)(Ka/b) cross but the highest ratio of reduction in these traits was belonged to Iranian wheat cultivar (Roshan) as male parent. Three Iranian promising trans chromosomal secondary tritipyrum lines derived from  Omid × (Cr/b)(Ka/b), Nikenejad ×(Cr/b)(Ka/b) and Az/b x Roshan  crosses with one non-Iranian promising trans chromosomal primary tritipyrum line (Ka/b)(Cr/b) showed the highest tolerance for all physiological traits at EC=15ds/m2, too. Therefore based on this research results, it could be storngly recommeded that the Iranian promising trans chromosomal secondary tritipyrum line derived from Omid × (Cr/b)(Ka/b) and non-Iranian promising trans chromosomal primary tritipyrum line (Ka/b)(Cr/b) as its female parent, are the appropriate candidates for grain and forage production, respectively, in the salt effected soils and brackish water with 15ds/m2 salinity.

Cultivar selection is one of the most important factors to obtain maximum yield, based on the climatic conditions of each region. Drought is one of the environmental stresses that causes adverse effects on most stages of plant growth, structure and its activities. To investigate the agro-physiological responses of different pearl millet cultivars (Hybrid 1, Hybrid 2, IP13150, IP13151, IP22269, ICMV5222, HHVBCTA) to two levels of irrigation (100% and 60% of field capacity) an split plot experiment based on randomized complete block design was done in Kerman climatic conditions. The results showed that the simple effect of irrigation treatment and also simple effect of cultivar as well as the interaction of irrigation×cultivar were significant for all traits, except for relative water content and chlorophyll index. Decreasing the value of irrigation water from 100% to 60% of field capacity, caused significantly reduction of chlorophyll index (20.87%) and relative humidity content (29.06%). Drought stress increased proline content in all cultivars and the highest one was obtained from HHVBCTA under this condition. The results showed that the highest values of plant height, leaf area index, fresh and dry forage yield under normal irrigation and also drought stress conditions were obtained from Hybrid 1 and IP13151 cultivars, respectively. According to the comparison results of interaction, the lowest and highest percentage reduction of fresh forage of the due to drought stress were related to IP13151 (13.16%) and Hybrid 2 (61.58%), respectively. Generally, according to the obtained results, Hybrid 1 and IP13151 cultivars are suitable for planting in Kerman climatic region under normal and stress conditions, respectively.

Although saffron is considered as a low water and nutrient required crop, but the existing situation of water resources in arid regions have forced the researchers to investigate the effects of drought stress on different components of this valuable crop. In this regard, a two-year field experiment was conducted in Yazd Province, Central Iran, to investigate the effect of different levels of applied water and superabsorbent polymer (SA) on the Relative Water Content (RWC) of saffron leaves, Leaf Length (LL), Dry Weight of Leaves (DWL) and Corm Weight (CW), as well. This experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design in three replications. The main plots consisted of three levels of applied water (50%ET, 75%ET and 100%ET) while, subplots included three SA levels of 10, 30 and 50 g/m2, which were distributed in the experimental plots by two methods of row and uniform. Finally, the effects of main and subplot treatments on RWC were evaluated and compared with the control treatment (without SA application). The results showed that the highest increase in RWC was in the treatment of 30g/m2 superabsorbent polymer, while for higher or lower rates of SA application; there were insignificant changes in the RWC of saffron leaves, compared to the control treatment. In addition, it was found that for the optimum irrigation treatment (100%ET) and unlike to the 50%ET and 75%ET treatments, the RWC of saffron leaf was decreased even with the increases of SA contents. This decrease, which was observed in both years of the experiment, may be due to the insignificant effect of SA on the RWC under non- stressed conditions. In other words, the use of superabsorbent with the aim of increasing RWC in drought stress conditions is useful and can be recommended. Moreover, LL, DWL and CW parameters increased during two consecutive years with increasing RWC, indicating the importance of RWC index for performance evaluation of the air and ground components of saffron, as well.

Fenugreek as an important medicinal plant is belonged to leguminous with Fenugreek characteristics. In order to evaluate the performance of 6 different ecotypes of Fenugreek under Iron Fertilizer Foliar spraying, an experiment was condors in arrangement of split plat based on RCBD with three replication on grows season of 2012-13 at experimental Field of Islamic Azad university of Jiroft. The main plats were Iron Foliar application with EDTA at three levels (0, 2/1000 and 4/1000). Based the soil Analysis. The sub plats were considered as 6 different ecotypes of Fenugreek (Isfahan, mazandaran, Ilam, Kordestan, Kerman and Dena). In the majority of the these results, Iron spraying in 2/1000 is more suitable than, in the compare to 4/1000 and control showed Kerman ecotypes with 2/1000 iron app hate had the best seed yield while (162.3 Kg.ha) Isfahan ecotypes with (5.6 Kg.ha) seed yield had the lowed amount of seed yield, generally application of 2/1000 Iron Foliar spraying showed the best growth rate rather than 4/1000 and control condition. Drew to Availably of Cal curs soil in Iran and specially jiroft region kerman and Mazandaran with 2/1000 Finally, it can be concluded due to the different responses of different ecotypes to iron application in region of Kerman, Kordestan and Dena with 2/1000 ecotypes and Mazandaran with 4/1000 for Iron application are good so for each area speared survey will be needed.

Identification of associated markers with important agricultural traits is one of the most important methods for accelerating the transfer of desirable traits to other genotypes and their tracking. The aim of this research was to study thegenetic diversity and identification of molecular markers related to drought tolerance traits in foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.]genotypes using the AFLP molecular marker.

In this study, 21 genotypes of foxtail millet were studied in three growing seasons (2013, 2014 & 2016). Drought tolerance indices and correlation between them with grain yield and biological yield were calculated. In order to identify molecular markers associated with drought tolerance traits, association analysis was performed by using the Mixed Linear Model (MLM) and 12 primer combinations of AFLP. Also, marker indices and principal components analysis (PCA) were performed using GenAlEx 6.5 software

The primer combinations used in this study generated a total of 443 scorable bands, of which 316 (71%) were polymorphic. The mean of polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.24, the mean of Shannon index was 0.38, and the mean of Marker index was 6.22. Also, M-CTG/E-ACC, M-CAA/E-ACC and M-CTA/E-AAC were the most efficient combinations in investigating the diversity of genotypes studied. Based on the results of PCA, the first and second components justify 61.13 percent of the changes. The results of this study showed that HARM, GMP, and MP indices were the best indices for differentiation of drought tolerant samples, and M-CAA/E-AAC-14 and M-CTG/E-ACC-283 markers according to Grain yield and M-CTT/E-ACC-264 markers according to biological yield, were related to these indicators.

According to the results of this study, the HARM, GMP and MP indices could be considered as the best indicators for differentiation of drought tolerant foxtail millet samples. Also, molecular markers associated with these indices can be used to evaluate the drought tolerance of other genotypes in future breeding programs.

Study of biochemical reactions of wheat cultivars to salinity stress can lead to identification of effective mechanisms for salinity tolerance. To determine the ion distribution pattern in wheat, also the effects of salinity stress and ion distribution on grain yield, this study was carried out. This research was down in a factorial experiment with two levels of salinity and six tolerant and sensitive wheat cultivars in two replications at research field of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman on growing season of 2011-2012. The concentration of sodium (Na +), potassium (K +), magnesium (Mg2 +) ions and Na + / K + ratio in different tissues of the plant, including flag leaf, spike and root, and grain yield of each plant, were measured. The results of analysis of variance showed that the interaction effects of salinity on the cultivars were significant in most of the traits. The concentration of sodium ions from the roots to the shoots was significantly decreased. With increasing salinity, K + concentration in root of all cultivars decreased significantly. Magnesium concentrations in leaf, spike and root decreased in salinity treatment compared to normal treatment. There was a significant difference between the cultivars in terms of Na+ / K+ ratio in all tissues and Moghan3 cultivar with the highest ratio in spike and root and Arta cultivar with the highest amount in flag leaf, were statistically in one group and other cultivars in the other group. According to the results of simple phenotypic correlation analysis, the sodium ion content in leaf, spike and root tissues had the highest and negative correlation with grain yield per plant. Regarding the reduction of wheat grain yield under salt stress conditions, ion distribution regulation in different ways, including selection of tolerant and resistant cultivars against ionic changes, can be effective in reducing the damage caused by salinity stress.

In order to identify microsatellite markers linked to some traits of wheat under drought stress at the end of the season, the population included 96 family F2:4 genotypes derived from the cross Kharchia (tolerant parent) and Gaspard (susceptible parent) were evaluated for 2 years. Of the 92 microsatellite markers used to assess parents, 32 markers were polymorphic that located on chromosomes 2B, 2D, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4D, 5A, 5B, 5D, 6B, 7A, 7B, 7D. Based on composite interval mapping was found 3 QTL for plant height trait which were located on chromosome 7B and  the highest QTL with the largest LOD equal to 3.21 was located between Xgwm274 and Xgwm369 and justified 14.3 percent of phenotypic variation. For number of seeds per main spike trait, 1 QTL was detected on chromosome 2B and 1 QTL was identified on the chromosome 4B for harvest index trait. The common position of some of the located QTLs indicates a genetic linkage or pleiotropic effect. The saturation of the desired map and the evaluation of the stability of the studied traits can confirm the ability to identify the controller QTLs and provide the basis for Marker-Assisted Selection.

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is one of the most important aromatic and medicinal plants in the world. It has a short life cycle (100-120 days) and needs little water for its growth cycle. Therefore, it is suitable for cultivation in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. Different indices, including tolerance (TOL), mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), stress tolerance index (STI), stress susceptibility index (SSI), harmonic mean (HM), yield index (YI), and yield stability index (YSI) have been employed for screening the stress tolerant genotypes. Due to the economic, medicinal, and aromatic importance of cumin, this study evaluated elite genotypes for drought tolerance in cumin in order to develop improved genetic population for farmers’ usage.
  The experiment was carried out in the research field of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, during the growing season of 2016-2017. In this study, 15 elite genotypes in cumin were evaluated using a randomized complete block design with three replications in two different environments, including normal and stress conditions. Stress treatment was cutting-off irrigation at the early flowering stage. Seed yield (ton/ha) was measured. Tolerance indices were calculated for genotypes based on the seed yield. To find suitable indices in order to determine the tolerant genotypes, the correlation coefficient between the calculated indices YP and YS was performed. To evaluate the relationship between the tolerance indices and the studied genotypes, principal components analysis (PCA) was performed. In order to use all tolerance indices simultaneously, an equation was used for estimating the stress tolerance score (STS).
  The results of the correlation analysis revealed that GMP, MP, and STI indices were positively correlated with seed yield under both stress and non-stress conditions. Therefore, they can be suitable indices for determining tolerant genotypes. Principal components analysis (PCA) showed that the first and second Principal component explained 61.89% and 37.52% of the total variation, respectively. According to the bi-plot graph, genotypes No. 7, 12, 8, and 13 with high MP, GMP, and STI scores and low TOL and SSI scores had the highest tolerance to drought stress. Based on the calculated STS (stress tolerance score), genotypes No. 7, 4, 12, 8, and 13 were the most tolerant genotypes and genotypes No. 14, 10, 6, 9, and 2 were the most sensitive genotypes, respectively. These results were identical with the results of bi-plot analysis. Moreover, this equation is much easier to be used than the multivariate analysis, such as principal components analysis (PCA).
  The aim of this study was the evaluation and selection of tolerant genotypes with high seed yield, and based on the results obtained from all the applied methods, it can be concluded that genotypes No. 7, 4, 12, 8, and 13 are identified as tolerant genotypes and were recommended to develop improved genetic population after being-tested in other places.

For QTL mapping of related salt tolerance QTLs and determining the contribution of each QTL to phenotypic variation, a population consisting of 96 F2:3 families derived from the cross Kharchia (parent tolerant) and Gaspard (susceptible parent) were evaluated during 2 years. Of the 92 microsatellite markers used to evaluate parents, 32 markers were polymorphic which were used for analysis. Three QTLs were found according to mapping composite interval method for plant height trait, which were located on chromosome 7D , 3B and 4B. In total, these QTLs explained 37 percent of phenotypic variation. Also, 3 QTLs were found on chromosome 7B and 7D for the size of seedling, which accounted for 38 percent of phenotypic variance were identified. For number of grains per spike and grain weight per main spike traits, 2 QTLs on chromosome 7D and 2 QTL for seed number trait on chromosome 4B. One QTL was found on chromosome 7D for each of the internode number and internode length traits which explained 12 and 11% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. For each of the number of spikelets, fertile tiller and spike length traits 1 QTL was found on chromosome 4B which explained 12% of the phenotypic variation. Genetic analysis of complex traits such as tolerance to salinity and identification of genetic locations controlling quantitative traits allow marker-assisted selection and ultimately improve the selection efficiency.

In order to identify yield and yield component QTLs under control and salt-stress conditions, a population of 254 recombinant inbred lines (RILs), derived from a cross between two bread wheat cultivars, (Roshan / Sabalan), was assessed. Parents and their 254 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were evaluated in an alpha-lattice design with two replications in two control and saline environments of Yazd in 2011-2012 cropping season. Yield and yield-related traits were evaluated at harvest time. The genotyping was carried out using SSR and DArT markers. A, B and D genomes were covered by 411.8, 620.4 and 67.5 cM, respectively. Also, a total of 48 QTLs were detected on 11 chromosomes for grain yield, biological yield, harvest index, thousand-kernel weight, grain number per spike, spike weight and spikelet number per spike. Roshan (salt tolerance) alleles were associated with an increase yield under saline conditions. SSR markers including gwm146, gwm577, gwm249 (on chromosomes 2A and 7B) were tightly associated with different QTLs. The major effect QTLs were located on chromosomes 1A and 7B for grain yield, harvest index and spike weight, which were explained 10.2%, 12.98% and 29 % of the total phenotypic variance, respectively. These QTLs and markers could be suitable for marker-assisted selection and gene stacking techniques. Moreover, co-located QTLs were detected on chromosome 2B for evaluated traits.

Although the non-Iranian primary tritipyrum lines (NIPTLs) have been produce and have shown potential to be a new slat tolerant cereal, however, have a few undesirable traits such as brittle rachis, keep in tiller production and late maturity. In order to remove these traits, the crossing of NIPTLs with Iranian bread wheat cultivars led to new recombinant Iranian secondary tritipyrum lines. In this study the 13 non-Iranian primary tritipyrum lines (NIPTLs: 2n = 6x = 42; AABBEbEb) and Iranian secondary tritipyrum lines (ISTL: F6-F7; 2n=6x=42, AABBD(1-6)"Eb(1-6)"), 6 Iranian bread wheat cultivars and 1 promising triticale line were evaluated at two research centers using an alpha lattice design with two replications under normal (1 dS m-1) and salinity stress ( 12dS m-1) conditions during growing seasons of 2014-2016 at Kerman province of Iran. The results indicated grain yield was strongly affected by salinity with reduction ratio of 11.06, 9.37, 4.30, 4.98, 7.98, 12.58, in Iranian chromosomally recombinant secondary individuals tritipyrum plants obtained from crosses such as (Cathlicum × Ma/b), (Falat× Ma/b), {Omid × (Ka/b)(Cr/b)}, {Niknejad × (Ka/b)(Cr/b)}, (Shotordandan × ka/b), (Roushan × Az/b), respectively, in comparison with Non Iranian Primay Ttritipyrum Lines (NIPRLs) (3.48), Iranian bread wheat cultivars (19.90) and promising triticale line (15.87) The evaluation of stress tolerance indices showed that STI could effectively be used for screening of salinity tolerant genotypes because it had the highest correlation coefficients with grain yield. The (Cr/b) × (Ka/b) line of NIPTLs and the lines obtained from Niknejad × (Ka/b)(Cr/b) and Omid × (Ka/b)(Cr/b) crosses showed the highest average breeding value which will be suitable for breeding programs of ISTLs lines with high yield potential in saline soils and brachish waters.

Due to the high importance of fenugreek in terms of nutritional and medicine, improvement of genotypes with high yield seems to be essential. Yield is a quantitative trait that is affected by the genotype-environment interaction. In order to evaluate stability and adaptation for seed yield in fenugreek ecotypes, the experiment was carried out during growing season for three consecutive years 2011-2013 in Jiroft Station of Research and Technology Institute of Plant Production (RTIPP) of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. Fenugreek ecotypes including Kerman, Kordestan, Mazandaran, Ilam, Kohgiluyeh and Esfahan were studied in different environments which a number of variables iron, zinc and three different irrigation intervals in randomized complete block design with three replications were considered. Combined Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed genotype × environment interaction was significant for seed yield. Stability parameters including environmental variance (S2i), genotypic variation coefficient (CVi), Wricke's ecovalence, Shukla's stability variance and Eberhart-Russel Regression parameters were applied to study stability for yield. According to the results of Eberhart-Russel based on linear regression coefficients and deviation from linear regression, Kordestan ecotype with higher seed yield than the average, linear regression coefficient equal one (bi=1), as well as lowest deviation from the regression was identified as the most stable high performance genotype, while Kerman ecotype with higher regression coefficient than one (bi>1) and the highest yield was categorized as the most unstable genotype. Moreover, based on the other parameters, Kordestan and Mazandaran ecotypes were introduced as the most stable genotypes and Kerman ecotype as the most unstable genotype. Ilam ecotype was identified with general adaptation and low performance while Esfahan ecotype showed specific adaptation for the unfavorable environments.

In order to study the genetic conditions of some agronomic traits in wheat, a cross was made between Gaspard and Kharchia varieties. F2, F3 and F4 progenies with parents were evaluated under drought conditions. Three-parameter model [m d h] considered as the best fit for number of fertile tiller and flag leaf length using generations mean analysis method. For number of grain per spike and main spike grain weight three-parameter model [m d i] was used. For number of spikelet per spike, grain yield and plant height four-parameter model [m d h i] was used. The heritability values ranged from 56% for flag leaf length to 81% for grain yield. The F3 generation with 100 individuals was used to construct a genetic linkage map. Using the method of composite interval mapping 3, 1, 5, 2, 2 and 1 QTLs were detected for plant height, grain yield, number of spikelet per spike, flag leaf length, main spike grain weight and number of fertile tiller respectively.

The most effective approach for genetic improvement of grain yield as a polygenic trait is indirect selection by other traits and simultaneous selection based on the suitable selection indices. The objective of this research was to select the elite lines of bread wheat by selection indices approach. 305 pure lines of bread wheat derived from a cross between Roshan × Falat as well as four check varieties, Roshan, Falat, Mahdavi and Shahpasand, were evaluated as an augmented design at research field of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman 2013-2014 growing season. In order to apply drought stress, irrigation was cut-off at the emergence stage of the spike and grain yield and other agronomic traits were measured. Among the studied traits, grain weight of main spike, grain weight of single plant, number of grain per plant, 1000- grain weight, number of spike per plant, main spike weight, flag leaf length, spike length and plant weight showed highly genetic correlations with grain yield. Direct and correlated response to selections for grain yield for these traits were calculated. The results indicated that number of spike per plant and number of grain per plant had the highest efficiency for indirect selection. The different selection indices constructed by these traits had the high genetic correlation with grain yield. Moreover, relative efficiency of selection and expected gain of selection index using the Smith-Hazel index was higher than the Pesek-Baker index. Therefore, using the optimum index can be effective in breeding programs of wheat to improve grain yield under drought stress. Finally, 30 elite lines were selected based on each selection index and from their comparison, seven superior and promising lines were identified for further evaluations and introduction to farmers.

Salinity is one of a major abiotic stress, specifically on arid and semi-arid areas that has influenced on crop growth and reduced grain yield. The purpose of present study was identification of agronomic traits related to wheat grain yield variation under control and salinity conditions. In order to produce a population of 272 recombinant inbred lines (RILs), a cross between two bread wheat cultivars, namely Roshan and Sabalan, was made and the resulted seeds were cultivated under control and saline conditions at a research field of Yazd during 2011-2012 cropping season. The trial was arranged in an alpha-lattice design with two replications. Grain yield, harvest index, biological yield, 1000-kernel weight, grain weight per spike, number of grain per spike, height plant was evaluated on harvest time. In order to study relationship between wheat grain yield and some agronomic traits in both control and stress conditions was used five statistical methods including simple correlation, multiple linear regression, stepwise regression, principle component analysis and factor analysis. The results were indicated that biological yield and harvest index were the most important variable explained grain yield under both sets of conditions. Therefore, grain yield can be increased with biological yield and harvest index enhancement under control and stress conditions.

In order to assess the relationship of grain yield and some of the agronomic traits recombinant inbred lines (RIL) population of bread wheat derived from the Roshan × Sabalan were used to detect the informative traits on grain yield as the suitable criteria for indirect selection and path coefficient analysis. Two hundred and sixty seven recombinant inbred lines with three control cultivars (Roshan, Sabalan (as parents) and Mahdavi) were evaluated in Augmented design. This experiment was conducted at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman on growing season of 91-92 Different inbred lines showed significant transgressive segregation for grain yield and its components. Grain yield had significant correlation with all the components. Four traits were entered in the stepwise of regression model containing: total spikes weight, number of fertile trills, main spike weight and number of grain per plant which totally justified 63.7 percent of grain yield variation. The first trait that entered in this model was total spikes weight, it was justified the highest variation of the yield. Due to the result of path analysis, total spikes weight had the most direct effect on grain yield (0.336) and the most indirect effect on number of grain per plant through total spikes weight on grain yield (0.293). Among four traits entered in regression model, the most important trait for improving of seed yield was total spikes weight. Regarding to the high correlation of total spike weight with grain yield, its high direct effect and correlation response for grain yield (1.35), it can be introduced the most effective trait for grain yield improvement.

In order to study genetic diversity of different wheat inbred lines and grain yield modeling as well as selection of elite lines, 305 wheat lines derived from Roshan × Falat cultivar along with their parents as well as two check (Mahdavi and Shahpasand) cultivated in research field of Sahid Bahonar university of Kerman in augment design, on growing season of 2013-2014. Result of genetic and phenotype correlation has high coincidences together that shown infer low influence of environment error to relationship between evaluated traits. According to results of correlation analysis significant correlation was seen between grain yield and most of evaluated traits. Results of ANOVA of evaluated traits showed non-significant difference between check varieties in different incomplete blocks, this showed the homogeneity of experiment field. Stepwise regression model showed%81 changes of grain yield is justified by 1000 grain weight, number of grain per single plant, number of fertile tiller, plant hight and awn length. By factor analysis for the 13 evaluated traits shown%65 of variation in grain yield is justified by four factors, cluster analysis categorized the lines into three groups, the dendrogram revealed lines the third group of lines white the second group have significant difference. Evaluation of grain yield potential and phenotypic diversity measured traits lead to selection 40 better inbreed lines in this research. Results of this research showed number of grain per single plant, number of fertile tiller, grain filling period and awn length would be recommended traits for indirect selection for improvement grain yield.