فهرست مطالب kianoosh cheghamirza

Among cereals, durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) is one of the most important protein and energy sources after bread wheat. It has a significant role in human nutrition in most countries. In this study, to identify and localization of QTLs controlling traits related to starch and Neutral detergent fiber, 118 durum wheat recombinant inbred lines obtained from the cross between the local genotype of Iran-249 originated from the west of Iran and the local cultivar of Zardak from Kermanshah were evaluated in two environments (2014 and 2015) under rainfall conditions using randomized complete block design along with parents in three replications. QTL analysis for each trait was performed using the inclusive composite interval mapping method to identify genomic regions that significantly affected the studied traits. A total of six QTLs were identified for the two traits measured, grain starch content and neutral detergent fiber. Three QTLs were identified on chromosome 7A and one QTL on chromosome 4B for the grain starch content trait. For the neutral detergent fiber trait, one QTL was localization on chromosome 6B and one QTL on chromosome 7A. Identifying and localization QTLs controlling traits related to seed quality characteristics can provide an opportunity to improve these traits through marker-assisted selection. Also, these results can create a basis for identifying candidate genes and map-based cloning and confirming QTL function.

Wild wheat species are rich sources of valuable genes, including resistance to various stresses such as drought and salt stress. Wild species influence livestock feeding by producing green fodder, preventing soil erosion and sustaining pasture production. In recent years, due to the conversion of pastures into rain-fed lands and excessive animal grazing, the amount of these valuable reserves has decreased, and considering their importance, genetic preservation and its scientific and correct application have contributed significantly to the restoration of pastures and increased fodder production. This study was conducted to investigate the diversity of Einkorn wheat in the western rangelands of Iran as the center of origin and diversity of wheat ancestors for use in breeding programs and fodder production.

In order to investigate the phenotypic diversity of einkorn wheat in terms of agromorphological characteristics, 93 einkorn genotypes from 16 populations were collected from Kermanshah, Ilam and Kurdistan provinces, along with four varieties of bread wheat and three varieties of durum wheat using an alpha lattice design in two replications over two cropping years using the Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (BLUP).The studied traits include kernel yield, biological yield, number of spikes per m2, spike weight, a thousand seed weight, spike length, peduncle length, number of seeds per spike, spike length and plant height. All multivariate analyses were performed using BLUPs.

The results of the combined analysis of variance showed significant differences among genotypes in terms of all the measured traits. The broad sense heritability was high in the studied traits (except spike length and number of seeds per spike). The study of genetic correlation between traits showed a positive and significant correlation between kernel yield and biological yield, spike weight, spike length and the number of seeds per spike. Number of seeds per spike had high heritability in both years. The highest genetic coefficient of variation was observed in the number of seeds per spike and the lowest in the thousand kernel weight. Cluster analysis using agromorphological data placed the genotypes in six groups, which did not agree with the genotypes' geographical origin. However, bread and durum wheat were placed in separate groups. Among the Einkorn wheat samples, the genotypes in group 4 had the highest biological yield, spike number, spike weight, plant height, peduncle length and grain yield. The principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that the first three components explained 85.47% of the total variation. Bi-plot analysis groped einkorn genotypes in three groups. Three bread wheat varieties (Karim, Kohdasht, and Urum) were placed in the fourth group and three durum wheat varieties (Behrang, Shebarang, and Dehdasht) and one bread wheat variety (Azar-2) in the fifth group. The results of grouping by bi-plot of PCA were consistent with the results of cluster analysis. 

The results indicated a high diversity of einkorn genotypes for agro-morphological traits. The high broad sense heritability in the studied traits (except spike length and the number of seeds per spike) indicated that phenotypic selection for these traits could be the most crucial breeding strategy in Eincorn wheat. The results of means comparison for most of the examined traits showed the superiority of bread and durum wheat cultivars. Regarding most of the traits, the genotypes collected from Kamiyaran-Sanandaj were superior, and genotype number 29, with the same origin, showed favorable agro-morphological traits, which were recommended for use in wheat breeding programs.

Germination is one of the most important stages of crop plant growth and proper germination in a wide range of environmental conditions is necessary for plant establishment. In this research, 20 varieties of Iranian barley and 24 varieties of European barley were used in three salinity levels (100, 200 and 300 mM sodium chloride) and a control level (distilled water) in order to investigate the tolerance of salinity stress in the germination stage, as a factorial test based on a completely randomized design with three replications in the mushroom cultivation chamber with controllable temperature and light and sterile conditions in the Nosoud agricultural service center by a protein marker in the biotechnology laboratory of the agriculture and natural resources of Razi university. The results of analysis of variance of traits related to germination showed that the effect of salinity, cultivar and salinity × cultivar were significant for all traits. By increasing the salinity level from 0 to 300 mM, all traits and indices decreased except the average germination time. The germination percentage had a positive and significant correlation with the total seedling length, shoot length, seed germination index, average germination rate and germination rate index. Stepwise regression analysis of different traits with protein markers showed that there were 13 bands associated with different traits. The most significant correlation with traits was related to the 60 kDa marker which was related four indices of seed germ, average germination speed, shoot length and cleoptile length. After the validation studies and confirmation of the results, the identified markers can be used in marker-assisted selection for related traits.

In Iran, as in most poor and developing countries, wheat is the most important food in the diet of the people. Therefore, the field of study and research on various aspects of this important and strategic crop is still open to relevant researchers and experts. Given that the achievement of yield potential in crops, including wheat, is influenced by genetics, environmental conditions, their interaction and the application of proper management in the optimal use of available resources, so the genetic capacity of the existing germplasm should be used to produce suitable breeding lines in order to make the most of natural and climatic resources. Therefore, screening genotypes, selecting the proper parents, and modifying them through conventional and new methods can still be helpful. Estimating genetic effects and studying the inheritance pattern of important agronomic traits and in general knowledge of germplasm genetic information and knowledge of the genetic system of the studied trait is one of the most useful tools in designing breeding methods to improve target traits. This study aimed to estimate the genetic model controlling important agronomic traits and also to estimate heterosis and heritability in two bread wheat cross under normal and terminal drought stress conditions using generation mean analysis method and multivariate regression analysis.

A field investigation materials consisted of basic generations obtained from the crosses of a local cultivar “Marvdasht” (female parent) with two cultivars “Sistan” and “Norstar” (male parents). Both the crosses and resultant progenies were performed and developed under field conditions. All the six generations derived from the above two crosses were sown under two distinct conditions, normal (non-stress) and terminal drought stress in a randomized complete blocks design with three replicates at the Research Farm of Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran during the next cropping season (2015-2016). Terminal drought stress was imposed in Mid-May; while non-stress plots were irrigated whenever required. Weeds were controlled manually when necessary. The rainfall in 2015-2016 was 653 mm. Data from 10 plants in each of P1, P2 and F1 generations, 30 plants in F2 and 15 plants in each of BC1 and BC2 were randomly recorded per replication. Statistical analyses were done using different methods and software.

Significant differences between the generations were found for most of the traits which indicated the presence of genetic variation in the plant populations and scope of improvement through breeding methods such as selection and expression of heterosis. The scaling and joint scaling tests revealed that the simple additive-dominance model was not sufficient to explain the genetic variation in the crosses for all the studied traits apart from the number of spike per plant, main stem diameter and number of spikelet per spike at Marvdasht × Sistan, and hundred kernel weight and peduncle length at Marvdasht × Norstar. It could be concluded that the inheritance of these traits is governed by epistasis gene action. The results of analysis of variance obtained by regression method showed that fixable genetic effects had the highest relative contribution of the generation sum of squares for most of the traits in both crosses and under both normal and drought stress conditions. High estimates of broad-sense heritability for hundred kernel weight (0.67) in normal conditions at Marvdasht × Sistan cross and plant height (normal: 0.76 and stress: 0.67) and peduncle length (normal: 0.72 and stress: 0.67) at the Marvdasht × Norstar cross shows that the effects of dominance have a greater role in the inheritance pattern of these traits and therefore it is possible to produce hybrid varieties to improve these traits.

The results of generation mean analysis showed that the type and action of genetic effects were variable in both crosses and for different traits and indicate the need to adopt a special breeding method to improve them. The presence of duplicate mode of gene interactions signified the involvement of epistatic effects for most of the traits. Based on the present investigation, it could be inferred that the genetic control model was somewhat similar for most of the traits under both conditions at both crosses, and it has not been largely affected by drought stress.

The current research was carried out to evaluate genetic diversity of 18 common bean cultivars and promising lines and to determine SSR and SCoT informative markers associated with 14 seed characteristics including the number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight, seed length, seed width, the contents of crude protein, total soluble sugar, starch content, crude fat, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, uronic acid, and mineral ash. The polymorphism information content (PIC) values varied from 0.2 to 0.5 with an average of 0.39 for the SSR markers and from 0.19 to 0.42 with an average of 0.34 for the SCoT markers. The total average resolving power of SSR and SCoT markers were 1.54 and 5.34, respectively, indicating higher efficiency of SCoT markers than SSR markers for the diversity analysis. The common bean studied genotypes were clustered into three distinct groups for both markers based on the Complete Linkage method. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) for the SSR markers revealed that the first two principal components justified 59.05% of whole variation. For the SCoT marker, on the other hand, the fraction of variances explained by the first two principal components was equal to 25.43 indicating a better distribution of SCoT markers than SSR markers in the common bean genome. Analysis of molecular variance based on the grouping obtained from cluster analysis showed that the diversity within the group based on SSR and SCoT markers was equal to 89 and 78%, respectively. The results of regression analysis for the studied markers and the bean seed characteristics showed the existence of a significant relationships between a single marker with the several studied traits. This could indicate the association or linkage of the marker locations. Twelve out of 14 of the investigated common bean seed characteristics showed a significant relationship with at least one molecular marker.

Durum wheat production in the Mediterranean climate is limited when water shortages occur during anthesis. Breeding programs try to increase crop yield under challenging weather conditions such as water shortage. The improvement in phenotyping with the purpose of selecting key plant traits is important for increasing the efficiency of the breeding program. In this study, 125 and 119 durum recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from F7 and F8 generations, respectively, derived from the cross between the Iranian landrace “Iran_249” and the Iranian variety “Zardak” were compared in the field over two successive years (2015 and 2016) in the temperate rainfed conditions with the Mediterranean climate. The results showed that the performance of RILs was influenced by the year. Harvest index, biomass, number of spikes per plant, number of tillers per plant, straw yield, spike weight, spike density, and weight of grains per spike were positively associated with the grain yield in two years. According to path analysis in the first year, the number of spikes per plant and awn length had a positive and significant direct effect on the grain yield whilst, in the second year, the positive and significant direct effects on the grain yield belonged to the number of tillers per plant, grain filling rate, and plant height. In conclusion, based on the two-year data, the RILs with higher spike weight, the weight of grains per spike, number of tillers per plant, biomass, grain filling rate, higher plant height with longer peduncle length, and longer spikes with longer awn length may have higher yield under rainfed conditions. These traits are promising traits for the indirect selection of grain yield. RILs No. 2, 16, 29, 43, 66, 80, 100, and 118 had the highest rank in both years and were superior to their parents.

Durum wheat is considered as the 10th most important crop in the world. Drought stress is among the principal constraints to global wheat production. Improvement of new varieties having good adaptation to stressful conditions is an important goal of wheat breeding programs. In this regard, the exploitation of genetic diversity retained in landraces and wild relativesis is very important. The aim of this research was to evaluate durum wheat landraces collected from different contries for drought tolerance.

In this study 196 durum wheat landraces belong to 18 countries were evaluated for drought tolerance using several yield-based drought indices. The trials were conducted in the experimental field of dryland agricultural research institute (Sararood branch) based on alpha lattice design with two replications under rainfed and supplemental irrigation conditions during 2020-2021 cropping season.

Analysis of variance revealed significant environment, genotype, and genotype × environment interaction effects for grain yield. Based on genotype-by-index (GI) biplot analysis the drought selection indices were classified into four groups. The first group included drought response index (DRI), yield stability index (YSI), yield index (YI) and yield under rainfed condition. The second group composed of stress tolerance index (STI) and geometric mean productivity (GMP) which were able to select genotypes producing higher yield in both conditions. The third group included mean productivity (MP) and yield under irrigated condition. Fourth group composed of stress susceptible index (SSI), tolerance index (TOL), Schneider’s Stress Severity Index (SSSI) and yield reduction percentage (RI) which were able to separate genotypes having higher yield in non-stress and low yield in stress condition. Cluster analysis identified three distinct groups having different yield performance and drought tolerance.

Generally, based on the results of this research, selection for higher values of DRI, STI and GMP and lower values of SSI, TOL and RI at the same time can be considered as a appropriate strategy for identification of drought tolerant landraces. The members of first group which mostly composed from landraces belong to Iran, Japan, Turkey and Afghanistan could be considered as high-yielding drought tolerant.

Durum wheat is known as the eighth agricultural product in the world and is used for spaghetti and pasta. In many studies, in vitro cultivation methods have been used a lot to shorten breeding periods. The use of different explants in the production of wheat embryo callus is known as the best explant in the production of callus. Plant regeneration from callus is also a complex morphogenetic phenomenon that can be affected by various internal and external factors.

An experiment was conducted to study callus induction and regeneration of immature embryos with 11 genotypes of durum wheat. In the callus induction stage, two characteristics, callus induction, and callus growth rate based on the completely randomized design with five replications were measured. Callus derived from an immature embryo was conducted in MS medium containing BAP (0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/l) using an 11*3 factorial experiment based on the completely randomized design with three replications.

Statistical analysis results in the callus induction stage showed a significant difference in the percentage of callus induction and callus growth rate among genotypes. Mean comparison results indicated that in the callus growth rate of genotypes, respectively Stj3//Bcr/lks4 and Quadalete//Erp/mol/3/unk/4/Mrb3/Mnal, had the fastest growth rate and at percentage callus induction genotype 25-25-1-5 showed the highest induction. In the regeneration phase with different concentrations of BAP growth regulator, genotypes 409 and Stj3//Bcr/lks4 showed the highest regeneration. Therefore, based on the results obtained in this study, Genotype Stj3//Bcr/lks4 was introduced as the best genotype among others due to giving the highest callus induction and regeneration.

Therefore, according to the availability of wheat embryos, it can be considered a suitable source in tissue culture through independent factors, which are located in the nucleus or cytoplasm. According to the results, it could be stated that the success in tissue culture is influenced by various factors such as genotype, type of micro sample, and concentration of growth regulators, which differs from one cultivar to another.

Among cereals, durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) is one of the most important protein and energy sources after bread wheat. It has a significant role in human nutrition in most countries.

In this study, in order to identify and localization of QTLs controlling traits related to flag leaf and peduncle, 118 durum wheat recombinant inbred lines obtained from the cross between the local genotype of Iran-249 originated from the west of Iran and the local cultivar of Zardak from Kermanshah were evaluated in three environments under rainfall conditions using randomized complete block design along with parents in three replications. QTL analysis for each trait was performed using the inclusive composite interval mapping method to identify genomic regions that significantly affected the studied traits.

Based on the analysis of variance, the effect of genotype (recombinant inbred line) was significant in terms of traits related to flag leaf and peduncle in three environments, which indicates the existence of appropriate levels of genetic diversity in the studied population for measured traits. The results of QTL analysis using the inclusive composite interval mapping method led to the identification of 33 QTL for the measured traits. The common and stable QTLs were located in at least two environments on chromosomes 1A, 1B.1, 2B.1 and 5A for peduncle length and diameter traits and on chromosomes 2A, 5A and 7A for flag leaf length, flag leaf width and flag leaf area. Identification of repeatable QTLs in the different environments can indicate the existence of stable genomic regions related to flag leaf and peduncle. On the other hand, a positive and significant correlation was observed between the traits, probably due to the linkage or pleiotropic effect of their controlling QTLs. Also, based on QTL analysis using the two-locus method, the additive main effect, as well as the interaction effect of the QTL× environment, was significant for all traits except for the middle and bottom peduncle diameter. In total, six gene loci with significant additive× additive epistasis effects were identified for the flag leaf area-related traits and top peduncle diameter.

Identification and localization of stable QTLs in different environments for some traits related to flag leaf and peduncle can assist in understanding better the genetic basis of these traits to be used in breeding programs, especially in MAS projects.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), as one of the most important economic products in the world, has one of the highest quality edible oils. Safflower cultivars are hardy plants compared to other plants due to different methods of tissue culture and regeneration. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a high efficiency method for the regeneration of safflower commercial cultivars. In this study, the effect of different concentrations of BAP, Kin and TDZ on callus induction and shoot regeneration of hypocotyl and cotyledon explants for two safflower cultivars (Soffeh and Golmehr) in different concentrations of BAP, Kin, TDZ and NAA (0, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 mg/l) were evaluated. The results showed that the highest frequency of shoot regeneration also was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 0 mg/l NAA and 1 mg/l TDZ (33%) from cotyledon explant of Golmehr cultivar. There was a significant difference between cultivar’s shooting, Golmehr cultivar showed a better shooting percentage. Finally, shoots were transferred to eight different rooting media. The best medium for rooting was MS medium supplemented with IBA (2 mg/l) + sucrose (2%) + agar (7%). The results showed that Golmehr cultivar was better than Soffeh cultivar in terms of regeneration and response to optimization.

This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between microsatellite markers and some agronomic and morphological traits in wild einkorn wheat populations collected from western parts of Iran. Plant materials included 163 wild einkorn wheat accessions selected from 664 samples collected from 34 regions in of Ilam, Kermanshah and Kurdistan provinces. Seeds of selected accessions were grown in the field and the following agronomic and morphological traits were evaluated and scored in 2014-15 and 2015-16 cropping seasons: leaf length, leaf width, plant height, peduncle length, spike length, number of spikes.plant-1, number of grains.spike-1, 1000 grain weight, days to flowering, days to physiological maturity, grain yield and weight.plant-1. Analysis of variance showed significant differences among genotypes across two cropping seasons for most of the measured phenotypic traits. The genotypic evaluation was performed using 19 microsatellites (SSR) markers on the selected 163 accessions. According to the results of K statistics and two-dimensional graphics based on SSR markers, four possible sub-populations in the germplasm of wild einkorn wheat were identified. Eventually, association analysis was performed using the population structure matrix and statistical models of GLM and MLM. The results showed that based on the GLM and MLM models 87 SSR marker-trait relationships were highly significant. Also 89% markers played roles in identifying allelic locations on the chromosomes for 12 studied traits. In conclusion, the results of this study revealed that integrated uses of agronomic and morphological traits with SSR markers could be useful in evaluating of genetic diversity of wild einkorn wheat and is beneficial for identifing markers associated with important agronomic traits in breeding programs.

Assessment of the genetic diversity of crops is vital to plant breeding and heritage conservation programs. Genetic diversity in plant species is important for selecting the right parents for hybridization and producing suitable offspring. The genetic diversity of durum wheat compared to other crops has decreased significantly during the time, initially due to the domestication of the plant and gradually due to the use of uniform and modified germplasm, which has shown this to be a threat.

Genetic diversity and population structure of a set of durum wheat germplasm, including 36 durum wheat landraces and five new cultivars, were evaluated using 15 Dof markers.

The total number of amplified bands was 117, of which 79 were polymorphic with an average polymorphism of 62.32%. The mean polymorphism information content, marker index, and resolving power in the population were 0.34, 1.61 and 1.9, respectively. According to the indices calculated in this study, Dof16, Dof20, Dof31 and Dof35 markers are more suitable for studying the genetic diversity of durum wheat. Population structure analysis divided germplasm into three subgroups (K=3). The molecular analysis of variance based on three subgroups obtained from STRUCTURE for Dof markers showed that the variance within and between subgroups was 85% and 15% of the total variance, respectively. Principal coordinate analysis partly corresponded to the result of population structure and divided the germplasm into three groups.

The results of the present study showed a high level of polymorphism and diversity in Dof markers, indicating the efficiency of these markers in differentiating durum wheat genotypes in this study. Due to the very high conservation of Dof sequences, this specific marker is significant in plants, so this marker can be used to study genetic diversity in different plant species.

Barley is one of the most important crops that is cultivated in many areas and is mainly used in livestock and poultry feed and malt production industry. Some physical and biochemical properties of grain are very effective on the quantity and quality of the grain, malt production, and its nutritional properties.

In this study, seven Iranian and European barley cultivars (Hordeum vulgare subsp. Vulgare) and two wild barley genotypes (Hordeum vulgare subsp. Spontaneum (K. Koch)) were studied for some physicochemical characteristics of the grain.

Based on the results, genotypes were significantly different for all studied traits except moisture content and percentage of soluble sugar, and wild genotypes showed a higher mean for most traits. Cluster analysis divided the genotypes into three groups. The lowest and highest values of genetic variation coefficient were obtained for moisture content and iron content, and the lowest and highest values of phenotypic and environmental variation coefficients were recorded for grain thickness and grain iron content, respectively. Broad-sense heritability was estimated to be high for ash percentage, grain length, width and thickness, and thousand kernel weight. Ash percentage and thousand kernel weight had a higher percentage of mean genetic advance. The coefficient of phenotypic variation of all traits was higher than the coefficient of genetic variation. The small difference between the coefficient of phenotypic and genotypic variations for length, width, thickness, and weight of thousand kernel weight indicates the greater influence of genetic factors on the control of these traits. On the other hand, the genetic and phenotypic correlation coefficients of some traits were significant, which indicates the possibility of simultaneous breeding of the two traits.

According to the results and the significant differences in physicochemical characteristics, the selection of a wild genotype and a cultivated variety with a suitable genetic distance based on ash percentage, iron and zinc content, grain protein and high thousand kernel weight was found to be suitable for creating a segregating population.

Knowledge of genetic diversity in crop species can play an important role in exploiting genetic diversity and lead to the development and expansion of crop cultivation in drought-prone environments. In this regard, identifying and utilizing informative markers related to agro-physiological traits will be necessary for application in breeding programs and marker-assisted selection.

This study was performed to investigate the relationship between SCoT markers and agro-physiological traits in the durum wheat breeding germplasm. For this purpose, 220 durum wheat genotypes were evaluated for agronomic, phenological, and physiological traits. They were received from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) during two consecutive cropping seasons (2017-18 and 2018-19). The germplasm was also genotyped using five SCoT markers. In order to identify the informative markers related to each trait, the regression analysis method was used.

According to the results, considerable variation for agro-physiological traits was observed in the studied germplasm. The majority of ICARDA germplasms that most favored by grain yield, 1000-kernel weight (TKW), normal difference vegetative index (NDVI), plant height (PH), and peduncle length (PL) well separated from the majority of CIMMYT germplasm that most favored late in the heading (DH) and maturity (DM) and higher canopy temperature (CT). These findings indicate that the breeding lines originally developed from ICARDA might possess traits of tolerance to drought conditions absent in those developed in CIMMYT. 13 SCoT loci were associated with at least three traits based on trait-marker association analysis. These markers would enhance the efficiency of parental selection in the durum wheat breeding programs. Six informative SCoT loci (SCoT16-845, SCoT16-965, SCoT33-780, SCoT24-1400, SCoT16-845, and SCoT25-680) were identified as repeatable markers that can be considered as candidate markers for assessment of other wheat germplasm collections and scanning the genome for the related traits.

This study based on phenotypic data and SCoT markers revealed a high level of diversity in durum wheat breeding germplasm that may be useful in breeding programs. This information is valuable for germplasm grouping and determination of different phenotypic and genotypic groups, developing high-yielding genotypes, and using cross-breeding programs.

Durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) is grown on 10% of the world’s wheat area. In spite of its low acreage, durum wheat is an economically important crop because of its unique characteristics and end products. Drought stress is one of the most devastating environmental stresses that depresses wheat yield productivity in many parts of the world. Breeding for drought tolerance is critical for sustainable wheat production in these areas. Different indices, including tolerance (TOL), mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), stress tolerance index (STI), stress susceptibility index (SSI), harmonic mean (HAM), yield index (YI), and yield stability index (YSI) have been employed for screening the stress tolerant genotypes. The objectives of the study were to assess durum wheat genotypes under stress and non-stress conditions and to evaluate drought resistance indices in identifying genotypes adapted to the conditions.

The experiment was carried out at the research farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, during 2015-2016 cropping season. In this study, 23 durum wheat genotypes originally from Iran and ICARDA were evaluated using a randomized complete block design with three replications under stress (rain-fed) and non-stress (irrigated) conditions. Irrigated plots were watered three times at flowering and grain filling stages. Rain-fed plots received no water other than rainfall. Grain yield (g/m2) was measured. Tolerance indices were calculated for genotypes based on the grain yield. Combined analysis of variance appropriate to RCBD was carried out using SAS. Environments (rain-fed and irrigated) were considered as fixed effects. Least significant difference (LSD) test was used for the mean comparisons. Orthogonal comparisons and correlation analysis were performed by SAS software. Principal component analysis (PCA) and biplot diagram were carried out by MINITAB 17 and Stat graphics 18.1.01, respectively.

The results of combined analysis of variance showed significant differences between environments (rain-fed and irrigated) and genotypes for grain yield. Orthogonal comparisons showed that there was a significant difference between Iranian genotypes (contrast 1) in both conditions. Also, there were significant differences between ICARDA genotypes (contrast 2) and Iranian and ICARDA genotypes (contrast 3). Results showed that water stress reduced the grain yield of all genotypes and mean grain yield in rain-fed conditions was 32% lower than that in irrigated conditions (the stress intensity was 0.32). Based on all calculated drought indices, in most cases genotypes 15, 10, 18, 12 and 19 were tolerant and genotypes 2, 9, 17, 4 and 7 were susceptible to drought stress. The results of correlation analysis showed that TOL, MP, GMP, STI, YI and HAM had significant (P≤0.01) and positive correlations with grain yield under non-stressed condition. The MP, GMP, STI, YI and HAM revealed a significant (P≤0.01) and positive correlations with yield under stressed condition. Positive and significant correlation were observed between Ys and Yp and also with MP, GMP, STI, YI and HAM indicated that these indices are the most suitable indices to screen genotypes in drought stress conditions. Principal component analysis showed that the first component explained 71% of the variation with Ys, Yp, MP, YI, GMP, STI and HAM. First dimension can be considered as the yield in both environments and drought tolerance. Second component explained 28% of the total obtained variation and can be named drought susceptible dimension. Hence, selection of genotypes with high PCA1 and low PCA2 are suitable for both stress and non-stress environments. Thus, Genotypes 18, 22 and 23 with rather higher PCA1 and lower PCA2 are superior genotypes under both stressed and non-stressed conditions (Group A). Genotypes 19, 14, 3, 16, 21 and 20 could be known as Group B. These genotypes are suitable for non-stressed conditions. Genotypes 4, 7, 17 and 13 are drought susceptible and had low yield in both conditions (Group D). Genotypes 15, 10, 12, 11 and 6 with high amount of yield stability index (YSI) had a relatively low yield in both conditions, but they were more stable genotypes than the others (Group C).

What can be concluded from these results are:1) Identifying the genotypes with high and stable yield in both conditions which are 18, 22 and 23 originated from ICARDA.2) Identifying genotypes with low yield in both conditions and susceptible to drought which are 4, 7, 17 and 13.3) Suggesting genotypes 19, 14, 3, 16, 21 and 20 for non-stress conditions.

The study of the genetic structure controlling agronomic traits is one of the preconditions for selecting the appropriate breeding method. In order to analyze genetic of some agronomic traits of bread wheat using generation mean analysis, parents and different generations resulting from the cross of Marvdasht × MV-17 wheat cultivars were assessed in a randomized complete block design with three replicates under normal and terminal drought stress conditions in Research Farm of Razi University (Iran) during 2015-2016 cropping season. Based on the results of weighted ANOVA, a significant difference was observed between different generations for most of the studied traits under both conditions. Generations mean analysis revealed that in addition to the additive and dominance gene effects, a variety of epistatic effects also played a role in the inheritance of most traits, and therefore cannot hope for the success of selection in first generations. The role of additive gene effect was greater than the dominance one for plant height, peduncle length and awn length, indicating usefulness of using recurrent selection to aggregate these genes followed by selecting lines with favorable agronomic characteristics. The model of genetic control for most of the traits was similar under both conditions in terms of the presence or absence of non-allelic interactions and it has not been widely affected by drought stress. The broad-sense heritability for plant height, peduncle length and awn length was estimated to be high under both conditions. The broad-sense heritability for kernel yield was moderate estimated under both conditions, but the narrow-sense heritability was very low. In general, considering the greater role of the non-additive gene effect for most of the traits, the selection is suggested in advanced generations and after access to a high level of gene fixation.

In oilseed crops, a number of genes involved in the production of triacylglycerol have been identified that changes in their expression have increase the seed oil content. WRI1 and LPAAT are key genes in this synthetic pathway that their overexpression can increase the oil content. In this study, the expression vectors carrying WRI1 and LPAAT genes were designed and constructed for genetic transformation of tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum) plants. The synthetic WRI1 and LPAAT genes were isolated from the PGH.WRI1 and PGH.LPAAT cloning vector using specific restriction enzymes and then cloned in the PGH.O3.2.2 intermediate vector under the control of SBP and Napin promoters and E9 terminator. Finally, the genetic cassettes were transferred to the plant transformation pBin19 binary vector. The resulting constructs were transferred to Agrobacterium tumefacience strain EHA105 and were used for genetic transformation of tobacco plants. Molecular analysis of transgenic plants confirmed the presence and activity of WRI1 and LPAAT genes. Seeds from transgenic plants were selected on the medium containing kanamycin and developed strong and healthy seedlings.

Studying the genetic structure of crops, including wheat, has always been one of the research priorities to increase the efficiency of breeding methods. In order to genetic analysis of some agronomic traits of bread wheat using generation mean analysis (GMA), all produced generations along with relevant parents of the two populations (Marvdasht × Rasoul and Marvdasht × Shahpasand) were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replicates under normal and terminal drought stress conditions in Razi University during 2015-2016 cropping season. Weighted analysis of variance showed the significant differences among generations for the most of the traits in two conditions. The results of GMA revealed that although the mode of inheritance differed in the crosses for the most of the traits, but additive, dominance gene effects and different types of epistasis had the roles in the heritability of the most traits. Among these gene effects, the role of dominance gene effect was higher and therefore, selection should be delayed to later generations. However, the role of fixable gene effects in the heritability of the traits such as stem diameter, awn length and number of spikelets per spike (both crosses), plant height and peduncle length (Marvdasht × Shahpasand), was almost equal or more than dominance gene effect indicating the usefulness of selection in early generations for these traits. The broad-sense heritability for kernel yield was estimated as nearly moderate for both crosses under both conditions, but the narrow-sense heritability was low under both conditions. Results of analysis of variance obtained from regression method showed that fixable-gene effects had higher relative contribution of generation sum of squares for most of the traits than non fixable-gene effects at both crosses under both conditions. The model of genetic control for the most of the traits was similar under both conditions for both crosses and it has not been widely affected by drought stress.

Estimation of the physiological responses in bread wheat helps to identify the effective mechanisms to improve yield production in adverse environmental conditions such as water-deficit stress. In this study, the inheritance of physiological traits and grain yield in two populations, namely “Parsi” × “Winter B. C. of Roshan” and “Sistan” × “Winter B. C. of Roshan” were investigated under two normal conditions and terminal water-deficit stress using the Generation Mean Analysis (GMA). The results of this experiment showed that grain yield decreased in both of crosses due to water-deficit stress, so that the average of grain yield decreased in “Parsi” × “Winter B. C. of Roshan”, from 12.66 g/plant to 10.03 g/plant, and in the second cross decreased from 12.93 g/plant to 9.68 g / plant. In normal condition of both crosses, the highest amount of narrow-sense heritabilityሺ݄௡ ଶሻ belonged to chlorophyll b content (52% -53%), leaf area index (50-58%) and total chlorophyll content (45-63%), respectively. In waterdeficit stress condition for the first population, the highest amount of narrow-sense heritability ሺ݄௡ ଶሻ belonged to the content of chlorophyll b (61%), leaf area (54%) and total chlorophyll content (68%), and in the second cross it belonged to content of chlorophyll a (78%) and leaf area (56%). The high amount of narrow-sense heritability for these traits illustrates that additive effects play a big role to control them. So, selection method could be effective method to improve the mentioned traits.

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Genetic diversity in field crops and their wild ancestors plays important role in breeding programs. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of einkorn (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. boeoticum) wheat genotypes collected from western parts of Iran using SSR markers. 

In this study, genetic variation of 163 genotypes from 34 populations of einkorn wheat collected from western parts of Iran was investigated using 19 SSR loci developed in the A genome of hexaploid wheat.

In the investigation of 163 einkorn genotypes using 19 microsatellite loci were generated 151 polymorphic alleles with an average of 7.94 per locus. The content of polymorphic information content (PIC) in the studied einkorn genotypes ranged from 0.64 for Xgwm480-3A locus to 0.89 for Xgwm4-4A locus. The mean content of polymorphic information in the studied genotypes was 0.77. According to the results, Xgwm4-4A, Xgwm610-4A and Xgwm282-7A loci were identified as the most suitable primers for studying genetic diversity and differentiation of einkorn wheat genotypes. The mean of Shannon coefficient of 0.16 indicated moderate variation in genotypes under study. The average percentage of polymorphic gene loci in the 34 studied populations was 36.74 and the average heterozygosity was 0.114. Based on analysis of molecular variance for 34 populations, the variations between and within populations were calculated as 7% and 93%, respectively. Cluster analysis based on Jaccard coefficients and UPGMA algorithm classified the einkorn genotypes into 10 distinct groups. The results of the principal coordinate analysis revealed that the two primary vectors explained 29.33% and 24.01% of the total molecular genetic variance, respectively.

The results indicated the usefulness of microsatellite markers in identifying and grouping einkorn wheat genotypes, so that the obtained information could be used in breeding projects, germplasm conservation planning and collection of einkorn wheat populations.

Barley has a special place in agriculture in terms of adaptation to different climatic conditions, valuable features in human nutrition, livestock and importance in the food industry.  The uses of external germplasm in breeding programs for direct use (after stability tests) or in producing hybrids are of high importance. For this purpose, 44 Iranian and European barley cultivars in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the experimental farm of Agricultural Faculty of Razi University, were evaluated under rainfed condition during the 2013-2014growing season. Important agronomic traits such as grain yield, biomass yield, number of spikes per m2, number of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight, and physiological traits including relative water content, membrane degradation or stability, SPAD, stomatal conductance and traits related to seed malt were determined. Analysis of variance showed significant difference among the cultivars for most of the traits at 1% probability level. Group comparisons showed unique characteristics of Iranian and European cultivars, so that Iranian cultivars had the highest values for hectolite weight, thousand kernels weight, spike density, grain length and grain length/ grain width, while the European cultivar had the highest potential for harvest index, number of spikes per square meter, spike length and awn length. Compared to European cultivar, the relative water content of leaves and degree of membrane damage and SPAD-reading in seedling stage were higher in Iranian cultivars. For the optimal use of these cultivars in plant breeding projects, parents can be selected at a reasonable distance based on desired traits.

Callus production via mature embryo culture provides the possibility to regenerate plant genotypes effectively under tissue culture conditions.Screening based on an agronomic trait is a procedure to predict the outcome of tissue culture which is very expensive and time consuming.The present research was carried out to investigate the response of 42 Iranian and European barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars to mature embryo cultureand to evaluate relationship between embryo culture traits with agronomic characters. The results showed that there were highly significant differences (P 0.01) among the genotypes for callus growth rate (CGR),callus primary diameter (CPD), relative water content of callus (RWC) and callus relative growth rate (CRGR) . The cultivars AFZAL and ASTARTIS had the highest amounts of callus growth rate and complete plantlet, therefore were identified as superior cultivars. Cluster analysis using Ward’s minimum variance divided the cultivars into four groups, so thatthe cultivars of fourth group had the highest amounts of callus growth rate, callus primary diameter and relative growth rate. The results ofcorrelation coefficientsof agronomic and embryo culture traits showed that callus primary diameter had significantcorrelation coeficients with callusgrowth rate, relative growth rate, flag leaf length and plant height. Path analysis revealed that days to heading, days to anthesis and flag leaf length had the highest positive direct effects on embryo culture traits, respectively. Comparison of the response of two types of explants (mature and immature embryos) to tissue culture indicated that the mature embryos with a lower response to tissue culture at the callus induction stage had a more appropriate and higher response atcallus regeneration stage.

This study describes morphological diversity and relationship of 14 cultivars and 133 wild fig accessions from central Zagros Mountains located in the west of Iran, based on 58 morphological characters. Among all characters, secondary drooping branches, number of bark tubers, shape of central lobe, length of central lobe/length of lamina, little lateral lobes, shape of leaf without lobed, fruit shape, fruit weight, fruit neck length, fruit skin over color and fruit pulp cavity showed higher coefficient of variation (CV) indicating a high level of variation. The existence of high CV in the evaluated characters indicates that there is a high diversity among the studied cultivars and accessions. One of the important wild figs that called 'Ghir-vahshi' was found in 'BabaHeyran 2' location showing very diverse characters. Cluster analysis divided the 147 genotypes into five main clusters. The results of principal components analysis showed that the first three components explained 33.22% of total variation in data. According to the factor analysis, eighteen factors justified about 75.62% of the total variation found among genotypes. The factor analysis showed that the most of discriminator variables were depend on leaf, fruit size and growth form. The obtained results revealed that central Zagros Mountains in the west of Iran is a rich source of fig genetic diversity which could be used for fig breeding programs.

Syrian Rue or Harmal (Peganum harmala L.), belonged to the family of Peganaceae, grows in semi-arid climates such as the Middle East and North Africa. Traditionally, this plant, especially the seeds, has been recognized for its several medicinal uses. In this stydy, genetic diversity between 21 Harmal accessions, collected from different regions of Iran were evaluated by Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) marker using 14 spesific primers. All primers successfully amplified polymorphism regions, as among 115 regions, 68 polymorphic regions (59.13%) were amplified. Accordingly, highest and lowest similarities among ecotypes were measured as 94% and 55%, respectively. The results based on cluster analysis also categorized all accessions into three groups that did not completely match to their geographic pattern place of collection. Result of principle coordinate analysis of samples also showed distribution pattern similar to cluster analysis.