Tolerance to salinity in chicory ecotypes via germination components and seedling growth with using of multivariate analysis

The present study using multivariate analysis methods in the study of genetic diversity, recognize relationships between the characters and identify traits in explaining the variation in germination stage and seedling growth chicory ecotypes under salt stress was conducted. This research was preformed in factorial form using a completely randomized design with 3 replications at Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz branch in 2013. First factor include 26 chicory ecotypes and second factor five levels of salt treatment (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 mM), were used by using NaCl. Results analysis of variance showed that between ecotypes, salinity stress and their interaction for all trait, had significant difference. The most positive and significant correlation was between the plumule length and seedling length. The principal components analysis, 11 studied traits divided to 3 components to basis all traits. In biplot graphic method to basis the first and second components and cluster analysis to basis all traits; ecotypes to three groups divided. With attention to results of multivariate analysis, ecotypes 22377, 15084 and 2398 (Markazi), 36546 (Kerman) and 15008 (Khuzestan) than the other ecotypes had higher tolerance to salinity. But 4 ecotypes, 13711 (Mazandaran) and 13 221, 27 003 and 26 992 (Gilan) are salt-sensitive.