Study of some growth traits of common reed (Phragmites australis) in Iran

Most of the research on Phragmites australis is restricted to sites on the European continent even though P. australis occurs abundantly in many regions in the Asian and other continents under different climatic and habitat conditions. The populations used in this study were collected from different parts of Iran. All these populations were grown in the same conditions in experimental field, located in Agricultural Science Department Research Station (University of Tehran). The rhizomes of 39 populations of common reed were planted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. At the end of season, some growth traits were measured. The comparison of the traits revealed differences in shoot length, shoot diameter, shoot internodes, leaf area, panicle length, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, panicle dry weight, percent of flowering shoots, start panicle formation (days after planting) and senecence time (days after planting) among common reed populations in Iran. A dendrogram was prepared on the basis of studied traits using the UPGMA algorithm and separated the 39 populations into four groups which were mainly in accordance with geographical origins.