Evaluation and Comparision of Chlorophyll Content, Carotenoid, Protein and Enzyme in Different Barley Species of Iran

To evaluate and compare the chlorophyll content, carotenoid, protein, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase in different barley species in Iran, 49 genotypes belonging to 5 barley species were employed in a completely randomized design with three replications in greenhouse conditions. A high level of within and between species variation was detected. In all the species, significant positive correlations were obtained for chlorophyll a and b and total chlorophyll contents. Moreover, in both H. marinum and H. bulbosume species, a negatively significant correlation was obtained between peroxidase and protein, while the correlation between peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase being positive in H. bulbosume. With the principal component analysis the first two principal components with eigenvalues more than 1 contributed 78% of the variability amongst genotypes. PC1 exhibited 57% of variation and was positively related to carotenoid, chlorophyll a and b and total chlorophyll contents. While, the second PC contributed 21% of the total variability and the characters with the greatest weight on PC2 being protein, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase contents. The results of this research indicated that the genotypes of each barley species were different for evaluated physiological characters and some of these characters being more prounounced in wild barley species.