Variation of yield and morphological traits in several Iranian populations of Agropyron pectiniforme

Agropyron pectiniforme having moderate to high yield and quality traits is cultivated for pasture regeneration and forage production in rangelands of Iran. In order to study genetic variability in Agropyron pectiniforme based on morphological traits, 16 populations were examined in the field trial using a complete block design with three replications during 20042005 in Karaj, Iran. Data were collected on heading date, plant height, tiller number, spike length, forage yield, seed yield and thousand grain weights. Results showed significant differences between the populations for all of the recorded traits (P≤0.01). Populations Zangan487, Tabriz-707 and Gorgan-7565 with averaged values of 96 to 119 g/plant and 25 to 33 g/plant had higher forage and seed production, respectively. Among them, Zangan-487 had early maturity date and Tabriz-707 had higher seed thousand grain weights. Phenotypic correlation between forage and seed yield was positively significant (P