Multivariate Statistical Analysis in Iranian and Exotic Tall Fescue Germplasm

This experiment was conducted to investigate the genetic diversity, identify traits explaining yield variation, recognize relationships between traits and classify accessions in a Iranian and forign germplasem of tall fescue. Forty six Iranian and foreign tall fescue accessions were surveyed for Phenological, morphological and agronomical characters in a randomized complete block design with three replications in field for 2 years. Significant differences were observed for all of the characters, indicating broad variation in this germplasm. Iranian accessions had a better performance for most of the traits in both years indicating their high potential for developing commercial varieties in breeding programs. Basis on stepwise regression analysis, crown width justified the majority of hay yield variation, followed by establishment rate, percentage of dry matter, height and number of stem. Hence, these characters could be used for selecting high yielding cultivars. Factor analysis revealed 4 factors which explained more than 80 percent of the total variation and confirmed the results of regression analysis. Using UPGMA method, cluster analysis revealed five groups. Accessions with similar country of origin or same ecological conditions were grouped in same cluster. Regarding the morphological characters the best accessions were identified to be used in the further breeding projects.