پژوهشنامه اصلاح گیاهان زراعی
پیاپی 46 (تابستان 1402)

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) as one of the small grain cereals is widely cultivated in Iran and the world. Hence, the achievement of high-yielding and stable varieties is one of the main breeding proposed. The present study aimed to investigate a set of international genotypes of barley in terms of grain yield and some agronomic traits using the best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) model under climatic conditions in Iran.

In this study, a set of genotypes including 24 international barley genotypes provided from ICARDA were investigated for grain yield and some agronomic traits including the number of days to heading, number of days to physiological maturity, grain filling period, plant high, spike length, and thousand grains weight in a randomized block design in the three research stations located at Karaj, Birjand, and Zabol during the 2020-2021 cropping season. After collecting and analyzing the experimental data, the best genotypes were identified based on BLUP model.

The results obtained from experimental data showed that the genotype and genotype-by-environment interaction effects were significant for grain yield and other measured traits (except days to heading and spike length). The highest values of genetic variance and heritability were estimated for spike length, 1000-grains weight, grain yield, and plant height. The results of the based-BLUP (best linear unbiased predictor) statistics revealed that genotypes G3, G6, G10, and G23 had the highest yield performance and stability compared with other genotypes across different environments. Taking into account the role of each measured trait on grain yield stability, genotypes G10, G16, G22, and G24 were identified as the best barley genotypes using the MTSI index. 

In conclusion, it can be stated that the MTSI index has high efficiency in breeding programs to use other traits related to grain yield to select stable and high-yield genotypes.

oilseed rape is one of the most important oilseed plants for supplying required oil and its products. To extent its cultivation area, the introduction of new cultivars with higher genetic diversity is necessary via breeding programs.

To establish of new genetic diversity and evaluation of genetic parameters, the 11 oilseed rape genotypes were crossed in full diallel method; consequently, different traits of parents and their F1 offspring were evaluated in a randomized complete block design replicated thrice.

Analysis of variance revealed that traits including days to flower initiation, physiological maturing, plant height, number of pods per plant, number of grain per pod, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield were significant. The genetic parameters analysis by Griffing's method I model II showed significant GCA, SCA, and REC effects of different traits which represent the evaluated traits were controlled by additive, non-additive, and cytoplasmic gene action effects. Analysis of combining ability represented that among parents, genotype SRL-97-1 had the highest GCA for physiological maturing, number of pod per plant, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield. Also, cross SRL-97-4×SRL-96-20 and SRL-97-15×SRL-97-3had the highest SCA and REC for grain yield, respectively. Besides, the broad sense heritability was higher in traits such as plant height, number of pod per plant and grain yield (H2=0.99); meanwhile, grain yield had a higher narrow sense heritability (h2=0.39).

Consequently, results showed that there was sufficient genetic diversity among evaluated genotypes in which the achieved diversity from the crossing of these genotypes could be applied in cultivar introduction. It is recommended that, genotypes with higher GCA and SCA are suitable for the foundation of a desirable population for selection of promising pure lines with higher yield attributes.

Despite the importance of the eggplant, few breeding studies have been conducted in relation to this plant in Iran. Therefore, it requires more studies, especially in relation to the study of new lines and native genotypes of the country. The aim of this study was to character association and identification of direct and indirect effects of quantitative traits on yield in 40 eggplant lines at F4 segregating population.

This experiment was performed in the research farm of Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in the 2021 cropping season. In this study, 40 breeding lines in F 4 generation along with their parents were used. Traits studied in this study included plant height (centimeter), number of fruits per plant, fruit length (centimeter), fruit weight (gram), fruit diameter (millimeter) and fruit yield (gram / plant). In order to analyze the data, descriptive statistics, correlation, path analysis and cluster analysis were used.

The results of correlation showed that fruit yield had positive and significant relationship with fruit weight. Results obtained from path analysis indicated that fruit weight and after that fruit number in plant had greatest direct effect on fruit yield in eggplant. The greatest indirect effect of fruit weight is through the diameter of the fruit. These traits could be used as selection index for yield improvement in eggplant breeding programs. According to cluster analysis studied lines were grouped in three different clusters based on studied traits.

Cluster analysis showed the existence of favorable diversity between the studied genotypes and grouped the studied lines in three different groups. Fruit weight and fruit number had greatest direct effect on fruit yield in eggplant. These traits could be used as selection criteria for yield improvement in segregating population of eggplant.

In a Mediterranean-type climate, water stress, which often occurs at the end of the season, is the main factor limiting cereal yield. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity, heritability, and genetic Advance of some indices related to grain yield in barley under rain-fed conditions.

In this study, 108 lines and varieties of barley were evaluated as alpha lattice designs with two replications in nine blocks in each replication and twelve plots in each block under rain-fed and supplemental irrigation (irrigation, immediately after planting and in the stage of grain filling) conditions during 2019-2020 crop season at Maragheh Dryland Agricultural Research Station. The evaluated traits included grain yield, days to heading, days to physiological maturity, grain filling rate, thousand-grain weight, harvest index, spike harvest index, spike fertility index, spike fertility index at maturity, and spike partitioning index.

The analysis of variance showed highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the studied Characters. This implies that there is genetic diversity for all traits. The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was generally higher than the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all characters. The difference between PCV and GCV was large in spike fertility index at maturity, spike fertility index, and grain yield indicating the influence of environmental factors in the expression of these traits. Moderate to high heritability associated with a high genetic advance was observed for thousand-grain weight, grain filling rate, and spike fertility index indicating a predominance of additive gene action for these characters. This shows that selection is effective in improving these traits. Based on the cluster analysis by the ward's method and using the Euclidean distance, the examined genotypes were divided into four main groups under both rain-fed and supplemental irrigation conditions. Under rain-fed conditions, genotypes of the first group regarding traits, grain yield, seed filling speed, thousand seed weight, harvest index, spike fertility index, and spike partitioning index, and under supplemented Irrigation conditions, genotypes of the second group regarding traits, grain yield, seed filling speed, thousand seed weight, harvest index, spike harvest index, spike fertility index, and spike fertility index at maturity was in a better position.

Based on the obtained results, it is expected that the grain yield can be indirectly improved by selection for the traits of thousand-grain weight, grain filling rate, and spike fertility index. According to the cluster analysis results, under conditions rain-fed, the first group's genotypes and supplemented Irrigation conditions, the second group's genotypes can be considered in plant breeding programs or variety introduction.

The yield and quality of sugar in this plant, like other plants, are strongly influenced by environmental factors, and high modifications occur in its quantitative and qualitative performance. Therefore, the present research was designated and implemented to study the effect of genotype-environment interaction on the quantitative and qualitative production potential of sugar beet cultivars and also determine their adaptability to a wide range of environments with different conditions.

Seven cultivars of sugar beet, consisting of four domestic and three foreign cultivars formed the genetic material of the present study. The plant materials under investigation were cultivated in the randomized complete block design with four replications in four regions of Borujerd, Piranshahr, Jovein, and Shirvan in 2021. After harvesting and estimating root yield, sugar content, white sugar yield, and extraction coefficient of sugar for each of the experimental cultivars, analysis of the stability of root yield and white sugar yield were done by using the additive main effect and multiplicative interaction model and simultaneous analysis of the stability of four measured characteristics with a multi-trait stability index.

The additive effects analysis results of AMMI's model showed that genotype, environment, and genotype-environment interaction were significant at the 1% probability level. Analyzing the multiplicative effect of AMMI's model into principal components showed that in both studied traits, only the first two components of the interaction were significant at the 1% probability level. According to the biplot of the mean yield against the weighted average of absolute scores of the principal components, the Dena in terms of root yield and Dena and Sina in terms of white sugar yield was known as stable cultivars with suitable yield. In the biplot of the first and second principal components of the genotype-environment interaction, the Dena in terms of root yield and Dena, Ekbatan, and Sina in terms of white sugar yield was recognized as cultivars with suitable general adaptability. The studied areas were divided into three mega-environments in terms of each root yield and white sugar yield, so Jovein and Shirvan were identified as the first mega-environment, Borujerd as the second mega-environment, and Piranshahr as the third mega-environment. Based on the results of the multi-trait stability index, the Perfekta was the most ideal cultivar at the same time in terms of all four traits of root yield, white sugar yield, sugar content, and extraction coefficient of sugar, and after that, Flores and Sina were the ideal cultivars.

According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that the environmental conditions and their interaction with the genotype play a significant role in influencing the phenotypic expression of traits in different sugar beet genotypes and cause yield fluctuations from one environment to another. Therefore, it is necessary to be more careful when releasing genotypes to introduce genotypes that are adaptable to the conditions of the target environment and produce suitable products.

The main usage of durum wheat is the production of semolina (pasta flour) for pasta products due to its high protein and strong glutamine. The development of the pasta industry, along with the increase in its demand and the favorable weather conditions in many parts of Iran, requires more research, especially in the field of durum wheat breeding with knowledge of the genetic diversity of the studied genotypes.

The plant material used in this experiment included 18 winter durum wheat genotypes that were evaluated in dryland conditions in a randomized complete block design with four replications at Moghan Dryland Agricultural Research Station located in Pars-Abad of Ardabil province. The 32 phenomorphological and agronomic traits were measured in laboratory and field.

The difference between the studied genotypes was significant for most of the traits. Mean comparison of traits for durum wheat genotypes in important traits such as total grain yield, total biomass, yield of fertile tillers, weight of main spike, number of leaves, length of spike and length of peduncle, introduced two genotypes as prior genotypes. Total grain yield had a significant positive correlation with some traits such as main spike weight, number of spikelets, number of grains per spike, number of grains in fertile tillers, yield of fertile tillers and awn weight. Cluster analysis classified 18 durum wheat genotypes to three groups. The first cluster included seven genotypes, the second cluster contained three genotypes, and finally the third cluster included eight genotypes. The third cluster in terms of plant height, spike length, peduncle length, number of leaves, stem diameter, number of fertile tillers, weight of single plant, weight of main spike, number of spikelets, number of grains per spike, number of grains per fertile tiller, fertile tiller yield, awn length, awn weight, straw yield, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, total grain yield, total biomass and total straw yield were higher than average. Therefore, the genotypes of this group can be used to improve grain yield. In principal component analysis, the first three components explained for 68.28% of the total variation. For the first component, single plant weight, spike weight, fertile tiller yield, straw yield, total grain yield and total biomass had high positive coefficients. According to the analysis of the main components, the first component, grain yield component, the second component, maturity-related traits and the third component, leaf-related traits were named. These components can be used in the selection of durum wheat genotypes in breeding programs.

Among durum wheat genotypes in terms of studied traits, considerable diversity was found, and this diversity can be used in breeding programs for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and other breeding purposes.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important cereals which known to have high nutritional value in foods population worldwide. Rice sheath blight is considered as a critical diseases and Rhizoctonia solani (Teleomorph: Thanatephorus cucumeris) is the causal agent of the disease. Induction of resistance by chemical compounds is a very interesting alternative approach in plant disease management. Various biotic and abiotic factors have a role in activation of resistance genes expression in plants. Potassium phosphite is among the chemical compounds which is able to induce of resistance genes in plants and leads to suppression of diseases by directly affecting the pathogens and indirectly by stimulating the host defense responses. In this study, the effects of potassium phosphite application was considered on the expression of some pathogenesis related genes in both Tarom (Resistance) and Khazar (susceptible) cultivars in challenging with R. solani.

The factorial experiment completely randomized design was used in this research. The effect of Potassium phosphite on Tarom (Resistance) and Khazar (Sensitive) rice cultivars in challenging with R. solani was considered. Four weeks old rice treated with potassium phosphite and as well mock plants were infected with the disease causal agent, R. solani. The sampling carried out at 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after infection. After total RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, real-time quantitative PCR was performed to studying the expression pattern of PAL, LOX, PR1, PR3 and PR5 genes using specific primers.

In this research, findings demonstrated that there is a significant increase in the expression of PAL, LOX, PR1, PR3 and PR5 genes in potassium phosphite treated rice when compared to the mock plants. The effects of the treatments in all traits in the expression level of LOX, PR1, PR3 and PR5 genes were significant, but in the expression level of the PAL gene, in the treatment-cultivar and treatment-cultivar-time traits were not significant. Nevertheless, for the other traits it was significant. Between the Tarom (Resistance) and Khazar (Susceptible) cultivars, except for the PR1 gene, there was a significant difference in the rest of mentioned genes. As well, between the treatments, all five genes had a significant mean comparison.

These findings show that potassium phosphite causes a rapid and intense response of the rice plant against R. solani through the induction of different genes and leads to increase in sheat blight disease resistance. Actually in Tarom cultivar, resistance genes were expressed faster and further than Khazar cultivar.

Chickpea is one of the legumes due to its protein percentage and high nutritional value, and it can be cultivated in the fall in rainy conditions. Identification of high-yield genotypes with adaptation to a wide range of environments is one of the major goals in crop breeding programs. Combining features of the best linear unbiased predictions (BLUP) and additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) in multi- environment experiments and multi-trait stability selection (MTSI) to better evaluate plant genotypes and achieve more accurate results It helps to be more precise. Additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) are two methods for analyzing multi-environment trials (MET). This research was done to identify stable and high-yielding chickpea genotypes in autumn planting.

In this study, seventeen advanced chickpea Genotypes were evaluated along with two check varieties (Adel and Azad) based on randomized complete block design with three replications at Sarab Changai agricultural and natural resources research station khoramabad lorestan for four crop years (2013-2017) were evaluated. To quantify the genotypic stability, the best linear unbiased predictions of the genotype by environment interactions (GEI) were estimated, and singular value decomposition (SVD), which is the basis of AMMI analysis, was performed on the resulting matrix.

The heat map plot indicated the variation of seed yield of genotype and sum squares of genotype by environment interaction in total sum of squares were 15.45 % and 31.26 % respectively. The likelihood ratio test (LRT) showed that the effect of GEI was significant on grain yield, 100 grain weight, plant height, grain – filling rate and grain– filling period. Therefore, due to the significant interaction of genotype by environment, BLUP analysis can be performed on this data. The screet test showed that the first four principal components had a significant Contribution in the GEI matrix derived from BLUP, as the first and second principal components explained only 34.31% and 31.38% of the GEI variation respectively. Based on the multi- trait stability index (MTSI), G7 was also selected as the best genotype in terms of grain yield, evaluated traits and stability of each trait.

In general, based on the results of all methods and simultaneous selection based on seed yield stability and all measured traits (MTSI), genotypes No. 7 (FLIP07-201C), and 4 (FLIP06-43C) were stable and superior genotypes, They were compared to the average of the total traits of the genotypes. Genotype No. 4 in terms of seed filling period (32 days), seed yield (2536.9 kg/ha), hundred seed weight (34.3 gr.), plant height (65.3 cm) and Genotype No. 7, with The average seed filling ratio (10.63 mg per seed per day) and seed yield (2250 kg/ha) were more than the average of the total traits of genotypes and controls (Azad and Adel) in this research

Understanding allelopathy in crop plants is necessary and essential in order to improve and increase yield, maintain species diversity, manage plants and protect the environment. Despite the studies conducted on plant allelopathy, the development and introduction of cultivars with high allelopathic ability is limited to a large extent due to the lack of information about its genetics.

To investigate the allelopathic effect of double haploid lines of barley and rye, an experiment was conducted in the form of a simple lattice design with two replications in the research farm of Zanjan University in 2017. A row of rye was planted in the middle of the barley experimental plots. Some physiological traits and plant height were measured in rye and phenol content was also studied in the atmosphere under natural conditions.

The results of the effect of double barley allelopathy lines showed that there was a significant difference in plant height, chlorophyll b content, carotenoid content, carbohydrate content and chlorophyll content index (SPAD) in rye plant. Barley double haploid lines also had significant differences in terms of phenol content.

The results of this research can indicate the potential of double haploid population of barley known as OWB in allelopathy genetic studies.

Drought stress is known as one of the main factors limiting agricultural production. Investigation of the effect of drought stress on grain yield and other agronomic and physiological traits can be useful in identifying drought-tolerant cultivars. The aim objective of the present study was to study the effect of terminal drought stress on some of the agronomic and physiological characteristics in a set of promising barley lines.

This study was carried out at the Cereal Research Station located in Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Karaj, Iran during 2020-2021 cropping seasons. The plant material consisted of 17 promising genotypes of barley along with a commercial cultivar (cv. Jolgeh). All genotypes were investigated in two separate experiments based on a randomized complete block design with three replications under two control and drought stress conditions.

The results of combined analysis of variance showed a significant difference between control and drought stress conditions in terms of all measured traits except spike length and the number of seeds per spike. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed among the tested genotypes in terms of all measured traits except initial chlorophyll fluorescence, maximum quantum yield of PSII, and maximum primary yield of photochemistry of PSII. However, the interaction effect between drought stress conditions and genotype was only significant for the number of days to physiological maturity, grain filling period, main spike length, and chlorophyll content.The results of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first five components accounted for 84.80% of the total phenotypic variation, under drought stress condition. Considering the angle among trait-vectors indicated that some of traits such as number of days to anthesis and to physiological maturity, awn length, plant height, leaf area index, chlorophyll content, and number of seeds per spike positively correlated with grain yield in the drought stress condition. In general, our results showed that genotypes G2, G3, G6, G7, G12, and G18 were identified as the best genotypes compared with other tested genotypes.

According to results, genotype G7 due to its highest grain yield and ideal agronomic and physiological features can be candidates for further complementary investigations in multi-environmental trials with the aims of realization of a new commercial cultivar.

Salinity stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses that have harmful effects on plant performance and quality. So that according to the predictions made until 2050, 50% of agricultural lands will lose their ability to be cultivated due to salinity. Due to the complexity of salinity resistance traits, there is little information about the number of genes, their chromosomal location, and the relative contribution of each gene in the incidence and phenotypic distribution. Locating quantitative genes can break down this complex genetic model into individual genetic components, in which case quantitative traits will also be investigated like monogenic traits.

In order to identify QTLs controlling some root and shoot traits under salinity stress in bread wheat, 148 recombinant inbred lines of spring bread wheat obtained from the cross of Yecora Rojo cultivar (early and dwarf as a parent of American origin) and genotype No.49 (late and tall as a parent originating from Sistan and Baluchestan) were studied with the parents. This research was carried out in 2020 in the research greenhouse of Mohaghegh Ardabili University under salinity and non-stress conditions in pitmas and perlite culture medium and factorial based on a completely randomized design with five replications. Traits measured in this experiment included root length, root fresh weight, root dry weight, fresh and dry weight of shoots. In this study, linkage map was used based on 202 markers (177 SSR markers and 51 Retro transposon Markers). The map length was about 691.36 cM with the average distance of 3.42 cM in every marker pair, and 21 chromosomes covered in bread wheat. QTL analysis was done based on composite interval mapping (CIM) method, and additive effects were estimated for the identified QTLs.

The results of QTL analysis showed that in stress-free conditions, one QTL for root dry weight and shoot dry weight, two QTL shoot fresh weight and three QTL for root wet weight and root length were identified. Under salinity stress conditions, one QTL was identified for root dry weight and root length, two QTLs for shoot dry weight and three QTLs for shoot fresh weight. Among the QTLs identified, QRFW6A.n had the highest additive effect under normal conditions and QSFW2A.s under salinity stress conditions. For shoot dry weight and root fresh weight under normal conditions and shoot fresh weight under salinity stress, the positive additive effect of the located QTL s showed the inheritance of the desired allele at this site from Yecora Rojo's parent. The phenotypic variance justified by these QTLs varied from 5.43 to 8.97 under normal conditions and from 5.51 to 7.43 percent under salinity stress.

In this study, the number of QTLs identified for root and shoot-related characteristics was low, which could be due to the high number of low-impact QTLs, interactions, and environmental effects.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important oil crops whose yield can be affected by drought stres

In order to investigate the drought stress tolerance as well as yield and yield components of 45 soybean genotypes in greenhouse conditions, an experiment was conducted as a factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications at Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources during 2019. The experimental treatments included different soybean genotypes and three levels of irrigation regimes include normal condition, moderate and severe drought stresses with 15, 40 and 75% soil moisture depletion, respectively.

The results of variance analysis indicated that the interaction between genotype and stress were significant for all the studied traits and also means comparisons of the traits shows that the negative effects on yield and yield components are more evident with increasing stress intensity. The highest seed yield in normal irrigation and moderate drought was related to Columbus genotype, whereas higher yield under severe drought stress was obtained for the OhioFG2 genotype, which is due to an increase in number of pods, number of seeds per pod and seed weight. Correlation between agronomic traits indicates that in all three stress levels, seed yield has a positive and highly significant (p<0.01) correlation with number of pods per plant and number of seeds per plant. Based on the results of regression analysis, in each of stress levels, seeds number per plant and seed weight were entered into regression model, and in normal condition, moderate and severe drought stresses justified 97, 84 and 97% of the changes related to the seed yield, respectively. The means comparisons of the tolerance indices in normal condition-moderate drought stress showed that the highest indices for mean productivity (MP), harmonic mean (HM), stress tolerance index (STI) and geometric mean productivity (GMP) were related to genotypes Columbus and Hill, while genotypes Emperor and Bonus had greatest value for the indices in normal condition-severe drought stress, which indicates the existence of resistance potential for these genotypes. Based on the results of cluster analysis of the tolerance indices in normal condition-moderate drought stress and normal condition-severe drought stress, genotypes are placed in three separate groups. Accordingly, genotypes placed in the first, second and third groups were identified as tolerant, semi-tolerant and sensitive genotypes, respectively. The result of principal components analysis showed that two components justified 93.34% in normal condition-moderate drought stress and 96.54% in normal condition-severe drought stress of total variations. Also, first component of geometric mean productivity (GMP) and the second component of stress susceptibility index (SSI) had highest values in both conditions. By using biplot analysis based on the first and second components, Columbus, Hill and Williams genotypes were placed in high yielding and stress tolerant area.

The cultivars of Columbus, Hill, Williams, Bonus, Emperor and Ohio FG2 have tolerance potential compared with other genotypes and are suggested as tolerant genotypes to drought stress.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can improve salinity tolerance and plant productivity in saline-alkaline soils using different strategies including nutrient uptake, osmotic regulation, soil shaping, etc. Therefore, the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi has been considered to reduce the effects of salinity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus on the physiological, biochemical and caffeic acid levels of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) under salt stress.

The experiment was conducted as a factorial in the form of a completely randomized design in three replications. The experimental treatments included the first factor of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (inoculation and non-inoculation) and the second factor of salinity treatment at four levels (0, 50, 100 and 150 mM). The characteristics of photosynthetic pigments, ion leakage, proline, soluble carbohydrates, flavonoid, anthocyanin, protein, ascorbate peroxidase, the amount of sodium and potassium ions and changes in caffeic acid content of lemon grass were investigated.

Plant inoculation with arbuscular fungus at salinity levels (150 mM) reduced ion leakage by 34.14% compared to the control. Plant inoculation with arbuscular fungus improved chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids by 118.51, 82.35, 50.70 and 98.64 percent, respectively, compared to its absence at salinity levels (150 mM). The results show that lemongrass plants against salt stress (150 mM) maintain the state of proline, carbohydrate, flavonoid, anthocyanin, protein and ascorbate peroxidase enzyme activity in inoculation with arbuscular fungus at the rate of 20.48, 94.94, 27%, respectively. It increases by 27, 30 and 17.39% compared to the control (without inoculation). Also, the results showed that under the salinity stress of 150 mM and the presence of arbuscular fungus, the amount of potassium increased by 15.39% compared to the control; While the amount of sodium in the presence of this mushroom decreased by 8.46% compared to the control. Investigations showed that the percentage of caffeic acid in lemon grass inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhiza increased by 0.686% compared to control plants.

This study suggests the potential use of mycorrhizal technology as a practical biotechnological approach to increase the growth and increase production of bioactive compounds of Cymbopogon citratus in salt-affected soils.

Rapeseed is the third source of edible oil production, however, its yield is strongly affected by drought. As an approach to mitigate the effects of stress, growth promoting bacteria (PGPBs) have been considered, which have the ability to increase tolerance to abiotic stresses, to provide nutrients, and to synthesize growth regulators. Giving the positive impact of PGPBs in improving plant growth during drought, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of Enterobacter sp. S16-3, a growth-promoting bacterium, on rapeseed traits under drought stress.

The effect of the growth-stimulating bacteria Enterobacter sp. S16-3 on the morpho-physiological traits of rapeseed cultivar Okapi (tolerant to drought) under drought stress was investigated as a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design in 3 replications in greenhouse conditions. The treatment combinations included irrigation treatment (normal irrigation and water shortage stress-60% of field capacity) and bacteria treatment (Enterobacter sp. S16-3 and control). Drought treatment was started four weeks after germination and applied for two weeks, and then morphological, physiological and biochemical traits were measured.

Drought stress causes of decrease in root length (35%), stem weight (27%), relative water content (32%), protein content (28%), SOD enzyme activity (69%), CAT enzyme activity (51%), chlorophyll (28%) and carotenoid (25%), as well as an increase in electrolyte leakage (42%) and proline concentration (30%). Bacterial treatment, in turn, significantly improved the morphological, physiological and biochemical traits of rapeseed when compared to drought stress. It led to an increase of 24% in root length, 25% in stem weight, 28% in relative water content, 21% in protein content, 22% in SOD enzyme activity, 29% in CAT enzyme activity, 26% chlorophyll, and 23% carotenoids as well as a decrease of 23% in electrolyte leakage and 18% in proline concentration.

Although drought stress had significant negative effects on morphological, biochemical, and physiological traits of rapeseed; however, the bacterial treatment was able to significantly reduce these negative effects. Therefore, it seems that the bacterial treatment of Enterobacter sp. S16-3 is an efficient approach in mitigating the impact of drought through the positive adjustment of rapeseed morpho-physiological traits.

The medicinal plant Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) due to its medicinal and industrial functions is one of valuable pastureland plant in Iran and the world.

In this study the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform used to identify the microsatellites markers by transcriptome sequencing of the leaf and inflorescence of Yarrow.

According to the de novo sequencing results of the medicinal plant Yarrow cultivated in the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, 9450 single transcript sequences (6920 single gene sequences) containing 10,570 potential microsatellites were identified. The most common types of microsatellites were dinucleotides (62%), followed by trinucleotides (2748, 26%), and mononucleotides (7%), respectively. In total, 69% of the microsatellites were classified as second class (10 to 20 nucleotides), and 31% were first class (more than 20 nucleotides). The frequency of microsatellites in the transcriptome of inflorescence was one per10 kb assembled sequences. According to unigenes annotation results, totally 1,762 (22.3%), 4723 (53.3%), 3714 (47.5%), 4517 (51.3%) and 5189 (60.7%) unigenes annotated from all databases of KAAS, Arabidopsis, UniProt, NCBI database Non-redundant proteins and sunflower respectively. Among 8542 clustered unigenes containing microsatellite, 38440 unigene sequences (45%) were classified as functional and categorized as 52 clusters.

Among all the categorized monomers, 3220 (65%) belonged to the "metabolic process" category, of which 90 (3%) belonged to the "secondary metabolic process" category. The introduction of these markers can be used for future studies of selection using markers, genetic diversity, and genetic maps in this medicinal plant breeding programs.

Durum wheat is considered as the 10th most important crop in the world. Drought stress is among the principal constraints to global wheat production. Improvement of new varieties having good adaptation to stressful conditions is an important goal of wheat breeding programs. In this regard, the exploitation of genetic diversity retained in landraces and wild relativesis is very important. The aim of this research was to evaluate durum wheat landraces collected from different contries for drought tolerance.

In this study 196 durum wheat landraces belong to 18 countries were evaluated for drought tolerance using several yield-based drought indices. The trials were conducted in the experimental field of dryland agricultural research institute (Sararood branch) based on alpha lattice design with two replications under rainfed and supplemental irrigation conditions during 2020-2021 cropping season.

Analysis of variance revealed significant environment, genotype, and genotype × environment interaction effects for grain yield. Based on genotype-by-index (GI) biplot analysis the drought selection indices were classified into four groups. The first group included drought response index (DRI), yield stability index (YSI), yield index (YI) and yield under rainfed condition. The second group composed of stress tolerance index (STI) and geometric mean productivity (GMP) which were able to select genotypes producing higher yield in both conditions. The third group included mean productivity (MP) and yield under irrigated condition. Fourth group composed of stress susceptible index (SSI), tolerance index (TOL), Schneider’s Stress Severity Index (SSSI) and yield reduction percentage (RI) which were able to separate genotypes having higher yield in non-stress and low yield in stress condition. Cluster analysis identified three distinct groups having different yield performance and drought tolerance.

Generally, based on the results of this research, selection for higher values of DRI, STI and GMP and lower values of SSI, TOL and RI at the same time can be considered as a appropriate strategy for identification of drought tolerant landraces. The members of first group which mostly composed from landraces belong to Iran, Japan, Turkey and Afghanistan could be considered as high-yielding drought tolerant.

[1]- Controlled deterioration test Medicinal plants are a source of many organic substances, including secondary metabolites, which are used as raw materials for pharmaceutical and industrial compounds. Knowing medicinal plants and using their compounds instead of making chemical compounds has always been of interest to researchers. Elderberry (Sambucus ebulus L.) is a valuable native medicinal plant that grows in the north of Iran.

In this research, in order to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate some of the biochemical traits of Sambucus ebulus plant, the three organs of the leaf, stem and fruit of this plant from the three regions of Sari, Babol and Amol at three altitudes of 0-100, 500-600 and 900-1000 meters from the sea level were collected and extracted with three replications in a completely random design, and traits such as chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin and proline were analyzed quantitatively. Also, anthocyanin and proline traits were also qualitatively investigated.

The qualitative test results showed the presence of anthocyanin and proline in all three organs. The results of analysis of variance showed that the height above sea level and the body had a significant effect on chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin and proline. The effect of region was also significant on all investigated traits except chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll. The comparison of the averages showed that carotenoid and anthocyanin increased in all three organs of the leaf, stem and fruit of the mackerel plant with increasing altitude. Also, the amounts of chlorophyll and proline decreased with increasing height in leaf organs, but these compounds increased in stem and fruit organs. The amount of anthocyanin and proline in the fruit of Sambucus ebulus plant was the highest, but the number of photosynthetic pigments was higher in the leaf organ than in the fruit and then in the stem. The highest amount of chlorophyll a and b (21.45 and 11.55 mg/g fresh weight) related to leaf organ was observed in Sari region at an altitude of 0-100 meters above sea level. The results of correlation coefficients showed that there was a positive and significant correlation between photosynthetic pigments and the highest correlation coefficient was observed between chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll (r = 0.962).

The results of the present experiment show that environmental factors such as altitude and geographic characteristics have a significant effect on the number of metabolites. In general, according to the results obtained from this research, the best habitat in terms of the highest number of photosynthetic pigments was Sari region among the studied regions.

In semi-arid areas such as a large part of Iran, due to rainfall unfavorable distribution and temperature sudden increase in time of grain filling, soil moisture decrease is considered as one of the most important factors in the reduction of wheat growth and development, Therefore, by evaluating the effects of drought stress on the studied cultivars, it is possible to identify the most favorable cultivars and use them for future breeding purposes. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify drought tolerant cultivars and their characteristics with the help of drought tolerant indices that cause higher yield in dry climatic conditions.

The present experiment was designed and implemented in the educational-research farm of Payame Noor University, Asadabad center, in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications in two conditions of moisture treatment in the crop year 2015-2016. Moisture treatment was carried out in the conditions of drought stress in the form of interruption of irrigation after flowering and in conditions without drought stress. Were used in this research number 14 cultivar of old and new varieties of bread wheat. Drought tolerance indices were used in this research.

The results of mean comparing of this experiment showed that the highest mean yield in the conditions without drought stress and drought stress condition was cultivar No. 10 and 2, respectively. Cultivar No, 10, 2 and 6 had the highest Stress Tolerance Index, Mean Productivity, Geometric Mean Productivity, Harmonic Index, Abiotic-Stress Tolerance Index, Modified Stress Tolerance index in without Drought Stress, Modified Stress Tolerance Index in Drought Stress and Stress Tolerance Score Indices. The results of the correlation analysis between the indices and the mean yield in the non-drought stress conditions and drought stress condition showed that the most suitable indices for screening cultivars in two environmental conditions were STI, ATI, K1STI, K2STI, STS, MP, HAM and GMP.Also, Principal Components Analysis showed that 69.3% of the changes of the examined variables in the of non-drought stress conditions and drought stress conditions can be explained by the first component and 99.4% of the said changes can be explained by the first and second components.

In this study, STI, ATI, K1STI, K2STI, STS, MP, HAM and GMP indexes were found to be favorable. Therefore, these indices were able to identify drought tolerant cultivars with optimal performance in both environmental conditions under investigation (non-drought stress conditions and drought stress conditions). The cultivars that were able to be selected in both environmental conditions by the mentioned indices included cultivars No. 10, 2 and 6, respectively.

Medicinal plant periwinkle with the scientific name Catharanthus roseus is an important source of anticancer and antihypertensive alkaloids. Due to the high price of these metabolites and their small content in periwinkle plant, tissue culture techniques have been suggested to increase their production. Therefore, this study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the effect of titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2) on the expression of key genes of the biosynthetic pathway of important medicinal constituents in periwinkle.

Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium was used as the basic medium along with 2,4-D (1 mg/L) and BAP (0.5 mg/L) plant growth regulators for leaf cultivation, callus induction, and cell suspension production. Periwinkle suspension culture was treated with concentrations of 0, 50, and 100 mg/l TiO2 nanoparticles at the peak of cell growth. Then, the expression of STR, SGD, DAT, and PRX genes was measured 24, 48, and 72 h after the treatment by Real-Time PCR. Tetrazolium test was also used to measure cell viability.

Although there was no significant difference between the percentage of cell viability after 50 and 100 mg/L NP-TiO2 treatment; however, the passage of time (from 24/48 h to 72 h) caused a decrease in cell viability. The application of a higher concentration of nanoparticles increased the expression of the key genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of indole alkaloids. This increase continued up to 48 h after treatment, but then reduced. The highest expressions of STR, SGD, DAT, and PRX genes were obtained by 290, 186, 193, and 287% increase, respectively, in 48 h after the treatment of 100 mg/l TiO2 nanoparticles (as the most effective treatment with the highest percentage of cell viability).

in the face of TiO2 nanoparticles, as an elicitor and stress-causing agent, the expression of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of indole alkaloids is induced to achieve defense against the stressful agent and then the expression of the genes decreases after the passage of time and reduction of stressful symptoms. In general, the concentration of 100 mg/l TiO2 and the extraction of metabolites in 48 h after the treatment can be introduced as a promising stimulus to increase the content of indole alkaloids. According to the results, it is suggested that the exact mechanism involved in this metabolite increase be further investigated.

Coriandrum sativum L. is a medicinal, aromatic, annual plant of the Apiaceae family. The seeds and vegetative body of this plant contain essential oil that is used in cosmetics, health, chocolate and soft drinks. It has shown antispasmodic, antidiarrheal, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. The basic requirement for plant breeding programs is a diverse germplasm that provides necessary facilities for breeding species with desirable features. Therefore, accurate identification of genotypes is considered as a prerequisite in this manner. The morphological and phytochemical characteristics are the important traits that have been used for diversity research.

In order to evaluate genetic diversity of coriander based on morphological, antioxidant and physiological traits, 12 coriander accessions were collected from different parts of the country. This experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in research farm of University of Mohaghegh Ardabili in April 2020. The morphological and antioxidant traits were studied also the seeds of accession were dried in the shade. The 50 g of dried seeds of different accessions were exposed to hydro-distillation to extract the essential oil by Clevenger apparatus for 3 hours. The essential oils were kept in the dark condition at 4 ◦C, and then 1 µl of them were injected into a Thermoquest- Finnigan GC-MS to determine the type of the constituents. The compositions were identified based on the comparison of mass spectra and NIST and Wiley libraries.

The Results of morphological, antioxidant and physiological studies showed that the mashhad accession had the highest leaf area (2.8 cm2), fresh and dry weight of aerial part of plants (4.52 and 0.56 g respectively) and leaf fresh weight. The meshkinshahr and mianeh had the highest antioxidant activity.The Results of physiological studies showed that the essential oil compounds were high variable and mashhad accessions were best in Butanoic acid (2.56 %), Limonene (0.44 %), Linaloloxide (1.7 %),Thymol (0.08 %),Geraniol (0.38 %),alpha.-Methyl-.alpha (0.54 %), Eicosane (0.16 %) and Isophytol (0.2 %).Correlation coefficients among traits showed that Isophytol had highest correlation with Geraniol (0.98) and minimum correlation was observed between Camphor and Butanoic acid (0.001). Factor analysis indicated that the five factors explained 100 of the variability among the accessions. Cluster analysis based on Euclidean distance, divided the accessions into three major groups. The results suggested that there is a considerable genetic variation among coriander accessions.

Main purpose of this study was determination of morphological, antioxidant and physiological diversity among coriander accessions in Iran. Significant differences were found among the accessions in all of compounds that were measured.