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Aims: Drought limits plant growth and productivity throughout the world. Narrow-leaved plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) is widely used to treat some human diseases and reduce antibiotic nutrition. This study aimed to examine the response of four local ecotypes of P. lanceolata to different drought stress levels in a field experiment.
Materials & Methods: A split-plot design was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the farm of Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Karaj, Iran, 2018. The main factor was drought stress at three levels (D1= normal irrigation, D2= drought stress after the flowering stage with supplemental irrigation at the filling stage, and D3= stop irrigation after flowering. The second factor contained four ecotypes: G1-Arak, G2-Khoramabad, G3-Meshkinshahr1, and G4-Meshkinshar2. Data were collected and statistically analyzed for grain yield and yield components.
Findings: Results showed a significant effect of drought stress and ecotype on all traits except root lengths (p<0.05). The ecotype × drought stress interaction effects were significant for spike number per plant, leaf number per plant, leaf width, and plant height (p<0.05). The mean values of grain yield in D1, D2, and D3 were 729.41, 660.81, and 595.95 kg.h^-1, respectively.
Conclusion: The highest grain yield of 670.92 kg.h^-1 was obtained from G1-Arak. This ecotype produced higher grain yields under mild and severe stress than the other ecotypes and was recommended for breeding improved varieties.
 

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Comparative assessment of genetic diversity of 122 durum wheat genotypes (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) was performed using 73 SSAP polymorphic fragments, 123 AFLP polymorphic loci and 104 SSR alleles. SSAP and AFLP data showed a clear demarcation between the cultivars and landraces and SSR data classified cultivars and landraces according to their origin. Furthermore, the estimated genetic diversity of Iranian landraces was higher compared to the foreign entries and a loss of genetic diversity was observed from landraces to cultivars. This study determined that differences in genetic relationships revealed by SSAP, AFLP and SSR distances could not be attributed solely to differences in the level of polymorphism detected by each marker system. The molecular evidence of genetic diversity decrease of the durum wheat gene pool further strengthens the strategic relevance of undertaking appropriate genetic conservation measures for food security.

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Achillea tenuifolia Lam. belongs to the Asteraceae family that is one of the most popular aromatic plants in Iran with great variation in both morphology and essential oil components. The aim of this study was determination of essential oil content and composition of A. tenuifolia populations in field condition. Seeds of 17 populations of A. tenuifolia collected from their natural habitats were cultivated under the same environmental conditions in the research farm of Alborz Research Station, Karaj, Iran. The aerial parts of the plants were collected at full flowering stage and dried in shade (room temperature) and their essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation. The oils were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Based on the results, the oil yield varied from 0.16 to 1.59% (w/w dried weight). Populations from Divandareh with 1.59% and Khoy2 with 0.16% had the highest and lowest oil yield, respectively. According to the cluster analysis, the populations were placed in two clusters. Germacrene D was the main compound in all oils, but the essential oils of populations in cluster 1 contained higher amount of germacrene D (up to 64.5% in Semnan population). α-Humulene (up to 15%) and 1,8-cineole (up to 11.7%) were the other major components in the oil of cluster 1 populations. The lower amounts of these three compounds (in addition to E-β-farnesene and piperitone) and higher amount of more volatile compounds like p-cymene, β-phellandrene, camphor, and α-thujone and presence or absence of other minor compounds placed the other populations in cluster 2. Each cluster divided in two groups because of different percentages of some component such as cubenol, viridiflorol, methyl hexadecanoate and phytol. Therefore, based on the demand for processing, the proper population can be chosen for vast cultivation.