گروه بندي رگه هاي ذرت بر پايه صفات مورفولوژيكي

Classification of Maize Inbred Lines Based on Morphological Traits

Information on germplasm diversity and relationships among elite materials is fundamentally important in crop improvement programs and especially will increase the efficiency of procedures used in hybrid breeding programs. In order to assess the possibility of grouping the maize inbred lines in maize breeding program, 52 inbreds were evaluated for 40 morphological traits using randomized complete block design in three replications for two years(2002-3) in experimental field of the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Karaj, Iran. According to the analysis of variance, constancy and broad-sense heritability, 25 traits were selected for grouping the lines. Cluster analysis based on standardized morphological data assigned the lines in four groups. According to step wise discrimnant analysis, among the 25 traits, the most important ones were ear conicalness index, pedancul length out of flag leaf, kernel rows, length and area of flag leaf. The first seven principle components(PC) accounted for 83.5% of total variance. In the first PC, pedancul and ear shape were the most important, while, the second PC, described variations in ear diameter and kernel shape. The cluster analysis distinguished four clusters with seven PC clusters. The grouping of lines using these PCs, was in good agreement with morphological data. Some lines located in different groups, comparing the first groups. Concerning the independence of each PC, this grouping can be considered as a primary grouping for maize inbred lines.