Comparing Relationships among Yield and Its Related Traits in Mycorrhizal and Nonmycorrhizal Inoculated Wheat Cultivars under Different Water Regimes Using Multivariate Statistics
Multivariate statistical techniques were used to compare the relationship between yield and its related traits under noninoculated and inoculated cultivars with mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus intraradices); each one consisted of three wheat cultivars and four water regimes. Results showed that, under inoculation conditions, spike weight per plant and total chlorophyll content of the flag leaf were the most important variables contributing to wheat grain yield variation, while, under noninoculated condition, in addition to two mentioned traits, grain weight per spike and leaf area were also important variables accounting for wheat grain yield variation. Therefore, spike weight per plant and chlorophyll content of flag leaf can be used as selection criteria in breeding programs for both inoculated and noninoculated wheat cultivars under different water regimes, and also grain weight per spike and leaf area can be considered for noninoculated condition. Furthermore, inoculation of wheat cultivars showed higher value in the most measured traits, and the results indicated that inoculation treatment could change the relationship among morphological traits of wheat cultivars under drought stress. Also, it seems that the results of stepwise regression as a selecting method together with principal component and factor analysis are stronger methods to be applied in breeding programs for screening important traits. 1. Introduction Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most widely cultivated and important food crop in the world. Development of high yielding wheat cultivars is the major objective of breeding programs [1]. On the other hand, targeted efforts to breed genotypes for improved mycorrhizal symbiosis result in increased yield in crops under a wide range of environmental conditions and contribute toward sustainability of agricultural ecosystems in which soil-plant-microbe interactions will be better exploited. Screening genotypes via molecular biology and traditional breeding techniques can increase productivity of symbioses and eventually result in increased economic yield of crop plants [2]. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi colonize the roots of most monocotyledons and dicotyledons, including important crops such as rice, maize, and wheat despite their different root architecture and cell patterning. In nature, mineral nutrient acquisition and water uptake by plant roots are often assisted by symbioses with beneficial AM fungi. During this intimate association, the extraradical hyphal mycelium acquires minerals from the soil beyond the zone
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