JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

In order to investigate the genetic diversity of morphological traits in 121 genotypes of lima, red and pinto beans, and to study the relation between characters, and to get better understanding of factors affecting the interaction between characters by multivariate analysis, an experiment was conducted in 1997 as a simple lattice design at the Research Station of Agricultural College, Isfahan University of Technology.

High variability was observed among genotypes for all characters studied. The phenotypic coefficients of variability were greater than the genotypic ones for all the traits. Among the characters studied seed yield, number of pods per lateral branches and main stem, length of lateral branches and main stem, number of nodes per lateral branches and main stem, 100-seed weight and number of lateral branches had the highest genotypic and phenotypic variability, while days to maturity had the lowest variability. Traits relative to lateral branches were more variable than the same traits in the main stem. Factor analysis for all the genotypes and, separately, for lima, red, pinto, determinate and indeterminate genotypes revealed 4 factors which justified more than 78.4 percent of the total variation. The results of the analysis based on all the genotypes showed that the first factor was mostly correlated to days to maturity, length of main stem and lateral branches, number of nodes per main stem and lateral branches, which was named “vegetative factor”. The second and third factors had the highest correlations with number of pods per main stem and lateral branches, number of seeds per pod in the main stem and branches and 100-seed weight, which were named “yield component factors”. The fourth factor showed the highest correlation with number of lateral branches and was named for this trait. The first and fourth factors were related to vegetative growth characteristics and physiological source. The second and third factors were related to physiological sink. On the basis of stepwise regression analysis, number of pods per lateral branches was the most important component of yield, and number of pods per lateral branches and main stem had the next following ranks. Number of pods per lateral branches and main stem had the highest relationships with yield.

A number of halophytic species as Salicornia europea, Halocnemum strobilaceum, Aeluropus lagopoides, and Aeluropus littoralis were found to occupy a significant portion of the total vegetation of the surrounding area at the Zayande-Roud inlet to Gavkhoony wetland. However, their ecological demands and bioenvironmental factors by which vegetation community composition has been affected is not undestood. A compehensive knowledge of the establishment is essential for future improvements in using the above species on salanized regions. In this paper, using the ordination method. The establishment pattern of  these four species in a range of varied habitats is evaluated based on the recongition of the relative  significance of habitat soil chemical properties and vegetion crown cover to the establishment of the four species. For this purpose, 48 plants meansurements were taken along a transect, having more species variation in term of vegetation cover percentage. Furthermore, 48 soil samples were taken from the plot along the same transect in a one-year period in 1999. The soil samples were analysed for PH, EC, available Na, K, Ca and Mg as well as clay, and silt contents. The ground and field vegetation data were analysed using the Principlas Components Analysis (PCA), and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to produce summary vectors (PCA axes) of both the soil chemistry and habitat vegetation structure datasets. The summary of ordination method quantified the degree to which soil variables and species cover were related to variability in ground vegetation composition. variation in community composition (type and percentage) was significantly related to gradient of the aforementioned soil factors. Generally, the vegatation community composition in this experiment could be considered as a key component to expand the growth and development patterns of these species to similar salinised regions.