JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

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This study was carried out to evaluate the yield potential and other agronomic traits of nine genotypes of flax at two different spring planting dates: April 4 and May 5, 2003 and 2004, using a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Research Farm of Shahrekord University. The results showed that the effects of planting date and genotypes were significant on all of the traits, and the genotypes had a great genetic variation. On average, the range of number of seedlings/m2, maturity, plant height, yield/plant, seed yield and seed oil content of genotypes were 306 to 464, 93.3 to 105.1 days, 28.8 to 58.2cm, 0.274 to 0.569g, 995 to 1423 kg/ha and 32.88 to 34.83%, respectively. The lowest mean of plant height and the highest mean of seed yield/ha were observed for Kordestan local population. Late planting significantly decreased the number of seedlings/m2, days to maturity, plant height, yield/plant and seed yield/ha, while this increased seed oil content. Average of seed yield/plant and seed yield/ha in the first and second planting dates were, respectively 0.506 and 0.414g, and 1598 and 811 kg/ha. Significant interaction of genotype by planting date for seed yield/ha and seed oil content was mostly due to the variation in the reduction of seed yield and increasing or decreasing of seed oil content in some genotypes in the second planting date. The genotypes had a variation of 1358 to 1784 and 632 to 1088 kg/ha for seed yield in the first and second planting dates, respectively. The local population of Kordestan had the highest mean of seed yield in both years. The results of regression analysis and also the correlation coefficients showed that the number of seedlings/m2 and seed yield/plant had the most contribution to the seed yield variation. The trait of number of seeds/capsule and number of capsules/plant were the main and most important yield components affected on seed yield/plant and due to can be used as selection criteria in selection programs to improve seed yield.

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In order to evaluate grain yield potential and study dry matter remobilization to seed, 8 commercial bread wheat cultivars were examined in two separate experiments, using randomized complete block design with 4 replications in 2003. There were significant differences for most traits in normal and drought conditions. Sarday variety had the least grain yield in the two environments. There was considerable variation between genotypes for independent parameters of dry matter remobilization to different plant parts in the two environments. Factor analysis showed that seven factors accounted for 100 % of the data total variance in normal and drought conditions. Factor analysis also showed that the effective traits to components grain yield , height and phenological traits were important for the selection of appropriate genotypes. Calculation of drought resistance indices showed that four indices including mean productivity, geometric mean productivity, harmonic index, stress tolerance index were more effective than other indices for the selection of drought tolerant genotypes.

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The effect of Rathayibacter tritici on the movement of Anguina tritici larva and nematode function as vector of ear rot bacterium was conducted in the laboratory (Agarose plates) and greenhouse conditions. The results showed that the contact of nematode larva with high concentration of bacterium or long duration of nematode-bacteria contact can decrease the movement and the efficiency of nematode function as the vector of the disease, and in some cases it resulted in the mortality of the nematode. No differences were detected in the mobility of larva in the concentrations less than 10² CFU and less than 0.5 hour of nematode-bacteria contact times and their controls (exposed to water alone). Movement of the nematodes appeared to be random under these conditions. It can be concluded that Rathayibacter tritici did not act as an attractant to Anguina tritici larva. These results suggest that the attachment of a large number of bacteria to nematode (as an essential vector of the bacterium) would induce nematode weakness and mortality. So it is possible that ear rot bacterium can parasite ear cockle nematode, or the nematode is a host for this bacterium .

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Ascochyta blight caused by Ascochyta rabiei is one of the major diseases of chickpea (Cicer arientinum) in Iran. Many phytopathogenic microorganisms, incuding A .rabiei, attack their host plant by secreting pectic enzymes including polygalacturonase (PG) which causes modification of cell-wall structure, increasing accessibility of cell-wall components for degradation by other enzymes. Polygalacturonase is the major factor in the initiation of Ascochyta blight disease, therefore in this study, the enzyme was purified from a virulent isolate of A .rabiei (IK06). Fungi were cultured in PZ medium culture media were harvested and after dialysis used for purification. Purification was achieved by Carboxy Methyl Sepharose Fast Flow ion exchange column equilibrated to pH= 5.5. Zero to one molar NaCl gradient was used for elution of the proteins from the column. Determination of protein content and enzyme activity of each fraction showed that PG was eluted from the column in 0.3 to 0.4 M salt. The purity of the protein and the MW of the enzyme were determined using SDS-PAGE technique. The MW was found to be around 27 KDa. The activity of the purified protein was also evaluated using polyacrylamide gel containing pectin as substrate (zymogram gel). Optimum pH for the purified enzyme was 7.5.

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Qualitative indices including moisture content (M), total lipid (TL), peroxide value (PV), free fatty acid (FFA), heme iron (HI), TBA, neutral lipid (NL) and phospholipid (PL) content were investigated on anchovy fish immediately after harvesting and during frozen storage at -18 and -30°C up to 8 months (2, 4, 6, 8). Profile of their fatty acid and any possible changes were also determined. Statistical analysis of the results showed significant increase of PV, FFA, NL and significant decrease of TL, HT, PL, poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and omega-3 at each temperature rate in relation to time of storage. Based on the statistical analysis, storing of the sample at -30°C had higher lipids quality. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that HI can be grouped with important quality indices such as PUFA and omega-3.

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An experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different levels of energy (2700, 2900 and 3100 kcal/kg) and protein (13, 14.5 and 16 %) on laying performance of Fars native hens during the first phase of production. Two hundred and sixteen 25-week-old native pullets were put into fifty four groups of similar live weight (994 ± 169 gr) of four chickens, which were randomly allocated to nine experimental diets. Each treatment was replicated six times in factorial CRD design (3×3). At each level of energy, three diets were formulated to contain three levels of protein (16, 14.5 and 13%). The diets were fed ad libitum for a period of 20 weeks (week 25-45). The treatments 1 with 3100 kcal/kg ME and 16% protein and 3 with3100 kcal/kg ME and 13% protein had less daily feed consumption than treatment 7 with 2700 kcal/kg ME and 16% protein (90.50 and 87.30 vs 101.20 gr respectively, P<0.05). The effect of energy levels on daily feed and energy consumption and feed conversion ratio was significant (P< 0.05). Feed conversion ratio for energy level of 3100 kcal/kg was significantly different from 2700 kcal/kg (2.85 vs 3.08 respectively). The effect of protein levels on uric acid content of excreta and daily protein consumption was significant (P< 0.05) and protein level of 16% was significantly differed from protein level of 13% (11.40 vs 10.50 gr respectively). The results of this experiment showed that it is preferable to use the energy level of 2700 kcal/kg and protein level of 13% during the first phase of production of Fars native hens.

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To study the effects of terbutaline (a beta adrenergic agonist) on performance of broiler chickens, 21 d-old male and female Cobb broiler chicks (n=300) were randomly assigned to one of five dietary treatments containing 0 (control), 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg terbutaline per kg diet. The feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed intake and body weight gain were measuered after 3 weeks. At 42-d age, six males and six females were randomly selected from each treatment and their live weight and weights of carcass, breast, breast muscle, drumsticks, drumstick muscle and abdominal fat were determined. Terbutaline didn’t affect daily weight gain, but FCR of male chicks was reduced for 5 and 10 mg/kg terbutaline treatments comapared with the control group (p<0.05). Carcass weight and weight of drumsticks, drumstick muscle, breast, breast muscle and ratio of breast to live weight of female chicks reciving 5 mg/kg terbutaline were higher than for other treatments (p<0.05). In male chicks, the live weight and weight of carcass, ratio of carcass to live weight, drumsticks and drumstick muscle at 5 mg/kg terbutaline treatment were higher than for other treatments (p<0.05). This experiment also showed that the addition of 5 mg terbotaline per kg diet during growing period improved FCR and ratio of carcass to live weight of male chicks, increased the ratio of breast to live weight of female chicks, and increased the carcass weight of male and female Cobb chicks.

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Genetic variation within and between five Iranian sheep populations including Sanjabi (SAN), Kordi Kordistan (KKO), Kordi Khorasan (KKH), Mehraban (MEH) and Moghani (MOG) was assessed using six microsatellite markers (McMA2, McMA26, MAF64, OarAE64, OarCP26 and OarFCB304). The PCR reactions were successfully perfomed with all primers except OarAE64. All locus-population combinations were at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except McMA2 in MOG population (P<0.005). Polymorphism criteria showed that the five studied loci were polymorphic in all populations. The lowest D_A genetic distance (0.234) was observed between KKH and KKO and the highest (0.388) between SAN and MOG populations. The dendrograms based on D_A distances were drawn using unweighted pair-group method using an arithmetic average (UPGMA) and neighbor-joining (NJ) method. KKO, KKH and SAN were grouped together at one cluster and MEH and MOG at another by both methods. The average expected heterozygosity for each populations (as interpopulation variation) ranged from 0.744 to 0.847 for KKH and MEH, respectively. The estimated time of divergence for two Kordi populations (KKO and KKH) was 445 years that complies with historical evidences. The findings of this research confirmed that microsatellite variation could be a useful tool for screening of investigating biodiversity among domestic animals.

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This paper investigates the effects of wheat production risk and other socio-economic factors on the probability of adopting new seed technologies. Also, the effects of production inputs and production conditions are examined on wheat production yield and risk. Moreover, the relative risk of new seed varieties will be examined under different scenarios. To carry out the study, farm-level data was collected from a sample of 187 wheat farms located in Fars province, and selected by multi stage random sampling method during the years 2001 and 2002. A generalized stochastic production function by a three-stage estimation procedure was used to determine the influential factors on the production yield and risk. The results showed that yield uncertainty could not be sufficiently explained by the level of input use in the cultivation of both wheat varieties. The comparison of two wheat varieties cultivation indicated that in the absence of suitable production conditions, on the average, the cultivation of new wheat varieties ensures greater yield than traditional wheat varieties, but involves greater risk, as measured by yield variance. Accordingly, the farmers’ risk aversion attitude could be a major factor inhibiting speedy diffusion of new wheat varieties, which besides having greater average yield than traditional wheat varieties, it has less production risk. The results indicated that the risk associated with seed has negative effect on the adoption of new seed technologies.

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Stress tests are commonly applied in shrimp hatcheries to estimate the quality of postlarvae to be used during growout. The highest larval survival rate during culture and in shrimp stress tests has been reported when specimens are offered a diet containing high levels of highly unsaturated fatty acids ( HUFA ) . Also vitamin C has positive effect to resistance and survival of larvae . In this study in postlarvae stage 1 in the salinity stress tests (10 and 20 ppt ) the highest survival rate was observed in treatment 3 ( 56.667 % and 90.00 % ) which was enriched with highly unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin C . As for the second, treatment 2 ( 43.333 % and 76.667 % ) which was solely enriched with highly unsaturated fatty acids showed significant differences at a level of ( P < 0.05 ) with treatment 3 . The difference between these two treatments and treatment 1( larvae fed rotifers cultured on Chlorella sp. ) and control ( larvae fed newly hatched Artemia nauplii ) was also significant . No significant difference was observed in formalin stress test ( 100 ppm ) in this stage between treatments 3 ( 86.667 % ) and 2 ( 80.00 % ) which shows the highest survival rate . But difference between them with treatment 1( 60.00 % ) which was unenriched and control ( 53.333 % ) was significant . Also, in postlarvae stage 5 in the salinity stress tests (10and20 ppt) the highest survival rate was observed in treatment 3 ( 56.667 % and 83.333 % ) and later treatment 2 ( 40.00 % and 70.00 % ) which showed significant difference . In this stage , the survival rate the treatment control ( 60.00 % and 86.667 % ) and treatment 3 showed no significant difference but they showed significant differences with treatment 1 and 2 .The lowest survival rate was observed in treatment 1( 26.667 % and 56.667 % ) . And the highest survival rate was observed in formalin stress test ( 100 ppm ) in this stage in treatments control , 3 and 2 ( 76.667 % , 73.333 % and 70.00 % ) among which there were no significant differences . However, the difference between these three treatments with treatment 1 ( 53.333 % ) was significant .

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Cultivation of a second crop in paddy fields of Guilan province is a strategy for optimum use of land, supporting family economy and increasing oil-seed production. However, this is impeded under high rainfall and waterlogging conditions. To enhance second-crop cultivation in paddy fields, surface drainage is inevitable. The surface drainage practices should be performed with minimum costs, least time span and least variations of the land. In the present research, longitudinal surface drains were constructed with a spacing of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 m (depth of 20 cm), with and without 1-m lateral drains (depth of 10 cm) in Rice Research Institute, Rasht, Iran. The experiment was conducted in a complete randomized block design with three replications. Canola (Brassica napa), variety PF, was cultivated as a second crop after rice. The results showed that the effects of drain spacing on seed yield, days to maturity, number of plants per m², and also the effects of lateral drainage on seed yield, plant height, residual N, days to maturity, and number of plants per m² are significant (P<0.01). Highest yield (2493 kg/ha) was obtained from longitudinal drains 4 m apart, with lateral drainage drain spacing of 6 and 2 m had acceptable yields, too (2241 and 1817 kg/ha, respectively). For treatments without lateral drainage, 2-m drain spacing had the highest yield (1324 kg/ha). Considering all the expenses for drainage construction, it was found that net benefit of longitudinal drain spacing of 4 and 6 m was twice the costs. Since the rainfall in Nov., Dec., and Jan., 2000, was higher than the 20-year average rainfall of the same months, it was concluded that the results of this experiment may be recommended in the years with a rainfall less than the year 2000.

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One of the simple methods for erosion control, flood mitigation and flood damage reduction in the streams is building the checkdams. The present study was carried out to evaluate the performance of checkdams, location across the streams in the retention of the fine sediments in Droudzan watershed in Southern Iran. For this purpose, a number of streams with many stabilized check dams which were more than 27 years old were selected. For each stream, three check dams (one at the far beginning (upstream), the second one at the middle and the third one at the far downstream) were selected. In each stream, a number of samples were taken from retained sediment behind the selected check dams and also original soil was taken from both sides of the same check dams. Laboratory analysis on the size of particles and also texture of soil and sediment samples showed that in general, soils taken from both sides of the check dams were finer than sediment behind the same check dams. Comparison of particle sizes showed in all streams except Joobkhaleh (with extensive tree coverage) the performance of the third check dams (far downstream) in fine sediment retention is much better than the second one (at the middle) and the second one is more effective than the first one (upstream). Comparison of sands, silt, and clay percentage of soil and sediment also showed that in all streams except Joobkhaleh the clay and silt percentage behind the third check dam is more than the second check dam and that of the second check dam is more than the third one (upstream). In the same way, results showed that the sand retained behind the first check dam, was more than the sand behind the second and first checkdams, respectively. Therefore, if the retention of the fine sediments is the main purpose of the check dam construction, it is recommended that they be built in the far downstream rather than in the upstream of waterways.

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This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of salinity on concentration of potassium (K), sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) ions, in sweet lime budded on five citrus rootstocks, including Bakraii (mandarin x sweet lime), Volcameriana, Sour orange, Sweet lime and Mexican lime in a glasshouse, using a randomized completely design with factorial arrangement and four replications. Rootstocks had great effect on the concentration of ions in scion. Concentration and distribution of ions were significantly different in control and other treatments. Salinity increased Na and Cl ions in shoots and roots, but the rate of increase varied among rootstocks and treatments. Lowest concentration of Na and Cl ions were in shoot of scion on Volkameriana. Under salinity stress, K concentration increased in shoots of scion on Sour orange and Bakraei and decreased it on other rootstocks. Salinity increased K concentration in roots of all rootstocks except for Mexican lime.

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Estimation of unsaturated soil hydraulic and solute transport properties by Inverse modeling has thus far been limited mostly to analyses of one-dimensional experiments in the laboratory, often assuming steady-state conditions. This is partly because of the high cost and difficulties in accurately measuring and collecting adequate field-scale data sets, and partly because of difficulties in describing spatial and temporal variability in the soil hydraulic properties. In this study we estimated soil hydraulic and solute transport parameters from several two-dimensional furrow irrigation experiments under transient conditions. Three blocked-end furrow irrigation experiments were carried out, each of the same duration but with different amounts of infiltrating water and solutes resulting from water depths of 6, 10, and 14 cm in the furrows. Two more experiments were carried out with the same amounts of applied water and solute, and hence for different durations, on furrows with water depths of 6 and 10 cm. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s) and solute transport parameters in the physical equilibrium convection-dispersion (CDE) and physical nonequilibrium mobile/ immobile (MIM) transport models were inversely estimated using the Levenberg-Marquardt optimization algorithm in combination with the HYDRUS-2D numerical code. Estimated K_s-values ranged from 0.0389 to 0.0996 cm min^-1, with a coefficient of variation of 48%. Estimated immobile water contents (θ_im) were more or less constant at a relatively low average value of 0.025 cm³ cm^-3, whereas the first-order exchange coefficient (ω) varied between 0.10 and 19.52 min^-1. The longitudinal dispersivity (D_L) ranged from 2.6 to 32.8 cm, and the transverse dispersivity (D_T) from 0.03 to 2.20 cm. D_L showed some dependency on water level and irrigation/solute application time in the furrows, but no obvious effect was found on K_s and other transport parameters. Agreement between measured and predicted infiltration rates was satisfactory, whereas soil water contents were somewhat overestimated and solute concentrations underestimated. Differences between predicted solute distributions obtained with the CDE and MIM transport models were relatively small. This finding and the value of optimized parameters indicate that observed data were sufficiently well described using the simpler CDE model, and that immobile water did not play a major role in the transport process.

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For measuring draft force and drawbar power requirements for mounted implements, precise instruments such as three-point hitch dynamometers and tractor speed measurement devices are needed. In this research, a frame-type three-point hitch dynamometer was built and evaluated. Forces applied to dynamometer are measured by three separate load cells located on a frame which can be attached to tractor’s three-point hitch. Each dynamometer’s load cell measures load using a strain gauge bridge circuit. Each load cell was calibrated by applying a known load and measuring bridge circuit’s output voltage. Dynamometer was calibrated by the application of known forces and measuring the output voltage of the strain gauge bridges. The calibration showed a high degree of linearity between the applied forces and the bridge outputs (R² = 0.996). The hysteresis effect between loading and unloading as well as the effect of the position of the applied forces from the longitudinal axis of the dynamometer was small. For measuring actual tractor speed, a fifth wheel equipped with an encoder shaft was designed and built. The calibration on tarmac and soil surfaces showed a highly linear relation between measured forward speed and output of encoder’s rotation (R² =0.994). The errors in speed measurements at low speed in field and at high speed (up to 12.5 km/h) on tarmac surface were approximately 3 and 8%, respectively. The data acquisition system, not only could display the instantaneous force and speed, it could also show force-time and force-distance curves on the system’s monitor.

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To evaluate the effects of heat treatments on sprouting weight, loss and other charactristics of two potato cultivars (Agria and Diamont) in cold (9±1) and ambient (18±1) storage, a series of experiments were conducted in 2004. In this study, after curing, the tubers of both cultivars were treated with warm air, at 25, 35, 45 and 57^oC for 4, 8 and 12 h and with warm water at 22, 54 and 57 for 15 and 30 min. Treated tubers were packed in net bags and were kept in cold and ambinent storage for 2 and 4 months. The results of the study indicated that warm air at 45^oC for 8 and 24 h and warm water at 57^oC for 15 min. in comparison to control reduced the percentage of tuber sprouting significantly, without internal changes in tubers composition.

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This research was conducted at Rsearch Farm of Isfahan University of Technology to evaluate yield stability of 9 Oat (Avena sativa L.) genotypes and Makooi barley, to determine the contribution of each environmental factor to genotype × environment interaction, and to find the most stable yield component in these genotypes. Four Canadian cultivars and 5 Turkish breeding lines were included in this experiment. Three dates of planting (12 Oct. 31 Oct. and 21 Nov.) and three sowing rates (300, 375 and 450 seed m²) were used as 6 environments. In each environment a randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications was used. Grain yield, No. of panicle/m², No. of seed/ panicle, and 1000-grain weight were measured. Result of combined analysis of variance showed highly significant (P < 0.01) difference among genotypes for all the studied traits. Significante differences were observed among environments for all the characteristics except for 1000-grain weight. Grain yield and its components showed highly significant genotype × environment interaction ffects. The ratio of genotype × environment interaction sum of square to total sum of square for grain yield (22.37%) was higher than other traits. Stability analysis based on regression coefficient showed that Boyer cultivar and Line No.28 with nearly b=1 and more than average yields were the most stable genotypes. Pacer cultivar and Makooi Barley had specific adaptations with suitable and unsuitable environments, respcctively. Based on deviation mean square, Boyer cultivar was the most stable one among high yielding genotypes. Tai’s path analysis of genotype × environment interaction showed that V₃ genotypic component (Seed weight) was the most effective component of stability and yield. Boyer with the highest V₃ score was the highest yielding and stable genotype. According to environmtntal component of path analysis, fertilization stage and grain filling period were the most sensitive growth stages to environmental conditions. Therefor, it is not effective to evaluate genotype stability according to V₂ component (seed/panicle). Finally, according to the result of this experiment Boyer with grain yield of 5.8 t/ha and stable response in all environments was selected as a suitable cultivar for breeding programs or introduction for commertial production.

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Generation mean analysis (GMA) was used to study the type of gene action and inheritance of grain yield and its components. Generation mean analysis with joint scaling test was performed. This research was conducted at research farm of college of Agriculture at the University of Tehran. The parents and their progenies ( F1, F2, BC1 & BC2) in three mating groups ( Sardari × 7007, Sardari × 7107& 7107 × 5593) were produced and planted using a randomized complete block design with four replications for each mating group. Of four replications in each experiment, two replications for drought and two replications for non-drought condition were used. The eight traits which were evaluated included grain yield, plant height, plant weight, tiller number, spike length, grains per spikes and 100 grain weight. Most of the genetic parameters including mean (m), additive (d), dominant (h), additive × additive [i], additive × dominant [j], and dominant × dominant[l] effects were significant. However, all gene effects were not significant in all traits.The dominant gene effect was the most contributor factor to inheritance of the majority of traits. For the majority of the traits, additive gene effect was significant, but its magnitude was less than dominant gene effect. Also the dominant × dominant[l] epistasis was more important than additive× additive [i] epistasis. The degree of dominance in most of traits indicated the predominance of dominant gene effects.

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In order to examine the responses of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) to drought stress at different growth stages, four breeded genotypes and a local one of proso millet were selected and planted in a split-plot design with five irrigation treatments and three replications.This experiment was conducted in two locations, Birjand and Sarbisheh. Irrigation treatments included well - watered, drought stress at vegetative stage, ear emergence stage, seed filling stage and vegetative and seed filling stages which were considered as main- plots. The first five mentioned genotypes were considered as sub-plots. Drought stress. caused a great reduction in grain yield and WUE at ear emergence stage. This reduction represented itself in the number of seed per ear and the weight of seeds, but it didn’t have any effects on the number of ear. At ear emergence stage, the drought stress increased the floret death and loss of weight of seeds which resulted in the reduction in the harvest index of both ear per plant and seed per plant. Comparison of genotypes indicated that since K-C-M.4 had a greater number of ears and K-C-M.9 had heavier seeds that had higher grain yield. These two genotypes had the highest WUE and their harvest indices were relatively higher. Due to the salinity of water and infertility of soil in Birjand, the grain yield was lower compared with Sarbisheh. In summary, it can be said that genotype K-C-M.4 proved to be more suitable for both areas.

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Half diallel crosses of eight bread wheat cultivars were used to estimate the genetic parameters and types of genetic control for yield and yield components, and to determine the effects of environmental factors on these parameters. Parents and their F2 hybrids were grown in a randomized block design under irrigated and stressed (terminal drought) conditions. For all traits, except for number of spikelets per spike and number of grain per spike, the effect of environment (irrigated v.s stressed) and genotype by environment interaction were significant. The mean square of GCA for all characters was significant in both environments, except for number of fertile tillers in the irrigated condition and grain yield in the stressed conditions. The mean square of SCA was significant for plant height only in the irrigated condition, while for number of fertile tillers and grain yield it was significant in both conditions. The high significant ratios of GCA to SCA mean square indicated the importance of additive genetic effects on controlling plant height, spike length number of grain per spike in both environments and number of spikelets per spike in the stressed condition. The parameter estimation revealed partial dominance gene actions for plant height, spike length and grain per spike in both environments, and number of spikelets per spike in stressed environment, whereas over-dominance gene actions were observed for the other traits in one or both conditions.