genetic study of seed traits in wild and cultivated species of sainfoin

in order to investigate genetic variation of traits related to seed yield, 41 genotypes from 14 wild and cultivated species were evaluated according to a randomized complete block design with three replications in isfahan university of technology research farm. the genotypes were significantly different for all of the studied traits indicating existence of considerable genetic variation in this germplasm. comparison among sainfoin species showed that o. viciifolia had highest number of seed per panicle, fertility and seed yield per plant. the highest seed production was observed for o. viciifolia and the lowest one was belonged to o. chorassanica. cluster analysis classified the genotypes in to three groups which can separate wild and cultivated species. based on principal component analysis, the first and second components explained more than 50 percent of the total variation. the first component was related to seed yield and the second one was related to components of yield. the results showed high genetic diversity in wild species of sainfoin which could be used for genetic improvements.