Phenotypic Variation of Indigenous Sesame landraces in Urmia Climate

    Sesame is one of the oldest and most important oilseeds in Iran and the world due to its nutritional value. In the present study, 25 sesame landraces collected from different regions of the country were evaluated in terms of phenological, morphological and physiological traits in Urmia climate. The ANOVA results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the landraces in terms of all traits at 1 % probability level. The results of descriptive statistics also confirmed this. Leaf index, number of branches per plant and number of capsules per plant had the highest phenotypic and genotypic diversity coefficient, while day to flowering and capsuling along with oil percentage had the lowest value for these coefficients. Seed yield as the most important trait had a moderate general heritability. The studied sesame landraces were divided into three groups by cluster analysis. The landraces in the first group were in good condition in terms of yield and yield components traits, and if the goal is to select high-yield genotypes, selection from this group will be more effective. In contrast, the third group, which included only one landrace, showed lower values in terms of yield and yield components and had longer-term phenological stages. In principal component analysis, the first component showed positive correlation with yield and yield components except of two hundred grains weight. The results of the present study can be used in sesame future breeding programs.