Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
- Homayon kheiri 1
- Alireza Rajabi Mazhar 2
- Fatemeh Salimi 3
- Seyedreza Tabaeiaghdaee 4
- Mohamad souri 5
- Javad Hamzei 6
- nasim shabani 3
1 Natural resources research in Hamadan
2 Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center of Hamadan, Iran
3 Division of Natural Resources, Hamedan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center
4 Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands
5 of Natural Resources, Hamedan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center
6 Department of Plant Production, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
Abstract
Background and objectives: The Damask rose, or Rosa damascena Mill, is part of the Rosaceae family and has been used in Iran for many years to produce rose water. It is highly valued for its medicinal properties, often referred to as "fragrant gold." Damask rose essential oil, derived from the flowers, is among the most prized and costly essential oils. Notably, the Damask rose exhibits considerable genetic diversity, influencing traits such as flower yield per plant, number of flowers per plant, flower weight, essential oil quality, color and shape of flower, and resistance to diseases and environmental stressors. Identifying these variations in different genotypes can enhance crop yield and quality. This study compares rose genotypes from various origins to select desirable traits for differing ecological regions, assessing the influence of genetics and environment, the stability of traits, and adaptation to diverse conditions. Ultimately, the goal is to identify superior rose varieties with optimal flower and essential oil yields suitable for the cold semi-arid climate of Hamedan. Flower yield and associated traits were measured to evaluate adaptability across genotypes, which were then clustered and analyzed to highlight significant traits and identify compatible genotypes.
Methodology: In this experiment, 41 genotypes of Rosa damascene Mill collected from different parts of the country were cultivated in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Ekbatan Research Station, located in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Hamadan. To select Damask rose cultivars that are compatible with the ecological conditions of Hamadan and produce higher flower yields, traits such as flower yield per plant, number of flowers per plant, number of petals per flower, percentage of dry matter in flowers, fresh weight of petals in flowers, ratio of fresh weight of petals to total flower weight, duration of flowering, plant vigor, plant height, and canopy diameter were recorded over three growing seasons from 2006 to 2008. Finally, the data were analyzed using PAST, SPSS, and SAS software.
Results: The analysis of variance for the studied traits showed a highly significant difference among genotypes for all traits. Genotype, year, and the interaction of genotype × year were significant on flower yield and number of flowers per plant at the 1% probability level, and on height of shrub and canopy diameter at the 5% probability level. Also, the effect of genotype and year on fresh petal weight, plant height of shrub, and canopy diameter was significant at the 1% probability level. Factor analysis revealed that the first factor, as the main factor, accounted for about 98% of the variations. In this factor, the traits of the number of flowers per plant and flower yield per plant had a positive factor loading, justifying the high diversity of genotypes. Additionally, the results of the principal component analysis confirmed the grouping obtained from cluster analysis, such that in the principal component analysis, the three groups derived from cluster analysis were distinguishable. The genotypes in the second group, including Isfahan 8, Isfahan 6, Tehran, and Yazd 2, were identified as the superior genotypes. Furthermore, a positive and significant correlation was observed between the number of flowers per plant and the fresh weight of petals per flower with flower yield per plant, with the number of flowers per plant having the highest direct effect on flower yield per plant. Therefore, these traits can be used as selection criteria among genotypes to enhance flower yield in damask rose plants.
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