干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The detection and incorporation of genes from wild plant species provides a means for sustaining genetic improvement in plants cultivated in arid environments. This research measured relative levels of drought tolerance in several genotypes of cultivated (Carthamus tinctorius) and wild (Carthamus oxyacanthus) species. These plants were collected from different regions of Iran and evaluated. Their drought tolerance indices were assessed at three moisture levels. Five drought tolerance indices were calculated based on relative grain yield under drought and normal conditions. There were significant differences between the two species (cultivated and wild). The wild plants sustained more moisture stress tolerance than cultivated species. Increasing water stress levels caused significantly more reductions in the seed yield of cultivated genotypes as compared with wild genotypes. Calculated correlation coefficients revealed that geometric mean productivity (GMP), stress tolerance index (STI) and Harmonic mean (HM) indices are superior criteria for selecting high-yield genotypes under stress and non-stress conditions. Biplot analysis, according to principle component analysis (PCA), indicated that wild genotypes had low yields, but their production was stable when the environment changed. High drought tolerance makes wild Carthamus oxyacanthus safflower a suitable source for transferring drought tolerant genes to cultivated species.