Study of relationship between morphological, agronomic and qualitative traits in sainfoin populations (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop)

This experiment was conducted to investigate the genetic diversity, relationship between morphological, agronomic and qualitative traits and to identify components of forage yield using some multivariate statistical methods in local sainfoin populations. The experiment was conducted as randomized complete block design with four replications in Isfahan University of Technology Research Farm. Results indicated that correlation coefficients of dry yield with fresh yield, dry matter percent, crude fiber, stem percent and number of stem per square meter were significantly positive but with leaf percent, crude protein, seedling emergence date and flowering date was significantly negative. Forage yield had no correlation with plant height but plant height was correlated with number of stem. Factor analysis revealed five factors which justified more than 80 percent of the total variation, and classified as “quality of forage”, “plant size”, “forage yield component” “tillering potential” and “emergence rate”, respectively. On the basis of stepwise regression analysis, stem percent, plant height, number of branches and day to 50 percent seedling emergence justified the majority of hay yield variation. Hence, these characters could be use for selecting high yield cultivars. Finally, on the basis of the current result in this research compared with previous findings, it can be concluded that multivariate statistical methods can be useful to find relationships between quantitative and qualitative characters in sainfoin.