Morphological Evaluation of Asparagus Azerbaijanensis Wild Accessions and Drought Tolerance Assessment of Iranian Asparagus Under Greenhouse Condition

Abstract

Some of the most cultivated commercial cultivars of asparagus are susceptible to abiotic stresses. Different species of asparagus plant are distributed in different regions of Iran which could be useful genetic resources for applying in asparagus breeding programs. The purposes of the current study were to evaluate morphological variation of A. azerbaijanensis accessions and drought tolerance assessment of Iranian asparagus in order to introduce superior accessions. Two different accessions of A. azerbaijanensis species were collected. A number of 30 plants were selected and 22 morphological traits were then evaluated. A factorial experiment based on completely randomized design was performed in order to drought tolerance assessment of 9 Iranian asparagus accessions. The average of spear length and diameter in Ahar and Makou plants were 48.94 cm and 4.70 mm, respectively. Based on results, plants of Ahar accession produced short and thick spears but on the other hand, Makou accession plants produced longer and thinner spears. Score 8 (80% similarity rate) was averagely chosen by panel members in terms of similarity rate of A. azerbaijanensis accessions spears taste to that of Mary Washington commercial cultivar. The highest percentage of seed germination was recorded in Baladeh and Gazanak accessions (71.66 and 70.83%, respectively). Baladeh accession showed the highest carotenoid content under drought stress conditions (0.43 mg g Fw− 1). Suitable size and delicious taste of spear in A. azerbaijanensis species has made it a suitable candidate for commercial cultivation and also improving spear characteristics by using selection method. Baladeh and Gazanak accessions could be introduced as superior accessions with high drought tolerance rate. High resistance rate of these accessions can be related to their ploidy level and distribution areas characteristics.