Mohammad Reza Mirzaei - Sugar Beet Seed Institute (SBSI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
Abazar Rajabi - Sugar Beet Seed Institute (SBSI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran

In this study, quantitative traits of sugar beet seed pericarp color were used to classify and evaluate theseed quality. These traits were compared on 10 single cross hybrids along with the male parentobtained from three locations, Ardebil, Firouzkooh and Karaj, Iran. The quantitative traits included 9color traits from which L* (Lightness/Luminance), a* (Red/Green color), b* (Blue/Yellow) weremeasured and RGB (Red- Green- Blue) and HSV (Hue- Saturation-Value) were calculated. Resultsshowed significant differences among the single crosses for seed pericarp color. On the basis of clusteranalysis, the single crosses were classified into four clusters. Cluster C2 had the least L*, b*, quantityof red color (R), quantity of green color (G) and quantity of color value (V). There were significantcorrelations among the quantitative color traits and some germination, seedling and biophysical traitsof seed. The cluster C2 which included the SC (231*SB37), SC (231*SB17) and SC (231*SB16)single crosses, contained high quality seeds. It was found that the sugar beet seed pericarp color traitswere related to female parent not to male parent. Also, sugar beet seed pericarp color had significantcorrelations with some biophysical and germination traits. Instead of qualitative intuitive traits,quantitative continuous traits provide more useful information with lower cost and higher speed indescribing the characteristics of cultivars. Analysis of quantitative traits of sugar beet seed pericarpcolor can be used to determine the time of maturity, to group the cultivars and to rank the seed quality.

seed pericarp color, cultivars grouping, sugar beet seed descriptors