Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the most important oilseed crops of the world, particularly tropical areas. Its production issignificantly affected by drought stress. The present study was performed to assess the efficiency of existing criteria for the selectionof tolerant cultivars while evaluating sesame genotypes under drought conditions. Various agro-morphological traits along with somedrought tolerance indices were used to evaluate 15 sesame genotypes under drought conditions. A moderate to high heritability wasestimated for plant height (0.55), no. of capsules (0.72), capsule diameter (0.60), no. of seeds per capsule (0.43) and seed yield (0.53).On average, the seed yield of genotypes was reduced by 45% under water stress. Seed yield was significantly positively correlatedwith the no. of capsules, capsule diameter, and no. of seeds per capsule under both normal and drought conditions. The number ofcapsules and capsule diameter were suggested as potential criteria for indirect yield selection under drought stress. Chinese (G01), Naz Chand Shakhe (G05), and Darab1 (G04) genotypes were identified as the most tolerant based on the average ranking of indices. Stress/non-stress production index (SNPI), yield index (YI), and drought resistance index (DI) were suggested as the most efficient drought tolerance indices according to principal component analysis and correlations. The evaluation criteria proposed in this study can be used for efficient selection of drought-tolerant genotypes in sesame. Moreover, reported tolerant and sensitive genotypes can be used in future studies and breeding programs in sesame under drought stress.

In addition to various medicinal properties, Acorus calamus (sweet flag) is used in health, food, and perfume industries. Since this species is a rare plant in Iran, its propagation and cultivation are of the great importance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different plant growth regulators on micropropaga-tion of this plant and to select the appropriate population. The root, the rhizome and the leaf explants of three populations (Arzefon, Pelesk, and Alandan) were cultured on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) for callus induction and plant regeneration. The results showed that only rhizome explant resulted in direct plant regeneration. Among different treatments, the 1 mg/l treatment of BAP and NAA - with the highest mean number of regenerated plants (3.75 ± 0.85), the highest percentage of grown explants (91.6%) and maximum average length of regenerated plants (12.06 ± 0.32 cm) - was the best treatment for regeneration of sweet flag. The highest mean number of root (6.6 ± 0.1) was observed in Alandan population in 1 mg/l treatment of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). According to the present study, Alandan population is suitable for cultivation purposes in Iran.