Medicinal Plants
Faeze Rezvaninia; Mohammad-Taghi Ebadi; Naser Safaie
Abstract
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe.) is a perennial and monocotyledonous medicinal and spice plant, whose rhizome, essential oil and extract are of interest, and this plant has wide uses in various industries. The origin of ginger is Southeast Asia and possibly India. This plant is mainly cultivated ...
Read More
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe.) is a perennial and monocotyledonous medicinal and spice plant, whose rhizome, essential oil and extract are of interest, and this plant has wide uses in various industries. The origin of ginger is Southeast Asia and possibly India. This plant is mainly cultivated as an annual and the rhizome or the underground stem is the used part. It should be noted that the use of biological fertilizers can improve the growth and performance of plants and is also the most natural and best way to keep soil systems fertile. In addition, benefiting from natural solutions instead of using chemicals reduces pollution and destruction of biological resources. The use of Arbuscular mycorrhizal and Trichoderma fungi can leads to a reduction in the consumption of fertilizers and fungicides and an increase in yield, and also reduces production costs and is compatible with environmental principles. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Trichoderma harizanum, mycorrhiza (Glomus etunicatum and Glomus fasciculatum) and the combined treatment of fungi (Glomus etunicatum + Trichoderma harizanum, Glomus fasciculitum + Trichoderma harizanum) on the growth parameters, rhizome yield and active substances of ginger. Abbreviation of Treatments include contains: Control, M1 (Glomus fasciculatum), M2 (Glomus etunicatum), T1 (Trichoderma harizanum), M1T1 (Glomus fasciculitum + Trichoderma harizanum) and M2T1 (Glomus etunicatum + Trichoderma harizanum). This research was conducted in a factorial experiment based on a completely random design in the research greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University. The rhizomes (Chinese cultivar) were transferred to the greenhouse and cultivated in pots with amended soil. These plants were inoculated with Trichoderma (Trichoderma harizanum), Mycorrhiza (Glomus etunicatum and G. fasciculatum) and combined treatment of fungi (G. etunicatum + Trichoderma harizanum, G. fasciculatum + Trichoderma harizanum). During the growing season and harvesting, the morphological characteristics and rhizomes yield were evaluated, and then the essential oil content and composition, the amount of fiber and the color of the rhizomes and precisely The Effect of Treatments on Ginger Stem Traits contains: Stem Fresh Weight (gr), Stem Dry Weight (gr), Number of Stems and Stem Length (cm), The Effect of Treatments on Ginger Leaf Traits contains: Leaf Dry Weight (gr), Leaf Fresh Weight (gr), Number of Leafs, Greenness Index, The Effect of Treatments on Ginger Rhizome Traits contains: Rhizome Dry Weight (gr), Rhizome Fresh Weight (gr), Darkness/Lightnees Indicator, Yellow/Blue Indicator, Rhizome Crude Fiber (%), The Effect of Treatments on Ginger Essential oil Traits contains: Essential oil Percentage, Essential oil Performance and The Optimal Percentage of Applied Treatments contains: Stem Length (cm), Number of Stems, Stem Fresh Weight (gr), Stem Dry Weight(gr), Greenness Index, Number of Leafs, Leaf Fresh Weight (gr), Leaf Dry Weight (gr), Rhizome Fresh Weight (gr), Rhizome Dry Weight (gr), Darkness/Lightnees Indicator, Yellow/Blue Indicator, Rhizome Crude Fiber (%), Essential oil Percentage, Essential oil Performance, Frequency Percentage of Desirable Traits were investigated. The results showed that the inoculation with G. etunicatum had the highest value of stem length (35.68 cm), fresh and dry weight of the stem (22 and 10.2 gr), Spad index (18.17), fresh and dry weight of leaves (34.46 and 8.96 grams), number of leaves (9.46) and fiber content of rhizome (4.28%). Also, the highest number of stems, darkness/brightness index and yellow/blue color index of rhizome were observed in the control treatment with values of 7.16, 73.29 and 98.6 respectively. The highest fresh and dry weight of rhizome (35.5 and 5.2 grams) were observed in the inoculation with G. fasciculitum treatment and the highest percentage of essential oil (0.4) was observed under the combined treatment of the inoculation with G. etunicatum. Camphene, 1,8-cineole, neral and geranial were identified as the main compounds of essential oil and the amounts of these compounds in the inoculation treatment with fungi were more than the control. In general, this research showed that the inoculation of rhizomes with G. etunicatum resulted in achieving the desired growth characteristics, rhizome yield and active substances in ginger. Camphene, 1,8-cineole, neral and geranial were identified as the main compounds of essential oil and the amounts of these compounds in the inoculation treatment with fungi were more than the control. In general, this research showed that the inoculation of rhizomes with G. etunicatum resulted in achieving the desired growth characteristics, rhizome yield and active substances in ginger.
Pomology
M.A. Ahmadi; S. Daghighi; F. Azarmi-Atajan; H. Bayat
Abstract
Introduction
Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) as one of the invaluable medicinal plants, is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry due to its vitamins, mucilage, antioxidants, alkaloids and phenolic compounds. South Khorasan province is the most important area of jujube fruit production in Iran. Optimum ...
Read More
Introduction
Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) as one of the invaluable medicinal plants, is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry due to its vitamins, mucilage, antioxidants, alkaloids and phenolic compounds. South Khorasan province is the most important area of jujube fruit production in Iran. Optimum supply of nutrients in fruit trees can increase fruit quality. Calcium is one of the most important elements that can affect quantity, quality, storability and marketability of many horticultural crops. Due to the relatively high amount of lime in the agricultural soils of South Khorasan province, the amount of calcium in these soils is almost high. However, due to low mobility of calcium from soil to plant, calcium deficiency is common in horticultural plants. Also, potassium is required for cellular osmotic and ionic balances, electrochemical processes, neutralization of organic acids, regulation of stomatal function, cell division, enzyme activation, protein synthesis, as well as the synthesis and translocation of sugars. Foliar spraying is an effective way to supply nutrients needed by plants, especially in calcareous soils with high pH. In this method, nutrients are directly available to different parts of the plant in a short period of time. Studies have shown that leaf feeding with calcium and potassium can be useful for increasing the qualitative characteristics of fruit in most products, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Nevertheless, little information is available regarding the foliar application of this element on jujube plant. Hence, the current research was aimed to investigate the effects of foliar application of calcium chloride and potassium sulfate on physicochemical properties and quality of fresh jujube fruit.
Materials and Methods
In order to investigate the effect of foliar application of calcium chloride and potassium sulfate on the physical and biochemical properties of the fruit of the jujube plant, two separate factorial experiment was conducted in the form of a randomized complete block design in three replications in two areas of Siojan and Mazhan, Khosef city in 2022. Experimental treatments included calcium chloride (0, 0.5 and 1%) and potassium sulfate (0, 0.1 and 0.3%). Fresh fruit was harvested at a crisp mature (white-red) stage mid in August. Data were analysed using SAS software (ver. 9.4) and comparison of means was made with LSD test at 1 and 5% probability.
Results and Discussion
The results of analysis of variance showed that calcium chloride foliar application in Siojan garden had significant effect on the physical and biochemical characteristics of jujube fruit. So that the highest fresh weight (4.07 gr), dry weight (1.89 gr), length (29.11 mm), diameter (21.52 mm) and texture firmness (18.81 N/cm2) of fruit were obtained from the level of 0.5% calcium chloride. Also, the foliar spraying treatment with 0.5% calcium chloride had the highest amount of carotenoid and total phenol in the fruit. The highest amount of calcium and potassium in the fruit was obtained from the level of 1% calcium chloride. The effect of foliar application of calcium chloride on physical and biochemical properties of jujube fruit in Mazhan garden was significant. In Mazhan garden, the highest fresh weight (3.9 gr), dry weight (1.37 gr), length (28.41 mm), diameter (20.91 mm) and texture firmness (18.61 N/cm2) of fruit were obtained from foliar application of 0.5% calcium chloride. The highest amount of carotenoids (0.443 mg/100 g of fresh weight) and phenol (9.53 mg of gallic acid per 100 g of fresh weight) in Mazhan garden was obtained from the level of 0.5% calcium chloride. The content of calcium and potassium of jujube fruit in Mazhan region was maximized with the application of 1% calcium chloride. The results showed that the application of potassium sulfate in Siojan garden had an significant effect on the physical and biochemical characteristics of the fruit. The highest fresh weight (3.63 gr) and dry fruit weight (1.89 gr), length and diameter and texture firmness of fruit was obtained from the level of 0.3% potassium sulfate. Also, the highest amount of biochemical indices of jujube fruit in Siojan garden was obtained from the level of 0.3% potassium sulfate. The interaction effect of foliar application of calcium chloride and potassium sulfate on fresh and dry fruit weight, fruit length and carotenoids of fruit in Siojan garden was significant. In Mazhan garden, the fresh and dry weight of fruit, amount of carotenoids and total phenol of fruit were affected by the interaction effect of experimental treatments, and the highest level of these characteristics was obtained from the level of 0.5% calcium chloride and 0.3% potassium sulfate.
Conclusion
The results of foliar spraying of calcium chloride and potassium sulfate in both studied orchards showed that these treatments, both solely and in combination, had a positive and significant effect on various characteristics of jujube fruit. So the highest physical and biochemical characteristics of the fruit were obtained from the simultaneous application of 0.5% calcium chloride and 0.3% potassium sulfate. Therefore, Based on the results of this research, foliar spraying 0.5% calcium chloride and 0.3% potassium sulfate can have an effective role in increasing the quantity and quality of jujube fruit.
Ornamental plants
E. Saeedipooya; A. Tehranifar; A. Gazanchian; F. Kazemi; M. Shoor
Abstract
Introduction
Turfgrasses, as one of the important components of urban landscapes, have played a vital role in this regard. However, the main problems of turfgrass development are the cost of turfgrass seeds, maintenance costs such as moving, as well as the high water requirement in arid and semi-arid ...
Read More
Introduction
Turfgrasses, as one of the important components of urban landscapes, have played a vital role in this regard. However, the main problems of turfgrass development are the cost of turfgrass seeds, maintenance costs such as moving, as well as the high water requirement in arid and semi-arid regions. Thus, the reduction of lawn culture in the landscape is one of the decision has taken in parks and green spaces organization of Tehran, Isfahan and even Mashhad. For over ten years, researchers have been looking for alternatives to conventional grass lawns to reduce the high cost of maintenance especially irrigation cost in urban landscapes. According to many researches, one of the potential ground cover alternatives that might be used instead of turfgrass is White Clover. Clover (Trifolium spp.) from Fabaceae family is a genus of about 300 species.
Materials and Methods
The aim of this experiment was to compare three common turfgrasses with two clover varieties as turf replacement to reduce landscape maintenance cost specially moving cost. So, some growth and qualitative factors of clover lawn: Trifolium repens var. Calway and Trifolium repens var. Pipolina (micro clover) and three turfgrasses of Festuca arundinacea L. and Lolium perenne L. and commercial sport turf mixture (from NAk-Nederland Ltd.) were compared together. This research was conducted in randomized complete block design with three replications in the research field of the Department of Horticultural Science and Landscape Engineering‚ Faculty of Agricultural‚ Ferdowsi University of Mashhad‚ Mashhad‚ Iran, during 2016 and 2017. The site (59º 38′ E and 36º 16 ′ N; elevation 989 m) is located in an arid and semi- arid region with mean annual rainfall 233.8 mm and long term averages of maximum and minimum temperature are 22.5 ºC and 9.3 ºC‚ respectively. Turfgrass plots were established by directly sowing the seeds in April, 2016. The planting rate of the seedling considering their pure live seeds (PLS) were 45 g.m-2 for Lolium perenne, 34 g.m-2 for Festuca arundinacea, 6.5 g.m-2 for Trifolium repens, 5.5 g.m-2 for micro clover and 39 g.m-2 for commercial mixture of sport turf. The plots were 1 m2 (1m×1m) in size and were prepared after plowing and leveling the soil. The seeds were hand sown and covered with a thin layer of leaf compost and sand.
Results and Discussion
According to the results in the first evaluation of emergence percentage, Lolium perenne had the highest emergence percentage. After 36 days from culture, all plants had 92-98 % coverage which did not have any significant difference among grasses with clover lawns. In terms of density, uniformity and weed density, there was no significant difference between the studied plants. In the other hands, white clover showed the best quality after clipping in both years. At the point of growth index, which have done in this experiment by measuring height and dry weight of clipping, grass lawns had the higher growth index in compered to clover lawn in both years. Festuca arundinacea and Lolium perenne had the highest growth index and white and micro clover had the lowest growth. Also, with air warming, Festuca arundinacea became dominated plant in height and clipping dry weight. In July, Festuca arundinacea produced the highest clipping dry weight by 40 gr.m-2, Lolium perenne (19.52), commercial sport turf (15.68), white clover (6.24) and micro clover (0.36) gr.m-2.
Conclusion
One of the problems of landscape is reduction of maintenance costs such as mowing. So, the low growth of white and micro clover is a positive factor in reduction of the moving costs than turfgrasses. Also, the coverage and proper density of clover lawns are similar to grass lawns and did not have a significant difference with them. The character of low growth can be effective in reduction of irrigation costs in white and micro clover, which requires more research and examination in future. This is a positive point in the white clover and micro clover that do not need to move or cut every months. Almost, clover moving is recommended for removing their flower. Therefore, it is recommended to use white and micro clover as a replacement with less maintenance costs in landscape. Finally, the results of cultivation of grass and clover as monoculture in this study can be used to produce clover-grass mixtures suitable for the climate of our country (arid and semi-arid regions), instead of importing turf mixtures from European countries.
Medicinal Plants
S. Alizadeh Salteh; M. Amani
Abstract
Introduction: Nowadays, due to the decrease in rainfall and groundwater level, the cultivation of crops with low water requirements should be given priority. Different regions of Iran, especially the region of East and West Azerbaijan, have faced a decrease in rainfall in recent years, compared to previous ...
Read More
Introduction: Nowadays, due to the decrease in rainfall and groundwater level, the cultivation of crops with low water requirements should be given priority. Different regions of Iran, especially the region of East and West Azerbaijan, have faced a decrease in rainfall in recent years, compared to previous years. Saffron could have relatively stable production in these areas due to low water demand and suitable economic efficiency. Special properties of saffron such as low water requirement, irrigation in non-critical times, water requirement of other plants, possible operation of farms for several years after one planting, ease of transportation and storage of the product, possibility of high employment, possibility of cultivation in areas that lack industrial talents and limited agricultural water, having medicinal properties and also, suitable domestic and foreign sales market has made this plant for cultivation. On the other hand, saffron cultivation in the Iran could increase employment and non-oil exports.If we pay attention to its production and processing processes, it could provide a significant currency to the country. Today the cultivation of saffron is under development in areas such as Azerbaijan. On the other hand, due to the harmful effects of the using synthetic antioxidants in the food and pharmaceutical industries, special attention has been paid for using of natural antioxidants. Considering the importance of compounds in saffron quality and the effect of climatic conditions in different years on the amount of secondary metabolites and antioxidant properties of this valuable plant, the present experiment were evaluated the yield and quality of saffron and compared antioxidant activity of different parts of saffron during two cropping years.Materials and Methods: The effect of climate of Marand city of East Azarbaijan province in different years on quality and antioxidant characteristics of different parts of saffron was investigated in this region. So, the climatic factors governing this region during two consecutive years of 2014 and 2015 in terms of temperature, rainfall and humidity were studied using meteorological data. Saffron yield in the region were obtained by using a questionnaire from saffron producers in the region. Meanwhile, the amount of crocin, picocrocin and safranal and the antioxidant activity of different parts of saffron, including stigma, style, stamen and petals, were examined.Results and Discussion: The results showed that the Marand city was classified as semi-arid in accordance the amount of crocin metabolites in 2014 (maximum: 306 mg/g in the stigma), picocrocin in 2015 (102.15 mg/g in the stigma), and Safranal in 2015 (highest: 49.95 mg/g in saffron petals) and the antioxidant activity of saffron and saffron petals were the highest in 2014 (30.43% and 88.32%, respectively). The results showed that the quality of different parts of saffron varied in different years. Due to the quality of different parts of saffron in different years, different parts could be used for exploitation.Conclusion: The amount of active ingredients in the plant were not constant at all and varied according to the growth and climatic conditions and harvest time. Changes in the amount of active ingredients in the plant over consecutive years or even hours a day emphasized the importance of collecting the medicinal plant when the plant contained the maximum amount of active ingredient. The quality of saffron depended on the amount of crocin, picrocrocin and safranal compounds and antioxidant activity. These compounds varied in different organs of saffron (stigma, style, stamen and petals) and over consecutive years. Bonab of Marand region of East Azerbaijan is suitable for saffron cultivation due to the climate change. The quality of different saffron organs were different in consecutive years of multi-year cultivation. The highest amount of crocin in the first year of cultivation in the stigma and its antioxidant activity in the stigma and petals were the highest and in the following year the amount of picrocrocin in the stigma and safranal in the petals were the highest. Therefore, different metabolites could be harvested according to the need in the maximum number of years.
allah karam rostaami; majid rahemi; Mahmood Eizadi
Abstract
Introduction: As one of the oldest fruit trees, palm, from almost 5,000 years ago till now, has been growing in North Africa and the Middle East. Phenological ripening process of fruit trees are determined through factors such as genetic, environmental and controlled practices. Among these factors, radiation ...
Read More
Introduction: As one of the oldest fruit trees, palm, from almost 5,000 years ago till now, has been growing in North Africa and the Middle East. Phenological ripening process of fruit trees are determined through factors such as genetic, environmental and controlled practices. Among these factors, radiation as a natural factor affects other processes such as photosynthesis, flowering, performance and color of a fruit. Considering the importance of producing organic fruits, it is highly effective to use different coatings to improve the gardening products .Results of this study showed the effect of light on strawberry fruit coating which has the capacity to pass higher levels of UV light. As a result of applying coating the average fruit weight, fruit number, phenols, pigments, anthocyanins and flavonoids were significantly increased, but no significant difference was observed for the total yield. Use of coverage on apple trees reduced physical damage and improved the color of the fruit. The blue covering improved the physical and chemical factors in banana. Date palm bunch covers offer several advantages to protect fruits from high humidity and rain, from bird attacks and also from damage caused by insects and diseases. A sturdy light-brown craft-paper is used in the USA to cover and provide good protection of the bunch during the ripening season. Bunch covering is, however, not only practiced against rain damage but traditionally is also used in the form of coarsely woven well-ventilated baskets (sund) to protect the maturing fruits from birds and prevent early ripening fruit from falling to the ground. Bagging treatment has been widely used as a physical protection technique in other fruit-tree species for not only protecting fruits from diseases and pests, but also changing the microenvironment of fruit development growth, which subsequently affects internal and external qualities, such as skin color, acidity, sweetness and aroma. A large number of experimental data obtained in peach, pear, apple etc, showed that bagging treatment might lead fruits to increase or decrease of ascorbic acid (Vc), TSS, anthocyanin, organic acids contents etc.
This study also aimed to show how the quality, quantity and speed of the ripening process of fruit date palm Kabkab can be improved using covering method.
Material and Methods: This research was carried out at the Tropical Fruits and Dates Research Station in Bushehr Province. Considering the above purpose, a complete randomized block design was employed. Accordingly, 6 treatments including bags with dimensions of 120 × 70 cm in 5 colors (green, yellow, white, gray, and blue) and with a four-time repeating pattern were applied to 20 years old Kabkab palm trees. All trees were pollinated by a controlled pollinator. Factors measured included the ripening speed of fruit per unit of time, the weight of the entire cluster, cluster weight, fruit weight, TSS, TA and pH.
Data collection and Analysis: factorial complete randomized block design was carried out and data were analyzed statistically by analysis of variance and least significant differences (LSD 5%).
Results and Discussion: Based on the results obtained, the direction and color of the bag on the characteristics of fruit appearance has no significant effect. Awad (2007) achieved similar results with colored bags including black, white, blue and white coating on the date palm Helali obtained. Alcobendas (2012) found that the geographical location of peach fruit on the tree has no effect on the weight of meat, fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit dry weight and pulp to stone ratio. The results showed that bunch weight and fruit weight significantly increased in the north. Tyas et al (1998) reported lychee trees in directions of northeastern and northwestern produces the highest and directions of southwest and the southeast had the least amount of fruit. Gray coverage significantly increased the rate of ripening of the fruit in the unit time in both years. Awad (2007) said it might be possible that bunch bagging, especially with black and blue polyethylene bags, accumulated higher heat units than other bags and the controls. Consequently, accumulated heat might induce higher respiration rates and the CO2 accumulation within bags might lead to more acetaldehyde production and removal of astringency.
Conclusions: According to data obtained from physiological factors it can be concluded that palm bunch covering accelerates the ripening of fruits. Also, the data obtained from the directions of bunch shows those bunches located on the north side of the palm tree weigh more.
Javad Fattahi Moghadam; Seyedeh Elham SeyedGhasemi; Kazem Najafi
Abstract
Introduction: According to a breeding program that was carried out in Citrus and Subtropical Fruits Research Center, Noushin (C. reticulata cv Clementine × C. sinensis cv. Salustiana) and Shahin (C. reticulata cv Clementine × C. sinensis cv. Hamlin) mandarins were released by using crossing method ...
Read More
Introduction: According to a breeding program that was carried out in Citrus and Subtropical Fruits Research Center, Noushin (C. reticulata cv Clementine × C. sinensis cv. Salustiana) and Shahin (C. reticulata cv Clementine × C. sinensis cv. Hamlin) mandarins were released by using crossing method in 20-year program. In general, mandarins do not have the ability of being kept in common or cold storage for long time compared to oranges. The main problem is the change of fruit taste during storage, therefore, it is an attracted subject for researchers. Furthermore, storage temperature plays an important role in the quality of the taste of mandarins. The new released mandarins, which hve not been yet studied completely for their storability, need to be evaluated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate fruit physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of Noushin and Shahin varieties in common and cold storages for two years.
Materials and Methods: In this study, fruits of Noshin and Shahin mandarins were harvested at seasonal harvesting time and then placed in could storage (5 oC and 85% RH) and common storage (7-10 oC and 60-70 %RH) based on completely randomized design with three replications for 60 days every year. Fruits on days 0 (at harvesting time), 20, 40 and 60 of storage were sampled. Various physico-chemical and sensory characteristics were evaluated including iuice percentage, weight loss, peel color indices (L*, a*, b*, hue angle, chroma and CCI), total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), technological index (TI), skin disorder index (SDI), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total phenolic, ascorbic acid, antioxidant capacity and sensory parameters during experiment. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using statistical software MSTAT-C. Analysis of variance combined in a randomized complete design (two years) with three replications for each variety.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that the amount of fruit weight loss and juice percentage did not show significant changes during storage. The ranges of weight loss in Noushin and Shahin varieties were 7-8% and 3.45-5.1%, respectively. Generally, peeling in Shahin was harder than Noushin but it gradually decreased until the end of storage. With the exception of citrus color index (CCI) in Noushin that was high at the beginning of storage, other color indices had no significant differences according to the type of variety and storage. Totally, TSS: TA ratio increased during storage depending on the type of storage, so that the ratio was higher (Noushin with 39.64 and Shahin with 13.34) in common storage than cold storage (Noushin with 31.04 and Shahin with 13.62) at the end of storage. Amount of electrical conductivity (EC) and technological index (TI) increased significantly in both varieties and storages. Shahin variety with 3.74 and 26.19% was so sensitive to rind disorder index and rind disorder percentage, respectively. Phenolic compounds in both varieties declined during both cold and common storages. The amount of reduction depends on the type of mandarin, with Shahin showing higher decline than Noushin variety. Besides, the content of ascorbic acid and antioxidant capacity in both peel and pulp showed a decreasing pattern with the passing of harvesting time during storage. According to sensory analysis, Noushin fruit can be stored in common storage for 20 days and in cold storage for 40 days. Moreover, results revealed that Shahin fruits did not have storability more than 40 days in common and cold storages.
Conclusion: Generally, Noushin variety was sensitive to low moisture of the storage and fruits lost extra moisture during storage. Since Noshin was an early ripening variety, TSS: TA ratio increased rapidly at the end of storage. Although Noushin had the lowest ascorbic acid content but its fruit antioxidant capacity was higher than shahin at the end of storage. On contrast, Shahin was a mid-ripening variety with higher ascorbic acid content. On the other hand, shahin peel was so sensitive to skin disorder index (SDI), therefor it should not be maintained in low moisture and temperature storage. Based on sensory analysis and physicochemical measurements, Noushin can be stored for 20 days and shahin for 40 days in common and cold storage. Finally, we found that Noushin and Shahin cannot be maintained in storage longer than other mandarins.
Azizollah khandan-Mirkohi; Nakisa Baie; Ebrahim Hadavi
Abstract
Introduction: Regular watering and application of nitrogenous fertilizers in turf-grasses is a conventional operation, especially in warm and dry or semi-dry climates, which arecommon in many parts of Iran. Nitrogen is a mobile nutrient in soil or substrates, especially in the form of nitrate. Nitrate ...
Read More
Introduction: Regular watering and application of nitrogenous fertilizers in turf-grasses is a conventional operation, especially in warm and dry or semi-dry climates, which arecommon in many parts of Iran. Nitrogen is a mobile nutrient in soil or substrates, especially in the form of nitrate. Nitrate leaching due to the regular watering has been reported in many sources. The managing nitrogen application can help to minimize the loss of this element regarding the ability of soil-plant system. Attempts have been made to control the growth of turf-grass using various types of chemicals, but similar to the concerns associated with the consumption of nitrogenous fertilizers, this is also concerned with environmental pollutions. Therefore, the growth of turf grasses can be controlled without using chemicals and by limiting the use of nitrogen and managing the irrigation.The purposes of this study were to limit the application of nitrogen in order to control vegetative growth of the turf grass and maintain its visual quality, and to manage irrigation in order to preserve this mobile element (nitrogen) near the root system and prevent its leaching.
Materials and Methods:The effects of reduced water and nitrogen supply on the control of vegetative growth of turf grasses, commonly named as sport turf,were evaluated.Therefore, an experiment was designed in a factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Mixed seeds of sport turf grass were planted with the density of 40 g m-2in boxes, which placed atthe depth of30 cm and leveled with sandy loam soil in mid-spring. Nitrogen was applied as ammonium nitrate via fertigation in five levels of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 mg m-2 month-1, andirrigation treatments performed at four levels of 100%, 80%, 60 % and 40% of field capacity. Watering was done every two days for 5 months during the warm season of the year after the first mowing on June 2013. Some traits such as plant height, fresh and dry weight, density, color and quality, and chlorophyll and proline contents were evaluated during growth period or at the end of the experiment.The data were subjected toananalysis of variance (SAS, 1996),and differences among the treatments were compared using Duncan’s multiple range test at 95% probability level.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that decreasein nitrogen level up to 0.5 gdid not significantly change density index,,whilethe index showed a significant reduction in treatment containing zero nitrogen application and the lowest irrigation regime (40% of the field capacity).Quality and color of the turf grass had no significant correlation with nitrogen treatment, while the factor was significantly decreased when irrigation regime of 40% of the field capacity was applied. It was determined that although color of the turf grass was greener with lower levels of water,a good color was found with high level of non-organic fertilizer at the time that the amount of nitrogen leaching was also limited. Therefore, regardless of the different nitrogen levels applied, quality and color indiceswerethe lowest when irrigation at 40% of field capacity was applied. Limiting the level of nitrogen up to 0.5 gramand irrigation up to 60% of field capacity was desirable to control and reduce the height of turf grass. Reduction in water level up to 80% of field capacity caused no significant changes in fresh weight, but a significant decreasewas resulted with the reduction of water consumption up to 60% of field capacity. The maximum fresh weight was found with 1.5 grams nitrogen. However, reducing nitrogen level upto 0.5 gramdid not bring about significant changes in this trait. Dry weight also followed the same pattern as fresh weight. Although reduction in the level of applied nitrogen did not reduce the height, it caused a significant reduction in fresh and dry weight of the turf grass. The highest chlorophyll content was found when 2 grams of nitrogen and irrigation regime of 40% of field capacity were used. Regardless of the nitrogen level, the highest chlorophyll content was found in irrigation of 40% of field capacity,while the lowest amount was observed in the treatment containing irrigation at100 and 80% of field capacity. Plants were dark green in 40% of field capacity. Proline content showedincreasealong with the decrease inirrigation as well as nitrogen levels.
Conclusion:Plant height, fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll and proline contents were significantly affected by limiting the use of nitrogen and water, but density and quality indices were not significantly influenced. Regardless of the nitrogen levels applied, quality and color traits were the lowest only in irrigation regime of 40% of field capacity. Therefore, it was concluded that reduction of nitrogen supply to 1 mg m-2 month-1and irrigation regime up to 60% of field capacity could result in thereduction ofvegetative growth of turf grass, while quality traits were not affected negatively.
M. Azizi; Z. Safaei; S. Mirmostafaee; Sh. Bolorian; N. Rahimi
Abstract
Introduction: Fresh-cut produce graduated to retail during the1990s, especially for lettuce, cabbage, carrots and other similar vegetables. The high microbial loads of these products after harvest can be substantially reduced through a cleaning in flowing chlorinated water and adistribution under ensured ...
Read More
Introduction: Fresh-cut produce graduated to retail during the1990s, especially for lettuce, cabbage, carrots and other similar vegetables. The high microbial loads of these products after harvest can be substantially reduced through a cleaning in flowing chlorinated water and adistribution under ensured controlledrefrigeration. Therefore, a good number of convenient ready-to-use greens were launched to the market in the past decade. Nowadays, theuse of this technology to achieve similar results in fruit products is one of the most challengingtargets for processors. However, there is anumber of issues that still need to beovercomebeforefresh-cut fruit commodities can be sparked off to anoutstanding position in the segment of lightly-treatedrefrigerated foods. The importance of freshly cut products increases day by day. Tissue and cell rupture leads to a decrease in the shelf life of these products. On the other hand, these products due to increased enzyme activity, respiration rate and microbiological considerations that affect the health of these productsrequires highly attention.To increase the shelf life of the products and prevent undesirable changes in cut slices of fruit or vegetables a coating on the surface of these products has been suggested. Mucilages and essential oils of herbs are natural compounds that can be used to create such covers. The advantages of these coatings are their bactericidal effect, maintenanceof pleasant taste and other physical and chemical characteristics of the product and even decrease of environmental pollution. In this research, the effect of natural compounds such as Zataria multiflora essential oil (EO) and Plantagopsyllium mucilage on storage life and microbial load of fresh cut carrot was studied.
Materials and Methods: The research was conducted in two separate experiments on fresh-cut carrot: In the first experiment, the effect of different concentrations of Plantago psyllium mucilage (0,100, 200, and 400mgL-1) and four concentrations of Zataria multiflora essential oil (0,100, 250,and 500 mgL-1), in a factorial experiment on the basis of completely randomized designwith16treatments and three replications was evaluated. In the second experiment application of essential oil and mucilage on microbial load of fresh-cut carrot was examined in a split plot experiment on the basis of randomized complete blocks design with six treatments and three replications which Zataria multiflora EO (500 mgL-1) and Plantago psyllium mucilage (400 mgL-1) was set as main plot and storage time was set as subplot. The serial dilution technique and cultivation in special culture media were used to determine the microbial load. Treated samples were then packaged in polyethylene trays (175mL) and were stored at 4°C. After10 days of treatment different parameters such as weight loss, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, color, organoleptic properties, the amount of skin whitening and microbial load were evaluated.Means were compared using LSD test at the significant 5% probability level.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that the treatments had a significant effect on weight loss. Essential oil and mucilage treated samples with different concentrations and also a combination of the two had less weight loss than the control. Different concentrations of essential oil and mucilage individually significantly affected titra table acidity, soluble solids and pH. Samples treated with 100 and 250 mgL-1essential oil, and with 100 and 200 mgL-1 mucilage had the highest acidity, and showed significant increase compared to the control. A little color changes occurred in the treated samples and their colors were very close to the control. Combination treatment with 100 mg.L-1essentialoil plus 100 mgL-1mucilagesignificantlyreduced skin whitening of fresh cut carrot. Analysis of variance indicates significant effect of treatments on all microbial contaminations which were evaluated. The means of aerobic mesophilic bacterial contamination and the coliform bacterial contamination were 6.67 log CFU/g and6.37 log CFU/g, respectively. Only mold and yeast contamination significantly increased during storage and was more pronounced in samples treated with psylliummucilage. After 10 days of storage, although some bacterial contamination increased, this increase was not significant. Fungal contamination starts at 5.35 log CFU/g and endsat 6.64 log CFU/g, which is approximately 1.3 log CFU/g increased. E. coli contamination was not observed in samples.According to the standards threshold, in this experiment, aerobic mesophilic bacteria contamination of the samples (except for samples coated with mucilage after 10 days of storage which their contamination exceeded) was in the standard threshold.However, coliform bacteria, mold and yeast contamination in all samples exceeded.
Conclusion: In general, results of this study showed that application of natural compounds of medicinal plants as edible coatings improved the quality and -extend the shelf life of fresh cut carrot. .However, disinfection of the product in this experiment was not sufficient to reduce the microbial contamination properly and treatments used could not reduce it at the standard limits, appropriate disinfection methods such as radiation and higher concentrations are also investigated in order to export this recommended product
F. Paimard; Mokhtar Heidari; Mohammad Hosein Daneshvar; noorolah moalemi
Abstract
Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is an important fruit crop cultivated for fruit and processing in the Iran. Delaying fruit harvest of pomegranate may increase fruit losses due to fruit cracking; however, early harvest may influence physical and biochemical indices of fruit. An experiment was carried out ...
Read More
Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is an important fruit crop cultivated for fruit and processing in the Iran. Delaying fruit harvest of pomegranate may increase fruit losses due to fruit cracking; however, early harvest may influence physical and biochemical indices of fruit. An experiment was carried out in 2011 at ‘Baghmalek’ (North West of Ahwaz, Khuzestan province, Iran) to determine the effects of three stages of fruit harvest (fruit maturity) on quality of fruit in three local cultivars of pomegranate. Fruit weight, density, percentage of juice, peel and seed, vitamin C, total soluble solid (TSS), acidity (TA), anthocyanin and maturity index (TSS/TA) were used for fruit quality assessment. A close relationship was observed between fruit quality and time of fruit harvest (fruit maturity). The fruit quality in respect of TSS, maturity index (TSS/TA), fruit juice color intensity and quality, anthocyanin was superior in fruit harvested from fruits harvested at the 2th and 3th harvest time. Results revealed that the aril weight, TSS, fruit juice color quality was high in ‘Poost Sabz’. Also, lowest fruit L/D, fruit juice, anthocyanin/browning substances ratio and fruit juice color intensity was recorded by ‘Poost Sabz’. Percentage of fruit juice, fruit L/D and vitamin C was high for the fruits of ‘Poost Zard’. Overall, pomegranate fruits harvested at the end of summer had significantly lower quality than fruits harvested at the later stages.
S. Roofigari Haghighat; A. Shirinfekr; K. Cheraghi
Abstract
In this study, the effects of different types of hand plucking were studied on green leaf yield and black tea quality. Bud and a leaf, bud and two leaves, bud and three leaves and bud and four leaves were the types of hand plucking. Plucking was down on chine’s hybrid tea and clone 100 in Fuman Tea ...
Read More
In this study, the effects of different types of hand plucking were studied on green leaf yield and black tea quality. Bud and a leaf, bud and two leaves, bud and three leaves and bud and four leaves were the types of hand plucking. Plucking was down on chine’s hybrid tea and clone 100 in Fuman Tea Research Station. Shoots were plucked in flashing period regularly during three years. Green leaf yield was determined in every plot annually. Tea shoots were manufactured in Iran traditional form (Orthodox). Percentage of waste was measured after extraction. Quality characteristics were evaluated in black tea samples. Quality characteristics were consisted of chemical compounds (caffeine, total soluble solid, theaflavin, thearubigin, total color and brightness) and organoleptic score. Data were analyzed in split plot design based on randomized complete blocks. As results showed, maximum yield obtained in colon 100 in plucking of bud and three leaves. In the other hand, this treatment has normal quality in both of hybrid and colon 100. Minimum yield, quality and maximum level of waste were in bud and four leaves plucking. In clone 100, quality characteristics were evaluated higher than chine’s hybrid tea. There was a correlation of positive and significant between quality component and total sensory score.
