Medicinal Plants
Yunos Pourbeyrami Hir; Esmaeil Chamani; Mahsa Ahadzadeh; Shabnam Shaker; Roghayyeh Nabipour Sanjbod
Abstract
Introduction
The use of medicinal plants has surged in recent times, with a substantial portion of modern medicines derived from botanical sources. This surge in demand underscores the potential of cultivating and producing medicinal plants to not only bolster public health but also significantly contribute ...
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Introduction
The use of medicinal plants has surged in recent times, with a substantial portion of modern medicines derived from botanical sources. This surge in demand underscores the potential of cultivating and producing medicinal plants to not only bolster public health but also significantly contribute to a society's economic well-being.Salvia nemorosa is an herbaceous, perennial, and medicinal plant. This valuable plant belongs to the Labiatae family. The aerial parts of the plant, especially the leaves, contain essential oils. Furthermore, S. nemorosa contains chemical compositions such as saponin, organic acids, diterpenes, triterpenes, polyphenols, and a bitter substance called picrosalvin. In the plant tissue culture, the preparation of culture medium and formulation compatible with the tissue of the tested plant is vital for efficient regeneration and plant growth. Generally, no specific culture medium can be recommended for the growth of explants, and is necessary to make changes in the culture medium in order to better respond to different types of explants. Carbon nanotubes are nanomaterials that can be added to the culture medium and increase the growth rate of different parts of the plant such as roots, stems, and branches. Cytokines also commonly participate in cell divisions and proliferate shoots by removing terminal dominance. Considering the mentioned importance, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of carbon nanotubes, kinetin, and their interactions on some morphophysiological and phytochemical properties of S. nemorosa under in vitro conditions.
Materials and Methods
This experiment was carried out in the tissue culture and biotechnology laboratory of the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili. This study was conducted based on factorial design (completely randomized design) with five replications. The treatments included five levels of carbon nanotubes (0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/L CNT) and three levels of kinetin (0, 2, and 4 mg/L CK). The seeds of S. nemorosa were sterilized with 70% ethanol for 40 seconds and then 2.5% hypochlorite sodium for 15 minutes (then the seed were washed with deionized water three times 3, 5, and 15 minutes). The sterilized seeds were planted in MS medium containing 30 g/L sucrose and 8 g/L agar, and then transferred to a growth chamber. After 40 days, the obtained seedlings were cut into single nodes by removing leaves and transferred to the main treatment medium. After that, some traits such as fresh weight, number of branches, number of leaves, number of roots, leaf area, root length, seedlings height, viability rate, germination rate, chlorophylls a, b, carotenoid content, phenol content, and flavonoid content were examined. The obtained data related to the experiment were analyzed with SAS software, the comparison of data means was done with Duncan's test, and the graphs were plotted using Excel software.
Results and Discussion
The results indicated that the interaction effect of carbon nanotubes and kinetin on the indices of fresh weight, number of branches, number of leaves, number of roots, leaf area, root length, seedling height, survival percentage, germination percentage, pigment content photosynthesis was not significant. On the contrary, the interaction effect of two treatments on the content of total flavonoid and total phenol showed a significant difference. The highest phenol content was obtained in the treatment combination of 80 mg/L of carbon nanotubes and 4 mg/L of kinetin. On the other hand, increasing the concentration of carbon nanotubes up to 80 mg/L, the average shoot production, number of leaves, leaf area, plant height, root number, root length, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid, phenol and flavonoid content. increased significantly. Also, by increasing the concentration of kinetin (4 mg/liter), the number of branches, the content of chlorophyll a and b increased significantly.
Conclusion
The characteristics of the S. nemorosa plant, except for fresh weight, significantly increased under the influence of carbon nanotube treatments. However, under the influence of kinetin treatment, only the number of branches, chlorophyll a, b, phenol content, and flavonoid content showed a significant increase. Based on the results of this study, carbon nanotubes can be used for proliferation and increasing the secondary metabolites of S. nemorosa. Despite the results of this study, it is still possible to use higher concentrations of carbon nanotubes in future research in order to increase the phytochemical properties and productivity of other medicinal plants.
Growing vegetables
Mohammad Hossein Aminifard; Sajjad Nadafan; Hassan Bayat; Mehdi Jahani
Abstract
IntroductionThe annual herb Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (Fabaceae) is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop. It is commonly known as Fenugreek and used as both a spice and medicinal plant. Fenugreek is used to treat many ailments due to the presence of various bioactive compounds, like apigenin, ...
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IntroductionThe annual herb Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (Fabaceae) is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop. It is commonly known as Fenugreek and used as both a spice and medicinal plant. Fenugreek is used to treat many ailments due to the presence of various bioactive compounds, like apigenin, luteolin, orientin, quercetin, vitexin, isovitexin, saponins, amino acids, phenols, alkaloids, etc. Combining chemical and organic fertilizers offers a sustainable approach to nutrient management. This integrated strategy enhances the effectiveness of chemical fertilizers, fosters improved soil health, and minimizes nutrient loss from the system.Chicken manure is one of the types of animal manure and a source of organic matter to strengthen all types of soil. In addition to having nutrients, it is one of the cheap fertilizers compared to common fertilizers in the production of crops, and it is richer in nitrogen than other animal fertilizers. Potassium is a critical element for plant growth and development, playing a vital physiological role in plant health and resilience against biotic and abiotic stresses. Materials and MethodsTo investigate the effect of chicken manure and potassium sulfate on yield and biochemical traits of the fenugreek medicinal plant, factorial research was conducted in the form of randomized complete block design in three replications in the crop year 2021-2022. Experimental treatments included chicken manure at three levels (0, 1000, and 2000 kg.ha-1) and potassium sulfate at four levels (0, 1.5, 3, and 5 per thousand). To determine the seed yield after full ripening, the seeds were collected from one plant in each plot, weighed, and recorded. Arnon's method was used to measure the pigments in the leaves at the full flowering stage of the plant. To measure the amount of total phenolic compounds in the leaf using the Folin Cicalto method, antioxidant using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method, total sugar using anthrone method, total flavonoid using aluminum chloride reagent method was used in the full flowering stage of the plant. Results and DiscussionThis experiment revealed that chicken manure significantly boosted crop yield and improved most biochemical traits, with the exception of sugar and antioxidant content.The amount of antioxidant activity decreased with increasing levels of chicken manure and soluble sugar was not affected by this manure. Treatment of 2000 kg.h-1 chicken manure has the highest phenol with 10.793 mg.g-1 dry weight, flavonoid with 4.475 mg.g-1 dry weight, Chlorophyll a with 2.591 mg.g-1 of fresh weight, Chlorophyll b with 3.055 mg.g-1 of fresh weight, and seed yield with 1185.8 kg.h-1. Regarding the impact of Soluptas on biochemical traits, all except phenol and antioxidant content peaked at a concentration of three parts per thousand. Notably, these peak levels were statistically indistinguishable from those observed at five parts per thousand.Treatment of 5 per thousand Soluptas also increased 28% seed yield, 13% soluble sugar, 20% phenol, 31% flavonoid, and 97% chlorophyll b. In the interaction effect in the treatment, it was observed that the highest amount of the two fertilizers had the highest amount of yield and biochemical traits, except for the antioxidant, whose activity level decreased with the increase of fertilizer levels. The results showed that the highest amount of soluble sugar in fenugreek leaves was related to the level of no chicken fertilization with Soluptas 5 per thousand at the rate of 21.53 mg.g-1 dry weight. The highest levels of both treatments (2000 kg.h-1 of chicken manure and Soluptas 5 per thousand) caused an increase in grain yield (1396 kg.h-1), phenol (12.86 mg.g-1 DW), and chlorophyll b (3.62 mg.g-1 FW) compared to no fertilization (control level). The highest amount of chlorophyll a was related to the interaction of 2000 kg.h-1of chicken manure and Soluptas 3 per thousand at the rate of 3.11 mg.g-1 of fresh weight. ConclusionOverall, chicken manure exhibited the strongest positive influence on the greatest number of traits among the single treatments. When considering the combined effects, a combination of 2000 parts per thousand chicken manure and 5 parts per thousand Soluptas appears to be optimal for enhancing the fenugreek plant's properties.
Pomology
Masud Fattahi; Shirin Pourmoghadam
Abstract
Introduction
Almond (Prunus amygdalus) is considered to be able to tolerate drought stress fairly well during all stages of growth. Water shortages are very frequent in many countries, and, together with the rising demand for the industry, the growth of the human population, climate change and ...
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Introduction
Almond (Prunus amygdalus) is considered to be able to tolerate drought stress fairly well during all stages of growth. Water shortages are very frequent in many countries, and, together with the rising demand for the industry, the growth of the human population, climate change and specifically the trend towards irrigated agriculture, have led to widespread problems of water scarcity in most countries. Plant responses to water deprivation are usually monitored through selected morphological and physiological parameters which have been proven to be good indicators of drought in different studies. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence, produced by the Chl a molecule after excitation by light, is a non-invasive and rapid biomarker for the assessment of stress (microbial and environmental) effects on PSII, as well as its structure and function. Fluorescence induction patterns and derived indices have been used as empirical diagnostic tools in stress physiology. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of water stress on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters in two almond genotypes. It is known that the kinetics of fluorescence transients are polyphasic when plotted on a logarithmic time scale labeled as OJIP. This curve rises from an initial low-value F0 (minimal fluorescence) to FJ (fluorescence value at 2 ms) and FI (fluorescence value at about 20–30 ms) and a peak of fluorescence FP (maximal fluorescence or Fm).
Materials and Methods
The Experiment was carried out under a completely randomized design with split arrangement having three replications. Chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were determined by the method of Lichtenthaler (1986). Fresh leaves (1 g) were triturated in 80% acetone. The absorbance of the extracts was measured at 645, 663, and 470 nm using a spectrophotometer. Chlorophyll fluorescence was measured 40 days after the start of drought treatment. Full expanded leaves were selected from each plant for measurements. They were measured with a portable photosynthetic efficiency analyzer model (Hansatech, United Kingdom). Calculations were made with computer-assisted analysis using the SPSS 25 software.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that the maximum total fresh and dry mass was recorded in the Mamaei cultivar. The drought stress caused a significant reduction in a, b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids in Rabie (R) as well as Mamaei (M) cultivars but in general, M plants had higher content of pigments in comparison with R plants under drought stress. In both of cultivars, the potential efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) was reduced with an increasing drought intensity. The reduction of Fv/Fm was accompanied by a decline in Fv and Fm. The VJ, relative variable fluorescence at J step (2 ms), was increased with increase in drought levels. Plants response to drought depends on PSII ability to respond to this stress. It has been reported that water limitation reduces the quantum yield of PSII electron transport, which in turn decreases the amount of light energy reaching the reaction centers. PSII plays a pivotal role in mediating oxygen evolution activity. In our study, we observed an interaction between cultivar and drought treatment, particularly evident in parameters such as Fm, Fv, Fv/Fm, and PI. Additionally, our findings revealed a robust correlation between the Pi index and total chlorophyll content (0.647), as well as the fresh (0.685) and dry (0.695) weight of plants. Furthermore, our results indicate that drought stress significantly impairs the growth of cultivars grafted on GN15 rootstock. This may be the outcome of the inhibition of water shortage on the photosynthetic apparatus. The results discovered that carotenoids were higher in M cultivar than R cultivar, carotenoids protect the photosynthetic apparatus from photooxidative damage. Protection is afforded by quenching of the triplet state of chlorophyll, thereby preventing the formation of harmful oxidative species. We also found the performance index is the parameter that better reflects the responses of the studied cultivars to progressive drought stress.
Conclusion
We applied chlorophyll fluorescence as a biomarker to assess the growth response and PSII behavior and performance of two almond cultivars to different drought levels. In conclusion, Mamaei was less affected by drought stress in terms of total Chl, Fv/Fm, PI, and total fresh and dry weight followed by Rabie. Differential responses among cultivars under drought stress treatments were observed regarding their capacity to induce PSII activity. Parameters derived from the JIP test proved effective in characterizing the degree of response to drought stress, with PI serving as a particularly responsive multi-parametric expression.
Medicinal Plants
Somayeh Yonesi; Khodayar Hemmati; Pejman Moradi; Sara Khorasaninejad
Abstract
Introduction
The aquaponic cultivation system, which is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponic systems, is among the novel cultivation systems. In an aquaponics system, it is possible to simultaneously produce aquatic animals and vegetables. One of the most important components of each soil-free ...
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Introduction
The aquaponic cultivation system, which is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponic systems, is among the novel cultivation systems. In an aquaponics system, it is possible to simultaneously produce aquatic animals and vegetables. One of the most important components of each soil-free system is the selection of a suitable substrate. This substrate makes water and nutrients available for the root system and also contributes to the proper establishment of the plant. It must also be non-toxic and should not impair plant growth. Another point to consider in the selection of the substrate is its cost and availability, as the transport process will increase the costs of initial establishments in such systems. Amon vegetables, basil is a special crop with a short growing season and high economic value, which is also highly suitable for an aquaponic system. The present study was carried out with the aim of comparing some morphological and physiological traits of 'purple' and 'green' basil cultivars in different substrates in the aquaponics system.
Materials and Methods
The present study was conducted as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replicates in a research greenhouse located in Zanjan city. The experimental treatments included 10 substrates (cocopeat, perlite, sand, pumice, cocopeat + perlite (50:50), cocopeat + pumice (50:50), cocopeat + sand (50:50), pumice + sand (50:50), pumice + perlite (50:50) and sand + perlite (50:50)) and two basil cultivars ('green' and pueple). The aquaponic system in this study comprised of a 300 L fish tank containing 100 common carps. The fish were nurtured twice a day with powdered fish feed containing protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, etc. The water in the fish tank was filtered and fish wastes were removed in a filtration tank before entering the aquaponics medium to be used by the plant root system. Chemical properties of the fish water including pH, and nitrite (NO2), nitrate (NO3), and ammonium (NH4) concentrations were controlled using diagnostic kits on a weekly basis. At the flowering stage, various traits including plant height, dry and fresh weights of roots and shoots, number of nods, number of leaves, and leaf area were measured to investigate the growth of basil plants. Also, physio-phytochemical traits including the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid and anthocyanin were measured. Analysis of variance of the data was carried out using the SAS software. Also, the least significant difference method (LSD) was used for the comparison of means.
Results and Discussion
According to the results, the greatest plant height (60.57 cm), shoot fresh weight (90.57 g), root fresh weight (22.33 g), and leaf number (133.99) belonged to purple basil and the lowest value for these traits were observed in green basil cultivar. The results of the mean comparison for the morphological traits indicate the superiority of perlite + cocopeat compared with the other substrates. Basil plants cultivated in sand substrate exhibited the lowest values for growth traits compared to other treatments. Analysis of the interaction effect between substrate and cultivar revealed that the highest number of nodes (10.5), dry weight of shoots (25.17 g), dry weight of roots (4.67 g), and leaf area (17.13 cm2) were observed in the perlite + cocopeat substrate with purple basil. Conversely, the lowest values for these traits (5.23, 12.93 g, 1.46 g, and 11.03 cm2, respectively) were recorded in the silt substrate with the green basil cultivar. The results related to physio-phytochemical traits showed that the highest content of chlorophyll a (1.57 mg g -1 FW) and total chlorophyll (2.1 mg g -1 FW) were observed in the perlite + cocopeat substrate and green basil. Also, anthocyanin content was the highest (0.17 mg g -1 FW) when the purple cultivar was grown in the perlite + c cocopeat substrate. The lowest content of chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll were recorded in the sand substrate and purple cultivar with 0.96 and 1.17 mg g -1 FW, respectively. Also, the lowest content of anthocyanin was related to the green basil cultivar with 0.058 mg g -1 FW.
Conclusion
Overall, the 'purple' cultivar of basil was superior to the 'green' cultivar regarding most traits in the aquaponic system. Also, substrates containing perlite and cocopeat led to better results compared with the other substrates, whereas the basil plants grown in sand and pumice had lower growth, relatively.
Medicinal Plants
Fatemeh Khosravi; Mohammad Ali Bahmanyar; Vahid Akbarpour
Abstract
Introduction
Humic acid as an organic matter, made during chemical processes in the soil leads to improved root growth and aerial part of the plant. It increases the penetration of elements in the plant and improves water permeability. Zinc is involved in the maintenance of root cell membranes, ...
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Introduction
Humic acid as an organic matter, made during chemical processes in the soil leads to improved root growth and aerial part of the plant. It increases the penetration of elements in the plant and improves water permeability. Zinc is involved in the maintenance of root cell membranes, the activation of antioxidant enzymes, and the production of RNA and DNA. This study aimed to investigate the effect of applying humic acid and zinc sulfate on some morphological and phytochemical traits of Salvia officinalis L.
Materials and Methods
In this regard, this experiment was conducted as a factorial based in a completely randomized design with two factors (concentrations of 0, 1.5, 3 and 4.5 g/l humic acids and concentrations of 0, 3, 6 and 9 g/l zinc sulfate) in five replications in 2021. The studied traits included plant height, stem diameter, fresh weight, and dry weight, number of sub-branches, chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenols, flavonoids and essential oils. Seedlings of the same size and age as sage were grown under equal. The properties of the soil used in the laboratory were examined. Treatments were sprayed with humic acid 6% and zinc sulfate 34% in five steps, every two weeks.
Results and Discussion
Result showed that application of humic acid and zinc sulfate had no significant effect on plant height and only their simultaneous use had a significant effect on this trait and the highest plant height was observed for treatment of 1.5 g/l humic acid and 9 g/l zinc sulfate (66.50 cm). In stem diameter analysis, the use of humic acid (p≤0.01) and the application of zinc sulfate (p≤0.05) and the interaction of these two treatments(p≤0.05) affected the stem diameter. According to the results, the highest stem diameter was 8.69 mm, which occurred in the treatment of 4.5 g/l humic acid and 3 g/l zinc sulfate. Application of humic acid significantly (p ≤ 0.01) affected the fresh weight of the plant. Application of zinc sulfate also had a significant effect (p ≤ 0.05) on fresh weight. The effect of simultaneous use of humic acid and zinc sulfate on the fresh weight of this plant was significant at the level of 1% probability and the highest fresh weight was 87.26 g.plant-1, which achieved at a concentration of 4.5 g/l humic acid and 6 g/l zinc sulfate. Compared to the control plant, it has increased by 12.56 grams. The effect of humic acid on dry weight was significant at the level of 5% probability, while the effect of zinc sulfate application on this trait was not significant. The combined use of humic acid and zinc sulfate was significant at the 1% probability level. The maximum dry weight reached 29.73 grams per plant, achieved with a concentration of 4.5 grams per liter of humic acids and 3 grams per liter of zinc sulfate. Both humic acid and zinc sulfate exhibited a significant effect (at the one percent level) on the number of branches. Furthermore, the combined application of humic acid and zinc sulfate proved to be highly effective (p<0.01). The greatest number of sub-branches was observed at the 1.5 grams per liter level of humic acid. Humic acid had a substantial impact on chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids (p≤ 0.01). Similarly, the application of zinc sulfate showed significant effects on chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoids (p≤ 0.01), as well as on total chlorophyll (p≤ 0.05). In the end, the simultaneous application of humic acid and zinc sulfate significantly influenced chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids (p<0.01). The most significant effects on photosynthetic pigments (carotenoids, chlorophyll a, and total chlorophyll) were observed with concentrations of 4.5 grams/liter of humic acid and 6 grams/liter of zinc sulfate. The highest chlorophyll b content was obtained with the treatment of 3 grams/liter of humic acid and 6 grams/liter of zinc sulfate. The effect of humic acid and zinc sulfate application as well as their simultaneous use on the amount of phenols and flavonoids was significant at the level of 1% probability. The highest amount of phenol was 0.372 (mg gallic acid per gram of fresh tissue) which was obtained at a concentration of zero zinc sulfate and 3 g/l humic acid. The highest flavonoid content was 0.527 (mg quercin per gram of fresh tissue) which was observed in the treatment of 4.5 g/l humic acids. The use of humic acid had significant effect on the amount of essential oil. The percentage of essential oil reached the highest levels at the concentrations of 1.5 and 3 g/l humic acids.
Conclusion
Based on the results, the use of humic acid alone and in combination with zinc sulfate, had the greatest effect on most of the studied traits.
Growing vegetables
Sepideh Parsajoo; Farshad Dashti
Abstract
Introduction
Plants are sometimes exposed to several stresses during their growth and development. Salinity stress is one of the most common abiotic stresses that significantly reduces the growth and yield of most plant species. A large part of the soils and a significant volume of all water resources ...
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Introduction
Plants are sometimes exposed to several stresses during their growth and development. Salinity stress is one of the most common abiotic stresses that significantly reduces the growth and yield of most plant species. A large part of the soils and a significant volume of all water resources in Iran are affected by salinity to varying degrees. Due to the rapid population growth and the need for more food and the water crisis, the use of unconventional water such as salt water or wells and treated wastewater in agriculture has received more attention. Soil and water salinity is one of the integrative problems in agriculture and is one of the most important barriers to crop production in the world. Salinity stress reduces the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen in the leaves by closing the leaves stomata and prevents the stabilization of carbon dioxide. Under these conditions, the formation rate of reactive oxygen species in chloroplasts and mitochondria increases, the electrons produced react with oxygen by photosynthesis and lead to the production of oxygen free radicals. These affects the growth, yield and quality of agricultural products. The use of antioxidant compounds can moderate the effects of this stress. Many compounds have been used to reduce the harmful effects of salinity stress. Ascorbic acid is a water soluble antioxidant and has some effects on plant resistance against environmental stresses by neutralizing free radicals. Researches showed that ascorbic acid increased plant resistance on various stresses such as salinity and drought. It has been widely used to control the effects of salinity stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ascorbic acid on resistance to salinity stress in bell pepper seedlings.
Materials and Methods
This study was done as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design including ascorbic acid treatment (0, 1, 3 and 5 mM) and salinity stress of sodium chloride (0 and 100 mM) in 3 replications. The seeds of bell pepper Cv. California Wonder were planted in a seedling tray containing cocopeat. After emergence of cotyledons, they were fertilized with complete fertilizer (N20, P20, K20). At the stage of three true leaves the salinity treatment were started. One week before the beginning of salinity treatment, ascorbic acid was sprayed on plants and repeated two more times by seven days interval. Salinity treatment was applied by irigation for three weeks. After producing 5 leaves, a few growth properties (plant fresh and dry weight, root fresh and dry weight, leaf number and leaf area), biochemical characteristics (amounts of total chlorophyll, proline, soluble proteins, ion leakage and malondialdehyde and activity of Catalase an Proxidase enzymes) and amounts of some elements (K, P, Na, Fe, Zn and Cu) were measured.
Results and Discussion
Based on the results, the simple effect of salinity stress, ascorbic acid and the combined effect of them on ion leakage and amounts of malondialdehyde were significant at the level of 1% probability. Salinity stress increased the amounts of ion leakage and malondialdehyde and application of 5 mM ascorbic acid reduced the amount of these traits to 41.01% and 46.58% compared to the control respectively. The effect of salinity stress, ascorbic acid and the combined effect of them on the concentration of proline and chlorophyll in the leaves of bell pepper were significant at the level of 1% probability. Salinity stress increased the amount of proline but decreased chlorophyll and leaf protein of pepper seedlings and application of 5 mM ascorbic acid increased them to 79.42% and 46.57% compare to control respectively. Under salinity stress the uptake of iron, zinc, copper and phosphorus decreased; using of 5 mM ascorbic acid increasing accumulation of these elements in leaves .On the other hand ascorbic asid could decrease the amounts of sodium accumulation in seedling,s leaves. The results showed that, salinity decreased growth indices (number of leaves, leaf surface, fresh weight of roots and plants) and ascorbic acid reduced the effect of salinity stress on growth parameters. Under salinity stress, 5 mM ascorbic acid treatment increased the leaf surface to 36.30% compared to salinity without ascorbic acid tretment. The effects of salinity stress and the combined effect of salinity stress and ascorbic acid on the amount of catalase and peroxidase enzymes were significant at the level of 1% probability. The effect of ascorbic acid was significant for catalase at 5% probability level and peroxidase at 1% probability level. Although salinity increased the amounts of the antioxidant catalase and peroxidase enzymes but ascorbic acid could increased the activity of them in saline condition.
Conclusion
It seems that application of ascorbic acid as an antioxidant could reduce the effects of salinity stress by increasing the activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes, reducing sodium uptake and increasing the uptake of phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc and copper. These could have positive effects on the growth parameters of bell pepper seedlings in salinity conditions. Generally, on based of obtained results, spraying 5 mM Ascorbic acid on bell pepper seedlings modified the resistance of them in salinity stress conditions.
Medicinal Plants
Mansoureh Fadaei; Vahid Akbarpour; Seyyed Javad Mousavizadeh; Kamran Ghasemi
Abstract
Introduction
Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) is a medicinal plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family and the order Cucurbitals. The seeds of this plant are a rich source of essential oils and proteins for the body. It is used in the production of various drugs such as Peponen, Pepostrin, Grunfig and treatment ...
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Introduction
Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) is a medicinal plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family and the order Cucurbitals. The seeds of this plant are a rich source of essential oils and proteins for the body. It is used in the production of various drugs such as Peponen, Pepostrin, Grunfig and treatment of prostate swelling, urinary tract inflammation, atherosclerosis, gastrointestinal regulation, etc. Since the components of medicinal plants are low at natural condition, and could be increased by means of different environmental conditions, nutrition or application of elicitors; thus, it is necessary to work on mentioned parameters effects on quantitative and qualitative attributes of medicinal plants. Recent years, many researches have been done based on natural components for increment of yield and secondary metabolites of medicinal plants. Ascorbic acid is one of these materials which its effect on plant growth has been validated. In the management of agricultural inputs, especially in the cultivation of medicinal plants, the application of substances that have the least harmful side effects on human health and the environment is recommended. Meanwhile, sucrose and ascorbic acid are healthy substances to improve growth and increase crop yield. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of these two substances on yield, yield components and phytochemical characteristics of pumpkins.
Materials and Methods
Pumpkin seeds were prepared from Pakan Bazr Esfahan by purity of 99%. Then, planted in a farm of 500 m2 at Behshar. After plant growth, spray treatments were conducted at three times as before flowering, onset of flowering and fruit set stages. This experiment was conducted in factorial with sucrose factor at four levels (0, 5, 10, 15 g.l-1) and ascorbic acid factor at four levels (0, 15, 30, 45 mM), based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The studied characteristics included number of leaves and fruits, plant yield, 1000-seed weight, total number of seeds, number of healthy seeds, percentage of healthy seeds, number of blank (deaf) seeds, percentage of blank seeds, total chlorophyll, antioxidant activity, phenol, flavonoids, protein and oil percentage. Statistical analysis of data was performed using SAS statistical software and comparison of mean was performed using the least significant difference (LSD) at the level of 5% probability. Figures were graphed with Excel software.
Results and Discussion
According to this study results, the effect of foliar application of sucrose and ascorbic acid and their interaction on most of the studied traits was significant. Application of 15 g.l-1 sucrose with 15 mM ascorbic acid increased the number of fruits to 1.68 per plant, which showed an increase compared to the control treatment. The highest total number of seeds with an average of 464 seeds per fruit was obtained by applying 5 g.l-1 sucrose with 45 mM ascorbic acid, which compared to the control (247.33) recorded an increase of 87.60%. The highest total chlorophyll content was measured with an average of 2.081 (mg.g-1 fresh weight) using 5 g.l-1 sucrose with 15 mM ascorbic acid, which showed an increase of 1.81% compared to the control treatment (2.044). Also, application of 15 g.l-1 sucrose along with 15 mM ascorbic acid increased protein by 40.03%, which showed an increase of 79.26% compared to the control (22.33). Other results indicate that increasing the amount of seed oil up to 44.50% is available with the application of 15 g.l-1 sucrose with 30 mM ascorbic acid and also with the application of 10 g.l-1 sucrose with 45 mM ascorbic acid; which had an increase of 16.61% compared to the control (38.16). The results of the present study showed that the application of combined ratios of sucrose and ascorbic acid has been effective in improving the quantitative and qualitative attributes of pumpkin, including protein content and percentage of pumpkin seed oil.
Conclusion
Since the treatment of sucrose 10 g.l-1 with 45 mM ascorbic acid significantly affected most of important attributes such as total antioxidant activity, total flavonoids, protein content and high oil content, therefore, this combination of treatment can be applied to increase the quality of pumpkin seeds. However, if only quantity is important, the treatment of sucrose 15 g.l-1 with 15 mM ascorbic acid, which caused the highest number of fruits per plant, the highest yield as well as the highest protein, can be recommended.
Pomology
Masumeh Jafari; Ali Akbar Shokouhian; Esmaeil Chamani; Akbar Ghavedal
Abstract
Introduction Iron has a significant effect on the quantity and quality of agriculture products. Factors affecting the absorption of this element increase its efficiency. Meanwhile, the pH of the nutrient solution plays an important role in the absorption of iron. Iron is one of the essential elements ...
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Introduction Iron has a significant effect on the quantity and quality of agriculture products. Factors affecting the absorption of this element increase its efficiency. Meanwhile, the pH of the nutrient solution plays an important role in the absorption of iron. Iron is one of the essential elements for plant growth and plays an essential role in chloroplasts. Due to iron deficiency, the activity of several enzymes such as catalase, cytochrome and oxidase and ferroxin is significantly reduced. The amount of iron in the soil is high, but plants only absorb two-capacity of soluble soil, which is negligible compared to the total iron. Soil environmental conditions affect the amount of iron by the plant, so it is difficult to control the uptake of iron by the plant. It has the highest ability to absorb iron and manganese at pH less than 6. For this reason, acetic acid was used to stabilize the pH of the solution. Acetic Acid is a polar solvent and an organic compound. The use of inexpensive organic acid and citric acid in agriculture, despite its positive effects on calcareous soils and their reasonable price is still not common in Iran. Acetic acid has a carboxylic group and therefore has all the properties of an acid.Materials and methods This experiment was carried out in the form of double split-split plot in a completely randomized block design on a strawberry plant of diamant cultivar in the research station of Mohaghegh Ardabili University during the years 2015- 2017. Factors included Acetic Acid (0, 1, 2 and %3), iron in two levels (Sequestrin 25gr and Nano 1gr) along with two levels of agricultural soap agents (0 and % 7/5) as foliar spraying. Foliar application of pH nutrient solution from the three-leaf stage of plant (mid-April) to the end of May a total of five times 10 days apart in both years. Two weeks after the last foliar application (June of the second year) plant growth indices including, total chlorophyll, number of fruits per plant, fruit pH, total acidity, soluble solids, fruit volume, fruit fresh weight, fruit dry weight, and leaf iron content and fruit yield per plant was measured.Result The results of this study showed that the three-way interaction of foliar application of Acetic Acid with iron with agricultural Soap on the average concentration of leaf iron and number of fruits at the probability level was %5 and in total chlorophyll at the %1 probability level was significant, the best result in the mentioned traits was the combination of treatment of Acetic Acid %2 with Sequestrin iron with soap Moyan (%7/5). The interaction effect of Acetic Acid and iron type on traits of fruit pH, fruit volume, fruit fresh and dry weight at %5 probability level and in yield at %1 probability level were significant. Fruit volume, fruit fresh weight and fruit dry weight and yield showed the best results due to treatment combination of %2 Acetic Acid with Sequestrin iron fertilizer. But for fruit pH trait, the best results were related to the treatment of Acetic Acid %3 on the leave of Sequestrin iron. The Interaction of the iron and agricultural Soap was significant on the amount of soluble solids at %5 probability level and the total acidity strawberries fruit was significant at %1 probability level. In the case of soluble soild and Acidity, Sequestrin iron treatment and agricultural soap had the best results. According to the results of this study, the combination %2 Acetic Acid with of iron fertilizer Sequesterin in combination with agricultural soap Moyan (%7/5) due to the reduction in leaf area tensions improves the obsorption of iron and the quantitative and quality characteristics strawberries.Conclusion Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that Acetic acid %2, has better result on the absorption of iron fertilizer, along with agricultural soap (% 7/5) application than other treatments and qualitative traits of strawberry fruit. In treatment %2 Acetic acid most measured traits such as total chlorophyll, leaf iron, fresh weight, fruit dry weight and yield has shown a significant increase. Acetic acid by reducing the pH of the cell sauce and increasing the activity of the reductase enzyme increase the iron solubility and easily provides the iron to the plant. Due to the pH alkalinity of most soils in Iran, the use of Acetic acid in iron nutrient solution on the absorption of iron Sequestrin in combination with % 7/5 of agricultural soap due to having a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic with %40 to %50 increase in effective of foliar fertilizers. As a result, with more absorption it can be an advanced approach to better absorption of iron by plant and increase the quantity and quality in the product.
Ornamental plants
Mojdeh Osku; Azizollah Khandan Mirkohi; Roohangiz Naderi
Abstract
Introduction The genus Chlorophytum (also known as spider plant) which is mainly cultivated as an ornamental plant for its slash and colored leaves, specifically distributed in the pantropic regions. It is a perennial rhizomatous plant with often short and indistinct rhizomes, while with thicker ...
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Introduction The genus Chlorophytum (also known as spider plant) which is mainly cultivated as an ornamental plant for its slash and colored leaves, specifically distributed in the pantropic regions. It is a perennial rhizomatous plant with often short and indistinct rhizomes, while with thicker or slightly fleshy roots. The roots of these species are considered as one of the important phytochemical components. the use of Chlorophytum comosum as a contaminant accumulator has already been documented in the literature.This plant is a soil conditioner and can absorb lead, cadmium, Se and As while its leaves accumulate mercury. It is also able to absorb toxic organic pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene and is also able to retain CO2. Leaf surface morphology has been shown to affect the ability of a particular plant to retain contaminants. Chlorophytum comosum introduced as a plant that requires high nitrogen. Nitrogen is an essential macro element for the growth and development of plants which involved in many physiological reactions and it is one of the elements that plants need in all their activities. The effect of N form on plant growth depends on plant species and nitrogen level of the soil. Plants absorb both ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) from soil solution, and these two mineral forms are their most important sources of nitrogen to supply the plant demand. Absorption of ammonium by plants requires less energy than absorption of nitrate. It seems that most plants have the best performance in a certain ratio of nitrate to ammonium (NO3-/NH4+ ratio). This ratio seems to regulate the distribution of absorbed nitrogen between the branches and roots. It may also vary between species. The optimal ratio may also depend on the environmental conditions such as pH, light intensity, and root zone temperature. This study was performed to determine the effect of different levels of ammonium nitrate on growth, yield factors and ornamental aspects of the spider plant as a desired ornamental product. The use of ammonium nitrate to meet the houseplants demand considering the supply of both types of nitrogen sources, increases the yield and quality of these plant. However, despite the importance of the nitrogen in the performance of this ornamental plant (Chlorophytum comosum), the desired amount of nitrogen for its growth and quality has not yet been reported. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of ammonium nitrate on the growth and physiological characteristics of spider plant to find the best level of application of ammonium nitrate fertilizer as an easily available source to increase the growth and visual quality of this plant.Materials and Methods This research was conducted based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments and three replications. Treatments include four levels of ammonium nitrate of 100 (control), 200, 400, 600 mg-1 kg of soil. Treatments applied first at the substrate preparation process and then was applied in the one third depth of each pot, monthly. Desired factors such as morphological characteristics (plant height, leaf number, stolon number, fresh weight, dry weight, root fresh weight, root dry weight, root volume, root depth, root length, pot weight, leaf area) and physiological characteristics (total chlorophyll, total protein, texture nitrate and proline) were evaluated. Also soil analysis was performed before starting of the experiment. Statistical analyses of the data for examined traits were performed using SAS software and comparisons of means using Duncan's multiple range test, at 5% probability level.Result and Discussion The results indicated that the application of ammonium nitrate fertilizer significantly improved most of the studied traits. Supplying ammonium nitrate fertilizer at desired level meet the nitrogen demand of Spider plant during the growth and improved production of biomass. The plant height, leaf number, fresh weight, dry weight, root fresh weight, root dry weight, and leaf area were increased by increasing ammonium nitrate level. Nitrogen fertilizers play an important role for increasing plant yield by expanding shoots and producing sufficient carbohydrates. In addition to plant growth, they also affect plant morphology. Maximum amount of protein, nitrate of tissue and total chlorophyll observed in 400 mg-1kg of ammonium nitrate level. Nitrogen is one of the essential elements that plays an important role in the production of chlorophyll and protein, therefore the use of nitrogen fertilizers leads to synthesis of chlorophyll and protein at higher level. The highest amount of proline (11.20 μg-1 mL) was measured at 600 mg-1kg of ammonium nitrate level and the lowest (3.57 μg-1 mL) in the control, because with high consumption of nitrate, the plant needs more water and nitrogen is a structural component of proline. Accumulation of proline helps the plant to survive and recover after drought stress.Conclusion According to the results of our experiment, application of nitrogen fertilizer had a positive effect on growth, and consequently led to increase the plant vegetative yield. Treatment of 400 mg-1kg of ammonium nitrate level increased growth and yield factors and the ornamental aspect of Spider plant as a desired ornamental crop. Application of 400 mg-1kg of ammonium nitrate level are recommended to access an acceptable quantitative and qualitative yield in this plant.
Ornamental plants
Mahnaz Karimi; Fatemeh Salimi; Ali Pakdin Parizi
Abstract
Introduction Plant size control is one of the most important factors in the production of ornamental plants. Plant size can be limited by a variety of methods, including genetic control, environmental conditions, and the use of plant growth retardants. Lily (Lilium sp.) is one of the most important cut ...
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Introduction Plant size control is one of the most important factors in the production of ornamental plants. Plant size can be limited by a variety of methods, including genetic control, environmental conditions, and the use of plant growth retardants. Lily (Lilium sp.) is one of the most important cut flowers with different species and cultivars. Some lilies can grow up to one meter in height. Usually the appropriate height of the stem for pot use is 40-30 cm, which is achieved by using growth regulators. This study aimed to investigate the role of uniconazole and cycocel to control height, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of Lilium.Materials and Methods This study was carried out in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design. Uniconazole (0, 5 and 10 mg L-1) and cycocel (0, 1000 and 1500 mg L-1) were the first factor and application methods of the above compounds (immersion application and foliar application) was the second factor. Disease-free bulbs (with a circumference of 15 cm) Lily (Longifiorum × Asistic cv. Eyeliner) was purchased from Saei Gol Company in Tehran. To apply the immersion treatment, the bulbs were immersed in a solution of cycocel (CCC) and uniconazole (UN) for 7 minutes before planting. Then they were planted in plastic pots. In foliar spraying treatments, the bulbs were first planted in pots and when the stem height reached 10 cm, they were sprayed with CCC and UN. Water was used for control treatment. Leaf number, plant height, total chlorophyll, total phenol, flower diameter, enzyme activity (PPO, GPX or CAT) and time of budding were measured. Analysis of variance was performed using SAS software and mean comparisons were analyzed by the least significant difference test.Results and Discussion The effect of growth retardant, the application method and their interaction was significant on stem height. The shortest plants were observed in foliage application of 10 mg L-1 UN which was not significantly different from the concentration of 10 mg L-1 UN in immersion method. The mechanism of growth retardants is to inhibit the biosynthesis of gibberellins. Therefore, they act as anti-gibberellins to reduce plant height. Uniconazole inhibits the biosynthesis of gibberellins by blocking kaurene oxidase, a P450 enzyme. The largest diameter of lily flowers was observed in immersion application of 1500 mg L-1 CCC however, there was no significant difference between flower diameter of mentioned treatment with immersion method of 1000 mg L-1 CCC and foliar application of 10 mg L-1 UN. Growth retardants increase endogenous cytokinin levels, resulting in increased cell division and improved flower growth and flower diameter. The effect of growth retardant on number of leaves was significant. The highest numbers of leaves were observed in 1000 and 1500 mg L-1 CCC. The effect of growth retardant, the application method and their interaction was significant on chlorophyll and phenol contents. The highest chlorophyll content was observed in immersion application of 10 mg L-1 UN. Growth retardants appear to increase chlorophyll content due to increased cytokines. The results of this study showed an increase in total phenol in plants treated with uniconazole 10 mg L-1. Growth retardants have been reported to increase phenol content by increasing plant resistance to environmental stresses. Catalase enzyme activity was significantly affected by growth retardant. The highest activity of CAT enzyme was related to CCC at 1500 mg L-1. The effect of growth retardant and their interaction was significant on GPX enzyme activity. The highest enzyme activity was obtained in plants sprayed with 1000 mg L-1 CCC. Growth retardants have been reported to increase enzyme activity, causing plant resistance to environmental stresses and delaying lipid peroxidation and membrane degradation.Conclusion Considering that one of the most important goals in the present study was the production of dwarf lilium, it can be said that uniconazole 10 mg L-1 (foliar application and immersion) had a significant effect in controlling stem height compared to other treatments. The effect of this treatment on other traits such as flower diameter, total chlorophyll and total phenol was also significant. The time of budding, leaf number and activity of CAT and GPX enzymes was better in cycocel treatment with a concentration of 1500 mg L-1. Therefore, the use of uniconazole can be recommended for the production of dwarf plants, considering that it works better in two important traits, including controlling stem height and increasing flower diameter. It is also suggested that since the cycocel treatment was effective in increasing enzymatic activity, the effect of this treatment on plant resistance to environmental stresses should be investigated.
Growing vegetables
Zahra Darabi; Fardin Ghanbari; Javad Erfani moghadam
Abstract
Introduction
Low temperature is one of the most important environmental stresses that cause damage to plants and limit the geographical distribution of plant species. Plants of tropical and sub-tropical origin, such as cucumbers, are sensitive to cold stress and severely damaged at low temperatures. ...
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Introduction
Low temperature is one of the most important environmental stresses that cause damage to plants and limit the geographical distribution of plant species. Plants of tropical and sub-tropical origin, such as cucumbers, are sensitive to cold stress and severely damaged at low temperatures. Plants have evolved a set of defense mechanisms to adapt to low temperatures. These mechanisms include the regulation of gene expression and physiological and biochemical changes that increase plant resistance to chilling stress. Cinnamic acid (CA) is one of the most important phenolic acids present in all plants and has antimicrobial properties against fungi and bacteria. The application of this compound in some plants causes oxidative stress and leads to the activation of antioxidant enzymes. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of exogenous cinnamic acid treatment on cold stress tolerance in cucumber seedlings have been investigated.
Materials and Methods
This research was conducted in the greenhouse and laboratory of the Department of Horticultural Sciences of Ilam University in 2019. Cucumber seeds (Super Daminus cultivar) were planted in a 1: 1: 1 ratio of field soil, manure, and sand. In the fully developed two-leaf stage, seedlings produced were sprayed using cinnamic acid (at concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 200 μM). Foliar spraying treatments were applied at the mentioned concentrations until the surface of the leaves was completely wet. 24 hours after foliar application, all plants were exposed to cold stress at 3 ° C for 6 hours in six consecutive days. After applying the cold treatment, the seedlings were transferred to the greenhouse and 72 hours later, the traits were measured.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that exogenous CA application increased the growth characteristics of cucumber seedlings subjected to chilling stress. Improving the growth and development of plants under stress conditions by cinnamic acid treatment has been reported in other studies, which is consistent with the results of the present study. It has been reported that cinnamic acid treatment, by causing oxidative shock in plants, leads to plant defensive responses to stress conditions, and through this, plants can better withstand stress conditions. These defense responses include increasing compatible solutions and improving the antioxidant system. In the present study, the use of cinnamic acid treatment increased proline, chlorophyll, and total phenol and reduced of membrane lipid peroxidation, and these changes led to a decrease in the apparent effects of cold on cucumber seedlings.
The use of chemicals that can mitigate the effects of cold on the plant can also help maintain plant growth under cold stress. In the present study, the application of cinnamic acid improved the growth of cucumber seedlings under cold stress conditions. Cinnamic acid pretreatment by inducing antioxidant compounds reduced the effects of cold on cucumber seedlings and improved plant growth in chilling conditions. Also, cinnamic acid treatment increased the growth of pepper plants under salinity stress, cucumber under drought stress, and wheat under drought conditions, which is consistent with the results of the present study. Therefore, it can be said that cinnamic acid improves plant growth under stress by changing physiological and biochemical processes. The results showed that the application of cinnamic acid improved the growth of cucumber seedlings under chilling stress conditions. Cinnamic acid pretreatment caused a significant increase in relative water content (25 to 32%), chlorophyll (108 to 125%), proline (152 to 244%), and total phenol (31%) compared to the control, therefore improving the adaptabilities of cucumber seedlings to chilling stress. The application of cinnamic acid also reduced the damage to cell membranes. The electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde accumulation of cinnamic acid-treated seedlings were lower than that of control seedlings.
Conclusion
In general, the results of this study showed that the application of cinnamic acid reduced the effects of cold stress on cucumber seedlings. These results were associated with increased proline, chlorophyll, phenol and relative water content, in this way, the rate of ion leakage and accumulation of malondialdehyde in cucumber seedlings were reduced under cold stress. In general, the results showed that cinnamic acid treatment (especially concentration of 200 μM) can effectively reduce the effects of chilling on cucumber seedlings and improve their growth under cold stress.
Medicinal Plants
Khadijeh Ahmadi; Heshmat Omidi; Majid Amini; Elyas Soltani
Abstract
Introduction
Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff is a native species of Iran which is a rare and endangered species. It grows as a wild in cold and mountainous bioclimatic and is used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases such as cardiovascular disease, gastric ulcer, respiratory and intestinal ...
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Introduction
Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff is a native species of Iran which is a rare and endangered species. It grows as a wild in cold and mountainous bioclimatic and is used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases such as cardiovascular disease, gastric ulcer, respiratory and intestinal inflammation. The change of status from dormancy to germination can be eliminated by using some treatments in accordance with the natural conditions of the mother base habitat. However, some physiological needs of dormant seeds can be met by scratching (mechanical and chemical), washing in running water, dry storage, cold and humid conditions, light, smoke, and plant growth regulators. The aim of this study was to investigate different strategies including pretreatment, leaching and constant germination temperature on seed germination characteristics and Kelussia seedling growth.
Materials and Methods
The experiment was conducted in Petri dishes at Seed Technology Laboratory of Agricultural Sciences Faculty of Shahed University. K. odoratissima Mozaff seeds were collected from their natural habitat in Fereydounshahr, Isfahan province in 2019.
This study was performed in the Crop Physiology and Seed Technology Laboratories of Shahed University, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, from 23.09.2019 to 22.11.2019. The cultivation was in Petridish at constant germination temperatures after priming and leaching. The experiment was performed as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications. Each replication included 36 Petridish and 20 Kelussia seeds were planted in each petri dish. Experimental factors include constant germination temperatures (1, 5, 10 and 15°C), duration of rinsing with running water at 15°C (24, 48 and 72 h) and hormone pretreatment with gibberellin (0, 250 and 500 ppm). Before applying the hormonal pretreatment and temperature, the seeds were washed in running water in such a way that seeds were placed in a strainer that was not immersed and water flowed on the seeds for the specified periods of time for this treatment. In this case, germination inhibitors were washed from the seed surface. According to the test period and laboratory conditions, the laboratory temperature could be controlled at 15 °C with a thermometer and cooling devices. Then, for hormonal pretreatment, the seeds were placed in containers containing gibberellin solution with concentrations of 0, 250 and 500 ppm and refrigerated at 4°C for 72 h. After washing the seeds, 20 seeds were placed in Petridish with a diameter of 10 cm and a height of 2 cm on Whatman filter paper No. 1 and at temperatures of 1, 5, 10 and 15°C with 16 h of light and 8 h of darkness passed. Due to the fact that germination in seeds grown at this temperature at 15°C was zero in all treatment compositions, it was excluded from statistical analysis. To analyze the data variance, the SAS 9.1 statistical software was used. The comparison of means of traits was performed using the Duncan test at 5% probability level.
Results and Discussion
Germination traits, growth indices and physiological parameters of seedling photosynthetic pigments under the influence of leaching, temperature, gibberellin and the interactions of leaching in temperature, leaching in gibberellin, temperature in gibberellin and the combination of leaching treatment × temperature × gibberellin showed significant differences. The results showed that the optimum germination temperature was 1°C and about 54% of seeds were able to germinate at this temperature without using any pretreatment. However, pretreatment of seeds at a temperature of 1°C with gibberellin at 250 ppm and washing for 72 h increased the germination rate to 65%. It has also been shown that treatment with gibberellin at 250 ppm seedling length and gibberellin at 500 ppm improves seedling fresh and dry weight in three leaching treatments at 10°C. Chlorophyll and carotenoid content of seedlings was observed in the combination of 24 hours leaching treatment, temperature of 5°C and gibberellin priming of 500 ppm. Due to the wide variety of species of Apiaceae and also the variety of type and depth of sleep, various treatments to break dormancy and stimulate seed germination of plants of this genus have been proposed, the most important of which are wet and gibberellin. It should be noted that the germination ecology and appropriate treatments to break dormancy in different plant species, plants of the same family, same species and different ecotypes of the same species can be completely different.
Conclusion
According to the results of this study, seed treatment with 72 hours of cold water washing, 1°C and gibberellin pretreatment with a concentration of 250 ppm was able to show the highest germination percentage to achieve High germination is recommended. In addition, at 5°C under gibberellin pretreatment and leaching showed a relatively high germination percentage. Accordingly, gibberellin hormonal pretreatment at low temperatures was effective in achieving more germination under priming conditions. Is. On the other hand, a concentration of 500 ppm gibberellin increased seedling weight and photosynthetic pigments. In general, a temperature of 1°C followed by a temperature of 5°C was effective in increasing the germination of celery seeds and was able to record better results. Also, the suitable seedling growth temperature for mountain celery is 10°C and the application of Gibberellin hormonal pretreatment improved the growth characteristics of Kelussia seedlings.
Pomology
Shima Sorori; Ahmad Asgharzade; Ali Marjani; Malihe Samadi
Abstract
Introduction Drought is one of the most important environmental stresses. It limits crop production in the world and has adverse impacts on growth of plants and their metabolic processes. By changing some of the metabolic processes, drought stress changes the behaviour of plants and, eventually, ...
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Introduction Drought is one of the most important environmental stresses. It limits crop production in the world and has adverse impacts on growth of plants and their metabolic processes. By changing some of the metabolic processes, drought stress changes the behaviour of plants and, eventually, makes them resistant to some stresses. Given the water crisis in Iran, and since most of the available water is used in the agriculture sector, there is a need to change the current cropping pattern. The substitution of low-water-use for high-water-use plants could be an important water management strategy. Every physiological and biochemical factor involved in water conservation in plants is an effective factor in introducing tolerant varieties.Materials and MethodsThe required chemicals ( 80% acetone, 95% ethanol, ninhydrin, glacial acetic acid, benzene, proline, pure glucose, anthrone, sulfuric acid, potassium phosphate, polyvinylpyrrolidone [PVP], EDTA, hydrogen peroxide and guaiacol) were purchased from the Merck Company. This study was carried out in the spring and summer of 2019 in the Research Greenhouse of Islamic Azad University of Bojnourd. The rooted cuttings of 18 dominant grape varieties in the region (Kolahdari, KajAngoor, Fakhri, sefid Beryan, Divaneh, Sahebi, La’l, Siyah, Shiregi, Garmeh, Khalili, SanjariKajAngoor, Keshmeshi, Ghareghat, Maskeh, Asgari, Flame Seedless and White Seedless) were planted in plastic pots with a diameter of 35 cm and a height of 40 cm. The soil was a mixture of blown sand, leaf litter, and garden soil in the 1:1:1 ratio. Before the experiment, all pots were irrigated to reach field capacity.The factorial experiment was conducted using completely randomized design with three replications. The first factor was irrigation cessation (15-day drought stress) and control (irrigation to field capacity level). The second factor was variety (18 varieties).To apply the stress condition, irrigation cessation continued until leaf wilting signs were appeared. Based on previous experience, the duration of tolerance to drought stress was approximately 2 weeks. During the experiment, the minimum and maximum greenhouse temperatures were, respectively, 18.5 °C and 34 °C and natural light was used.Results and Discussion The results of analysis variance showed that drought stress significantly increased the amount of electrolyte leakage (6.29), and activities of peroxidase (0.056 katal per ml) and catalase (0.92 katal per ml). It also decreased leaf relative water content (61.95%), relative chlorophyll content (16.85) and contents of chlorophyll a (3.45 mg/g), chlorophyll b (1.12 mg/g) and carotenoids (2.84 mg/g).Grape varieties respond differently to drought stress and, in general, water scarcity reduces their leaf RWC and chlorophyll contents. According to Schutz and Fangmier (2001), a decrease in chlorophyll content under stress conditions is because of an increase in the production of oxygen radicals in the cell. These free radicals can cause peroxidation and decomposition of the pigments. The intensity and greenness of the leaves reduce with decreasing the chlorophyll concentration and accelerating the process of aging.Reduced greenness of the leaves under long-term stress conditions may be partially due to reduced nitrogen flow into the tissues and changing activities of such enzymes as nitrate reductase. Since nitrogen is a constituent of a chlorophyll molecule, its deficiency in plants may slow down the formation of chlorophyll. Lawlor and Cornic (2002) showed the effectiveness of carotenoid, as an auxiliary pigment, in protecting thylakoid membranes and preventing chlorophyll photo-oxidation. Drought stress increases the activity of the peroxidase and catalase enzymes in both drought-sensitive and -resistant varieties; however, the activity of antioxidative enzymes is significantly higher in the stress-resistant varieties.The studied cultivars were divided into the three groups include of tolerant (White Seedless, Garmeh, Maskeh, Flame Seedless, Fakhri, Khalili and Divaneh), semi-susceptible (Kolahdari, Sefid Beryan, Sahebi, Laal, Shiregi, Kaj Angoor Sanjari and Asgari) and sensitive (Siah, Ghare-Ghat, Kaj Angoor Sanjari and Keshmeshi) cultivars to drought stress. Among the studied cultivars, White Seedless had the highest levels of relative leaf water (77.81%), relative chlorophyll content (28.62), carotenoids (4.81 mg/g) and the lowest amount of electrolyte leakage (31.5) and Garmeh the highest chlorophyll a (6.64 mg/g) and chlorophyll b (2.12 mg/g) contents and peroxidase (0.0618 katal per ml) and catalase activities (0.959 katal per ml).Conclusion The grape plant adaptation to drought stress is the result of changes in many morphological, physiological, and biochemical mechanisms, which cause changes in the rate of electrolyte leakage, leaf RWC, proline content, soluble solids, speed of photosynthesis, enzymatic activities, etc. The results showed that the white seedless variety had the highest leaf RWC, relative chlorophyll content, carotenoid content, and the lowest electrolyte leakage. Besides, Garmeh variety with the highest chlorophyll a and b, peroxidase, and catalase contents is amongst the most resistant varieties.
Growing vegetables
Mohammad Hossein Aminifard; Mahboobeh Askarian; Mehdi Jahani; Mehdi Khayyat
Abstract
Introduction
Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an annual and herbaceous plant of the family of Lamiaceae. It is used as an antispasmodic, appetizer, carminative, diuretic, lactation aid, and sedative in traditional medicine. In general, basil is rich in phenols and flavonoids. Organic and chemical ...
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Introduction
Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an annual and herbaceous plant of the family of Lamiaceae. It is used as an antispasmodic, appetizer, carminative, diuretic, lactation aid, and sedative in traditional medicine. In general, basil is rich in phenols and flavonoids. Organic and chemical fertilizers are necessary for each other and both types of fertilizers are needed to create favorable conditions to improve biochemical traits. Overuse of chemical fertilizers has caused several problems in agriculture including changes in the soil structure, contamination of underground waters, and heavy metal toxicity. Agricultural scientists suggest replacing chemical fertilizers with organic products to reduce negative effects on environment and soil properties. In recent years, neglecting the importance of organic matters to improve soil fertility has led to an increase in chemical fertilizer use in Iran. Organic matters due to their positive effects on soil are identified as one of the important pillars of soil productivity. However, more than 60 percent of agricultural soils in Iran contain less than one percent of organic matter. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of vermicompost and copper sulfate on biochemical parameters and the antioxidant activity of basil.
Materials and Methods
To investigate the effect of vermicompost and copper sulfate on the biochemical characteristics of Basil's medicinal plant, a factorial experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with a field experiment at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand. The factors included vermicompost in three levels (0, 5, and 10 t.ha-1) and copper sulfate in three levels (0, 3, and 6 per thousand) with three replications. After applying the treatments and after the plants entered the flowering stage, ten plants from each plot were randomly selected taking into account the marginal effects and then samples of the developed leaves of 10 plants were randomly prepared and the biochemical traits of basil were measured. Measured traits included photosynthetic pigments, antioxidants, phenols, anthocyanins, flavonoids, total sugar, and biological function. Statistical analysis of data was performed using SAS statistical software.
Results and Discussion
The results of the mean comparison showed that vermicompost had a significant effect on chlorophyll content, antioxidant activity, anthocyanin, flavonoids, sugar, and biological function of basil so that the highest amount of flavonoids (3.26 mg.g-1) with the application of 10 t.ha-1 of vermicompost and the lowest Its amount (2.65 mg.g-1) was obtained from the control. Treatment of 10 t.ha-1 of vermicompost increased plant sugar by 37.05% compared to the control. Copper sulfate also affected chlorophyll a and total, antioxidant activity, phenol, anthocyanin content, sugar, and biological function, so that the highest activity of phenol and sugar (15.29 and 12.99 mg.g-1, respectively) of the treatment of 3 per thousand Copper sulfate and its lowest levels (10.98 and 9.19 mg.g-1, respectively) were obtained from the control. The results of interactions also showed the highest levels of chlorophyll a (1.62 mg.g-1), chlorophyll b (2.57 mg.g-1), total chlorophyll (4.19 mg.g-1), antioxidant activity (92.57%), and anthocyanins (3.03 mg.g-1) was obtained by applying 10 tons per hectare of vermicompost and 3 per thousand of copper sulfate. Furthermore, the highest increase in biological function (20968.3 kg.ha-1) with the application of 5 t.ha-1 of vermicompost and 6 per thousand copper and the lowest (16596.7 kg.ha-1) was related to the control.
Conclusion
In general, the results indicated a positive effect of vermicompost and copper sulfate on Basil's biochemical characteristics. Therefore, vermicompost (10 t.ha-1) of and copper sulfate (3 per thousand) treatments can be suggested as a suitable treatment. From the present study, it can be concluded that the combined application of organic fertilizers with chemical fertilizers has a useful and effective role in improving photosynthetic pigments, antioxidants, anthocyanins, and the biological function of basil. In the discussion of basil production as a medicinal and vegetable plant, the best results in terms of crop production were related to the combined treatments of organic and chemical fertilizers, because these treatments have increased the production relative to organic treatments alone.
Postharvest physiology
Vahid Anisi; Yahya Selahvarzi; Maryam Kamali; Bahram Abedi
Abstract
Introduction
Cucumber is a vegetable with a low capacity for storage; it usually loses quality 14 days from the beginning of storage. The benefits of cold storage are not the same for all the fruit or vegetables, some given vegetables are more suitable for cold storage than others. However, pre-cooling ...
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Introduction
Cucumber is a vegetable with a low capacity for storage; it usually loses quality 14 days from the beginning of storage. The benefits of cold storage are not the same for all the fruit or vegetables, some given vegetables are more suitable for cold storage than others. However, pre-cooling is always advisable, because the products takes profit from the benefits of low temperatures in cold storage rooms. Due to the short shelf life of cucumber and the high speed of reducing its quality, various methods are used to maintain the quality of cucumber, such as edible coatings. Propolis, also called “bee-glue,” is a natural resinous substance produced by honeybees from plant exudates, beeswax, and bee secretions in order to defend the hives. Propolis has an important role in prevention of food loss weight and waste, thus helping to ensure food safety and security. The concoction of aqueous propolis extracts has a lower cost as compared to hydroalcoholic extracts and it is believable that both, aqueous and hydro alcoholic extracts, present similar concentrations of phenolic compounds resulting in a product of appropriate functional characteristics. Herein, the biochemical composition and efficacy of propolis in maintaining the postharvest storability of food products were discussed to provide a comprehensive guide to farmers and food processing and storage sectors and to scientists.
Materials and Methods
In order to investigate the effect of two factors of hydro cooling and propolis as an edible coating on cucumber shelf life, this study was conducted in the spring and summer of 2019 in the laboratories of horticultural sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The factorial experiment was based on a completely randomized design. Experimental treatments included three levels of propolis alcoholic extract (0, 4 and 8%) and two temperature treatments (4 (hydro cooling temperature) and 25 ° C) in 4 replications.
Weight loss, tissue firmness, extract pH, total soluble solids, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, total phenol and antioxidant activity were measured. The experimental data were analyzed using Jump-8 statistical software and the means of treatments were compared by LSD test at 5% probability level.
Results and Discussion
Results showed that the interaction of treatments had an effect on fruit weight loss percentage, firmness, and antioxidant activity, chlorophyll and total soluble solids. Thus, the highest percentage of fruit weight loss was observed in the control treatment (without propolis) in 4°C (5.02%). Foliar application of fruits led to an increase in firmness of fruit tissue with propolis in both concentrations of 4 and 8% compared to the control treatment (no foliar application with propolis) in both temperature treatments. The highest total chlorophyll content was in 8% propolis treatments + temperature of 24 °C (8.96 mg / gfw), treatment of 8% propolis + temperature of 4 °C (8.68 mg/gfw) and treatment of 4% propolis + temperature of 4 oC (7.93 mg/gfw) significantly. In addition, antioxidant activity increased in the treatments of 4 °C+ foliar application with propolis 4 and 8%. In general, although fruits treated with 24 ° C showed more weight loss than 4 °C, the use of both concentrations of propolis improved the above trait, reducing the amount of fruit phenol and tissue firmness and other biochemical traits. Studies have shown that the chemical composition of the propolis samples which a certain breed of bees (Apis mellifera intermissa) made have 17 different chemical compounds. They noted that the main phenolic compound was caffeic acid (0.85 mg·g−1 EAP) and the main flavonol compound was pinocembrin (0.82 mg·g−1 EAP). Significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences were observed in dragon fruit quality when treated with different concentrations of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) (0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.0%) and stored at 20 ± 2 °C and 80 ± 5% relative humidity (RH) for 20 days, which matched our results. Passos et al. (2016) reported test panel did not detect significant differences amongst coated and not coated cv. Prata bananas up to six days of storage. Propolis extracts.
Conclusion
In addition to a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, contain hydrophobic composites that assist in ameliorating attributes as biodegradable films on fruits.
Ornamental plants
Maryam Hojatipour; Moazam Hassanpour Asil
Abstract
Introduction
Lilium flower is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant, belonging to the Liliaceae family. Position of lilies as the fourth best-seller cut flower in the world, as well as the increasing trend of demand for this flower in the global market, indicates the importance of improving the ...
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Introduction
Lilium flower is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant, belonging to the Liliaceae family. Position of lilies as the fourth best-seller cut flower in the world, as well as the increasing trend of demand for this flower in the global market, indicates the importance of improving the quality and solving the sustainability issues of this flower. Gibberellins are one of the most important endogenous plant hormones involved in controlling plant dormancy. Gibberellin is a plant growth regulator that stimulates physiological responses in plants by affecting photosynthesis. Polyamines, including putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, are a group of plant growth regulators that have effects such as increasing cell division, biosynthesis of enzymes, regulating various developmental stages such as differentiation.
Materials and Methods
This study was performed to investigate the effect of gibberellic acid and putrescine on growth, flowering and vase life of Lilium cut flowers. Experiment was performed as factorial based on completely randomized design, included 16 treatments with 3 replications and 2 pots in each replication. The culture medium containing mold leaf soil, sand and perlite (1:1:1) and was prepared by disinfection with fungicide. The first treatment consisted of concentrations of 150, 300 and 450 mg/L gibberellic acid and onions were pre-treated by immersing for 24 hours. The second treatment consisted of concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 2 mM putrescine which was sprayed at the beginning of budding and continued every two weeks until the first bud flower coloring. Growth period conditions in green house were controlled. In this study, different parameters such as bud number, flowering stem length, fresh weight of cut flowers, relative fresh weight of cut flowers, water uptake of cut flowers, vase life, leaf chlorophylls a, b and total, petal carotenoid, percentage of petal cell membrane stability and total soluble solids of petals were examined.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that the application of gibberellic acid and putrescine improved the number of buds and increased cell membrane stability. Actually, gibberellic acid preserves the cell membrane by preventing the breakdown of proteins and increasing the pH, thus increasing the vase life. Also Putrescine protects cell membranes by removing free radicals. It is also known that gibberellic acid used at all levels in the experiment increased the height of the flower stem due to its role in cell division and elongation. Study of the flower stem water content and cut flower fresh weight, which are factors for longer vase life, showed that gibberellic acid increases the plant's ability to absorb water and increases these two traits. So that the highest cut flower fresh weight with 13 g difference compared to the control level belonged to the treatment level of 450 mg/L gibberellic acid. Also putrescine reduces plant water loss by increasing membrane permeability to calcium and increases the flower stem water content and cut flower fresh weight, which increases vase life. Also, gibberellic acid by creating water potential in the cell and putrescine by strengthening water relations and preventing blockage of water vessels increased the relative water uptake of cut flower. Thus, the greatest effect was observed on the third day post-harvest and the highest amount (2.47 ml. g-1 FW) on the third day belonged to the highest level of both treatments. Results also showed that all the levels of putrescine increased TSS due to its effect on the synthesis of sugars and carbohydrates in compared to control. The results showed that application of gibberellic acid and putrescine respectively at 300 mg/L and 2 mM, significantly increased the vase life compared to the control. The best vase life (15 days) occurred at 300 mg/L gibberellic acid and 2 mM putrescine. Although gibberellic acid increased growth and flowering of Lilium, but putrescine effectiveness on vase life of cut flower was more evident. The highest amount of leaf total chlorophyll (0.514 mg. g-1 FW) belonged to the treatment of 450 mg/L gibberellic acid and 2 mM putrescine and the lowest amount of leaf total chlorophyll (0.085 mg. g-1 FW) belonged to both treatments were at the control level. Also, in the study of petal carotenoid content, the highest amount belonged to the treatment of 450 mg/L gibberellic acid and 2 mM putrescine.
Conclusion
According to the results obtained from the present research, it can be concluded that use of gibberellic acid and putrescine had great effects on most of traits in compared to control treatment. The use of putrescine and gibberellic acid improves the flowering and vase life conditions by increasing water uptake and consequently increasing the relative fresh weight.
Pomology
Ali Akbar Shokouhian; Somayeh Mohammadi Shevir; Shahriyar Einizadeh
Abstract
Background and Objectives
Fulvic acid has a relatively low molecular weight and contains a large number of oxygen and carbon-rich functional groups. Many of the beneficial effects of fulvic acid spray include stimulating plant metabolism, increasing the activity of transaminase and invertase enzymes, ...
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Background and Objectives
Fulvic acid has a relatively low molecular weight and contains a large number of oxygen and carbon-rich functional groups. Many of the beneficial effects of fulvic acid spray include stimulating plant metabolism, increasing the activity of transaminase and invertase enzymes, increasing bioavailability and nutrient uptake, as well as increasing crop growth and yield. Fulvic acid spraying solution helps to transfer minerals to metabolic sites within plant cells. Fulvic acid at certain stages of plant growth can be used as a major method to maximize plant production capacity. Due to the fact that calcium transfer is difficult, although the soil is rich in this element, so its foliar application is recommended. In addition, calcium deficiency leads to a decrease in root growth and leaf loss, but also leads to the production of poor quality fruits. Therefore, this study was carried out with the aim of investigating the use of fulvic acid and calcium as a spraying solution on growth and yield of Quince ‘Haj Agha Kishi’.
Materials and Methods
In order to investigate the effects of fulvic acid concentration and chelated calcium on quality and quantity of fruit indices of Quince ‘Haj Agha Kishi’ an experiment was conducted during 2017-2018 in kosar city, Ardabil province. The experiment was performed as a factorial in based on the randomized complete block design with four levels of fulvic acid application with concentrations of 0, 1, 2 and 3 per thousand and three levels of application of chelated calcium with concentrations of 0, 1.5 and 3 per thousand in three replications. The treatments were applied to six-year-old seedlings. The treatments were applied on the trees as a spray solution and applied three times: after fruit set, one and two months after fruit set. In this study, leaf chlorophyll content index was measured by Arnon method. The leaf area of the plant was measured with a level gauge, model AM300, In this study 10 leaves were randomly selected from each tree branch, the average leaf area was multiplied by the number of main and secondary branches, and the leaf area of each treatment was recorded as average. In order to determine the length, diameter and average weight of fruit, ten fruits were randomly harvested from treated trees, then the diameter and length of the fruits were measured with a caliper with an accuracy of 0.01 mm. Also, the weight of the fruits was determined with a scale of model GF800, made in Japan with an accuracy of 0.01 grams. Yield was calculated by measuring the total weight of the crop in each tree. Statistical analysis of data was performed using SAS 9.2 statistical software. Means were compared based on LSD lest at 1 or 5% and charts were drawn using EXCEL 2013 software.
Results
The results of data analysis of variance showed that the effects of chelated calcium and fulvic acid on leaf area, length, diameter, wet weight and fruit yield were significant (P<0.01). Based on the results, fulvic acid had a significant (P<0.05) effect on chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll content of leaf. The interaction of calcium ×fulvic acid treatments had a significant (P<0.01) effect on leaf area and fruit length. The highest total chlorophyll content of 1.20 mg.g-1 was obtained by using 3 per thousand concentration of fulvic acid and the lowest rate was 0.79 mg.g-1 in the control. The highest (5481.69 mm2) leaf area was obtained with the simultaneous use of 3 per thousand concentration of chelated calcium and 3 per thousand concentration of fulvic acid, which was significantly different from other levels. The lowest leaf area was also observed in control. Comparison of the means showed that the treatments of 3 per thousand concentration chelated calcium and 3 per thousand concentration of fulvic acid had the highest fruit yield with 167.63 and 135.30 kg, respectively. The lowest yield was recorded for control trees.
Conclusion
Increasing yield and quality is the most important goal in agricultural production. Due to the fact that biostimulants do not have adverse effects on soil and water. In order to maintain sustainable production should be used in the production program. Folic acid, as a biostimulant, improves plant metabolism and facilitates the absorption of elements. According to the findings of this study, application of fulvic acid and chelated calcium at 3 per thousand concentrations is recommended for Quince ‘Haj Agha Kishi’ to improve leaf efficiency and fruit yield.
Medicinal Plants
Hawari Kiani; Yousef Sohrabi
Abstract
Introduction: In fact, drought is stress that restricts the plant photosynthesis and also it causes of chlorophyll content changes and damage to photosynthetic structures. One of the important reasons that environmental stresses such as drought reduce the growth and photosynthesis ability of the plant ...
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Introduction: In fact, drought is stress that restricts the plant photosynthesis and also it causes of chlorophyll content changes and damage to photosynthetic structures. One of the important reasons that environmental stresses such as drought reduce the growth and photosynthesis ability of the plant is a disturbance in the balance between production and removal of free oxygen radicals. Transpiration is a necessary process for photosynthesis and growth of plants but depending on the conditions that may be harmful in some cases. Therefore, the use of anti-transpirant can be one of the most effective methods for reducing the amount of water lost through transpiration and adjustment the reduction of the yield due to water deficiency in arid and semi-arid regions. Climate change happened on earth and the intensification of stresses caused by it, especially drought stress in arid and semi-arid regions such as Iran. Therefore, finding strategies that can reduce the effects of water shortages on plant growth and yield can be very important. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of irrigation regimes and application of different concentrations of tragacanth (naturally dried exudate from some Astragalus species) on black cumin plant. Materials and Methods: This research was carried out in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replications in a greenhouse of the Agriculture College of Kurdistan University in 2018. The experimental factors were including irrigation at three levels of 100% (full irrigation), 70% (mild drought stress), and 40% (severe drought stress) of field capacity of soil and spraying with tragacanth extract at six concentrations of 0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 g/L. Spraying of this material was done using a back sprayer (Shark model) with a constant pressure of 2.4 bar and a volume of 250 liters of water per hectare., The normality test was performed using the Mini Tab software, before the data were analyzed. After ensuring the normality of data, analysis of variance was performed using SAS ver. 9.3. LSD (Least significant difference) was used to compare the mean of treatments. The graphs are drawn using Excel software. Results and Discussion: The results showed that increased drought stress intensity (irrigation reduction) led to the reduced leaf relative water content, Total chlorophyll content, efficiency of photosystem II, plant height, number of capsules per plant, mean number of seeds per plant, biological yield and grain yield. The positive effects of tragacanth consumption on reducing and modifying the effects of drought stress on different levels of irrigation and different concentrations of tragacanth were different. In the present study, under full irrigation conditions, lower concentrations of tragacanth were useful, while in drought stress conditions, higher concentrations of tragacanth (except 10 g/L) were useful. In full irrigation, the concentration of 1.25 g/L was positive for all studied traits. In mild drought stress, the use of higher concentrations of tragacanth up to 5 g/L had the best effect and more concentrations resulted in a reverse effect on studied traits. In severe drought stress, the use of more concentrations of tragacanth extract was beneficial and improved the studied traits up to 7.5 g/L, but 10 g/L had a negative effect on these traits.Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the different effects of various concentrations of tragacanth material in different levels of irrigation on studied traits of black cumin. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of different concentrations of tragacanth gum was completely dependent on the plant's water status. Therefore, using higher concentrations of tragacanth gum in drought stress conditions had a more positive effect on the plant, and vice versa, using a lower concentration of this material was useful in full irrigation. The effect of tragacanth gum on reducing and modifying the effects of drought stress in different plants requires further studies and extensive research. Tragacanth gum can be introduced as a new anti-transpirant agent with natural origin and its application can be useful and recommended in areas exposed to drought stress.
Mohammad Sadat Farizani; Hamid Reza Khazaee; Ali Gazanchian
Abstract
Introduction: Beautification of urban space and creating attractive face for cities by development of green space has caused to capita of urban green space be introduced as an important factor in urban development. Meanwhile, the important role of cover plants, especially turf grass, in creating green ...
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Introduction: Beautification of urban space and creating attractive face for cities by development of green space has caused to capita of urban green space be introduced as an important factor in urban development. Meanwhile, the important role of cover plants, especially turf grass, in creating green spaces has caused to add quickly the area of these beautiful plants in the cities. Nevertheless, existence of plants with high water requirements between the turf grasses, have created limitations in terms of water requirements supply. The grass planted in the country is mainly from imported seed types that are not so compatible with dry and semi-arid conditions in our country and from this point of view, sometimes they create limitations in terms of water supply. One of the native grasses in the country, is Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinaceous), which is a variety of cool-season, perennial and herbaceous grasses. One of the strategies to preserve grass under drought stress is improving soil structure with the aim of increasing the moisture. Organic compounds that improve soil physical and biological conditions (such as municipal waste compost and manure) can be effective. Using compost improves soil structure and strengthens soil mineral content and allows soil to retain moisture for longer. Because compost can hold water about two to six times its volume and prevent it from being wasted. Compost in heavy soils, improves soil porosity and makes the soil better ventilation elderly. In light soils, it acts like a sponge and by keeping water and food safe, it will greatly prevent them from being washed. Therefore, present research was done to evaluate the effect of mixing different amounts of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) compost with soil on some physiological properties of Tall Fescue native grass under moisture stress conditions.
Materials and Methods: This research was conducted in the form of two experiments in research greenhouse of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The first experiment with aim of evaluating percentage and rate of grass emergence was conducted in a completely randomized design with four replications that the experimental treatments consisted of ten different levels of compost mixing with soil (10 up to 100 t.ha-1) and control treatment (agronomic soil without mixing compost). In the second experiment, three values of 70, 80 and 90 tons of compost per hectare plus control (no compost consumption) as the first factor and three levels of moisture stress of 25, 50 and 100 percent of field capacity as intense stress, mild stress and without stress, respectively as the second factor that were compared in factorial by a completely randomized design with four replications.
Results and Discussion: The results of the first experiment showed that the amounts of 70, 80 and 90 tons per hectare increased significantly the percentage and rate of grass emergence due to increased fertility and higher water holding capacity and in these treatments, the positive effect of rising water holding capacity has been dominated on negative effect of electrical conductivity of the soil and this topic has led to an improvement in the percentage of grass emergence in these treatments. Furthermore, in the amounts of 70, 80 and 90 tons of compost per hectare, the bulk density of soil significantly decreased and the C/N ratio dramatically increased. In the second experiment, with increasing drought stress in different amounts of compost, the total chlorophyll content decreased and relative water content of plant, proline and electrolyte leakage increased. In the compost treatment of 90 tons per hectare, due to its high ability to store water, the cell membrane integrity was more preserved and it was done less understanding of stress. The shoot dry weight decreased significantly as a result of increasing the severity of drought stress.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, application of 90 tons of compost per hectare significantly improved some of physiological traits for Tall Fescue grass in drought stress conditions. Also, it seems that Tall Fescue grass cleverly has tried to deal with drought stress with target of increase the amount of moisture available for itself. Therefore, using 90 tons of compost per hectare for Tall Fescue grass in low water conditions and occurrence of moisture stresses is recommended.
Pomology
Asiyeh Safari; Akram Fatemi; Mohsen Saeedi; Zahra Kolahchi
Abstract
Introduction: the lack of water resources in arid and semi-arid regions is one of the most important limiting factors of the growth of plants, especially fruit trees. Grapevines are one of the most important horticultural products in the world as well as in Iran. The water content of plant tissues, their ...
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Introduction: the lack of water resources in arid and semi-arid regions is one of the most important limiting factors of the growth of plants, especially fruit trees. Grapevines are one of the most important horticultural products in the world as well as in Iran. The water content of plant tissues, their growth, and the availability of different nutrients in the soil are significantly reduced under water stress conditions. Therefore, the successful production of the plant under water stress conditions depends on the management of plant nutrition. By application of organic and chemical fertilizers, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil can be improved. Besides, it can reduce the adverse effects of drought stress conditions.
Materials and Methods: To evaluate the effect of compost, biochar, and potassium sulfate application on dry matter, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoid contents, as well as the concentration of macro-and micronutrients of leaves of grapevines ‘Bidane-Ghermez’ under two drought stress conditions, this experiment, was conducted in the research greenhouse during 2017-2018. The experiment was carried out as a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two factors and four replications. The first factor, without drought stress conditions (80% field capacity (FC)), and drought stress conditions (40% FC), and fertilizer treatments included potassium sulfate (1.25 g.kg-1), compost (5 % w/w), and biochar (10% w/w).
Results and Discussion: The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the interaction effect of drought stress ×fertilizers application was not significant for dry matter, and RWC (P>0.05). Also, the results of ANOVA indicated that the simple effect of drought stress conditions was not significant for dry matter but the simple effect of fertilizer application was significant for leaf dry matter (P<0.01). Without drought stress conditions, there were no significant differences in leaf dry matter between different fertilizer treatments. However, under drought stress conditions, the highest dry matter of grapevine leaves was observed in biochar, compost, and potassium sulfate, respectively. Also, there were no significant differences in leaf dry matter of grapevine between biochar treatment under drought stress conditions and all fertilizer treatments without drought stress conditions. The simple effect of drought stress conditions was significant for leaf dry matter (P<0.05). The results of ANOVA revealed that the interaction effect of drought stress ×fertilizer application was not significant for chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoid contents of grapevine leaves. However, the simple effects of drought stress conditions and fertilizer application were significant for chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoid contents of grapevine leaves (P<0.01). Relative water, chlorophyll a and carotenoid contents of grapevine leaves were not significantly different among fertilizers treatments. The increase of chlorophyll a/b ratio compared with control was changed in order biochar>potassium sulfate>compost. Moreover, the interaction effect of drought stress ×fertilizer application was significant for nitrogen (N), magnesium (Mg), ferrous (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) concentrations of grapevine leaves (P<0.01). The ANOVA indicated that the simple effects of drought stress conditions and fertilizer application had a significant effect (P<0.01) on macro- and micro-elements concentrations of grapevine leaves. By application of biochar, the concentration of P, K, Mg, and Cu of grapevine leaves significantly were higher than compost and potassium sulfate applications. This consequently resulted in higher chlorophyll a/b ratio and dry matter of grapevine leaves in biochar treatment for control under drought stress conditions.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, it can be concluded that the application of fertilizers reduced drought stress effects on biochemical characteristics and dry matter of grapevine leaves. According to the results, at first the application of biochar is recommended, then potassium sulfate and compost. Our previous results indicated that by application of compost, the available sodium (Na) of soil was increased 8.53 and 60.52 % for potassium sulfate and compost treatments compared to control, respectively. While, by application of biochar, the available Na of soil reduced 3.73 % in comparison with control. This finding is so important regarding the Na effects on soil structure, the toxicity of Na for plants as well as the interaction between Na and K. Considering K is a critical element to regulate the water content of plant tissue and reduces the hazards of water stress conditions, the higher concentration of Na prevents K uptake from the soil solution by plant.
Soheila Rakbar; Zohreh Jabbarzadeh; Mohsen Barin
Abstract
Introduction: Gerbera is one of the most important cut flowers in the world and belongs to the Asteraceae family. Due to its diverse and adaptable species for growth with a wide range of climatic conditions, this flower has become a profitable cut flower for growers. Polyamines in plant tissues act as ...
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Introduction: Gerbera is one of the most important cut flowers in the world and belongs to the Asteraceae family. Due to its diverse and adaptable species for growth with a wide range of climatic conditions, this flower has become a profitable cut flower for growers. Polyamines in plant tissues act as a potent factor in preventing the production of ethylene. Polyamines and ethylene have antagonistic effects (anti-aging and aging effects), so that the balance of these two hormonal groups in plants is very important for plant tissues. The balance between the two opposing regulators leads to a delay or acceleration in the aging process. Mycorrhizal fungi can be useful in hydroponic greenhouse systems, which increase the amount of CO2 in greenhouses by increasing photosynthesis in plants, as well as CO2 emissions in the control environment, which both optimally manage the environment and increase the yield and quality of plant products. Due to the economic importance of cut flowers, it seems necessary to provide treatments (such as the use of putrescine and mycorrhiza) to increase the quality and longevity of this plant. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the research and production greenhouses of Urmia University and the research laboratory of the Department of Horticultural Sciences of the Faculty of Agriculture in 2019-2020. This study was performed as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications, each replication consistedd of three pots and each pot contained a plant. The factors of this experiment were Mycorrhizal fungi inoculation (with and without inoculation) during the transplanting process to the culture medium near the roots, and putrescine at four concentrations of 0 (control), 1, 2, and 4 mM, were applied two weeks after transplantation, every 15 day-interval for three months. In order to investigate the effects of putrescine and mycorrhizal fungi on some morphological and physiological characteristics of plants, two weeks after the end of treatments, leaf sampling was performed to measure physiological characteristics. Effects of putrescine and mycorrhizal fungi were assayed in some morphological characteristics including leaf number, leaf length and leaf area, fresh and dry weight of leaves and some physiological parameters including chlorophyll index, chlorophyll content (a, b and total) and soluble sugar as well as vase life and petal’s anthocyanin during postharvest time. The SAS software version 9.1 was used to analyze the variance and compare the mean of the studied traits. Comparison of means was performed using the Tukey’s range test method at a probability level of 1 and 5%. Excel (2016) software was also used to draw the graph. Results and Discussion: According to the comparison of means, putrescine, along with mycorrhizal fungi, increased the number of leaves, leaf area, and the fresh and dry weight of the leaves as well as chlorophyll index, chlorophyll a, b and total and carotenoid content of leaves. In this study, inoculation with mycorrhiza reduced leaf length but increased leaf area resulted in that mycorrhiza could increase leaf blade because of increasing cytokinin in plant. Putrescine with mycorrhizal fungi, increased leaf growth, photosynthesis of plant and carbohydrates production. In the literatures, it is reported that, the vase life of cut flowers is a very important point in choosing them as great cut flowers. The results showed, putrescine and mycorrhiza had increased the vase life of gerbera flowers, therefore increased the quality of this plant. Putrescine and mycorrhiza also increased the amounts of anthocyanins in the petals, and by the sixth day, the highest levels of anthocyanins were observed in the petals. Probably, the reason for increasing the anthocyanins on the sixth day is the presence of carbohydrates stored in the flower, which due to the reduced respiration and carbohydrate consumption in this process. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that putrescine, with mycorrhizae, improved growth characteristics as well as increasing the postharvest life and the quality of cut flowers of gerbera. It is also observed that among the different concentrations of putrescine, the concentration of 2 mM had the greatest effect on the growth and physiological parameters as well as vase life of gerbera.
Yahya Selahvarzi; Someyeh Sarfaraz; Mohsen Zabihi; Maryam Kamali
Abstract
Introduction: Drought is known as one of the most important factors limiting the growth and production of plants in urban landscape. Drought has limited production of 25% of the world's agricultural lands. Water allocated to the landscape irrigation has high value and should be used optimally ...
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Introduction: Drought is known as one of the most important factors limiting the growth and production of plants in urban landscape. Drought has limited production of 25% of the world's agricultural lands. Water allocated to the landscape irrigation has high value and should be used optimally with high efficiency. Soil texture is a classification instrument used both in the field and laboratory to determine soil classes based on their physical texture. Soil texture can be determined using qualitative methods such as texture by feel, and quantitative methods such as the hydrometer method. Soil texture has agricultural applications such as determining crop suitability and predicting the response of the soil to environmental and management conditions such as drought or calcium (lime) requirements. Soil texture focuses on the particles that are less than two millimeters in diameter which include sand, silt, and clay. Soil texture affects the water content and drainage ability of soils. This is because texture controls the nature of soil pores, i.e. the voids or spaces between the mineral particles in a clay soil. For example, there are many minute pores or micro pores between the tiny clay particles. Being small, they tend to retain water but to exclude air. As a result, clay soils are prone to drain poorly and to become waterlogged. By contrast, sandy soils are dry soils. On the other hand, application of new techniques to maintain soil moisture is essential. One of these techniques for increasing soil water retention is use of natural moisture absorbing materials such as zeolite. Zeolites are one of the new and effective substances to improve the soil water retention and preserve water and minerals in the soil. Zeolites contain elements such as potassium, calcium, sodium, silicon, aluminum, magnesium, iron and phosphorus that can be considered as the best dietary supplement and fertilizer and play an important role in the utilization and production of the most agricultural products. Ligustrum vulgar L., belongs to the Oleaceae family, is native to warm regions, European and Asian countries including Iran. This plant is one of the most widely used perennial plants in the landscape spaces. This study was designed to investigate the effects of drought stress and soil texture on growth and some qualitative and quantitative traits of the Ligustrum vulgare. Materials and Method: In order to investigate the effect of zeolite and soil texture on quantitative and qualitative traits of Ligustrum vulgare under drought stress, a factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with three replications, in the greenhouse of Agricultural Faculty, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 2019. The treatments consisted of four types of soil texture (100% soil, 100% sand, 80% soil + 20% zeolite, 80% sand + 20% zeolite) and three levels of irrigation (25, 50 and 100% field capacity). Plant height, number of leaves, number of lateral branches, maximum root length, root volume, shoot and root dry weight and length of lateral branches were measured in each pot. Physiochemical traits such as relative water content, electrolyte leakage and photosynthetic pigments were also measured. Statistical analysis of data was analyzed by JMP8 software. Graphs were plotted using excel and all mean comparisons were performed by LSD test at p < 0.05%. Results and Discussion: According to the results, decreasing irrigation levels reduced vegetative traits such as fresh weight and dry weight. Relative water content also decreased, but ion leakage increased by decreasing irrigation levels. The highest stem fresh weight (18 g), root fresh weight (29 g), total fresh weight (56 g) and total dry weight (20 g) were observed in soil + zeolite, and the highest leaves fresh weight, root volume and plant height were obtained in soil and soil + zeolite treatments. The lowest root volume was observed in sand and zeolite treatments which had no significant differences. In addition, ion leakage was lower in the treatments containing zeolite than the other treatments. The highest amount of SPAD (72) and chlorophyll b (31.5 mg / g fresh weight) were observed in sand + zeolite treatment and 25% field capacity. According to the results, it seems that soil and soil + zeolite in low irrigation conditions were more suitable environment for growth of Ligustrum vulgare and sandy bedding would reduce plant growth in normal conditions as well as under drought stress.
Ali Imani; Khosro Parvizi; Hamdollah Beyrami jam; Ebrahim Hadavi
Abstract
Introduction: Iron chlorosilicon caused by calcium carbonate can be controlled widely with iron chelate in nutrition management of gardens, but it has high costs and potential environmental hazards. Such constraints have led to alternative strategies for managing iron nutrition in relation to soil and ...
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Introduction: Iron chlorosilicon caused by calcium carbonate can be controlled widely with iron chelate in nutrition management of gardens, but it has high costs and potential environmental hazards. Such constraints have led to alternative strategies for managing iron nutrition in relation to soil and plant parameters. Almond rootstocks and almond x peach hybrids (GF 677) are widely used as the rootstock for almonds, peaches and nectarines in the Mediterranean basin, moreover, in addition to its drought resistance, has a high tolerance to iron chlorosis. Different references of almond tree have introduced this fruit tree as a chlorosis resistant, but it shows different ranges of chlorosis when grafted on almond x peach hybrids such as GF677 and GN15. Therefore, this study carried out to evaluate the effect of calcium bicarbonate on some physiological characteristics of selected almond cultivars on the GN15 rootstock.
Materials and Methods: This research was conducted during 2015 and 2016 to evaluate the resistance to bicarbonate and the amount of chlorosis produced in selected almond cultivars on the hybrid rootstock (peach and almond) as a factorial experiment with completely randomized design with three replications in greenhouse conditions. The first factor consisted of different concentrations of calcium bicarbonate (0, 20, 10, 30 and 40 mmol L-1) and the second factor included nine selected almond cultivars grafted to the GN15 rootstock and a GN15 (non-grafted) rootstock. Almond cultivars included 9 cultivars including Supernova, 25-1, 40-13, Mamaei, 16-1, Kaghazi, Sahand, 200A, 7-9, and GN15 rootstock. Each plot included a pot, where the rootstock planted. In the spring, the cultivars and GN15 rootstock planted in plastic pots with soil compositions including perlite (50%) and cocopeat (50%). After sufficient growth of these rootstocks in the pots, almond cultivars were grafted onto them and immediately after the transplantation, the calcium bicarbonate treatments began after proper growth of the scions. In order to apply bicarbonate treatment, 1.62, 3.23, 4.86 and 6.48 g L-1 calcium bicarbonate (Ca (HCo3) 2) were added to the pots. In addition, 10% of calcium bicarbonate added also to the pots because of the deficiency of 10% chemical purity. After applying the treatments, chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, chlorophyll fluorescence were measured in two stages at intervals of 30 and 90 days. After the end of the growth period, the length and diameter of the current season branches and the leaf length and width of each almond cultivar were measured and recorded in different treatments. Two-way ANOVA of the data was carried out using SAS software (v. 8.02, SAS Institute, Cary, NC) and the means were compared based on Duncan’s multiple range test.
Results and Discussion: Based on the ANOVA results, it was determined that the effects of calcium bicarbonate, cultivar and their interactions on the content of chlorophyll a and b were statistically significant (p≤0.01). The lowest decrease levels of chlorophyll a and b were found in the leaflets of Kaghazi, Mamaei, saplings, 25-1, and 40-13 cultivars, but the highest decrease was observed in Supernova cultivar, 7-9, and GN15. The reasons for decreasing the chlorophyll content of the leaf with the increase of bicarbonate levels can be related to iron deficiency and its deactivation and the role of iron in the synthesis of chlorophyll. Nevertheless, the difference for chlorophyll depletion at different levels of bicarbonate in different cultivars can be due to the capacity of these cultivars to tolerate higher levels of bicarbonate and the possibility of the synthesis of chloroplastic proteins in leaf cells even with a relative lack of iron. In all cultivars, as well as the GN15 rootstock, the level of carotenoids decreased with increasing concentrations of calcium bicarbonate. However, the response of the cultivars was different. Under bicarbonate conditions, reducing leaf iron concentration reduces chlorophyll and carotenoids. The results of the mean comparison showed that bicarbonate induced height growth reduction and branch diameter in the current season, while the reaction of the studied rootstocks were also different. So that the highest decrease in growth rate was observed in Supernova, 7-9 cultivars and GN15 rootstock and the lowest decrease of growth rate were found in the cultivars of Kaghazi, 1.25-1 and -40-13. High concentrations of bicarbonate, by disabling and decreasing iron absorption, indirectly reduces DNA synthesis, cell division, and thus decreases cell growth and plant biomass. The results of this study are in agreement with Ghasemi et al. (2010) in different responses of the rootstock to bicarbonate concentration on the height and diameter decreasing of current season branch. Mean comparison of data showed that the length and width of leaf area in all studied cultivars decreased with increasing concentration of calcium bicarbonate in irrigation water. Also, leaf length and width decrease in rootstock grafted cultivars had a significant difference, so that the lowest reduction in leaf length and width was in pepper, midwifery and 25-1, and the highest leaf area decrease in Supernova cultivars, 7-9 and GN15 base was observed. Leaf growth decreases in calcareous soils due to a decrease for iron in the symplast. The specific effects of high bicarbonate on leaf growth in almond cultivars and the different reaction of almond rootstocks in this study are in agreement with Tedaion et al. (2004) results in orange, as well as Wahom et al. (2001) in olive and peach.
Conclusion: Totally, the results of this study indicate that cultivar and rootstock cause the amount of chlorosis tolerance induced by calcium bicarbonate. In general, in terms of morphological and physiological traits studied in this research, Kaghazi and 25-1 cultivars are the most tolerant, while 7-9 and supernova are the most sensitive cultivars to bicarbonate.
Mohsen Mozaffari; Farhang Razavi; Vali Rabiei; Azizollah Kheiry; Akbar Hassani
Abstract
Introduction: Demand for healthy and high-quality fruits has increased in the markets, and compositions such as vitamins, sugars, and anti-oxidant properties of fruits have attracted many consumers. Grapes contain phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins and vitamins with high antioxidant properties. ...
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Introduction: Demand for healthy and high-quality fruits has increased in the markets, and compositions such as vitamins, sugars, and anti-oxidant properties of fruits have attracted many consumers. Grapes contain phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins and vitamins with high antioxidant properties. Antioxidants support biological systems such as proteins, amino acids, lipids, and DNA against oxidative damage produced by active oxygen species of ROS, resulting in reduction of cell damage and death, cardiovascular disease and cancers in the human body. Selenium is essential for humans and animals and should be fed through a diet, for this reason, FAO recommends entering selenium to agricultural products (especially fruits and vegetables). In recent years, selenium has been recognized as a useful element for plants that have been toxic at high concentrations but at desirable concentrations, it has positive antioxidant effects, increases growth and significantly affects seed germination. Selenium protects plants from several abiotic stresses such as heavy metal and arsenic, ultraviolet radiation, and biotic stress such as pathogens and pests. Selenium neutralizes oxidative stress interfering with lipid peroxidation, and accelerates gluthatione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, this phenomenon delay plant senescence and diminish postharvest losses. This element increases the yield and improves the quality of the fruits and vegetables. When Camelia oleifera plants were treated with selenium, cellular content of linoleic acid and sterol were elevated but oleic acid content diminished. Selenium treatment had a significant effect on preserving the sensory and the postharvest quality by decreasing respiration rate and ethylene biosynthesis in broccoli by diminishing phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity and ethylene production in lettuce and chicory. Foliar application of peach and pear trees with selenium, decelerated fruit softening rate and elongated shelf-life. Therefore, treatment of agricultural products with the appropriate amount of selenium can have a positive effect on the increase of the quality and enrichment of selenium in fruits and also play an important role in human health.
Materials and Methods: In order to investigate the effect of selenium as foliar application (0, 1, 2 and 3 mg L-1) on quality traits, antioxidant compounds and enrichment of grape cv. Fakhri, an experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications in a vineyard (Kurdistan Povince, Ghorveh town) was performed. The 15-year-old vines were sprayed with selenium solution plus 0.1% of Twin 20 as surfactant until the leaves were completely wet (for each vine about 0.5 liter) at three stages of berry growth and development: Berry formation, Lag phase and veraison. A 1000 mg L -1 stock solutions (Made by the Belgian company CHEM-Lab, containing selenium ion Se+6) was used to prepare the desired solutions. At commercial fruit maturity stage (20° Brix), samples of fruits and leaves randomly were collected from treated and control vines and were immediately transferred to the postharvest physiology laboratory. Traits such as total chlorophyll, carotenoid, nitrogen, potassium, selenium content of leaves and fruits, and also, total soluble solids, soluble sugars, titrable acidity, acidity (pH), vitamin C, phenol and flavonoids, antioxidant capacity in fruits and the berry weight were evaluated. Data were analyzed using SAS statistical software (SAS V.9.4), and means were compared by Duncan’s multiple range tests at the 5% of probability level.
Results and Discussion: Results showed positive effects of selenium treatment on evaluated traits. As a result, 2 mg L-1 of selenium increased photosynthetic pigments, nitrogen and leaf potassium, soluble solids, soluble sugars, vitamin C, total phenol, antioxidant capacity of fruits in comparison with untreated vines. The highest amount of titrable acidity, total fruit flavonoid and leaf selenium was recorded in vines treated with 3 mg L-1 selenium, whereas, this treatment had less effect on other traits. The highest amount of berry weight was obtained in 1 mg L-1 of selenium. However, none of the selenium treatments had significant effect on the juice acidity (pH). In general, the results showed a positive effect of selenium on improvement of antioxidant properties, quality and enrichment of grape, and 2 mg L-1 selenium with the highest effect on traits was identified as the best treatment. According to other researchers, foliar application of selenium in "Starking Delicious" apple cultivar was effective in enhancement of fruit selenium content and nutritional properties, postponing the flesh firmness decrease, and delaying fruit ripening resulting from less ethylene production, therefore significantly affecting apple fruit quality and storage life.
Soheila Hajizadeh; Zohreh Jabbarzadeh; Mir Hassan Rasouli-Sadaghiani
Abstract
Introduction: Gerbera jamesonii is a permanent, herbaceous and chilling-sensitive plant species from the family Asteraceae that is native to hot regions. The species has high color diversity and it is among the top ten cut flowers in the world. Fulvic acids are a family of organic acids, natural compounds, ...
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Introduction: Gerbera jamesonii is a permanent, herbaceous and chilling-sensitive plant species from the family Asteraceae that is native to hot regions. The species has high color diversity and it is among the top ten cut flowers in the world. Fulvic acids are a family of organic acids, natural compounds, and components of the humus (which is a fraction of soil organic matter). They are similar to humic acids, with differences being the carbon and oxygen contents, acidity degree of polymerization, molecular weight and color. Fulvic acid remains in solution after removal of humic acid from humin by acidification. Fulvic acids are of relatively low molecular mass and less biologically active than humic acids. Among micronutrients, Iron (Fe) is a cofactor for approximately 140 enzymes that catalyze unique biochemical reactions and is an essential element for growth of plants. Lack of iron causes young leaves yellow and photosynthesis activity reduce significantly and consequently biomass reduce. Iron plays many essential roles in plant growth and development, including chlorophyll synthesis, thylakoid synthesis, chloroplast development, contribution in RNA synthesis and improvement the performance of photosystems. Nano-fertilizers can be substituted for conventional fertilizers. Studies showed that the effect of nano-particles on plants can be beneficial (seedling growth and development).
Materials and Methods: In order to investigate the effect of different concentrations of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate on flowering of gerbera as well as flower vase life of gerbera cv. Dune, an experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications during the years 2016-2017. The medium was included peat moss 65%, perlite 30% and cocopeat 5%. The seedlings of tissue cultured plants were planted into pots (size-20) (volume 7 L, height 19 cm, diameter 24 cm) in hydroponic greenhouse conditions. Day/night temperature regime was set at 20-25/13-16°C and light intensity at 400-500 μmol m-2 s-1. The plants were fed three times a week. The treatments were: fulvic acid at four concentrations of 0 , 50, 100 and 250 mg L-1 as drench and iron nano chelate at 4 concentrations of 0, 1, 2 and 4 gr L-1 as foliar application (15 days intervals for 4 months),. Two weeks after the last treatment, morphological parameters were measured. They were included flower fresh and dry weight, flowering stem length, flower longevity and vase life and the number of days to the appearance of flower buds. Also, the recorded physiological parameters included chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll, chlorophyll index and carotenoid.
Results and Discussion: The results of this study showed that, flower dry weight was increased with increasing the concentration of iron nano chelate. The highest flower dry weight )6.43g( was obtained from plants treated with 4 g L-1 iron nano chelate and the lowest one )5.57 g( from control plants, but flower fresh weight was not affected by these treatments. The highest length of flowering stem was observed in treatment of 2 g L-1 iron nano chelate. The lowest time to flowering was obtained from 50 mg L-1 fulvic acid without application of iron nano chelate. The results of means comparisons showed that fulvic acid and iron nano chelate caused to increase flower longevity significantly. The highest flower longevity (19 days) was obtained from 250 mg L-1 fulvic acid and 1 g L-1 iron nano chelate and the lowest mean (12.66 days) was related to control plants. Also, most of treatments caused to increase vase life compared to control. The highest vase life (14.66 days) was observed in 1 g L-1 iron nano chelate without fulvic acid while the lowest mean (6.66 days) was observed in control. Chlorophyll content (chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll) and carotenoid content of gerbera increased with increasing concentrations of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate in compared with the control.
Conclusion: According to the results obtained from this research, application of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate have a positive effect on most flowering and biochemical indices. Application of low concentrations of fulvic acid (50 mg L-1) supplemented with iron nano chelate caused to early flowering. Fulvic acid didn’t have any effect on flowering stem length and its application reduced the flower dry weight. While combined application of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate caused to increase flower longevity. Also iron nano chelate caused to increase flowering stem length, vase life and flower dry weight. In most of the biochemical indices, combined treatment of 100 mg L-1 of fulvic acid and 2g L-1 of iron nano chelate had better or favorable result on measured indices compared to the control treatment although the highest concentration of treatments did not have a negative effect and sometimes in some indicators also have more impact. Among these treatments, the concentrations of 100 and 250 mg L-1 fulvic acid and 2 and 4 g L-1 iron nano chelate can be effective for gerbera plant.
