Growing vegetables
Asghar Marzizadeh; Sahebali Bolandnazar
Abstract
Introduction
Cucumber stands out as a vital greenhouse crop. The continuous cultivation of cucumbers within greenhouse environments, aimed at mass production and the delivery of fresh products, inevitably leads to heightened soil salinity and the onset of soil-borne diseases like Fusarium wilt. Consequently, ...
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Introduction
Cucumber stands out as a vital greenhouse crop. The continuous cultivation of cucumbers within greenhouse environments, aimed at mass production and the delivery of fresh products, inevitably leads to heightened soil salinity and the onset of soil-borne diseases like Fusarium wilt. Consequently, these factors contribute to a decline in both yield and crop quality, underscoring the necessity for research into methods that enhance the yield and quality of greenhouse produce. Grafting cucumber onto various rootstocks and introducing inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi emerge as the most promising strategies for augmenting the yield and quality of greenhouse-grown cucumbers. With this in mind, the current study was undertaken to examine the impact of different rootstocks and mycorrhizal fungi inoculation on the growth and performance of greenhouse cucumbers under soilless culture conditions.
Materials and Methods
In order to investigate the effect of the rootstock and inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and yield of greenhouse cucumber under the soilless culture conditions, a greenhouse factorial experiment was conducted based on the Complete Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with three replications. The first factor was grafting of cucumber cv Nagene on the Shintoza rootstock, and none-grafting; the second factor was symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi (Diversispora versiformis) and non mycorrhizal ones. The Nagene greenhouse cucumber cultivar was obtained as a scion from Enza Zaden Company, Netherlands and the desired mycorrhizal fungus was obtained from the Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz. The scion seeds were planted earlier than the rootstocks. After completing the planting operation, the seedling trays were moved to the greenhouse with a sufficient natural light. The substrate used for planting of seedlings was peat moss and perlite in the ratio of 1:2, impregnated with the desired amount of mycorrhizal fungi inoculum. Seedlings got ready for transplanting at the true single leaf stage and two weeks after planting the scion seeds. Transplantation of splice grafting was done on seedlings both mycorrhizal fungi treatments (inoculated and not inoculated). After 10 days of transplanting, the transplanted seedlings (which we already treated with mycorrhiza inoculation) were transferred to the transplant chamber immediately. Grafted and inoculated seedlings with the control ones were transferred into the 10-liter pots with peat moss and perlite in a ratio of 1:2. At the time of transferring ths seedlings inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi to the pot; to ensure root inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi, the inoculum including spores, hyphae and root fragments was added to the 10-liter pot of peat moss and perlite in the amount of 50 grams per pot with the substrate around the roots of greenhouse cucumber seedlings. All the plants were fertigated with Hoagland nutrient solution with half strength during the growing period. The pH and electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution were measured daily. At the end of the research, quantitative and qualitative traits were evaluated.
Results and Discussion
Results showed that there was a significant differences between the rootstock and colonization with the mycorrhizal fungi regarding the growth, yield and qualitative traits. Plants inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi and grafted on Shintoza showed a better growth parameter, fruit number, and yield than the other treatments. This treatment with 2115.62 g per plant had the highest fruit yield and the non-grafted non-mycorrhizal control plants with 1569.64 g per plant had the lowest fruit yields. Therefore, the fruit yield increased about 34% in comparison to control. Also, the fruit quality characteristics such as antioxidant capacity and soluble solids (TSS) content were higher in the grafted and colonized plants with mycorrhizal fungi. In addition, there was no significant difference between the treatments in term of pH and total phenol of fruit and titrable acidity of the fruit. These effects show the high potential of mycorrhizal fungi and rootstock in uptake of the nutrients, which provide nutrients that are unavailable to the plant with a special mechanism, and thus affect the growth and yield of greenhouse cucumbers. They have an effect that ultimately improve the growth and yield of the produced crop.
Conclusion
Based on this experiment results, it can be concluded that the simultaneous application of mycorrhizal fungi and grafting on Shintoza rootstock in the soilless culture using peat moss and perlite as the substrate (2:1) is of one the most efficient techniques to increase the yield and fruit quality of greenhouse cucumbers and therefore it is recommended.
Pomology
Hamid Reza Karimi; Naeime Biniyaz; Ali Akbar Mohammadi Mirik; Majid Esmaeilizade; Zeinab Hatamean
Abstract
IntroductionPomegranate (Punica granatum L.) from the family Punicaceae, is an important and exportable fruit crop in Iran. At present, Iran is the leading producer of this fruit followed by India, Turkey and Spain. As the main area under pomegranate cultivation in Iran are located in arid and semi-arid ...
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IntroductionPomegranate (Punica granatum L.) from the family Punicaceae, is an important and exportable fruit crop in Iran. At present, Iran is the leading producer of this fruit followed by India, Turkey and Spain. As the main area under pomegranate cultivation in Iran are located in arid and semi-arid adjacent to desert regions. Low irrigation water quality, lime induced Fe chlorosis, soil salinity, nutrient imbalance and soil-borne diseases are the most limiting factors in this areas. Currently about 760 genotypes and cultivars of pomegranate have been identified, collected and growth in Pomegranate Research Institute in Yazd province, central Iran. In rich collection, it is likely that some genotypes are tolerant to adverse environmental conditions but neglected due to their low quality fruits. These genotypes could be evaluated and used as potential rootstocks. ‘Rabab-e-Neyriz’ is one of the most important pomegranate cultivar that is planted in parts of western south of Iran to gather ‘Khafr-e-Jahroom’ cultivar. Fruits in ‘Rabab-e-Neyriz’ cultivar are big with dark red color arils. In the last decades, there has been a tremendous towards using grafted/budded plants in fruit orchards. Moreover, the available reports indicate that rootstock could affect the tolerance of scion to soil borne diseases, lime-induced Fe-deficiency chlorosis and salinity stress that they can control with grafting on tolerance rootstocks. There are inadequate formations on the effects of rootstock on scion of pomegranate. The aim of the study was effects of three rootstocks; ‘Gorj-e-Dadashi’, ‘Gorj-e-Shahvar’ and ‘Post Ghermaz-e-Aliaghai’ on nutrient concentration of two pomegranate cultivars; ‘Rabab-e-Neyriz’ and ‘Khafr-e-Jahroom’; as scion.Material and MethodsIn order to investigate the interaction of rootstock and scion on nutrient uptake in two pomegranate cultivars ‘Rabab-e-Neyriz’and ‘Khafr-e-Jahroom’, research was performed in the form of a factorial experiment in complete randomized blocks design with scion factors at two levels (‘Rabab-e-Neyriz’and ‘Khafr-e-Jahroom’) and the rootstock on four levels (‘Post Ghermaz-e-Aliaghai’, ‘Gorj-e-Dadashi’, ‘Gorj-e-Shahvar’and without graft) with five repetitions. Omega grafting method was used to production grafting plants. One year grafting plants were planted on farm with 2.0 m apart within rows and 4.0 m apart between rows. Non grafting cuttings of scions that rooted same time with rootstocks were planted in farm as control. In the first summer leaf samples were collected to determine macro and micro elements. Results and DiscussionThe results showed that the interaction of rootstock and scion is effective on the uptake of elements. The concentration of elements in the scion varied depending on the type of graft combination. The highest levels of phosphorus, potassium, and calcium of leaves were observed in the grafting plants of ‘Rabab-e-Neyriz’ scion on ‘Gorj-e-Dadashi’ rootstock, ‘Khafr-e-Jahroom’ scion on ‘Gorj-e-Dadashi’ rootstock, and ‘Rabab-e-Neyriz’ scion on ‘Gorj-e-Shahvar’ rootstock, respectively. Also, the highest amounts of iron (75 mg/g dry weight), manganese (65 mg/g dry weight), and copper (25 mg/g dry weight) were obtained from the grafting plants of ‘Rabab-e-Neyriz’ scion on ‘Gorj-e-Dadashi’ rootstock, ‘Khafr-e-Jahroom’ scion on ‘Gorj-e-Dadashi’ rootstock and, in both scions on ‘Gorj-e-Shahvar’ rootstock compared to non-grafted plants. ConclusionThe results of this research have shown that the amount of nutrients in the leaves of grafted pomegranate cultivars is not only influenced by the rootstock, but also by the genetics of the scion. The concentration of mineral elements in the scion is mainly related to the characteristics of the root system of rootstock, including the lateral and vertical expansion of the root, which increases the absorption of water and minerals. Due to the weaker root system, the ‘Post Ghermaz-e-Aliaghai’ has a lower concentration of mineral elements in the cultivars grafted on this rootstock. According to the results of the present study, the reason for the higher nutritional elements in plants grafted with the rootstocks of ‘Gorj-e-Dadashi’ and ‘Gorj-e-Shahvar’ can be attributed to the greater growth power of these roots and their extensive root system. He attributed that wider research is recommended in this field.
Growing vegetables
Rasul Azarmi; Yaser Hosseini
Abstract
Introduction
Cucumber is one of the important greenhouse vegetables in Iran and the world. This product, in Iran, has the largest area under cultivation in comparison with other greenhouse vegetables, and according to the statistic in 2020, the Office of herbs, vegetables and ornamental plants ...
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Introduction
Cucumber is one of the important greenhouse vegetables in Iran and the world. This product, in Iran, has the largest area under cultivation in comparison with other greenhouse vegetables, and according to the statistic in 2020, the Office of herbs, vegetables and ornamental plants Ministry of Agriculture, the greenhouse cucumbers area under cultivation in Iran is 15000 ha. Cucumber is the product of warm and temperate season (with mild winters) and is very sensitive to adverse environmental conditions and even rare changes in soil moisture content will have a significant adverse effect on its growth and yield. Cucumber root is shallow, it is fibrous, and its shallow root causes its sensitivity to drought so that its main root penetrates 5–10 cm in heavy soil and 20-30 cm in light soils. This plant has an extensive and almost thin root system that has the possibility of expansion in a wide range horizontally, and, therefore, it can produce mass root, at the depth of 30 cm. In order to study the effect of grafting and water stress on morphological characteristics greenhouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus L), an experiment was conducted as complete randomized block design with three replications.
Materials and Methods
This research has been carried out in the city of Pars-Abad, Ardabil province, Iran. The longitude of Pars-Abad is 47°55ʹ E, latitude is 39°38ʹ N, and its height distance sea level is 32 meters. This research was done in the greenhouse of the Moghan Agriculture and Natural Resources Faculty in a complete randomized block arranged in split plot with three replications. To determine the characteristic curve of soil moisture, soil samples was selected and the weight moisture percentage at pressures of -0.3, -5, -10 and -15 bar, which include the important potential of the soil, was determined by using Pressure plate’s apparatus and soil moisture characteristic curve was mapped and soil parameters characteristic curve was determined. this study, the main factor included water stress in three levels of 90, 60 and 40% field capacity and the secondary factor included three rootstocks of Shintoza cucurbits (Cucurbita moschata × Cucurbita maxima), Flexi Fort cucurbits (Cucurbita moschata × Cucurbita maxima, cucumber varieties Nagen 972 (Cucumis sativus L.) self-grafted and check (ungrafted) cucumber varieties Nagen was studied as a scion. In this study, the grafting method of hole insertion was used as the best grafting method for Cucurbitaceous.
Results and Discussion
Duncan test results showed that with increasing stress, the diameter of the main root, at the rootstocks of Shintoza and Flexi Fort, increased almost twice as much as the control. The results showed an approximately 3 times increase in the yield, at the rootstocks of cucurbits at different levels of stress and it had a significant positive relationship at 1% level with the length, diameter and weight of root. The highest yield related to the Flexi Fort rootstocks was obtained 2.99 kg per plant in the water stress condition 90% of field capacity and then Shintoza rootstocks ranked second with 2.617 kg per plant, at 60% water stress. The maximum water use efficiency related to Shintoza rootstocks was at 32% and Flexi Fort rootstocks, Nagen and control, were respectively 30, 22 and 36% of Potential evapotranspiration.
Conclusion
The results showed that, with increasing water stress, unlike the control, which was associated with decreasing linear trend of yield, Treatments with cucurbits grafting at Shintoza and Flexi Fort rootstock, faced with increased water stress, from 40 % to 90 % of field capacity by minor reducing of product. This can be due to increasing root uptake parameters such as length, weight and length of the main root in these Treatments. Correlation analysis showed a significant relationship at **P<0.01 level between a percentage of roots and yield. The results in all applied water stress also showed a high yield of grafted treatments about three times more than the control. Reducing the yield sensitivity factor in cucurbits Treatments, causes the plant could maintain its performance in irregular watering that encounter the plant with tension. The high water use efficiency in cucurbits Treatments shows that it is possible to perform economic optimization in the production based on water consumption scarcity of water.
Elahe Rajabipour; Mahmood Raghami; Hamid Reza Karimi; Reza Salehi
Abstract
Introduction: Varieties of melons have long been the most important crops in Iran and have a special place in Iran's agricultural economy which is the third major producers in the world. Different types of melons belong to various botanical groups of Cucumis melo. Salinity stress is one of the limiting ...
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Introduction: Varieties of melons have long been the most important crops in Iran and have a special place in Iran's agricultural economy which is the third major producers in the world. Different types of melons belong to various botanical groups of Cucumis melo. Salinity stress is one of the limiting factors in the production of crops. Majority lands in Iran have arid and semi-arid conditions. The characteristics of these regions are high evaporation and low rainfall, which causes the accumulation of different salts in the surface layer of the earth. Salinity is one of the most important issues in the world, and millions of tons of salt are come annually from irrigation water into agricultural land. Therefore, many plants are encountered to saline soils. Grafting is developing as a new and effective way to increase the tolerance of plants to salinity in advanced countries. Several reports indicate that the rootstock type has a significant role in the resistance of the scion to environmental stresses. In the present study, salinity tolerance of two Iranian melon accessions (‘Garmak’ and ‘Samsouri’) were investigated based on eco-physiological traits, on three commercial rootstocks and a local variety of cucurbit, as well as comparing them with non-grafting plant of ‘Garmak’ and ‘Samsouri’,.
Materials and Methods: This experiment was conducted as factorial in a completely randomized design with three factors including salinity stress (in three levels) and four rootstocks and two scions with three replications in greenhouse and field of the faculty of agriculture, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Iran. In this study, two melon accessions (‘Garmak’ and ‘Samsouri’) were grafted on commercial hybrids rootstocks (‘Ferro’, ‘Shintozwa’ and ‘Ergo’) and a local variety of bottle gourd and subjected to salinity treatments (0, 20 and 40 mM levels of sodium chloride) in the field. One month after adaptation of grafted plants, grafted and non-grafted plants were transferred to the field and salinity treatment (sodium chloride) was applied one week after planting in the field. The evaluated traits at the end of the experiment were: photosynthetic parameters (total chlorophyll, total carotenoids, photosynthetic efficiency index), relative water content, vascular pressure potential, proline and soluble sugars.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that in salinity treatments, grafted plants were superior to non-grafted plants in studied traits. Differences were also observed between the tested rootstocks, so that the ‘Ergo’ hybrid was weaker in many features than other rootstocks and even non-grafted plants. The results showed that salinity increased the amount of proline and carotenoids in the leaf, which was lower in grafted than non-grafted plants. With increasing salinity, the pressure of vascular pressure decreased. This amount was lower in non-grafted than in plants grafted on ‘Ferro’ and ‘bottle gourd’. Also, the total chlorophyll content and relative water content of leaf decreased, which this reduction was higher in non-grafted plants. Among the traits mentioned, the best studied rootstocks were ‘Ferro’ and ‘Shintozwa’ that were better than other rootstocks as well as non-grafted plants. By increasing salinity, the soluble sugars of grafted plants on ‘Ferro’ and ‘bottle gourd’ decreased, but in grafted plants on ‘Shintozwa’ hybrid, increased salinity increased the soluble sugars content.
Conclusions The results of this study showed that salinity stress significantly reduced the relative water content of leaves, photosynthetic pigments and carotenoids. Salinity also increased the potency of vascular pressure potential and proline concentration. Compared to non-grafted plants, the negative effects of salinity stress on non-grafted plants were more prominent than grafted plants. Also, the amount of photosynthetic parameters in grafted plants decreased less than non-grafted plants. Comparing the two evaluated accessions, ‘Samsouri’ was more appropriate than stress conditions. Compared to non-grafted and grafted plants in non-stress conditions, the best rootstock was ‘Ferro’, which showed the best result for all traits except for proline content in both ‘Samsouri’ and ‘Garmak’. At a salinity level of 40 mM, the ‘Ferro’ and ‘Shintozwa’ were superior to other rootstocks, which showed satisfactory results in most traits. Also, due to the poor reaction of the grafted plants on the bottle gourd rootstock under salt stress conditions, it seems that this rootstock probably due to low compatibility is not a suitable rootstock for two evaluated accessions in the present study. Based on the findings of the present study, ‘Ferrero’ and Shintozwa’ in combination with ‘Samsouri’ and ‘Garmak’ showed more tolerance to salinity.
