Medicinal Plants
S. Yonesi; Kh. Hemmati; P. Moradi; S. 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.
Pomology
Mahmood Esna-Ashari; Esfandyar Hassani Moghadam
Abstract
Introduction: Iran has the most diverse and richest gene pool of pomegranate cultivars in the world. Drought is the most common environmental stress and the most important limiting factor of agricultural production in the world and limits production in almost 25% of the world's agricultural lands. One ...
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Introduction: Iran has the most diverse and richest gene pool of pomegranate cultivars in the world. Drought is the most common environmental stress and the most important limiting factor of agricultural production in the world and limits production in almost 25% of the world's agricultural lands. One of the most harmful effects of dehydration stress is disruption of the process of absorption and accumulation of nutrients. Among nutrients, potassium is one of the most important cations required by plants, which has been reported to accumulate during osmotic stress. The role of this cation in osmotic regulation and stomatal control has been described. Due to the fact that drought stress is one of the limiting factors for agricultural production, therefore, research on the mechanism of plant resistance to water scarcity is important. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the response of six Iranian commercial pomegranate cultivars to drought stress based on the amount of some leaf nutrients.Materials and Methods: The executive operations of this research were carried out in the research greenhouse of Lorestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center with a temperature of 25 °C and a relative humidity of 70%. The experiments were performed due to similar climatic conditions of Lorestan and Kermanshah provinces. The plant materials used in this study were annual rooted seedlings of six pomegranate cultivars. This study is a factorial experiment with two factors: 1- Pomegranate cultivar in six levels (RababNeyriz, NaderyBadrood, ShishehcapFerdous, ArdestanyMahvelat, Malase Yazd and ShirinShavar Yazd) and 2- Drought stress in three levels including non-stress drought (80% of field moisture, control), moderate drought (60% of field moisture) and severe drought (40% of field moisture) were screened in a completely randomized design with three replications in the greenhouse. All data obtained from the experiments of this study were statistically analyzed by SAS-9.1 software and the comparison of the mean of the simple effect of the treatments was performed using Duncan's multiple range test. The comparison of the mean interaction of the treatments was performed by SAS and MSTAT-C software using Duncan's multiple range test. Graphs were drawn using Excel software.Results and Discussion: The results of this study showed that the amount of nutrients in all studied cultivars was affected by drought stress, but the response to stress was different. The amount of nutrients of iron, zinc, copper, manganese, sodium and phosphorus based on dry weight decreased under drought stress conditions while the concentration of potassium under drought stress increased. Based on the results of this study, Rabab Neyriz and Malase Yazd cultivars had more tolerance to drought stress in terms of nutrient uptake compared to other cultivars, respectively. Highest levels of iron (126.9 mg.g-1), zinc (39.9 mg.g-1), copper (13 mg.g-1), manganese (51.8 mg.g-1) and potassium (2.11% was obtained from Rabab Neyriz cultivar. Therefore, the use of this cultivar in drought stress conditions is recommended. Among the studied cultivars, Naderi Badroud and Ardestani Mehvalat had the highest sensitivity to drought stress and Shirin Shahvar Yazd and Shishecap Ferdows cultivars showed moderate resistance in this regard.Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it showed that Rabab Neyriz and Malase Yazd cultivars have high tolerance to drought stress and are also able to show a better response to nutrient uptake under drought stress conditions. Between these two cultivars, Rabab Neyriz cultivar had higher absorption of iron, zinc, copper, manganese and potassium and was considered the superior cultivar in this regard.
Faraj Moayedi; Sajad Kordi; Ali Ashraf Mehrabi; Soheila Dastborhan
Abstract
Introduction: Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the oldest spices belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It is a herbaceous annual plant, which is native to subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, America. Basil is an important economic crop and widely used in the culinary arts, food processing and ...
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Introduction: Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the oldest spices belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It is a herbaceous annual plant, which is native to subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, America. Basil is an important economic crop and widely used in the culinary arts, food processing and pharmaceutical industries. Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for plant production that plays a major role in photosynthetic activities and crop yield capacity and its availability affects plants growth and biochemical processes. Nitrogen deficiency is often a limiting factor in vegetable production such as sweet basil. Nitrogen usage significantly can be increased the herb yield of basil grown in different environmental conditions. The nutritional and environmental factors are the most important factors for growth of the medicinal plants. In the present research, changes in yield, nitrate content, essential oil yield and some physiological traits have been investigated in four cultivars of sweet basil under different levels of nitrogen.
Materials and Methods: A field experiment was carried out in the Agricultural Research Station of Khorramabad during 2016 growing season. The experimental factors were arranged as a factorial-split-plot in time experiment based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Experimental factors were cultivars of sweet basil (O.basilicum var Italian Large Leaf، O. basilicum var Mobarakeh, O. basilicum var Sweet Thai and O. basilicum var Cinnamon) and nitrogen fertilizer (0, 100 and 200 kg ha-1 urea) assigned to the main plots as factorial and different cuttings (three harvests from each plot) considered as sub-plots. The half amount of nitrogen (as urea; 46% N) was distributed in experimental plots before planting the seeds and the rest used after the first harvest. Seeds of sweet basil were planted at May, 25th 2016 as five rows with 2m length and each main plot area was 5 m2. The space between rows was 50 cm. All plots were irrigated immediately after sowing. Subsequent irrigations were carried out every four days. The control of weeds conducted manually during the experiment time. The sweet basil plants were harvested three times in early flowering stage in July 12, August 15 and September 25. Samples of 1 m length were taken from the center of two rows located in the middle of each plot. Plants were cut from above ground and transferred to the lab for measuring total dry yield. The measured traits in this study included branches per plant, inflorescences per plant, plant height, leaf percentage, total dry yield, essential oil yield, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid and nitrate content. SAS (version 9.1) and MSTAT-C statistical software were used to conduct analysis of variance (ANOVA) and comparison of means, respectively. The Duncan's multiple range test, at 5% probability level, was used to rank the differences among means.
Results and Discussion: The results indicated that the application of nitrogen fertilizer significantly improved all the studied traits. The highest and the lowest essential oil yield belonged to 100 kg ha-1 urea and control, respectively. Nitrogen fertilizer by providing the nitrogen needed for the basil plant during the growing season provides a favorable environment for the production of further biomass. Total dry weight of the all basil cultivars increased with application of nitrogen fertilizer in all harvests. The highest total dry weight and nitrate concentrations were achieved by Italian largel cultivar with application of 200 kg ha-1 urea in the second harvest. The increment in total dry weight of basil by application of nitrogen fertilizer could be attributed to the increment in chlorophyll content and better growth of plants and subsequently the better canopy development which ultimately leads to the better usage of solar irradiance, higher photosynthesis and finally higher dry weight in basil plants. Application of nitrogen chemical fertilizer could increase essential oil yield of sweet basil, mainly due to the increasing of total dry weight.
Among basil cultivars, Italian large leaf cultivar had the highest leaf percentage and essential oil yield compared to the other cultivars. The lowest number of branches per plant, number of inflorescences per plant, leaf percentage, essential oil yield and total chlorophyll belonged to Mobarakeh cultivar. All the evaluated parameters were lower than the first harvest except leaf percentage and chlorophyll content.
Conclusion: According to the results, application of nitrogen fertilizer had a positive effect on growth, and consequently led to increase the plant vegetative yield. Due to the fact that in terms of more of the studied traits there was no significant difference between application of 100 and 200 kg ha-1 urea fertilizer and also reduce the consumption of chemical fertilizers generating pollution, Italian large leaf cultivar and application of 100 kg ha-1 urea are recommended to access an acceptable growth and quantitative and qualitative yield in sweet basil under the environmental conditions similar to Khorramabad.
Yahya Selahvarzi; Maryam Kamali; Jafar Nabati; Hamid Ahmadpour Mir
Abstract
Introduction: Each year, with the onset of cold season and severe drop in temperature, the probability of frost bite and frost damage is a problem for landscaping plants. Many plant species, especially tropical and subtropical species, are damaged when exposed to frostbite, causing damage to ...
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Introduction: Each year, with the onset of cold season and severe drop in temperature, the probability of frost bite and frost damage is a problem for landscaping plants. Many plant species, especially tropical and subtropical species, are damaged when exposed to frostbite, causing damage to their cells, tissues, and organs. Research has shown that by altering membrane properties during cold stress, metabolic balance is disturbed and with the increase in toxic metabolites, secondary damage to the plant can occur. At low temperature, decreases the efficiency of energy transfer to the center of the photosystem II. In addition, low temperatures are the main cause of the formation of reactive oxygen radicals. Also, lowering the temperature in the presence of light, due to the imbalance between light absorption and photosynthesis, increases the risk of light oxidation. Low temperature also reduces the activity of Rubisco. The amount of free proline in many plants increases significantly in response to environmental stresses such as frost stress, and stabilizes the membrane during cold stress.On the other hand, the use of some organic materials such as organic mulches increase temperature of the soil, and thus helps plant from frostbite. Use of organic mulch is widespread in agriculture due to the positive effect in soil temperature, weed control and moisture retention. Also, these mulches are effective in height, growth and flowering, early maturity and total yield of the products. Mulches in the warm seasons reduces soil temperature. Use of mulch can also help plants to withstand frostbite. Organic mulch decomposition in appropriate temperature and humidity conditions, liberates the nutrients gradually and provides for root plant and microorganisms of the soil. Organic mulches can reduce the effect of salt toxicity on plant growth and actively increase soil desalination. The most important benefit of mulch is the increase in soil temperature in the seed area, which accelerates the growth and yield of the product. Use of straw as mulch resulted in accelerated germination in cucumber. Use of straw mulch leads to an increase in temperature at night, thus protecting plants from temperature stress that has a positive effect on the growth and development of wheat.
Material and methods: In order to investigate the effect of freezing stress and using different types of organic mulch for Aquilegia plant, this experiment was conducted as a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with four replications at Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The experimental treatments included four types of mulch (control (without mulch), 50% soil + 50% manure, 50% soil + 50% leaf needle + 50% soil + 50% rice bran) and five levels of freezing temperature (0, -5, -10, -15 and 20). Characteristics such as percentage of electrolyte leakage, relative water content, chlorophyll index and total chlorophyll, leaves number, leaf area, plant dry weight and proline leaf content were considered.
Results and Discussion: The results showed with decrease of temperature from 0 to -20 °C, stem diameter, leaf area and leaf number in bran mulch treatment decreased by 42.6%, 73.4%, 21.2% respectively, also stem diameter, leaf area and leaf number in mulch of leaf needle were 35.2%, 9/64%, 47.6%, in manure mulch were 20.20%, 46.4%, 7.8% and in the control of mulch decreased, 32.8%, 79.7%, 30.7%, respectively. At -5 °C, the amount of proline was 26% in the leaf and at -20°C, the amount of proline increased 50% compared to the control. Also, the lowest proline (0.73 μmol / g fresh weight) was obtained from the plants that treated with bran mulch. With application of, electrolyte leakage reached 63.6%, 68%, 61% and 57% in control conditions bran, needle and manure, respectively. In short, the least electrolyte leakage was observed in manure. On the other hand, when temperature dropped from 0 to -20 °C, the percentage of electrolyte leakage increased in Aquilegia. Relative water content of the leaf were 24% at 0°C, 38% at -15 °C and 23% at -20 °C. In terms of non-use of mulch, the relative water content was 36% and reached a 42% and 40% with application of manure and needle using mulch. By measuring the total carbohydrate found in Aquilegia leaf, it was observed that the amount of this trait was increased under frost stress. In general, although frost stress reduced the morphological traits of Aquilegia, use of organic mulch resulted in the improvement of these traits. The best results were observed in manure mulch.
Rasul AbaszadehFaruji; Mahmood Shoor; Ali Tehranifar; Bahram Abedy; Nasim Safari
Abstract
Introduction: Ornamental plants play a vital role in meeting the mental and spiritual needs of peoplethat considered significance from commercial point of view as well. Optimal production of agricultural products requires suitable soil and adequate and absorbable nutrients for plant. Organic materials ...
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Introduction: Ornamental plants play a vital role in meeting the mental and spiritual needs of peoplethat considered significance from commercial point of view as well. Optimal production of agricultural products requires suitable soil and adequate and absorbable nutrients for plant. Organic materials are important because ofimproving soil physical properties and soil fertility. Soil fertility depends on the content oforganic matter as well as the quality, quantity and dynamics of these materials insoil. Organic acids are an important source of organic matter. One of the most abundant forms of organic matter in nature is humic compounds which can be found in all soil and water environment. They play an important role in cation exchange, nutrients release, phosphorus buffering capacity and metal and toxic organic molecules maintenance.
Materials and Methods: In order to evaluate the effect of humic substances on morphological characteristics of geranium, thisexperiment was conducted in research greenhouse of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad during the years 2014 and 2015. The experiment was carried out as factorial based on completely randomized design with two factors and three replications. The first factor hadfour levels of humic acid (0, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 g/l), and the second hadfour levels of fulvic acid (0, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 g/ml). Treatment was usedalong with irrigation. Morphological characteristics included the number of leaves, number of nodes, number of branches, plant height, root length, leaf area, fresh weight of shoot, fresh weight of leaf, fresh weight of root, dry weight of shoot, dry weight of leaf, dry weight of root, volume of shoots, volume of root, fresh weight of shoot were measured at the end of the experiment. Statistical analysis of the results was performed by using Jmp-8 software. Charts were drawn using Excel 2010 and difference among treatments means were compared with LSD test.
Results and Discussion: The results of means comparison showed that combined use of humic acid and fulvic acid hadpositive effects on growth traits such as height, internode length, root length, fresh weight of shoot, fresh weight of root, fresh weight of leaf, dry weight of shoot, dry weight of leaf, volume of shoot, volume of root and leaf area. Research had shown that the application of humic fertilizers increased nitrogen content in shoots of the plant. It wasreported that nitrogen compounds existed in humic acid are important factors affecting the growth of plants. Humic acid also increasedshoot growth by increasing the uptake of nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, zinc, iron and copper as well as hormone-like properties. It wasalso found that humic acid enhancedplant growth by increasing the activity of the RuBisCO enzyme and the subsequent increase in photosynthetic activity. Furthermore, humic acid reduced the pH of alkaline soils and causedthe nitrogen to be absorbed to a greater extent. The use of humic substances increased the leaf area and thus photosynthesis, therefore leading to the production of more dry matter in plants. Humic fertilizers also had a significant effect on root growth. Researchers had suggested that the presence of oxygen groups in humic acid increased lateral root growth. Although humic acid increased the growth of both root and shoot, its effectiveness on the root system wasmore evident.
Conclusions: This experiment was conducted with the aims of evaluating the effect of humic organic fertilizers, reducing the harmful effects of chemical fertilizers and improving the quality of plant growth in geranium. According to the results obtained from the present research, it can be concluded that combined application of humic acid and fulvic acid had greater effects on the majority of traits compared to the sole application of aforementioned compounds.
Morteza Goldani; Maryam Kamali; Mohammad Ghiasabadi
Abstract
Introduction: Salinity tolerance in plants can increase the importance of it as a result of the decreasing availability of high-quality irrigation water. Saline irrigation water can have many negative effects on crops. When irrigation water has high salinity, the salt may precipitate on the leaves as ...
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Introduction: Salinity tolerance in plants can increase the importance of it as a result of the decreasing availability of high-quality irrigation water. Saline irrigation water can have many negative effects on crops. When irrigation water has high salinity, the salt may precipitate on the leaves as the water evaporates. Thus it can result in foliar uptake and phytotoxicity. The irrigation water may also cause accumulation of salt in the substrate, which may lead to salt uptake by the plants. Salt injury occurs when too much NaCl accumulates in the substrate. When excessive concentrations of NaCl are present in the soil, water uptake may be inhibited and it causing a physiological drought stress. However, potassium is required by plants in amounts (in kg unit) of similar or greater than nitrogen (N). K Uptake by the plant is highly selective and closely coupled to metabolic activity. At all levels in plants, within individual cells, tissues and in long-distance transport via the xylem and phloem, K exists as a free ion in solution or electrostatically bound cation. Potassium takes part in many essential processes such as enzyme activation, protein synthesis, photosynthesis, phloem transport, osmoregulation, cation-anion balance, stomatal movement and light-driven nastic movements. Potassium Chloride (KCl) is used as a source of nutrients in agricultural development and also used as relieve salinity stress.
Materials and Methods: In order to study the mitigation effects of KCl on salinity (NaCl) in mustard plant (Parkland and Goldrush), an experiment was carried out at the Research Greenhouse, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. The experiment was managed as a factorial arrangement based on completely randomized design in three replications. Treatments were included NaCl (0, 30, 60 and 90 mM) and KCl (0 and 20 mM) and two cultivars.
Relative water content was calculated by the following formula using leaf disc obtained from a young leaf of each plant.
(DW+ FW/ DW+ TW)*100FW=fresh weight, DW=dry weight, and TW=turgid weight
Electrolytic leakage was calculated by the following formula:
EL=L1/L2 where L1 is electric conduction of leaf after putting in the deionized water in 25°C and L2 is the electric conduction of the autoclaved samples.
Leaf area was measured by Leaf area meter. Shoot and root dry weights were determined after drying the samples in 75°C for 48 h.
Chlorophyll concentration was calculated by the fallowing formula:
Chla (μg/ml) = 15.65A666 – 7.340 A653
Chlb (μg/mml) = 27.05A653 – 11.21 A666
Analysis of variance was calculated using MSTAT-C.1software and means were compared by LSD test at probability level of 5%.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that the treatments of NaCl, KCl and interactions with cultivars were significantly different on dry weight, leaf area, photosynthesis, stoma conductivity and chlorophyll rate. The maximum shoot dry weight (3.44 g/plant) and photosynthesis rate was obtained from T2 (20 mMKCl and without NaCl). The maximum membrane stability index was obtained in Goldrush cultivar and T2. The minimum of these traits were observed in zero mMKCl and 90 mMNaCl. High level of NaCl (60 and 90 Mm) and increasing application of KCl could not improve all traits. According to the result of the analysis of variance increasing density of sodium chloride in planting areas has a special effect on the size of leaves, weight of dried plant and each leaf and dried root. This effect shows a meaningful variation between the weight of dried leaves and its dried root and shoots. The salty areas have a lot of negative ions like Magnesium, Chlorine, sodium and sulfate. These materials are harmful by themselves or cause affective disorder in plants metabolism. Salinity treatments applied to significant influence (p≤0.01) on the characteristics of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and number of stomata was read out by SPAD. For example, sodium and potassium competition and chlorine and nitrate competition impairs the absorption of nutrients. The result of this reaction is that the plant needs more energy for producing organic matter so it loses most of its energy to resist against salt. This situation causes a low activity of the root and the growing of shoot consequently reduces. Also, weight and length of plant would reduce too. For example, existing potassium in salty lands causes the reduction of sodium in the shoot of plants. This research was done in a pot with the same amount of salt. Potassium causes the reduction of toxicity effects of sodium. This research showed that the potassium can regulate osmotic pressure and permeability of plant cell membranes and also cause to increase plant tolerance to salinity.
Conclusion: In salty condition, increasing the amount of sodium causes the reduction of potassium, compared with sodium. As a matter of fact this kind of reaction causes the reduction of potassium compared with sodium. We know that potassium can cause a suitable osmotic pressure and reduce the destructive effect of oxidation. So, amount of potassium more than sodium in salty lands is known as the standard resistance. In general, increasing the salinity of sodium chloride can decrease morphological and physiological traits of mustard. The use of potassium chloride in T2 treatment showed the best result. However, Goldrush cultivar showed better results compared with Parkland cultivar in salt tolerance.
Nasibeh Pourghasemian; Mehdi Naghizadeh; Rooholla Moradi; Mohammad Salari
Abstract
Introduction: Successful greenhouse and nursery production of plants is largely dependent on the chemical and physical properties of the growing substrate. An ideal potting substrate should be free of weeds and diseases, heavy enough to avoid frequent tipping over and yet light enough to facilitate handling ...
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Introduction: Successful greenhouse and nursery production of plants is largely dependent on the chemical and physical properties of the growing substrate. An ideal potting substrate should be free of weeds and diseases, heavy enough to avoid frequent tipping over and yet light enough to facilitate handling and shipping. The substrate should also be well drained and yet retain sufficient water to reduce the frequency of watering. Other parameters to consider include cost, availability, consistency between batches and stability in the media over time. Greenhouse crops in general, have higher nutrient demands than field grown crops. Therefore, in order to optimize production it is essential to focus on the growing substrate and fertilization. The physical properties of the growing medium are important parameters for successful plant growth, as these are related to the ability to adequately store and supply air and water to plants. Humic acid is a principal component of humic substances, which are the major organic constituents of soil (humus), peat and coal. It is also a major organic constituent of many upland streams, dystrophic lakes, and ocean water. It is produced by biodegradation of dead organic matter. It is not a single acid, but it is a complex mixture of many different acids containing carboxyl and phenolate groups so that the mixture behaves functionally as a dibasic acid or occasionally as a tribasic acid. Humic acids can form complexes with ions that are commonly found in the environment creating humic colloids. Humic and fulvic acids (fulvic acids are humic acids with lower molecular weight and higher oxygen content than other humic acids) are commonly used as a soil supplement in agriculture. Humic Plus contains humic acid, fulvic acid, macro micro nutrients and proprietary constituents essential for plant growth. Organic matter soil amendments have been known by farmers to be beneficial to plant growth for longer than recorded history. However, the chemistry and function of the organic matter have been a subject of controversy since humans began their postulating about it in the 18th century. Selection of the proper media components is critical to the successful production of plants. So, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of humic acid foliar application and various substrate on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of tomato seedling.
Material and Methods: The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at Bardsir Faculty of Agriculture , Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman in 2015, as a factorial arrangement based on completely randomized design with five replications. The experimental treatments were substrate in 7 levels (peat, coco-peat, leaf-soil, compost, vermi-compost, manure and clay soil), humic acid in two levels (foliar application and non- foliar application). After preparation of substrates, plastic boxes with 12 cm diameter and 10 cm height were chosen. After extracting gravity water, tomato (cv. Canyon) seeds were sown in pots. Rain irrigation was done daily. Foliar application of humic acid with concentration of 0.001 liter was performed from seedling emergence to transplanting every two days. The germinated seeds was daily counted and number and rate of seed emergence was estimated. Plant height, stem diameter, number of internodes, leaf area, shoot and root dry matter and chlorophyll contents were calculated at transplanting time of seedling.
Results and Discussion: The substrate treatment had a significant effect on rate and percent of germination, plant height, shoot dry matter, leaf area, number of internodes and, chlorophyll a and carotenoid contents. According to the results, the greatest and smallest rate and percent of germination was found in peat and manure treatments, respectively. Also the greatest shoot dry matter (1.17 g), leaf area (125.9 cm plant-1), number of internodes (6.19), plant height (13.51 cm) and chlorophyll a concentration (2.55 µg/ml) were observed for peat substrate. Manure and clay soil substrates showed the smallest of these measurements and carotenoid contents. It seems that physical characteristics of peat was better than other substrates. Plant height, shoot dry matter, leaf area, number of internodes, chlorophyll a and carotenoid contents showed a significant effect by humic acid application. Foliar application of humic acid significantly increased the mentioned traits.
Conclusion: The results illustrated that between substrates in this study, peat was the best for seedling production of tomato. Foliar application of humic acid had a positive effect in improving growth characteristics of tomato seedling.
Roozbeh Farhoudi
Abstract
Introduction: Iran’s climate is mostly arid and semi-arid, where water availability is a major problem. Water stress substantially alters plant metabolism, decreasing plant growth and photosynthesis and profoundly affecting ecosystems and agriculture, as well as human societies. Unfortunately, water ...
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Introduction: Iran’s climate is mostly arid and semi-arid, where water availability is a major problem. Water stress substantially alters plant metabolism, decreasing plant growth and photosynthesis and profoundly affecting ecosystems and agriculture, as well as human societies. Unfortunately, water deficiency is increasingly becoming a serious problem in agriculture in Iran whereas the national average annual precipitation is less than 249 mm. Recently, medicinal and aromatic plants have received much attention in several fields such as agroalimentary, perfumes, pharmaceutical industries and natural cosmetic products. Although, secondary metabolites in the medicinal and aromatic plants impressed conventionally by their genetic makeup; moreover their biosynthesis is strongly influenced by environmental factors. It means biotic and abiotic environmental factors affect growth parameter, essential oil yield and constituents. Abiotic environmental stresses like drought have the most effect on medicinal plants. In arid and semi-arid regions like south of Iran where water availability is a major limitation, using plants with low water consumption is one way to manage available water efficiently. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus) are annual plants belonging to Asteraceae family naturally widespread in west, northwest and south of Iran and their consumption has a long history in Iranian folklore medicine. Over 120 components have been identified in these plants essential oil, while, chamazulene, camphor, bisabolol oxides A and B, farnesene and ά- bisabolonoxide are the most important ones.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in Research Farm of Islamic Azad University, Shoshtar Branch, Iran during 2010-2011 in order to evaluate the effects of water stress levels on growth, photosynthesis and essential oil yield of German chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus). Two water stress levels viz. medium at 75% field capacity (FC) (I 75) and sever at 55% FC (I 55) were included in the study, while 90% FC (I 90) was taken as control. The experiment was laid out based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Net plot size was 2 m × 2 m having plants density of 120 chamomile m-2 and 100 chicory m-2. Sowing was done manually on well prepared seedbed in November 2010 and plants were harvested in June 2011. Irrigation treatments were started three weeks after seed sown when seedling started their growth and development. Chamomile and chicory essential oil percentage, essential oil yield, dry weight, photosynthesis and chlorophyll content were assayed in this research.
Results and Discussion: Results showed that drought stress had significant effect on photosynthesis, chlorophyll a concentration, plant height and dry matter yield of chamomile and chicory. The Lowest flowers dry yield of chamomile and leaf dry weight of chicory obtained from severe drought stress level (47 and 195 gr m-2). The highest essential oil yield of chamomile (56.6 g m-2) and chicory (226.9 gr m-2) showed in mild drought stress treatment. Results indicated that medium drought stress increased seconds’ metabolites concentration and essential oil yield of chamomile and chicory. Important second compound in chamomile and chicory essential oil were camphor, α-pinene, β-pinene, ά-bisabolol and chamazulene. Drought stress decreased photosynthesis rate and minimum photosynthesis rate in chamomile and chicory were 9.0 mgl CO2 m-2 s-3 and 12.0 mgl CO2 m-2 s-3 under severe drought stress treatment. In chamomile the lowest chlorophyll a content showed in mild and severe drought stress treatments (1.1 and 1.2 mg g-1). Minimum chlorophyll a and b content of chicory obtained from severe drought stress treatment (0.7 and 1.02 mg g-1 respectively).Results of the study clearly elaborate that severe drought stress hampered the growth, photosynthetic rate and lowered the oil yield of chamomile, whereas medium drought stress (irrigation at 75% of FC level) improved the growth and oil productivity even more than well watered conditions. Although, severe water stress observed sizeable rise in essential oil contents but due to drastic reduction in flower or leaf dry weight, severe drought stress exhibited lowest oil yield in chamomile and chicory.
Conclusion: The results of the study clearly elaborated that medium drought stress (irrigation at 75% of FC) enhanced the essential oil productivity, while severe water stress (55% FC) decreased chamomile and chicory growth, photosynthesis rate and essential oil yield. Moreover, under drought stress quantity of chamomile and chicory oil was improved. Therefore, chamomile and chicory should be irrigated at 75% FC level to attain higher essential oil yield.
Morteza Goldani; Hossein Zare; Maryam Kamali
Abstract
Introduction: Purple coneflower with scientific name Echinacea purpurea (L.) is an herbaceous perennial plant native to North America and is the one of the most important medicinal plants in the world. Root of Echinacea purpurea is commonly used around the world for stimulation of immune system. It is ...
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Introduction: Purple coneflower with scientific name Echinacea purpurea (L.) is an herbaceous perennial plant native to North America and is the one of the most important medicinal plants in the world. Root of Echinacea purpurea is commonly used around the world for stimulation of immune system. It is used as herbal medicine in respiratory infections, against malignant tumors and several inflammatory conditions However, nitrogen and phosphorus are the main elements that make up the proteins in plants and herbs for natural growth, especially is necessary in their productive organs. The results showed that nitrogen and phosphorus are important in continuation of flowering, the flowers fresh and dry weight and in essential oil. Fertilization of E. purpurea plants indicated that in absence or at low levels of nitrogen fertilization (0 and 100 kg acre-1), the addition of 50 and 100 kg acre-1 of potassium increased aerial parts, flower heads and root yield. Another report indicated that highest aerial biomass and root yield in E. purpurea was obtained with 100 kg ha-1 of nitrogen at constant rates of phosphorus and potassium. Polyphenol content was not influenced by nitrogen fertilization and values fluctuated between 2.4 and 5.4 % in the aerial part at flowering and between 1.6 and 3.5 % in the roots. Fertilization with nitrogen caused a decrease in the concentrations of echinoside. Echinoside content was 1.16 % without nitrogen fertilization, and 0.94 % with nitrogen fertilization.
Materials and Methods: To evaluate the effect of different levels of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth and yield of coneflower, a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications was conducted in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Treatments were included three levels of nitrogen (0, 1 and 2 gr urea per kilogram of soil) and three levels of phosphate fertilizer (0, 0.75 and 1.5 gr of phosphate (P2O5) per kg of soil). Nitrogen fertilizer was applied to the soil before planting and one month after transplanting seedlings and phosphorus fertilizer was added to the soil after transplanting.
Results and Discussion: A difference in plant height at different levels of nitrogen was significant. By increasing the amount of nitrogen to 1 gr, plant height from 69.44 increased to 81.11 cm. Number of lateral shoots wasn’t significant in any levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. Increasing of nitrogen from 0 to 2 grams per kg of soil increased leaf weight from 2.4 to 7.5 g. However, with increasing levels of phosphorus, weight and leaf area increased. So that the treatment without phosphorus, dry weight was 4.37 grams and in 1.5 grams of phosphorus was the highest leaf dry weight with 5.77 gr. With increasing levels of nitrogen from 0 to 1 gram, shoot dry weight increased and with increasing nitrogen from 1 to 2 grams of weight shoot dry weight was low. Treatment with 1 gr of nitrogen per kilogram of soil had the highest stem dry weight per plant with 8.7 grams and showed significant differences with other treatment. Based on the results, the effect of nitrogen fertilizer treatments in the number of flowers and flower dry weight was significant at 1%, the effect of phosphorus on flower dry weight was significant. But the interaction of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer treatments in any levels was not significant. The highest SPAD index in1.5 gr of phosphorus and lowest (53.74) in the treatment without phosphorus was observed. Different levels of nitrogen fertilizer had not significant effect on the length and diameter of the root but a significant effect of phosphorus on root length was showed. It seems nitrogen in 1 gr per kg is related to increase photosynthesis and the growth of organs. Nitrogen with increasing in meristem cell division can increase vegetative growth and plant size. Zeinali et al (1387) reported that phosphorus can increase carbohydrates and mineral combinations in the shoots, flowers and roots. As a result increase in shoots, roots and flowers dry weight is related to nitrogen and phosphorus.
Conclusion: In general the results showed that with increasing nitrogen fertilizer height, flower number and shoot dry weight was significantly increased. Also, increasing the amount of phosphorus up to 1.5 gr per kilogram leads to an increase in plant roots. Due to the interactions of nitrogen and phosphorus in leaf dry weight and root dry weight, nitrogen and phosphorus in 2 and 5.1 gr per kg of soil had the best results.
Rozbeh Farhodi; Mohammad Amin Mehrnia
Abstract
Introduction: Spices and herbs are part of daily food intake in many regions of the world. They have been used as natural sources of flavorings and preservatives. Yarrow (Achillea spp.) belongs to Asteraceae family and more than 100 species have been recognized in this genus. This plantis reportedto ...
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Introduction: Spices and herbs are part of daily food intake in many regions of the world. They have been used as natural sources of flavorings and preservatives. Yarrow (Achillea spp.) belongs to Asteraceae family and more than 100 species have been recognized in this genus. This plantis reportedto be a diaphoretic, astringent, tonic, stimulant and mild aromatic plant. It contains isovaleric acid, salicylic acid, asparagin, sterols, flavonoids, bitters, tannins, and coumarins. The plant also has a long history as a powerful 'healing herb' used topically for wounds, cuts and abrasions. The genus name Achillea is derived from the mythical Greek character, Achilles. Action is also reflected in some of the common names mentioned below, such as staunchweed and soldier's woundwort. The genus Achillea is a well-known medicinal plant, widely used in folk medicine against gastrointestinal disorders such as lack of appetite. This plant is native to Europe and Western Asia but isalso found in Australia, New Zealand and North America. Nineteen species of Achillea have been recognized in Iran distributed in different geographical and ecological regions. Achillea spp. are diaphoretic, astringent, tonic, stimulant and mild aromatic. Major components in Achillea spp. essential oil are sabinene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-pinene, β-pinene, borneol and bornyl acetate. The aim of this work is to investigate growth, essential oil yield and chemical composition of essential oils of A. eriophora, A. millefolium, A. biebersteinii and A. tenuifolia.
Material and Methods: This study investigated the growth and essential oil yield of four Achillea species in the North of Khuzestan situation,Shoushtar, in2008-2010. An experiment was conducted in combined analysis based on complete block design with 4 replicates. Achillea species examined concluded Achillea eriophora, A. millefolium, A. biebersteinii and A. nobilis. Seedling establishment, essential oil percentage andyield, flowering period and shoot dry weight was measured during the experiment. The clevenger apparatus was used to extract oils by hydro-distillation of leaf and head branches for 3 hours according to the method described in the British Pharmacopeia. For identification of components, Agilent gas chromatography model 6890 N, was equipped with MSD model 5973 N and fused with the silica capillary column (HP-5MS, 30m- 0.25mm) were used for qualitative and quantitative analysis.Analysis of variance was employed for statistical analysis of the data using a MSTATC software. The mean values were compared with the Duncan test.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that year, species and their interaction (year×species) had significant (p
Ahmad Nezami; Seyed Mohammad Javad Mousavi; Somaye Nezami; Ebrahim Izadi Darbandi; Maryam Yousef Sani; Fatemeh Keykha Akhar
Abstract
Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is relatively cold tolerant plant, but in some years plant seriously injured due to harsh winter. In order to evaluate freezing tolerance of calendula an experiment was carried out at college of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhadin a factorial-completely randomized ...
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Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is relatively cold tolerant plant, but in some years plant seriously injured due to harsh winter. In order to evaluate freezing tolerance of calendula an experiment was carried out at college of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhadin a factorial-completely randomized design with three replications and plants of two sowing dates (summer and autumn) were exposed to12 temperatures (0, -2, -4, -6, -8, -10, -12, 14- ,16-, -18, -20 and -22oC). Seeds of calendula plants were sown in summer (summer plant) and autumn (autumn plant) in the bed and in six to eight-leaf stages were transplanted to the pots. After the cold acclimation in natural condition, freezing stress was applied with using a thermo gradient freezer. To employ stability of cytoplasmic membrane, percentage of electrolyte leakage (EL%) was measured after freezing. Also survival percentage (Su%) and regrowth of calendula plants determined after three weeks recovery. Leaves EL% in autumn plants was significantly more than summer plants and autumn plants have higher Su%, but plant height, number of lateral branches, numbers of reproductive traits, total dry matter, vegetative and reproductive dry matter in summer plants were more than autumn plants. However, there were no difference between calendula plants for LT50el in both autumn and summer plants, but there was significant difference between them for LT50su and total dry matter, and LT50su and reduced dry matter temperature50 (RDMT50)for summer plants were -18.6 oC and -11.3 oC and for autumn plants were -19.4 oC and -13.7 oC, respectively.
