Postharvest physiology
Masumeh Kiaeshkevarian; Tahereh Raiesi; Bijan Moradi; Javad Fattahi Moghadam; Maziyar Faghih Nasiri
Abstract
Introduction
Consumers demand for organic products is increasing due to their awareness of health and nutritional quality. Organic manures maintain soil health and ecological balance of the region. Organic agriculture, as an alternative agricultural system to protect human health and the environment ...
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Introduction
Consumers demand for organic products is increasing due to their awareness of health and nutritional quality. Organic manures maintain soil health and ecological balance of the region. Organic agriculture, as an alternative agricultural system to protect human health and the environment can improve the quality and storability of the product. Kiwifruit is one of the most important agricultural products in north of Iran, which plays an effective role in trade and employment of the people. Fertilization is one of the main factors affecting the yield and quality of kiwifruit. Growers use organic manures and chemical fertilizers in their orchard to achieve higher yields. It is necessary to study the effect of various organic manures available in the region on the nutrition of kiwifruit vines due to increase chemical fertilizer prices and the formation of the market for organic fruits. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect of using five types of organic manures and chemical fertilizer on the quality of Hayward kiwi fruit during cold storage.
Materials and Methods
This research was conducted as randomized complete block design consisting six treatments (including complete chemical fertilizer, sheep manure, cow manure, chicken manure, vermicompost and azolla) on Hayward kiwifruit vines in orchard and factorial experiment with three replicates in cold storage during four years. The fruits were harvested at TSS: 6.5 (approximately mid-November) and then stored at 0.5 ° C and 90% RH for three months. Sampling was performed every month and physicochemical characteristics, including flesh color parameters (L*, C*, h◦), total soluble solids, titratable acidity, firmness and weight loss of fruit were measured. Sensory evaluation of fruits was also performed at the end of three months cold storage. Analysis of variance of the data was done using SAS 9.1 software. The significance of differences between the mean of treatments was determined by using Duncan’s test.
Results and Discussion
The results showed the interaction between year, type of nutrition and cold storage period affected color indices, lightness and chroma. Lightness and chroma value didn’t show significant differences between organic and chemical fertilizer treatments. In addition, their value decreased during cold storage period, significantly. The chroma value indicates the degree of saturation of the green color and is associated with fruit firmness. The hue value was also influenced by the interaction between year and cold storage period and the simple effect of the nutrition type. The highest hue value was observed in chicken manure (108.63) and the lowest in vermicompost (107.66). The hue value decreased significantly after 90 days cold storage. According to the results, a decrease in fruit firmness, TA and an increase in TSS and TSS/TA were observed during cold storage irrespective of treatments. After 90 days, total soluble solids content was higher when organic fertilizers were applied. During the storage of kiwifruit, total soluble solids content increased, significantly. The titratable acidity value in organic fertilizer treatments was higher than chemical fertilizer after 90 days cold storage, significantly. Moreover, titratable acidity value decreased at the end of the cold storage period, significantly. The highest flesh fruit firmness was obtained in cow manure (8.74 kg/cm2) in forth year and chemical fertilizer treatment had the lowest flesh firmness (3.2 kg/cm2) in third year. Fruit lost firmness gradually during the cold storage period. However, no significant difference was found in maturity index (TSS/TA) between treatments. The TSS:TA ratio is highly increased after 90 days. Based on the results of the last two years, azolla, cow and chicken manures showed less weight loss percentage than chemical fertilizer treatment. Moreover, weight loss increased significantly during cold storage period in all treatments and years. Also the results of sensory analysis showed that fruits treated with vermicompost had a higher overall acceptance than other treatments.
Conclusion
Generally, organic nutrition plays an important role in increasing the nutritional value and shelf life of kiwifruit cv.Hayward. Organically produced fruits had higher firmness than conventionally grown fruits during storage. Application of cow manure and vermicompost showed favorable effects on important properties of kiwi fruit such as firmness, weight loss, TSS, TA and sensory quality. Therefore, organic fruits will have better quality in the cold storage. As a result, it seems that by reducing the use of chemical fertilizers in the current orchards, kiwi production will be close to the standards defined for organic fruit.
Medicinal Plants
Roghayeh Raei; Vahid Akbarpour; Mohammad Ali Bahmanyar
Abstract
Introduction Fertilizer management is one of the main factors in achieving sustainable agriculture. Therefore, the integrated agricultural system recommends the use of organic matter along with the optimal use of chemical fertilizers. This method is a balanced way to improve the physical and ...
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Introduction Fertilizer management is one of the main factors in achieving sustainable agriculture. Therefore, the integrated agricultural system recommends the use of organic matter along with the optimal use of chemical fertilizers. This method is a balanced way to improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil, which leads to improved growth and increased plant yield. Organic fertilizers, especially livestock manures, have higher levels of organic matter than chemical fertilizers, and can be considered as sources of nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. One of these organic fertilizers is poultry manure, which in addition to having macro and micro elements (manganese, iron, copper, and boron) is one of the cheapest fertilizers compared to other fertilizers used. It is also richer in terms of nitrogen than other animal fertilizers. Soil fertility is the factor that change the amount of active substances and essential oils. Micronutrients such as zinc, although needed in small amounts by plants, play an important role in plant growth and development. The application of zinc sulfate fertilizer improved the quantitative and qualitative attributes of basil, peppermint, sage, and rosemary. Researchers stated that the application of a combination of chemical fertilizers and poultry manure has increased the yield of garlic essential oil. Therefore, in recent years, integrated plant nutrition management has been discussed. Integrated plant nutrition management is based on the simultaneous application of organic, chemical, and biological fertilizers. Because organic fertilizers alone can’t provide the needs of high-yielding plants. Combined application of organic, chemical, and biological fertilizers can improve the physical and chemical conditions of the soil and increase organic carbon and nutrients. Savory is an aromatic medicinal plant from the mint family. This plant has a lot of essential oils and is very important in the food, pharmaceutical, and health industries. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of poultry manure and zinc sulfate in the cultivation of savory.Materials and Methods The present experiment was performed as a factorial in a completely randomized design with 3 replications. The factors consisted of poultry manure with four levels (0, 3, 6, and 9 t.ha-1) and the second factor zinc sulfate with four levels (0, 50, 100 and 150 mg.kg-1 soil).Results and Discussion According to the obtained results, the effect of poultry manure, zinc sulfate, and their interaction on most of the studied traits was significant. The highest height was observed in the treatment of poultry manure of 9 t.ha-1 + zinc sulfate in 100 mg. kg-1 soil, which showed an increase of 79.26% compared to the control, and the lowest height belonged to the control treatment. The total chlorophyll in the chicken manure treatment of 6 t.ha-1 + zinc sulfate in 150 mg. kg-1 had a significant increase compared to the control. The highest amount of leaf nitrogen was obtained in the treatment of poultry manure of 9 t.ha-1 + 50 mg.kg-1 with an increase of 82.03% compared to the control. Zinc element was observed with a 222.75% increase in poultry manure treatment of 9 t.ha-1 + 150 mg.kg-1. Poultry manure treatment of 6 tons per hectare + 150 mg.kg-1 with 261.53% increase compared to the control contained the highest percentage of essential oil.Conclusion The results of the study showed that the use of combined ratios of poultry organic fertilizer and zinc sulfate has been effective in improving vegetative attributes, available plant elements, and essential oil content.
Maral Etesami; Faezeh Tajpour; Mina Khosravi; Abbas Biabani
Abstract
Introduction: Today, production of organic farming and gardening is rising. The use of organic fertilizers such as animal manure has a long history. In recent years, the use of fertilizers and manure for providing the nutritional needs of plants, improve soil physical and chemical structure and reduce ...
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Introduction: Today, production of organic farming and gardening is rising. The use of organic fertilizers such as animal manure has a long history. In recent years, the use of fertilizers and manure for providing the nutritional needs of plants, improve soil physical and chemical structure and reduce the environmental issues have been observed. Animal manures can increase soil organic matter and nutrients, improve soil structure and water-holding capacity which in turn increase the quality and quantity of the product to follow. Manure is a valuable source of biological, ecological and environmental benefits is positive and its main use is for agricultural use. Radish is an important root vegetable that belongs to the cruciferous (Brassicaceae). Value radish on high levels of dietary is related to soluble fiber and antioxidants. Radish is a native plant to Asia, China and Europe. The oral part of the botanical garden radish is important and that kind of traditional varieties have long hypocotyls include root and hypocotyls made.The purpose of this test is to evaluate the different mixture amount of animal fertilizers on the growth and yield of radish plants and compare them to each other.
Materials and Methods: In order to study of different manure effect on radish growth and yield, an experiment carried out in 2012-2013 in the greenhouse of Gonbad- Kavos University with geographical characteristics 37.16 degrees north, 55.12 ° east and with a height of 45 meters above sea level in a completely randomized design with four replications. Soil and fertilizers used to this experiment were made of the soil and livestock of Gonbad- Kavos University. Soil texture was Clay loam and pH was 7.7 obtained from soil analysis. To obtain the required levels of fertilizer treatments (25, 50, 75, 100), a measure was considered as the basis of each treatment on the basis of the ratio were calculated. The treatments included control (soil), 25 percent cow manure+ 75 percent soil, 50 percent cow manure + 50 percent soil, 75 percent cow manure + 25 percent soil, 100 percent cow manure, 25 percent sheep manure+ 75 percent soil, 50 percent sheep manure + 50 percent soil, 75 percent sheep manure + 25 percent soil, 100 percent sheep manure, 25 percent poultry manure+ 75 percent soil, 50 percent poultry manure + 50 percent soil, 75 percent poultry manure + 25 percent soil, 100 percent poultry manure. Plant height, leaf length, tuber length, tuber diagonal, tuber weight, leaf weight, leaves dry weight and hollow bulb grade were studied. The experiment was conducted under weed control, lack of water restriction and control pests and diseases. To achieve maximum plant growth, we harvested on 2th April 2013 and plant height, leaf length, bulb length, diameter of the bulb, wet bulb, wet leaves and leaf dry weight was measured. After traits recorded, leaves isolated and dried in in oven at 72 degrees for 24 hours and dry matter content was determined. Statistical analysis and data analysis was performed with SAS and Excel computer programs were used to mean comparing with the LSD test at the level of 5 percent.
Results and Discussion: Variance analysis results showed that measured traits affect by manure using significantly (P
Ghorbanali Asadi; Ali Momen; Mina Nurzadeh Namaghi; Sorur Khorramdel
Abstract
Application of organic manures is one of the most important strategies for plant nutrition compared to chemical fertilizers, especially in organic management of medicinal plants. In order to evaluate the effects of different organic and chemical fertilizers on yield, yield components and qualitative ...
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Application of organic manures is one of the most important strategies for plant nutrition compared to chemical fertilizers, especially in organic management of medicinal plants. In order to evaluate the effects of different organic and chemical fertilizers on yield, yield components and qualitative characteristics of isabgol (Plantago ovata), a field experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Station, College of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, during growing season of 2011-2012. Treatments included three levels of nitrogen fertilizer (25, 50 and 75 kg.ha-1), three levels of cow manure (5, 10 and 15 t.ha-1) and three levels of vermicompost (2, 4 and 6 t.ha-1) and control.The results showed that the effectof different fertilizers was significant (p≤0.05) on all studied traits except swelling rate of isabgol. The maximum amounts were observed in 6 t.ha-1 vermicompost and 15 t.ha-1 cow manure. The highest seed yield (548.4 kg.ha-1) was observed in 6 t.ha-1 vermicompost that it enhanced up to 26% compared to control. By increasing in organic fertilizers enhanced mucilage content, swelling factor and swelling content of isabgol. The maximum mucilage content and swelling factor were observed in 15 t.ha-1 (with 35.3% and 13.4 ml, respectively). Since, organic matters improved quantitative and qualitative yield of isabgol compared to chemical fertilizer, it concluded that these organic inputs could be regarded as a suitable alternative to enhance the growth and yield of medicinal plants such as isabgol especially in low input systems.