Agriculture and horticulture
Afsoon Rezaie Allolo; Azizollah Kheiry; Mohsen Sanikhani; Maliheh Yaghoobi
Abstract
Background and objectives: Digitalis purpurea L., the most well-known species of the Digitalis genus, is a biennial plant containing cardiac glycosides (0.3 to 0.4%) in its leaves. These glycosides are extracted and used as natural medicines for treating heart diseases, with no chemical ...
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Background and objectives: Digitalis purpurea L., the most well-known species of the Digitalis genus, is a biennial plant containing cardiac glycosides (0.3 to 0.4%) in its leaves. These glycosides are extracted and used as natural medicines for treating heart diseases, with no chemical substitutes available, making them widely utilized annually. In recent years, using amino acids and growth regulators as alternatives to chemical compounds has gained popularity for enhancing secondary metabolites, improving the quality and quantity of agricultural products, and promoting sustainable agriculture. This study investigates the biochemical and growth responses of D. purpurea to foliar applications of glutamic acid and benzyladenine under greenhouse conditions to evaluate their effects on morphophysiological characteristics, yield improvement, and their potential as environmentally friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers.Methodology: A completely randomized design with three replications was conducted in the research greenhouse of the University of Zanjan to evaluate the effects of foliar applications of benzyladenine (0.5 and 1 mM) and glutamic acid (1 and 2 mM), along with a control treatment (distilled water). Seeds were initially planted in a seedling tray containing cocopeat and peat moss. At the four-leaf stage, three seedlings were transplanted into plastic pots filled with a culture medium of field soil, cocopeat, and perlite (1:1:3 ratio). Greenhouse conditions were maintained at average day and night temperatures of 25°C and 18°C, respectively, with 80% relative humidity. Seedlings were irrigated weekly with 100 mL of complete Hoagland solution. Foliar spraying with the treatments began after seedling establishment in late June and was repeated four times at 10-day intervals. Leaf samples were collected 10 days after the final application for laboratory analysis. Data were analyzed using SAS software (version 9), and means were compared using Duncan’s multiple range test at a 5% probability level.Results: The application of 1 mM benzyladenine resulted in the highest total chlorophyll content (1.95 mg/g fresh weight), antioxidant activity (36.02%), and peroxidase enzyme activity (1.14 U/mg protein per minute). The maximum total carotenoid content (0.14 mg/g fresh weight), total phenol (12.52 mg gallic acid/g fresh weight), total flavonoid (2.86 mg quercetin/g fresh weight), and nitrogen content (1.46%) were achieved with one mM glutamic acid. Additionally, one mM glutamic acid application led to the highest catalase enzyme activity (4.09 U/mg protein per minute), fresh weight (123.51 g), and dry weight (47.38 g).Conclusion: The findings suggest that applying glutamic acid and benzyladenine at varying levels can significantly enhance the biochemical and growth characteristics of Digitalis purpurea L.
Improvement and breeding
Shamila Yadollahizadeh; Farzin Abdollahi; Alireza Yavari; Leila Jafari
Abstract
Light is one of the environmental factors influencing the growth and development of plants. In recent years, the attention of agricultural experts has been directed to plant growth regulators in order to improve the quality and stability of the cultivation system. The current research was carried out ...
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Light is one of the environmental factors influencing the growth and development of plants. In recent years, the attention of agricultural experts has been directed to plant growth regulators in order to improve the quality and stability of the cultivation system. The current research was carried out in the year 2021 in the greenhouse of Shahid Fozveh Biological Research Center in a factorial format in the form of a completely randomized design in 5 replications. For this purpose, the effect of test factors including four concentrations of abscisic acid (0, 5, 10 and 20 mg/liter) and 5 day lengths (16, 14, 12, 10 and 8 hours of light) on the growth characteristics and content of photosynthetic pigments. The cannabis plant was evaluated. The results showed that the highest plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, root length, fresh and dry weight of roots, fresh and dry weight of aerial parts and fresh and dry weight of leaves were obtained under the lighting duration of 14 hours, while the lowest amount of this the traits were observed during the lighting period of 16 hours. Also, the highest amounts of chlorophyll a, b, total and carotenoid were obtained in the treatment of 16 hours of light duration without the use of abscisic acid hormone. While the highest amount of anthocyanin was observed in the treatment of 16 hours of light duration under the treatment of abscisic acid hormone with concentrations of 10 and 20 ppm. Also, the highest amount of total phenol was obtained during the lighting period of 16 hours under the treatment of abscisic acid with a concentration of 20 ppm. Considering the importance and many uses of secondary metabolites in today's human life, investigating the existence of a relationship between environmental conditions and the production and accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants can be very useful. Therefore, it is recommended to use LED light with lighting durations of 14 and 16 hours to increase the growth characteristics and content of photosynthetic pigments of hemp plant.
Agriculture and horticulture
H. Shabkhiz; A. Javanmard; A. Ostadi; M.R. Morshedloo
Abstract
To determine the effects of Myco-Root biofertilizer and different irrigation levels on the content and essential oil compounds of thyme (Thymus daenensis Celak.), a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with eight treatments and three replications in the greenhouse of Plant ...
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To determine the effects of Myco-Root biofertilizer and different irrigation levels on the content and essential oil compounds of thyme (Thymus daenensis Celak.), a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with eight treatments and three replications in the greenhouse of Plant Production and Genetics department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Iran, in 2020. The factors included drought stress at four levels of without stress (irrigation at field capacity (FC) as a control), mild (irrigation at 75% FC), moderate (irrigation at 55% FC), and severe (irrigation at 35% FC) stresses and biofertilizer at two levels of inoculation and non-inoculation with Myco-Root. The results demonstrated that the fresh and dry weight of leaves, stem dry weight, total dry weight, leaf relative water content, chlorophylls a and b and total chlorophyll content, and root colonization percentage decreased significantly with increasing the water deficit level. However, the carotenoid content and essential oil percentage showed an increasing trend with increasing drought stress. The highest carotenoid content and essential oil percentage was obtained by using Myco-Root under moderate drought stress. Thymol, carvacrol, p < /em>-cymene, 1,8-cineole, (E)-caryophyllene, borneol, γ-terpinene, and α-pinene were identified as the major constituents of essential oil in the all treatments. The highest content of thymol was obtained under mild drought stress with the Myco-Root application. Furthermore, the highest content of carvacrol was recorded under mild, moderate, and severe drought stresses, respectively with the Myco-Root application. On average, the application of Myco-Root biofertilizer increased the content of thymol, carvacrol, 1,8-cineole, E-caryophyllene, borneol, and α-pinene by 4.19, 48.28, 15.93, 16.33, 14.15, and 3.78%, respectively compared to not using this biofertilizer. Overall, the results showed that some morphological and physiological traits of thyme decreased significantly with increasing the water deficit levels, but the application of Myco-Root biofertilizer could amend drought stress and improve the growth, percentage and essential oil quality of the plant. Thus, the use of Myco-Root biofertilizer instead of chemical fertilizers could be recommended to achieve the sustainable agriculture in the thyme cultivation.
Z. Taghizadeh Tabari; H.R. Asghri; H. Abbasdokht; E. Babakhanzadeh sajirani
Abstract
Water deficit has been the major contributor to the decline in plant yield. Soil amendment and certain hormonal agents are some strategies applied to mitigate the adverse effects of drought stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of one soil modifier and one growth regulator ...
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Water deficit has been the major contributor to the decline in plant yield. Soil amendment and certain hormonal agents are some strategies applied to mitigate the adverse effects of drought stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of one soil modifier and one growth regulator on some physiological and morphological characteristics of Borago officinalis L. under water deficit conditions. The experiment was implemented as a split-factorial in a randomized complete block design with four replications at the research farm of Agriculture Faculty of Shahroud University of Technology, Iran during 2017- 2018. The main plots consisted of three levels of irrigation (usual irrigation every five days, irrigation every 10 and 15 days) and sub-plots consisted of biochar at three levels (0, 5 and 10 t ha-1) and salicylic acid at two levels (0 and 0.5 mM). Based on the results, biochar, salicylic acid, and water deficit factors affected the number of flowering stems, number of stems, stem height, the amount of chlorophylls a and b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids significantly. Interactions between salicylic acid and water deficit levels had the most effects on carotenoids and chlorophyll b. Triple interaction of factors also affected the total dry weight, number of flowering stems, the number of stems, stem height, and chlorophyll b. Generally, water deficit stress decreased the amount of photosynthetic pigments and leaf growth indices of European borage compared to control, and salicylic acid and biochar reduced the negative effects on the amount of photosynthetic pigments. Therefore, the use of biochar as a soil modifier and salicylic acid as a growth regulator seems to be useful in ameliorating some of the negative effects of water stress on Borago officinalis.
M. Abdollahi Noroozi; M.R. Moradi Telavat; S.A. Siadat; A. Khodaei Joghan
Abstract
In order to evaluate the effect of zeolite and vermicompost on Marigold (Calendulaofficinalis L.), a field experiment was conducted in 2017 in the research field of Ramin University, Khuzestan, in split plot as a randomized complete block design with three replications. Vermicompost (0, 3, 6, 9 t ha-1) ...
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In order to evaluate the effect of zeolite and vermicompost on Marigold (Calendulaofficinalis L.), a field experiment was conducted in 2017 in the research field of Ramin University, Khuzestan, in split plot as a randomized complete block design with three replications. Vermicompost (0, 3, 6, 9 t ha-1) and zeolite (0, 4, 8 and 12 t ha-1) were investigated as the main factor and sub plot, respectively. Results of variance analysis showed that vermicompost and zeolite had a significant effect on flower yield, biological yield, harvest Index, chlorophylls and carotenoids of leaves, petal carotenoids, nitrogen removal, phosphorus removal, and index of the intensity of the color of the petals. Also, interaction effects of vermicompost and zeolite was significant on all top-mentioned characteristics. The highest flower yield (69.53 g m-2) was obtained at 3 t vermicompost per ha and 12 t zeolite per ha. Maximum biological yield (474.84 g m-2) was achieved at 9 t vermicompost per ha. The highest leaf and petal carotenoids were recorded at 9 t vermicompost per ha and maximum chlorophyll a and b belonged to 9 t vermicompost per ha and 4 t zeolite per ha. The highest soil nitrogen harvest was obtained at 8 t zeolite per ha. Maximum soil phosphorus harvest belonged to 9 t vermicompost per ha and 12 t zeolite per ha. In total, knowing that zeolite is more cost-effective rather than vermicompost, increasing the amount of zeolite consumption can enhance flower yield. In the current research, the best flower performance could be obtained at an optimum amount of 3 t vermicmpost per ha and 12 t zeolite per ha.
A. Oftadeh fadafan; M.H. AminiFard
Abstract
Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the most important and precious medicinal plants in the world. In order to investigate the effects of different of municipal waste vermicompost on vegetative and reproductive characteristics of leaf and corm of saffron, an experiment was conducted based on a randomized ...
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Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the most important and precious medicinal plants in the world. In order to investigate the effects of different of municipal waste vermicompost on vegetative and reproductive characteristics of leaf and corm of saffron, an experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Station, University of Birjand during the growing season of 2015. The treatments included four levels of municipal waste vermicompost (0, 5, 10 and 15 t.ha-1). Results showed that municipal waste vermicompost in the second year improved the reproductive characteristics so that the highest flower yield was obtained from 10 t.ha-1 municipal waste vermicompost (22.5g.m-2) and the highest dry stigma yield was obtained from 5 t.ha-1 municipal waste vermicompost (0.44g.m-2). The highest average leaf number (8.36), average fresh weight and dry weight of leaf (0.33 and 0.099 g, respectively) were obtained in plants treated with 15 t.ha-1 municipal waste vermicompost and the highest leaf length (249.3 mm) was obtained at 10 t.ha-1. Application of this organic fertilizer could have a significant effect on chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll content and SPAD. The highest photosynthetic pigments were obtained from application of 10 t.ha-1 municipal waste vermicompost. The characteristics of the corm including the number of cormel, fresh and dry weight of cormel and number of cormel buds were affected by municipal waste vermicompost treatment. The highest number of cormel was obtained from plants treated with 10 t.ha-1. Also results showed that treatment of 5 t.ha-1 of municipal waste vermicompost had the greatest effect on fresh and dry weight of cormel. This treatment improved the number of cormel (33/1) as compared with control (5). Thus, results showed that municipal waste vermicompost had strong impact on vegetative and reproductive characteristics of saffron.
M. Nemati; M. Dahmardeh; E. Khmmari; M. Nejati
Abstract
To study the effect of biological and manure fertilizers on economic yield and quality characteristics of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), an experiment was conducted as split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Center of Zabol University, ...
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To study the effect of biological and manure fertilizers on economic yield and quality characteristics of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), an experiment was conducted as split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Center of Zabol University, Iran during growing season of 2012. Treatments included three manure levels; 0, 10 and 20t.h-1 and eight levels of biofertilizer including control, nitroxin, bio-sulfur, biological phosphorus, nitroxin+bio-sulfur, nitroxin+biological phosphorus, bio-sulfur+biological phosphorus, nitroxin+bio-sulfur+biological phosphorus. Different levels of manure fertilizer and biofertilizers were considered as main plots and subplots, respectively. Traits included economic yield, leaf SPAD, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids, carbohydrates, anthocyanin, protein, potassium and phosphorus. According to the obtained results different levels of manure and bio-fertilizer treatments and their interactions on biological traits were significant. The maximum economic yield (1290kg.h-1) and protein content (841.42mg.g-1) was obtained with a combined consumption of 10 tons of manure per hectare and nitroxin. The highest amount of anthocyanins (0.45μg.g-1) and carbohydrates (1035.7μg.g-1) in sepals was obtained at 20t.h-1 manure+bio-sulfur+biological phosphorus. The use of 20t.h-1 manure and nitroxin, bio-sulfur and biological phosphorus caused an increased leaf SPAD, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids, phosphorus and potassium as compared to control. Our results clearly showed that combined use of manure and biological fertilizers could play an important role in increasing the economic yield and quality characteristics of roselle in comparison with the separate consumption.
K. Saeidi; F. Sefidkon; A. Babaei
Abstract
Dog-rose fruit has valuable secondary metabolites such as carotenoids. This research was aimed to determine the carotenoids and lycopene content of dog-rose (Rosa canina L.) fruit in different habitats and awareness of the diversity of these compounds. For this purpose, the fruits were collected from ...
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Dog-rose fruit has valuable secondary metabolites such as carotenoids. This research was aimed to determine the carotenoids and lycopene content of dog-rose (Rosa canina L.) fruit in different habitats and awareness of the diversity of these compounds. For this purpose, the fruits were collected from 60 regions of the country during 2010-2012. Carotenoids and lycopene content were measured by spectrophotometer at wavelengths of 450 and 503 nm. Total carotenoids varied from 0.195 to 1.097 ma/g Fw. The highest and lowest total carotenoids were obtained from IR34 and IR9 accessions, respectively. Lycopene ranged between 0.029-0.32 mg/g FW and the highest and lowest lycopene was obtained from IR45 and IR9 accessions, respectively. Carotenoids and lycopene content showed significant differences in the studied regions (p < 0.05). According to the results of correlation, a significant positive correlation was found between total carotenoids and lycopene (r=0.726). In our study, the studied accessions were classified into three different clusters (C1-C3). Results from this study could be used in the future breeding program of dog-rose.
M. Ghorbanli; Gh. Bakhshi Khaniki; A. Zakeri
Abstract
Water deficit is one of the most important factors affecting the growth of plants. In this research, Linum usitatissimum L. seeds were sown in plastic pots containing sand, clay and peat (2: 1: 1). When the third leave was appeared, water stress was done at three levels of control, 1/3 field capacity ...
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Water deficit is one of the most important factors affecting the growth of plants. In this research, Linum usitatissimum L. seeds were sown in plastic pots containing sand, clay and peat (2: 1: 1). When the third leave was appeared, water stress was done at three levels of control, 1/3 field capacity and 2/3 field capacity for 10 days in three duplication on the basis completely randomized design. The amount of carotenoid, anthocyanin, flavonoid, phenolic compound and proline was measured to study the effect of drought stress on non-enzymatic defense mechanisms. Data were subjected to analysis of variance by SPSS statistical software and means were compared by Duncan's test at p ≤ 0.05 significance level. It is noteworthy to state that proline accumulation in aerial parts of the Linum was more than that of the root. The results showed that the amount of praline, phenolic compound and anthocyanin significantly increased but the amount of flavonoid in 2/3 FC increased and then slightly decreased however it increased as compared with the control. In the current study, the amount of carotenoid in the leaves of Linum significantly decreased.
K. Saeedi; R. Omidbaigi
Abstract
Dog rose (Rosa canina L.) is considered as one of the most important medicinal plants, which contain valuable medicinal and nutritional compounds in its fruits. In order to determine total phenolic, soluble carbohydrates, carotenoid contents and minerals in dog rose fruits collected from five different ...
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Dog rose (Rosa canina L.) is considered as one of the most important medicinal plants, which contain valuable medicinal and nutritional compounds in its fruits. In order to determine total phenolic, soluble carbohydrates, carotenoid contents and minerals in dog rose fruits collected from five different ecological regions in south-west of Iran (Kiar and Gerd Bishe in Charmahal & Bakhtiari, Yasuj and Meymand in Kohgiluye & Boyer Ahmad and Semirom in Isfahan), an evaluation was carried out during 2006-2007. Total phenolic contents, total soluble carbohydrates and total carotenoids varied from 83.13-94.14 mg GAE/g DW, 13.34–17.14% and 408.36–495 µg/g FW, respectively. The N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Zn and Mn values of fruit samples differed from 0.73-1.15%, 2816–4278 ppm, 2036–3325 ppm, 689–1092 ppm, 821–1243 ppm, 34–52 ppm, 15–29 ppm and 23–43 ppm, respectively. This study showed that fruits of dog rose are a rich source of phenolic contents, soluble carbohydrates, carotenoids and minerals. In this study, content of active substances affected by climatic factors of case studies was investigated.
