فهرست مطالب بهلول عباس زاده

Plants are exposed to various environmental stresses during their growth period in nature and under field conditions. Due to its medicinal and therapeutic properties, Silybum marianum L. Gaertn. has been used since ancient times for the treatment of liver and gallbladder diseases. This study aimed to investigate the response of Silybum marianum to plant growth regulators under different soil moisture conditions.

The present study was conducted in the agricultural year 1401-1400 at the Forests and Rangelands Research Institute research farm located in Karaj, Iran. The research farm is 5 kilometers southeast of Karaj city at a geographical latitude of 35 degrees and 48 minutes north and a longitude of 51 minutes east, with an elevation of 1320 meters above sea level. The study was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental treatments included different levels of field capacity (90%, 75%, 50%, 25% FC) and foliar application with plant growth regulators such as salicylic acid (75-150 mg.l-1), spermine (70-140 mg.l-1), brassinosteroid (C28) (1-1.2 µM), and water (control). Soil moisture levels were determined daily using the weighing method and TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) in the range between field capacity and 25% soil moisture content. Irrigation was conducted according to the desired treatments throughout the growth period based on the plotted graph and with the help of TDR. Foliar spraying was performed seven days apart in three stages, five months after seed sowing in April. At the end of the study, traits including average leaf number, leaf area, canopy diameter, number of lateral branches, root length, root collar diameter, days to leaf emergence, fruit antioxidant capacity, fruit color index, seed ash percentage, leaf sugar content, thousand seed weight, fruit yield, and oil content were measured.

 The study showed that the reduction of field capacity (FC) reduced growth and yield traits in the plant compared to the control treatment. However, the foliar application of plant growth regulators improved growth traits effectively. For instance, the leaf number in the 25% field capacity treatment was almost halved compared to the control treatment (90% field capacity). Foliar spraying with brassinosteroids prevented a significant decrease in leaf number in the plant under different field capacity levels. The highest leaf area was observed in the treatment with 140 mg.l-1spermine + 75% field capacity. Foliar spraying with spermine and brassinosteroids had a significant effect on improving growth traits under stress conditions. Foliar spraying with spermine or brassinosteroids resulted in the highest oil content in the fruit under 50% field capacity conditions. Under 75% field capacity, foliar spraying with brassinosteroids (1 µM) increased fruit yield in the plant by 71% compared to the control treatment at the same stress level and by 5.5% compared to the control treatment under 90% field capacity conditions. The correlation analysis between color indices and fruit antioxidant capacity showed a positive and significant correlation between the percentage of fruit antioxidant capacity and brightness index (L), indicating that fruits with darker colors had higher antioxidant capacity. However, the redness index (a) and yellowness index (b) had a negative and significant correlation with fruit antioxidant capacity.

The research findings have shown that reducing field capacity reduces plants' vegetative and reproductive growth parameters. However, foliar spraying plants with plant growth regulators improves plant growth conditions under water-limited conditions. In general, based on the research results, foliar spraying of plants with spermine at a concentration of 140 mg.l-1 helps improve the growth and performance characteristics, increasing the plant's resistance to moisture stress conditions in the soil.

Deficiency or excess of any growth factor leads to morphological, anatomical, physiological, and growth disorders in plants. Drought stress means a lack of water in the plant. This situation occurs when the amount of transpiration exceeds the amount of water absorption. Low irrigation (watering less than the optimal water requirement of the plant) is a strategy to save water, but it affects the plant at a particular stage of growth or the entire season. Biofertilizers develop the root system, changing host plant water relations and plant metabolism. They also activate the defense system, improving access to minerals and tolerance to drought in the host plant, making it environmentally friendly and natural. To manage the prevailing water crisis, one should look for solutions such as reducing water consumption and stopping irrigation at all stages of growth. This is without harming the plant's final performance. In addition, due to the importance of medicinal plants and increasing their biomass, biological fertilizers and the adjustment of drought stress effects have a special place. This experiment was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of Satureja bachtiarica Bunge. against dehydration at different stages of growth. It also investigated the consumption of mycorrhizal fungi and growth-stimulating bacteria to manage plant production with high quality and quantity.

The experiment was carried out in the form of split plots in the form of a randomized complete block design in three replications in the research farm of Islamic Azad University, Tabriz branch, in 2018. The main and sub-factors were included in 4 water stress (I1: without stress, I2: cut irrigation in stem elongation stage, I3: cut irrigation at the budding stage and I4: cut irrigation at 50% flowering stage) and 5 biofertilizer levels (b1: without inoculation, b2: inoculation with Funneliformis mosseae, b3: inoculation with Rhizophagus irregularis, b4: Funneliformis mosseae + Rhizophagus irregularis and b5: Azosprillium+Pseudomonas+Azetobacter), respectively. The harvest was in full flowering stage.

The comparison of the average of irrigation interruptions showed that the most number of leaves, stem diameter, canopy extent, root weight, leaf yield, flowering stem yield, and flowering branch yield belonged to the irrigation interruption at the 50% flowering stage. Inoculation with Funneliformis mosseae mycorrhizal fungus achieved the highest leaf yield (912.06 kg/ha), flowering stem yield (1071.25 kg/ha) and flowering branch yield (1983.32 kg/ha) in inoculation with Azosprillium + Pseudomonas + Azotobacter was observed. The highest percentage of essential oil was found in inoculation with Funneliformis mosseae with an average of 1.76%. The maximum average yield of essential oil at 30.50 kg/ha was observed in the inoculation treatment with Azosprillium + Pseudomonas + Azotobacter. The results of the comparison of the average of the interaction effect showed that the maximum height of the plant and the number of inflorescences with an average of 61.72 cm and 30.46 per plant were found in the interaction effect of the treatment of interruption of irrigation at the stemming stage and inoculation of Rhizophagus irregularis + Funneliformis mosseae, which is about 31 and 39 The percentage increased compared to their lowest value. Stopping irrigation in the budding stage ×Funneliformis mosseae had the highest percentage of essential oil with an average of 2.33%. Stopping irrigation in the stemming stage ×Rhizophagus irregularis had the lowest essential oil percentage. The highest leaf yield (1212.83 kg/ha), flowering stem yield (1494.75 kg/ha), flowering branch yield (2707.58 kg/ha) and essential oil yield (44.39 kg/ha) in the interaction effect of cutting × Azosprillium + Pseudomonas + Azotobacter irrigation was observed at the 50% flowering stage, which increased by 70, 82, 81 and 87% compared to the lowest ones.

The correct management of soil fertility, improvement, and maintenance of soil fertility in modern agricultural systems will provide the nutrients needed by the plant and thus enhance the yield. Therefore, in recent years, many studies have been conducted on biological fertilizers. Mycorrhizal fungi are essential factors in the stable plant-soil system, which coexists with more than 85% of plants. Drought stress is one of the most influential environmental factors in plant growth and causes morphological, physiological, and metabolic changes. In addition, biofertilizers increase plant access to nutrients and produce and direct hormones involved in the growth of the root environment. They also increase stress tolerance and enhance yield. Considering the arid and semi-arid conditions of the country and the increase in demand for medicinal plants and Satureja bachtiarica spices, it is recommended to stop irrigation at the 50% flowering stage and use Azotobacter, Azospirillium, and Pseudomonas biofertilizers to obtain the maximum yield of leaves, flowering branches, and essential oil.

In order to increase the quantitative and qualitative yield of Satureja spicigera essential oil with proper plant nutrition, this study was carried out in East Azerbaijan.

This research was carried out as a randomized complete block design with eight fertilizer treatments (no fertilizer, N50, P25, K25 (kg/ha), Cow Manure (30, 60 ton/ha), Cow Manure (30, 60 ton/ha) +(kg/ha) N50, P25, K25 , Vermi-compost (5 ton/ha), Vermi-compost (5 ton/ha) +(kg/ha) N50, P25, K25) and three replications in four years (2017-2020). During the cropping season, plant height, flowering date, canopy area and green shoot yield were measured. Essential oil was extracted by distillation with distilled water and analysis of essential oil was done by gas chromatograph (GC/MS).

There was a significant difference between fertilizer treatments in terms of all traits. The main components of essential oil were thymol, parasimen and gamaterpinen, respectively. The highest yield of flowering branches at 3687 kg/ha and yield of essential oil at 54.65 kg/ha and the highest quality of essential oil (total phenolic compounds of thymol and carvacrol) at 62.59% by applying Vermi-compost5ton/ha+N50P25K25kg/ha were obtained.

Combined consumption of fertilizer treatments, especially animal manure with chemical fertilizers, in addition to increasing the yield, causes the crop to ripen early and not face the cold of early autumn. As the plant ages, the yield of the essential oil increases, but the yield is later and the quality of the essential oil decreases.

Satureja mutica Fisch & C.A. Mey is a perennial plant that can be cultivated under irrigation conditions and in rainfed drylands. It has anti-flatulent, appetizing, sexual enhancement, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effects. Drying increases product shelf life by stopping enzymes, pathogens, and microorganisms. The factors that affect essential oils and their content are temperature, drying time, and the type of plant. Microwaves for drying are one of the newer methods. Their advantages include shortening drying time, maintaining quality, reducing energy consumption, preserving dried plants' color, and improving effective ingredients.

The flowering shoots were collected from the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands research farm in 2019. Plants in the insectarium were exposed to UV-B light treatment through UV-B lamps. The plants were turned over every half hour. Irradiation agents were selected based on the preliminary test, including durations of 0, 2.5, 5, and 10 hours. After irradiation, the samples were stored in sealed bags under two conditions: refrigerator at 4°C and room temperature. The storage time was 0, 120, and 240 hours. Therefore, the sources of variation include irradiation duration in four levels (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 hours), storage conditions in two conditions (room temperature 25-27°C and fridge with a temperature of 4°C), and storage duration factor in three levels (0, 120 and 240 hours).202 grams of fresh samples (equivalent to 80 grams of dry matter) and 80 grams of dried samples in other treatments were extracted by water distillation in 3 repetitions for 2 hours. The obtained essential oils were stored in sealed bottles inside the refrigerator at 4 °C until injected into GC and GC/MS devices for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Carbohydrate, phenol, and free radical inhibition (by the DPPH method) were measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18, and the means were compared with the LSD test at P ≥ 0.05.

Variance analysis of essential oil percentage showed that UV-B factor, storage condition (SC), storage time (ST) at the 1% level, and SC ST interaction at the 5% level had a significant effect. Due to the increase in irradiation duration, the percentage of essential oil extracted from the plant increased. This percentage increased to 0.42% in the control and 0.71% in the 10-hour treatment. Based on a mean comparison, the amount of essential oil in the shade increased from 0.48% to 0.54%. Mean comparison of the effect of storage conditions (SC) on storage time (ST) revealed that the highest percentage was related to the shade storage treatment for 240 hours with 0.61%. The mean comparison of the interaction effect of the three treatments showed that the percentage of thymol was the highest at 45% in the conditions without irradiation refrigerator×without storage. The results of the simple correlation of the traits demonstrated that thymol had a significant negative relationship with α-thujone, α-terpenine, and carvacrol. Carvacrol showed a significant negative correlation with major compounds, paracymene and thymol. It was observed that the highest antioxidant activity was obtained from 10 hours of UV-B radiation. A mean comparison of the effect of UV-B rays on the amount of phenol indicated that its amount increased in the 2.5-hour treatment compared to the other treatments. The highest antioxidant percentage could be achieved after 10 hours of irradiation in the refrigerator for 240 hours.

The conversion of compounds occurs by irradiation of UV-B rays in the drying stages, and the amount of paracymene and thymol is reduced, and the amount of carvacrol is increased. Therefore, in S. mutica, which has thymol and carvacrol compounds, drying treatments aiming to increase the specific composition can be very effective. Also, the amount of thymol and carvacrol in dried plants may decrease compared to fresh plants. The increase in antioxidant activity in the treatment of 10 hours of UV-B radiation confirms the viability of plant cells and their efforts to prevent environmental stress through the increase of antioxidant enzymes.

Savory (Satureja spp.) has a special position among medicinal plants due to its valuable compounds, such as thymol and carvacrol. Savory is one of the genera of the Lamiaceae family, and this genus has 16 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in Iran. Due to the high amount of essential oil, Satureja species are highly economically and medically important in the food, cosmetic, health, and pharmaceutical industries. This research aimed to increase the quantitative and qualitative yield of Satureja sahendica Bornm. essential oil with appropriate plant nutrition. This research was carried out under irrigation conditions in the form of a randomized complete block design with eight fertilizer treatments (no fertilizer, N50, P25, K25(kg.ha-1), Cow Manure(30, 60 ton.ha-1), Cow Manure(30, 60 ton.ha-1)+ N50, P25, K25(kg.ha-1), Vermi-compost(5 ton.ha-1), Vermi-compost(5 ton.ha-1)+ N50, P25, K25(kg.ha-1)) in three replications over four years (2017-2020) in East Azarbaijan province. Cultivation was indirect and through grafting. Seedlings were prepared in greenhouse conditions by growing seeds in seedling trays with a mixture of peat moss, cocopeat, and perlite in a ratio 4:2:1. The treatments were applied only once, simultaneously with the plot preparation and before the planting stage. This was done by hand spraying and mixing with the soil. The plot dimensions were 4 x 3 meters, the distance between the planting lines was 50 cm, and the distance between the plants on the line was set to 30 cm. The irrigation method was drip irrigation twice a week in the early stages of growth and once a week after establishment. Weed weeding was also done during the growing season. Plant height, flowering date, crown area, and green shoot yield were measured during the cropping season. Essential oil was extracted by distillation with distilled water, and essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Based on the results, all traits showed a significant difference between different fertilizer treatments. The highest yield of flowering branches was 1974 kg.ha-1 (6% increase compared to the control) and the yield of essential oil was 22.25 kg.ha-1 (9% increase compared to the control), and the highest quality of essential oil (sum of phenolic compounds thymol and carvacrol) is 61.89% (18% increase in comparison to the control) with treatment of Cow Manure(60 ton.ha-1)+ N50, P25, K25(kg.ha-1) were obtained. To be economical, cow manure (60 tons per hectare) can also be used alone. With regards to 50% flowering, the latest product was a control treatment (without fertilizer) with 160.25 days, while the earliest product was Cow Manure (60 tons.ha-1) +N50, P25, K25 (kg.ha-1) with 155.33 days. The main components of the essential oil were Thymol, p-cymene, and γ-terpinene, respectively. The results of the average percentage of phenolic compounds thymol and carvacrol as essential oil quality in each fertilizer treatment and each year showed that the average quality of essential oil in the first year was 53.13%, in the second and third years it was 63.98 and 63.54, respectively. The percentage decreased to 47.93% in the fourth year. The use of fertilizer treatments, especially animal manures, along with chemical fertilizers, in addition to increasing yield, also causes early ripening. Early harvesting of the first layer allows the second layer to use the growing season optimistically and avoid autumn cold. As the plant age increases, the yield of essential oil increases, but the product is later, and the quality also decreases. Accordingly, Cow Manure(60 ton.ha-1)+ N50, P25, K25(kg.ha-1) should be applied to S. sahendica until the fourth year to produce adequate yields.

This research was carried out to study the effects of chemical and biological fertilizers (manure and vermicompost), as well as their combinations on the quality and quantity of the essential oil content and composition of S. khuzestanica in Zagros Botanical Garden of Agricultural and Natural Resource Research Center of Lorestan based on a complete random block design with 3 replications in 3 years, during 2016-2020. There were 24 plots of 3x3in the study, 100 cm away from each other, in which the plants were sown art a distance of 50 cm. The experimental treatments included 50 kg/ha of NPK (50, 25, 25), animal manure (30 and 60 tons/ha), vermicompost (5 tons/ha), and a combination of NPK combination and animal manure and vermicompost, all applied only once at the planting stage. During the flowering stage, shoots were harvested and their essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation.  The essential oils were then analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The results of combined analysis of variance showed that the effects of year and interaction of year and fertilizer on the percentage of essential oil were significant at p≤0.05 and p≤0.01, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum essential oil percentage and oil yield in S. khuzistanica were 5.4% and 433 kg/ha with NPK + M60 treatment during the third year. Carvacrol (93.1-88.8, 96.0-89.6,94.9-88.8 percent) was the most important composition of the essential oil in all treatments and years of the experiment. In general, the nutritional treatments increased the amount of essential oil and carvacrol compared to the control, and during the three years of testing, the yield of dry weight and therefore essential oil increased. The results of this research indicated that the use of organic fertilizers alone or in combination with chemical fertilizers has a positive effect on improving the essential oil yields, and the use of integrated nutrition method for S. khuzestania is economic.

The rangelands of Kurdistan province in Iran cover 1,182,214 hectares, equivalent to 1.4% of the country's rangelands, 10% of the Zagros rangelands, and about 40.5% of the province's total land area. There are currently 115 families, 660 genera, and 2350 species of plants in the Kurdistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center's herbarium (HKS). With more than 200 plant species with medicinal properties, Kurdistan province holds a special place in the Zagros and the country. Through the cultivation and domestication of these plants in educational, extension and research farms, officials and individuals can gain a better understanding of planting medicinal plants and the many opportunities these plants provide for income generation and employment. The purpose of this study was to identify the obstacles and challenges associated with the development of plantations of medicinal plants in Kurdistan province by conducting interviews with local operators and experts (30 stakeholders). It was found that the main challenges and obstacles to the development of medicinal plants in Kurdistan province and in the country are as follows: 1) A lack of or absence of government financial support for medicinal plants and modern irrigation systems (with a relative weight (RW) of 99.33%), 2) International economic and banking sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran (RW=96.67%), 3) Weakness in the area of commercialization and the development of transformation industries (RW=94.67%), 4) Inadequacies in the promotion of medicinal plants in Kurdistan province and throughout the country (RW=90.67%), 5) The lack of standards for the development, production, and processing of medicinal plants (RW=84%), 6) Lack of branding and presence on international markets (RW=70%), and 7) The low degree of mechanization in the production and processing of medicinal plants (RW=62.67%). It is therefore possible to increase the production the plant industry by increasing government financial support, increasing the knowledge of producers, providing the basis for exporting processed products, increasing added value through branding and processing, and reducing production costs as a result of mechanization in production, packaging, and processing.

The Lippia genus which has over than 200 species and Lippia citriodora L. is medicinally important. In order to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative characteristics and elements of Lippia citriodora L. under the influence of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), vermicompost and biochar, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications in the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Alborz Research Station in field conditions, was implemented in 2017 on one-year seedlings. The  first factor included factors: vermi-compost at three levels (0, 6 and 12 ton/ha), the second factors was biochar  at three levels (0, 5 and 10 ton/ha) and the thirs factor was plant growth promoting rhizobacteria at two levels (non-inoculation and inoculation with combination of Azotobacter chroococcum strain 5, Azospirillum lipoferum strain OF and Pseudomonas putida). Comparison of means demonstrated that the highest essential oil percentage (0.86 %) was acquired from control treatment and the highest essential oil yield with 3.74 kg/ha was observed in treatment 12 ton/ha vermicompost, 10 ton/ha biochar and inoculation with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. The highest Fe (377.06 ppm) was observed in 12 ton/ha vermicompost, 10 ton/ha biochar and non-inoculation. Generally, application of 6 ton per hectare vermicompost, 10 ton per hectare biochar and PGPRs on Lippia citriodora can improve yield and qualitative traits of the plant through increasing growth, developing root and better absorbing water and nutrients from soil.

In this study, to investigate the effects of gamma ray to dry plant materials, conditions, and storage duration of the plants on the percentage and essential oil composition and some physiological traits of Satureja spicigera (C. Koch) Boiss., plant top shoots were collected at the flowering stage. Gamma ray irradiation was performed in the Atomic Energy Organization at five levels of 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 kGy (kilo gray). Storage was carried out under two refrigerator (4°C) and room air temperature conditions at three storage duration levels of 0, 120, and 240 hours. The experiment was conducted as a factorial in a completely randomized design with three replications. Essential oil of flowering shoots was extracted by water distillation method and analyzed by GC and GC/MS quantitatively and qualitatively. According to the obtained results, gamma radiation affected the essential oil percentage and amount of p-cymene, thymol, carvacrol, phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity significantly at the level of 1%. Storage duration had a significant effect on the essential oil percentage and amount of p-cymene, thymol, and carvacrol. Storage conditions showed a significant effect on the total phenols and flavonoids content and antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of S. spicigera. Means comparison of gamma radiation effects showed that the highest percentage of essential oil with 1.12% and 1.03% was obtained in the control and 5 kGy treatments, respectively. The highest amount of thymol (13.57%) and carvacrol (34.73%) was observed in the 10 kGy and control treatments, respectively. With 2.5 kGy gamma irradiation, the amount of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity respectively increased by 1.4 and 1.76 times compared to the control. Of course, by keeping the plant in the refrigerator, the amount of thymol was reduced. The highest percentage of essential oil was related to the storage for 120 hours. The use of high intensity gamma radiation is suitable to achieve high thymol essential oil. The use of low radiation can also be useful for drying S. spicigera to obtain extracts containing more phenolic compounds. However, gamma radiation is not appropriate for plant materials drying to obtain essential oils of this species.

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is a valuable medicinal tree in addition to being used as a food. Olive leaf, as an organ containing active ingredients, is of great value in various industries. Use of olive leaves extract as a natural antioxidant is one of the most common applications of this plant. Oleuropein is the most important phenolic compound in olive species that plays an important role in health. Oleuropein and quercetin are used as effective compounds in anti-cancer, anti-virus, and anti-inflammatory drugs. To investigate the effects of vermicompost (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 tons per hectare) application on morphological traits, leaf yield, and oleuropein, quercetin, macro and micro elements of the olive leaf extract under field conditions, an experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications (nine shrubs in each replicate) at the Alborz Research Station, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands in two years. Three-year-old shrubs were planted at a distance of 5 m on the row and 5 m between the rows at a depth of 50 cm. Vermicompost affected fresh and dry leaf yield per hectare and quercetin and oleuropein amounts of the leaves significantly (at the level of 1% probability) in both years. The highest dry leaf yield per hectare was obtained in the 4 tons of vermicompost treatment (55.573 kg in the first year and 63.047 kg in the second one). The amount of quercetin increased from 18.48 and 18.7 µg.mg-1 dry matter in the control treatment (in the first and second years, respectively) to 34.67 and 37.7 µg.mg-1 dry matter in the 4 tons vermicompost per hectare treatment (in the first and second years, respectively). Also, the use of 2 tons of vermicompost per hectare increased the leaf oleuropein in both years. Different vermicompost treatments increased the uptake of most macro and micro elements including phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper in both years. The results showed that the appropriate amounts of vermicompostcould be used to produce a plant with high quercetin and oleuropein.

-Contamination of soils and waters, and consequently plants, with heavy metals is one of the most important environmental issues. If these plants are medicinal plants, the excess amounts of metal ions threaten human health. Numerous reports indicate the contamination of medicinal and aromatic plants and the high potential of these plants in the absorption of heavy metals, their transfer to the food sector and even its entry into herbal medicines. Contamination of medicinal plants and by-products with heavy metals during the growing season, processing of crops or intentional addition of plant products in traditional medicine of India and China by claiming their healing properties. Since the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of many diseases is considered and it is mainly believed that medicinal plants do not have side effects due to their natural origin, so medicinal plants and their products should be free of heavy toxic metals. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized that plants with medicinal and therapeutic functions must be tested to confirm the presence of heavy metals. Since it is not possible to completely remove heavy metals in plant products, it is necessary to define a permissible limit of heavy and toxic metals. In this paper, the reaction of medicinal plants to heavy metals, the allowable limit of heavy metals according to the standards of the World Health Organization and pharmacies of different countries, and the tolerable weekly consumption of heavy metals are presented.

Iran is one of the richest sources of medicinal plants in the world due to its high climatic diversity. Cumin is one of the most important and economical medicinal plants of the Umbelliferae family, which has a high distribution in different parts of the country and is one of the most important export plants of Iran. This study was conducted to investigate the quantitative and qualitative diversity of cumin essential oil in Khorasan Razavi province in 2018-2019. For this purpose, seeds were collected from farms in 6 different regions of the province at the harvest time. Seeds were extracted by water distillation for 2 hours. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC / MS) devices were used to identify the essential oil compounds and determine their percentage. Nine compounds in the essential oils of Gonabad (N1), Neishabour (N2), Taybad (N3) and Khoshab (N4), 15 compounds in the essential oils of plants in Fariman region (N5) and finally 13 compounds in the essential oils of Dargaz region (N6) were identified. In total, 9 compounds; gamma-terpinene-7-al, cuminaldehyde, terpinene-4-ol, gamma-terpinene, α-phellandrene, p-cymene, sabinene, β-Pinene, α-Pinene were common in cumin essential oil extracted from 6 regions of Khorasan Razavi province. The two compounds cis-dihydrocarvone and (E) -Caryophyllene were identified exclusively in region (N5) with of 0.45% and 0.19%, respectively. α-thujene, α-terpinene, limonene and 1,8-cineol were obtained only from essential oils of (N5) and (N6).

The high tendency of agricultural producers to the production of medicinal plants has raised concerns about increasing the yield of these products, which can be achieved by mechanizing production and spending more energy. Therefore, energy flow analysis is essential throughout the production process. This research was implemented in the field in 2018 by questionnaires and face to face interview with farmers in some areas of Tehran and Alborz provinces on the four medicinal herbs Mentha piperita L., Artemisia dracunculus L., Ocimum basilicum L. and Satureja hortensis L. The results showed that among all the inputs consumed in this project, two inputs of chemical fertilizers and electricity with a difference of more than 80%, had the highest percentage of energy consumption. After estimating the energy indices, the energy efficiency index was more than one for all the studied products, indicating the energy efficiency of the production systems of these products. Also, the medicinal plant savory with an energy efficiency of 3.37 was considered the most suitable product for energy consumption and production. In terms of net energy index, savory with a net energy production of 281457 MJ ha-1 had the highest energy return. The estimate of the mechanization index in energy consumption showed that a small proportion of energy consumption was related to mechanization (0.23 to 0.26) in the production of all four products and this issue showed the need to increase mechanization in the production of these products more than before.

Satureja sahandica is one of the endemic Iranian medicinal plants which, has application in pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and sanitary industries and has high agricultural importance due to its high tolerance to drought stress and production capacity in rainfed areas. In order to investigate the changes in the physiological traits of Satureja sahandica, this research was carried out in two years under field conditions with split plot design in three replications. Drought stress considered as main slot at four levels (full irrigation and interupted irrigation at shoot, budding and 50% flowering stages) and inoculation with mycorhiza as sub plot  at four levels ( non-use of bio fertilizer (control), Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae, and Glomus mosseae + Glomus intraradices). The results showed iteraction effect of year * drought stress * mycorrhiza at 1% level on peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase and percentage of essential oil was significant. Mean comparison of traits showed that catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and total phenol were the highest in the second year. The highest amount of chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, malondialdehyde, soluble sugar was obtained in drought stress at stem elongation. The highest superoxide dismutase, proline, and total phenol belonged todrought stress at 50% flowering. The highest percentage of essential oil (1.87%) obtained in use of both species of mycorrhiza. So using bio fertilizers can reduced effects of drought stress.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of soil application of potassium fertilizer and foliar application of brasinosteroid on morphophysiological characteristics and essential oil yield of medicinal plant purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench) in response to water availability. Treatments consisted of three levels of water availability (irrigation at 90% (control), 60%, and 30% of field capacity (FC)) in main plots and four amounts of potassium fertilizer (no potassium application (control), 50, 100, and 150 kg K2O ha-1) as well as the foliar application of three brassinosteroid concentrations (distilled water (control), 0.1, and 1 μM) in subplots. Results showed that the highest mean plant height (67.8 cm), number of leaves plant-1(151), number of flowers plant-1 (18.1), flower dry weight (151.9 g plant-1) and aerial parts dry weight (508.6 g plant-1) were obtained in the second year of the experiment under 150 kg ha-1 potassium and normal irrigation treatments. The highest percentage of essential oil (76) was obtained under irrigation at 60% of FC, 150 kg ha-1 potassium, and 1 µM brassinosteroid treatments. In the second year, the maximum amount of essential oil plant-1 (0.67 g) was related to 150 kg ha-1 potassium and 1 μm brassinosteroid treatments. In general, the results of this study showed that irrigation at 60% of FC together with 150 kg ha-1 potassium and 1 μM of brassinosteroid could reduce the effects of drought stress, increase the amount of essential oil plant-1 and improve some morphophysiological characteristics in purple coneflower.

In order to study the effect of water deficit and foliar application of salicylic acid and spermine on the phenological stages and caffeic acid derivatives yield of Echinacea purpurea L., a three replicated split- plot experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design during 2016 and 2017 growing seasons at the research field of Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Iran. In this experiment, three irrigation regimes (irrigation after 20, 40 and 60% depletion of soil available water) were accommodated in main plots and salicylic acid (SA) and spermine (SPM) spray treatments (Control (no spray), spray at five levels of 75 mg/l SA, 150 mg/l SA, 75 mg/l SPM, 75 mg/l SA+75 mg/l SPM and 150 mg/l SA+75 mg/l SPM) were considered in subplots. The exogenous SA and SPM were applied on the foliage at two steps, 10-days apart and at the beginning of stem elongation stage. The effects of irrigation regime and spray treatments were significant on the traits studied. Drought stress decreased the number of days to phenological stages, the yield of echinacoside and cynarin in flower and cichoric acid, and caftaric acid and cynarin in leaves, but increased the yield of chlorogenic acid in flowers and caffeic acid derivatives (cichoric acid, echinacoside, chlorogenic acid, caftaric acid and cynarin) in roots. The foliar application of salicylic acid and spermine increased all studied traits. The interaction between water deficit and foliar spray was significant on the yield of caffeic acid derivatives in roots. The highest yield of cichoric acid (9.49 kg/ha), echinacoside (0.67 kg/ha), chlorogenic acid (0.26 kg/ha), caftaric acid (7.31 kg/ha) and cynarin (0.27 kg/ha) in roots was obtained at irrigation after 60% depletion of soil available water and simultaneous application of high concentrations of SA and SPM. Based on the results of the present study, the foliar application of SA and SPM improved the yield of caffeic acid derivatives in coneflower under both normal and water stress conditions.

Olive tree (Olea europaea L.) leaves are a very promising and unique herbs source which have considerable therapeutic applications. Olive leaves contain high amounts of phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids and secoiridoids. Oleuropein (secoiridoid compound) is considered as the main active phenolic compound in olive leaves. Fewer studies are dedicated to the effects of fertilization on the chemical composition of olive leaves. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the associated changes in morphological characteristics, mineral profile and oleuropein and quercetin contents in olive leaves fertilized with chemical and organic fertilizers.

In order to evaluate the effect of different treatments of chemical and organic fertilizers (humic and fluvic acid) on morphological characteristics, macro- and micronutrient elements as well as phenolic compounds (oleuropin and quercetin) of Zard cultivar, two separate experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the 2013 crop year. The treatments included application of five levels of NPK (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha-1) and six levels of humic acid and fluvic acid (0, 5, 7, 10, 12.5 and 15 liters ha-1).

The results of chemical fertilizers showed that the highest plant height (117.7 cm) and branches number (34 branches) showed in N200P200K200 and N100P100K100 kg ha-1, respectively. The most leaves (60 leaves) were obtained in application of 10 liters per hectare of organic fertilizers. Compared to the control, application of 100 and 200 kg ha-1 NPK showed an increase of 30 and 80% of the oleuropine and quercetin content, respectively. The effect of organic fertilizers was only significant on quercetin content, and its maximum (397.7 μg g-1) was measured in 10 g liters-1 treatment. Effect of chemical fertilizer levels on all measured macro- and micronutrients except potassium was significant and the highest measured values of the elements were obtained at N200P200K200 kg ha-1 level. The effect of organic fertilizers levels on magnesium, manganese, zinc and copper content was also significant.

The application of organic fertilizers such as humic and fluvic acid along with chemical fertilizers can improve the morphological characteristics, provide the nutritional requirements of the plant and increase the phenolic compounds of olive leaves.

The application of organic fertilizers such as humic and fluvic acid along with chemical fertilizers can improve the morphological characteristics, provide the nutritional requirements of the plant and increase the phenolic compounds of olive leaves.

One of the important requirements in agronomic planning is the use of various non-chemical plant systems. In order to investigate the effects of vermicompost and humic acid on Myrtus communis, an experiment was conducted in a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with 16 treatments and 3 replications at the Alborz Research Station, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands of Iran. Treatments included vermicompost (9, 18, 27, 36 and 45 t/ha), Hiumic acid (5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15 l/ha), five combinations of them (V9+H15, V18+H12.5, V27+H10, V27+H7.5) and control. There was significant diference between treatments in shoot, leaf, essential oil yields and essential oil percentage. The highest leaf yield (356 kg ha-1), shoot yield (773kg/ha) essential oil percent (1.86%) and essential oil yield (14kg/ha) acheaved in treatment of 45 tons per hectare vermicompost. The main components of the essential oil were α-pinene (5.63-48.5%), limonene (3.4-22.6%), 1.8-cineole (2.2-18.7%), linalool (7.96-26.7%), myrtenol (2.1-19.2%), trans- carveol (0.1-2.5%) and α-terpinyl acetate (1.8-7.7%) .

Two species of Nepeta assurgens Hausskn. & Bornm. and N. eremokosmos Rech., are endemic medicinal plants to Iran. This study was conducted to investigate the vegetative traits, aerial parts yield, the quantity and quality of essential oil, as well as evaluating the relationships between these traits in mentioned species under field conditions in Isfahan. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications over 2017 and 2018. Results showed that the fresh and dry weight of aerial parts in N. assurgens (11353 and 2351 kg ha-1, respectively) was remarkably higher than that of N. eremokosmos (2638 and 527 kg ha-1, respectively). The average content and yield of essential oil in N. assurgens and N. eremokosmos was 1.60 and 0.64%, and 20.16 and 2.21 kg ha-1, respectively. Based on qualitative analysis of essential oil, the total amount of nepetalactone isomers (4aα, 7α, 7aα-nepetalactone, 4aα, 7α, 7aβ-nepetalactone, 4aα, 7β, 7aα-nepetalactone) in N. assurgens and N. eremokosmos was 78.6 and 62.8% on average, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that leaf dry weight, total fresh and dry weight, and large diameter of the plant had the highest correlation with essential oil yield. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that essential oil yield changes were mainly explained by leaf dry weight, essential oil content, total fresh weight, the number of stems and the amount of plant crown cover. In general, according to the results, the superiority of the N. assurgens species was significant and could be recommended as a valuable and high potential yielding plant for pharmaceutical purposes.

Two species of Nepeta genus, N. kotschyi var. persica and N. glomerulosa, are native medicinal plants of Iran, containing medicinal compositions such as Nepetalactones. This study was conducted for plant domestication under field condition during years 2017 and 2018. The experiment was carried out under completely randomized block design with three replications. Morphological and yield traits besides essential oil content and composition were measured. Results showed that total fresh and dry weight in N. kotshyi (9954 and 3152 kg ha-1, respectively), were higher than N. glomerulosa (2858 and 990 kg ha-1, respectively). Essential oil content and yield in N. kotschyi were 2.12% and 48.35 kg ha-1, respectively, while these traits in N. glomerulosa were 1.42% and 7.39 kg ha-1, respectively. Essential oil composition analysis determined that the sum of Nepetalactone isomers in N. kotschyi were higher than N. glomerulosa, 94.57% and 38.68%, respectively. On the whole, according to the aerial parts and essential oil yield, and Nepetalactone content in the oil, the N. kotschyi var. persica showed the higher performance, though, in order to produce Nepetalactone for medicinal industries, N. kotschyi var. persica cultivation is recommended under similar field condition.

In order to study the effects of water deficit and foliar application of salicylic acid and spermine on dry matter production and biochemical and morphological treats of Echinacea purpurea, a split plot experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replicated during 2016- 2017 growing seasons at research field of Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Iran. In this experiment, irrigation regimes of three levels (irrigation after 20, 40 and 60% depletion of soil available water) were accommodated in main plots and salicylic acid (SA) and spermine (SPM) spray treatments (75 mg/l SA, 150 mg/l SA, 75 mg/l SPM, 75 mg/l SA+75 mg/l SPM and 150 mg/l SA+75 mg/l SPM) were considered as sub plots. The effects of irrigation regime and spray treatments were significant on studied traits. Water stress increased phenol, flavonoid, root length, volume, area, weight and density but decreased plant height, number of tillers, leaf area index, shoot weight, specific root length and protein. The application of salicylic acid and spermine increased plant height, number of tillers, leaf area index, flavonoid, root volume, root weight and protein but decreased phenol, shoot weight root length. The interactions between water deficit and foliar application were significant on the concentration of phenol and flavonoid in shoot and also on root length, volume, weight and density. The highest flavonoid, root volume and root weight were obtained in plants sprayed by combined application of high rate of SA with SPM and the highest phenol, root length and root density were achived in unsprayed plants; both under irrigation after 60% water depletion. Based on the results from this experiment, the foliar application of salicylic acid and spermine improved the growth of coneflower plants under both normal and water stress conditions and the positive effects of salicylic acid were greater as compared with spermine.

In order to study morphological characteristics, yield, elements and Gallic acid contents in Rhus coriaria L. fruits under the influence of manure and chemical fertilizers, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands. Manure factor was included control, 20 and 40 tons per hectare and chemical fertilizers (Mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) were N0P0K0 (control), N50P25K25 and N100P50K50 kg ha-1 from urea, triple superphosphate and potassium oxide sources. Results showed that the interaction of manure and chemical fertilizer on plant height and trunk diameter was significant at 1% probability level. Manure had a significant effect on leaf number and width, fresh and dry yield of cluster at a probability level of 5%, and on leaf length and leaf weight at 1% probability level. The effect of chemical fertilizer on leaf weight was significant at 1% probability level. The effect of manure fertilizer on nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and iron was significant at 1% probability level. Mean comparisons of morphological traits showed that the highest number of leaves (683.44 number per plant), leaf length (24.06 cm), leaf weight (1754.9 g per plant), fresh cluster yield (301 g per plant) and dry cluster yield (281.2 g per plant) were achieved with using of 40 tons per hectare manure. The highest percent of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were obtained with mean of 1.9, 0.32 and 0.71%, respectively with consumption of 40 tons per hectare manure. The highest amount of Gallic acid was obtained from manure application of 40 tons per hectare with 0.44 mg/kg of fruit. Results showed that this plant has been affected by fertilizer and increased fruit and Gallic acid with the use of fertilizers.

Population growth, industrial development, low water use efficiency, and reduced precipitation have resulted in over-extraction of groundwater. Planning to change the patterns of water consumption in all aspects of household, industrial and agricultural uses has become increasingly important. The use of drought tolerant plants with a low water requirements and high water use efficiency is among the practical ways in the agriculture sector. The use of perennial species is recommended to increase rainfall storage, and prevent land degradation, water and wind erosion, and flood. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) with a very low water requirement, a dormancy period from late spring to early fall, and ability to adaptation to the climatic conditions of the area, is a plant suitable for planting in the Damavand area. According to the results, 0.6 and 0.87 Kg ha-1 dry stigma was obtained from planting about 2.7 ton corms per hectare in the first and second year, respectively. The highest yield of saffron is obtained from the third year onwards. Due to the lack of water resources, dry farming and planting the species with low water requirements could be a good solution to preserve agricultural lands, prevent soil erosion, and reduce the migration of farmers.

Thymus daenensis has high phenolic compounds such as thymol and carvacrol, used in various food and pharmaceutical industries. Tolerance to severe environmental conditions including water deficit and cold stress, as well as production capacity in low-efficiency areas of most of the country's provinces indicate the importance of producing this plant ecologically. Thymus daenensis is an endemic species and the possibility of replacing it with a non-native species and expanding production and exports in line with the resistance economy has made Thymus daenensis as one of the most important medicinal plants in Iran. In order to achieve the highest shoot yield, the highest essential oil percentage and yield, and totally, production of high quality plants and favorable phenolic compounds, the effects of different amounts of fertilizer, manure and chemical fertilizers and a combination of them were studied on the quantity and quality of Thymus daenensis L. during 2008 to 2009 in the Research Institute of Forest and Rangelands (Alborz station). The results of the first year showed that a good combination of manure and chemical fertilizers could be recommended to have a high essential oil percentage and yield. The results of the second year of the experiment showed that the maximum essential oil percentage and yield belonged to a combination of 25 tons per hectare manure and 60, 48 and 60 kg ha-1 of nitrogen, ammonium phosphate, and potassium oxide. The higher effect of manure on essential oil content, essential oil yield, and thymol percentage was evident in the second year. Therefore, to achieve the maximum essential oil yield, the use of 40 tons per hectare of manure or consumption of about 50 to 60 kg ha-1 of chemical fertilizer with 25 tons of completely rotted manure could be recommended.