سیدمصطفی حسینی مزینانی

This research was conducted in order to investigate the effect of irrigation intervals anddifferent levels of nitrogen on the quantitative and qualitative yield of the physiological andagronomic characteristics of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in the research farm of IslamicAzad University, Yadgar-e-Imam Khomeini (RAH) Shahre Rey branch. The experiment wasbased on split plots based on completely randomized blocks design with 3 replications. Theexperimental treatments included three levels of irrigation (4, 7, and 10 days) as the mainfactor and different levels of nitrogen (0, 70, 100 and 130 kg/ha) were considered assecondary factors. The traits of plant height, number of branches, number of leaves, mean leafarea and dry matter yield were investigated. The results showed that except for the number ofsub-branches in the plant, the difference between different levels of irrigation intervals andnitrogen amounts were significant for all evaluated traits.The highest dry matter yield was related to the treatment combination of irrigating every 4 or7 days and 100 kg of nitrogen per hectare consumption.

In order to investigate the effect of different proportions of seaweed extract and vermicompost on yield and yield components of bean, a factorial experiment in a completely randomized block design with four replications was carried out in spring and summer of 2018 in Arak. The experimental treatments included the administration of vermicompost (A) in four levels (control (a1), 5 t/ha (a2), 10 t/ha (a3) and 15 t/ha (a4)); and the seaweed (B) spray spread in four levels of control (b1), 1% (b2), 2% (b3) and 3 percent (b4). The results showed that vermicompost application had a significant effect on all of the studied traits. Furthermore, the main effect of spray application of seaweed extract on the number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, number of seeds per plant, 100 seed weight, yield Grain, biological yield, harvest index, plant height, leaf area, relative humidity, chlorophyll b, stomatal conductance and protein function was significant. Regarding the interaction between vermicompost application and marigold algae extraction, only grain yield, biological yield, and harvest index were significant. The results of mean comparisons of the above-mentioned traits showed that the highest values were obtained from the application of 15 t/ha vermicompost and spray application of seaweed extract with 3% casting. The results of the mean comparisons of the interaction effect of vermicompost application in algae application indicated that the highest grain yield with an average of 500 g/m2 was related to the application of 15 t/ha of vermicompost and 3% algae, and the lowest (156.55 g/m2) related to the control consumption of vermicompost and intense consumption of algae. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of high levels of vermicompost and spray application of seaweed extract can have a significant effect on the yield and yield components of bean.

Strong root system is an important factor in providing water and nutrients for plants and producing higher yield. Information on the relationship between rice root characteristics and nutrients’ uptake is scarce. To examine the differences in the root architecture of four Iranian rice cultivars (Khazar, Shirudi, Tarom and Puya) and their relation to nutrient uptake, an experiment was carried out under the greenhouse condition. The root parameters including thickness, total root length, root volume, root diameter, and the number of forks were measured. The results indicated that there was a significant difference in the length, area, volume, thickness, and the forks of the root in different rice cultivars. The highest and lowest amount of nutrients (phosphor, potassium, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, and iron) belonged to Shirudi and Tarom cultivars, respectively. The Shirudi and Khazar cultivars with outstanding root characteristics i.e., the number of root forks and area, have a good potential for the uptake of nutrients from the soil.

In an attempt to investigate the possibility of intercropping maize (Zea mays L.) with radish (Raphanussativu) and its impact on controlling the weeds, an experiment was carried out in the research field of the Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e Rey branch, in 2009. The study followed the split plot randomized complete block design and had3 replications. The experimental treatments included weeds factors (weed free and weed infest) as the main factor and 6 pure stand and intercropping planting densities (maize 100%(C), radish 100%(R), maize 100% + radish 100% (CR), maize 100% + radish 50% (Cr), maize 50% + radish 100%(cR), and maize 50% + radish 50%(cr)) as the sub-factor. The yield characteristics of the maize and radish along with the physiological growth indices such as leaf area index (LAI), harvest index (HI), and land equivalent ratio (LER) were measured in this study. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between weed free and weed infest with respect to most of the yield traits,illustrating that the weeds were controlled in the intercropping cultivation. In addition, there was a significant difference between pure and intercropping cultivations of the maize and radish across different treatments of the intercropping planting density. Maize 100% (C) and radish 100%(R) treatments had a higher yield in most of the measured traits of the maize compared to the other treatments. Furthermore, the yield characteristics of the radish indicated that the radish 100%(R) treatment was better than the others. The amount of LER was higher than one in all of the intercropping cultivation treatments which highlights the usefulness of this method of planting over the pure one. The highest proportion of land equivalent ratio belonged to the maize 100% and 100% radish treatments with an average of 2.47. Drawing on the results and in an attempt to enhance the productivity of the land, the maize 100% and radish 100% treatments are recommended for planting inShahr-e Rey region.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.), widely recognized as red gold, is produced from dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L. plant. The cultivation and production of saffron have an ancient history in Iran. Over the past two decades, various experiments have been conducted on the cultivation of saffron in different regions of Iran including Karaj, Birjand, and Shahrekord. The best saffron corms in terms of yield and quality are found in Iranian saffron masses. Over 500 kg of the best saffron corms were used in order to investigate their growth and development possibilities. This study was done for the first time using the common method during 2009-2010, i.e. dry farming, in the research farm of Islamic Azad University in Shahr-e Rey. The experiment was carried out in split plot form, following a randomized complete block design, with tree replications. The treatments included four planting dates as the main factor and two cultivars (Ghaen and Esfahan) as the secondary factor. The yield, quality, and growth indices (Leaf Area Index, Total Dry Matter, Crop Growth Rate, and Net Assimilation Rate) of saffron were determined. The results indicated that the planting dates did not significantly influence any of yield traits. In addition, the results of mean comparisons revealed that Esfahan cultivar was better regarding all traits in comparison to Ghaen cultivar and thus demonstrated a better compatibility with Shahr-e Rey district. Accordingly, there is a possibility to grow saffron in Shahr-e Rey considering its limited water consumption and the economic justification.

Nitrogen fertilizers play a significant role in enhancing crop yield, shoot development, and metabolites production by increasing photosynthesis levels. The present study explores the effect of nitrogen on dry matter yield of a medicinal plant, i.e. lavender (Lavandula officinalis L.). For so doing, an experiment was carried out with four replications, following a randomized complete block design, in the research field of Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e Rey. Different traits such as dry and wet weights of shoot, dry weights of leaf and stem, plant height, stem diameter, and the number of branches were treated using six different treatments including: control, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 kg nitrogen per hectare as urea resource. The results indicated that different amounts of nitrogen significantly affected all of the traits. An increase in the amount of nitrogen per hectare resulted in an increase in the traits under study in a way that two of the treatments, i.e. 150 and 180 kg nitrogen per hectare, resulted in the highest dry and wet weights in shoot and dry weights of leaf and stem.