فرج الله شهریاری

Pistachio is one of the most important crops that have a large genetic diversity due to its dicotyledonous and high heterozygosity, so identifying these genetic differences is of particular importance for breeding and production of psyllid-resistant pistachio cultivars. Pistachio psyllid is one of the most important pests of the pistachio tree. The nymphs and adult insects of this pest increase the amount of porosity, and reduce yield and lack of laughter, by consuming plant sap. In this study, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and small indels were investigated in Iranian pistachio sensitive cultivars (Akbari, Kalehghoochi, Ahmad Aghaei, Momtaz) and resistant cultivars (Badami Zarand, Haj Abdollahi, Italian, Sarakhs) to psyllids. The readings were first aligned with the reference genome, and then single-nucleotide polymorphisms and deletions, and small indels were identified by the GATK toolkit. The percentage of alignment of the readings with the reference genome was above 96%, which indicated the high quality of alignment. Sensitive cultivars had 2920688 and 701109 and resistant cultivars had 2919898 and 701000 SNP and small indels, respectively. In general, the results of data analysis showed that the structural and polymorphic diversity of mononucleotides and the small indels are greater in susceptible cultivars than in resistant cultivars.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) from Asteraceae family is one of the most important crops grown mainly for edible oil. Sclerotinia is one of the fungi pathogens widely distributed in sunflower farms leading to totally yield losses under the favorable environmental conditions for the pathogen. The use of resistant genotypes is potentially one of the economically useful methods for its control. In this study, the expression pattern of genes PDF1.2 (defence related gene), HaZFHD (transcription factor) and HaPP2C (effective in defence signal transduction) was investigated in sunflower susceptible (SDR19) and partially resistant (8A*/LC1064C) lines after inoculation with Sclerotinia fungal isolate A37 via Real Time PCR technique. Results revealed that the expression of studied genes has significantly increased in an earlier time in partially resistant (8A*/LC1064C) line compared to susceptible (SDR19) one. Increased expression level of studied genes proves their potential role in resistance of sunflower to Sclerotinia basal stem rot disease. The findings of this study can be useful in sunflower breeding programs for producing cultivars resistant to Sclerotinia stem rot disease.

The most serious diseases of cultivated mushrooms are caused by Pseudomonas tolaasii and Trichoderma harzianum pathogens. A common method of pathogen control on farms worldwide is the application of various chemical pesticides. Many of these substances are unsafe for human and environment. The interest in discovering and developing natural antimicrobials has significantly increased due to consumer preferences for foods that are free of chemical residues. So, a major challenge for mushroom growers is to control diseases with alternative compounds such as essential oils and plant extracts. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were also known as potential antibiotic and considered as a new antimicrobial agents. In the present study, the antibacterial and antifungal potential of essential oils, plant extracts and a recombinant peptide were investigated for their pathogenicity. For this purpose, the essential oils of Cuminum cyminum and Zataria multiflora and the plant extracts of Dorema ammoniacum and Ferulago angulata and a recombinant peptide were evaluated for their antimicrobial and antifungal effects on the P. tolaasii and T. harzianum pathogens. In this study, essential oils of C. cyminum and Z. multiflora were extracted by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus. The plant extracts (D. ammoniacum and F. angulata) were prepared using maceration method. Recombinant peptides (Lactoferricin-Lactoferrampin) were produced from Adherent Human Embryonic Kidney 293 (HEK293). The antifungal properties of essential oils, plant extract and AMPs were studied on growth inhibition. Antibacterial activity of substances were tested against P. tolaasii via disk-diffusion method respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and Minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) to the compounds were studied. All treatments were considered in a completely randomized block design with three replicates. The results of the antibacterial evaluations showed that the Chimera peptide have remarkable activity against pathogenic bacteria with a mean diameter of the zone inhibition region of 32.2mm, followed by C. cyminum and D. ammoniacum extracts with mean values of 7 and 6 mm respectively. Regarding to antifungal activity of substances isolated from above material, it was found that essential oils of C. cyminum and Z. multiflora completely prevent the growth of T. harzianum, followed by D. ammoniacum and F. angulate with maen values of 26 and 60.6 mm respectively. The lowest antifungal activity was observed for chimera peptide. The cultivated button mushroom is one of the most extensively cultivated mushroom in the world. The most serious diseases of cultivated mushrooms are caused by P. tolaasii and T. harzianum pathogens. The results of our study showed that the C. cyminum and D. ammoniacum have remarkable activity against pathogenic bacteria. Plant extracts, essential oils and their components have demonstrated strong fungistatic and antibacterial effects against pathogenic fungi and bacteria on cultivated mushrooms. Modes of action of essential oils in their interaction with bacteria have been quite revealed. It has been assumed that Thymol changes the permeability of cytoplasmic membrane of Gram-positive bacteria, acting as a proton exchanger, decreasing the pH gradient and causing a collapse of the proton motive force and eventually cell death. Regarding to antifungal activity, our results also showed that essential oils of C. cyminum and Z. multiflora completely prevent the growth of T. harzianum, followed by D. ammoniacum and F. angulate. One of the possible action mechanisms proposed that fungal growth may be reduced or totally inhibited due to monoterpenes present in essential oils which could increase the concentration of lipidic peroxides such as hydroxyl, alkoxyl and alkoperoxyl radicals and so bring about cell death. According to another mechanism, the essential oils would act on the hyphae of the mycelium, provoking exit of components from the cytoplasm, the loss of rigidity and integrity of the hypha cell wall, resulting in its collapse and death of the mycelium. In our study, a camel recombinant chimeric lactoferricin + lactoferrampin peptide was also tested for its antimicrobial activity. Our result showed that this recombinant peptide have remarkable activity against pathogenic bacteria. The details of the antibacterial mechanism for this recombinant peptide still are unknown. However, amino acid profile, sequence orientation and structural conformation of cationic peptides are the main features which make these peptides capable to inhibit bacterial growth by disrupting of the bacterial cell membrane. As a general results it can be concluded that natural plant-derived antimicrobial as well as recombinant peptides can be used as alternatives to synthetic pesticides, however, further studies on safety and toxicity of these substances should be carried out before use. In summary, this study shows that essential oils and plant extracts isolated from above plant material have remarkable antifungal activities against T. harzianum, while the chimera peptide showed complete inhibition against P. tolaasii. Thus all of these substance could become alternative to synthetic antimicrobial compounds for control of mushroom pathogens. However, further studies on safety and toxicity of these substances should be carried out before use.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is mainly cultivated for the extraction of edible oil, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a pathogen in sunflower fields. The aim of this study was to indetify markers associated with resistance to Sclerotnia Scleritiorum diseases in sunflower, using association analysis. In the present experimental research, a population including 100 lines of oily sunflower was cultivated. Traits such as contamination progress after 4, 8, and 12 days, 100 seeds weight of contaminated and non-contaminated plants, contaminated and non-contaminated plant yield, 100 seeds weight loss, and yield loss were studied. The molecular profiles of germplasm were prepred with 30 microsatellite primer pairs. Genetic structure analysis of population was performed based on Bayesian model. Findings: The highest coefficient of variation was related to the yield loss (86.41%) and weight loss (78.48%), and the lowest was contamination progression after 8 and 12 days (26.47% and 20.44%), respectively. Based on the mixed linear model (MLM), 6 microsatellite markers related to traits were identified at the level of p≤0.01. The highest number of markers was associated with contamination progression after 8 days. The P733, P807, and P1256 markers were simultaneously associated with 3 traits. Four lines including RHA274, H100A-83HR4, B45-03, and Iranian line with code 28 were identified with different genetic origins and high resistance levels. According to the general linear model (GLM) and MLM, 24 and 15 SSR markers are related to the traits, respectively. The P733, P807, and P1256 markers are simultaneously associated with 3 traits.

IntroductionSunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most important crops grown mainly for edible oil. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary is a common and widespread pathogen of sunflower. Sclerotinia stem rot is one of the most damaging diseases of sunflower in world, causing average yield reductions of 10 to 20%. It causes total production loss under favorable environmental conditions. Hence, plant improvement projects must focus on creating of new genotypes with higher resistance against diseases. Resistance to S. sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary has been described as quantitatively inherited with additive and dominant gene effects. Identification of chromosome regions controlling partial resistance to sclerotinia stem rot can increase understanding about the genetic control of the diseases and developing cultivars with improved partial resistance. In this study, retrotranposon-based molecular markers associated with resistance to disease as well as some important agromorphological traits identified using general and mixed linear models in Tassel software.
Materials and MethodsA collection of 100 sunflower lines, kindly provided by several research centers in Europe, Iran and the United States, were evaluated using a 1010 simple lattice design with two replications. Each plot comprised 2 lines 5 m long, with a spacing of 65 × 25 cm between lines and plants, respectively. The experiment was conducted in 2015 at a farm in ‘Vaghaslo-e-Sofla’ village on Urmia. Five plants per genotype in each replication were inoculated with a fungal isolate collected from naturally infected sunflower plants of this farm in previous year.Some resistant and agronomical traits including percentage of necrotic area after 4, 8, 12 days inoculation, 100 seeds weight of non contaminated plants, 100 seeds weight of contaminated plants, yield per plant in non contaminated plants, yield per plant in contaminated plants, 100 seeds weight loss, and per plant yield loss were measured. The genetic profile of population was prepared with 28 rerotransposon markers.
Results and DiscussionBased on molecular marker data, the studied association panel was subdivided into two subpopulations (K=2). Association analysis using mixed linear model (MLM) identified 27 loci significantly (P

Bread is considered as one of the most important commodity which has provided human nutritional needs for several centuries. In recent decades, bread consumption has witnessed tremendous increase due to rising of other foods expenses. Cereal and bread industries has been always concerned about bread production in an industrial scale along with suitable shelf life, acceptable organoleptic properties and free from any chemical additives and preservatives. Among different methods such as addition of synthetic enzymes, gums, emulsifiers and improvers, sour dough has gained special attention besides shelf life enhancement and improvement of sensorial and nutritional features. The main role of sour dough has been prominent for fermentation and gas production in dough as a result of inclusion of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) as a technology. Fluctuation of process parameters including temperature, dough yield and starter culture composition determine the sour dough quality. The main reason of sour dough application in wheat bread is flavor enhancement. Culture-based microbiological examinations have accompanied with some difficulties in accurate and precise identification of Lactobacilli. So, in recent years, in order to identify precisely, different molecular and PCR assays and gene sequencing have been applied. Thus, in present study, fragment of 253bp from 16 S rRNA gene in Lactobacillus plantarum was amplified with the help of PCR and sequenced in the next step. Also, comparison of nucleotide sequence of this region of traditional Lb. plantarum with nucleotide sequence of industrial starter (Germany) and sequences deposited in Gene Bank was evaluated.
Material and Sampling: According to sensory properties, sour dough samples were collected from Torbat e jam city and industrial starter sample (sour dough) was prepared from Buker Company, Germany.
Isolation and bio chemical analysis: Ten- fold serial dilutions of samples were prepared and cultured on MRS agar. Gram positive, catalase negative isolates were considered as presumptive LAB.
Molecular Identification: DNA of isolates were extracted according to the procedure of DNA extraction kit (Thermo, K721, USA). In order to amplify the 253 bp fragment of 16S rRNA in Lb. plantarum, specific primers were designed using Primer Premier 5. PCR was performed in Biometra Thermocycler (T- personal, Germany) in 36 cycles. In the following step, PCR products were sent to Macrogen Company for sequencing.
Bioinformatics analysis: Analysis of sequencing results was conducted with the aid of bioinformatics soft wares including CLC Main work bench, Chromas Lite 2.01, MEGA 5 and BioEdit. Phylogenetic tree was designed among different isolates using Neighbor-Joining method (bootstrap=1000) in MEGA 5 software. For determination of genetic distance, Create Pairwise comparison method was used in CLC Main workbench.
Quality and quantity of extracted DNA samples were confirmed by Gel electrophoresis. PCR and electrophoresis of PCR products confirmed and proved the accuracy and validity of amplified 253 bp fragment with intended primers. Comparison of Torbat and Germany nucleotide sequences demonstrated that two replacement mutations have been occurred including (A/C) and (T/C) in positions 182 and 205, respectively. These changes resulted in replacement of Histidine by Proline, and Glutamine by stop codon. Nucleotide content of 16S rRNA gene sequence in Lb. plantarum isolated from Torbat e Jam and Germany sour dough samples displayed both sequences contained 49.4% (G) and 50.6% (A). Phylogenetic results demonstrated that Lb. plantarum isolated from Torbat e Jam and Germany samples were classified in the same sub group. This implies the close phylogenetic relationship between these two lactobacilli. In order to identify Lb. plantarum, 16S rRNA gene was sequenced in sour dough samples of Germany and Belgium and phylogenetic tree showed that Lb. plantarum had the lowest genetic distance with Lb. pontis and highest one with Lb. sanfranciscensis and Lb. salivarius

Edible white button mushroom (Agaricusbisporus) is the most common edible mushroom in Iran and the world. The yield of this mushroom is less than the average of yield in the world because of strain degeneration and using strains with low yield. Most of the current hybrids are either identical or very similar to the first hybrids. Ongoing breeding programs are exploiting the variability in Agaricus germplasm to produce new varieties with better traits including higher yield and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. One of the breeding programs is F1 production from parental homokaryons crossing. These homokaryonsis were isolated among germinated basidiospores on the culture media. During the last decades, various molecular markers based on nucleic acid polymorphisms (such as Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism, Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA, Amplified fragment of Length Polymorphism, Inter Simple Sequence Repeat, Simple Sequence Repeat markers) have been used to differentiate homokaryons and heterokaryons. Microsatellites consist of short tandem repeat motifs distributed throughout the genome. Microsatellites are usually highly polymorphic due to a high degree of variation in the number of repeats among individuals. Microsatellite markers are multiallelic and co-dominant and thus tend to be more informative than other marker systems. Microsatellite markers have been widely developed in animals and plants and more recently in fungal species. The presence of microsatellites in the genome of A. bisporus was previously reported.
In this research, 160 germinated basidiospores were collected from commercially cultivated strain A15 and they were grown on compost extract agar (CEA). The mycelial growth rate of these160 isolates was evaluated at 25°C on CEA medium. 18 isolates with slow growing rate were selected from 160 isolates. In the next step, co-dominant SSR markers were used to homokaryons detection. Ten SSR primers showed polymorphism in parental control samples that were used to this experiment. The isolates were divided into two general homoallelic and heteroallelic groups and seven isolates from homoallellic group, which showed one-band pattern, characterized as putative homokaryon. Genetic similarity was calculated by NTSYSpc software version 2.02 e using UPGMA method. In the next step of experiment, the isolates (4 and 8) had minimum genetic similarity that was crossed to produce hybrid. In order to confirm the hybrid formation, PCR-SSR reaction with a primer (AbSSR 45) was performed.
Basidiospores were collected and allowed to germinate on CEA medium. Putative homokaryons were different in colony morphology and growth rate compared to the original heterokaryons. Mycelium samples showed different colony morphology including tomentose, apprised and strandy mycelium. Different growth rate can be affected by genetic factors in nucleus and mitoconderia. After four weeks, mycelium browning was appeared in liquid compost extract medium and created a disturbance in DNA extraction. To solve this problem, DNA was extracted from three-week old mycelium. Mycelium browning may cause by phenolic compounds produced by mycelium and enzymes that catalyze melanin biosynthesis reactions. Ten primers were used to homokaryon isolation. These primers were situated on the 9 linkage groups of 13 haploid chromosomes. Seven isolates were distinguished as putative homokaryon that showed one-band in all primers on the gel electrophoresis. The results of genetic similarity calculation showed that this index was variable between 0.17 to 0.67in 7 homokaryon isolates and the minimum genetic similarity (0.17) was observed between isolates 4 and 8. These two isolates were crossed and the result of this crossing was N1 hybrid. Also, other homokaryon isolates were crossed and mating incompatibility was observed in some of them. According to these observations, it is suggested that in future studies, in addition to genetic similarity, sexual incompatibility should also be considered. Hybrid N1 produced aerial mycelium and had higher growth rate in comparison to parental homokaryons and similar to heterokaryon control, had two-bands pattern. This two bands pattern indicates the presence of two non-sister nucleuse in each cells. Finally, the results showed that SSR marker can result to accurate detection of homokaryons.
The aim of the present study was screening homokaryon isolates of A.bisporus using SSR markers to obtain hybrid. Results showed that growth rate of homokaryon isolates were lower than the heterokaryons. Since, SSR markers were able to show high polymorphism in the isolates, thus it can be said that these markers are suitable to homokaryon screening. Final result of this study is N1 hybrid that can compare to commercially cultivated strains.

Introduction Jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill.) as a valuable medicinal plant and adapted to different climatic conditions is widespread in many parts of Iran. Nowadays, beside the export of its fruit, jujube is also used as an herbal medicine to treat the diseases, so it has a high economic value. Study on genetic diversity is the first step to identify and preservation of germplasm. It is also considered as the basic principles of plant breeding. DNA markers seem to be the best way in determination of the genetic diversity. Inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers are highly polymorphic and combine most benefits of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to the generality of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD).
Materials and Methods In order to study of the genetic diversity among 31 ecotypes collected from eight Jujube-rich provinces, including South Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, Mazandaran, Golestan, Qom, Isfahan, Lorestan and Fars. Genomic DNA was extracted by CTAB method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with 13 ISSR primers in which six most efficient primers were selected. Cluster analysis based on Dice similarity coefficient and Unweighed Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) was carried out and POPGENe.3.2 software was used to determine the similarity of populations with each other.
Results and Discussion 84 loci were amplified and 70 of them (83%) revealed a proper polymorphism with the size between 200 and 2000 base pair. The average number of amplified and polymorphic bands per primer was 14 and 11.6 respectively. Primers with di-nucleotide repeats produced more polymorphic bands than ones with tri-nucleotide repeats. It seems that this is due to a higher frequency of sequences containing di-nucleotide repeats in intergenic regions and higher possibility of mutation revealed in more diversity in comparison to gene coding regions. Anchored primers with 1 or 2 nucleotides at the 5’ end make sure annealing only to the ends of SSRs in template DNA, so avoiding internal priming and smear formation. In addition, the anchor lets only a subset of the microsatellites to serve as priming sites. Primers (AC)8YT and (GA)8A with the higher percentage of polymorphism is recommended for further analysis. According to the cluster analysis, the ecotypes could be classified into seven main groups at the 0.85 level of genetic similarity. The most genetic similarity (0.95) was observed between ecotypes from Kalaleh and Doroh and also Noghab and Dustiran and the least genetic similarity (0.48) observed between Kangan and Borzaderan. POPGENe.3.2 software data indicated that populations of Isfahan and South Khorasan had the slightest difference while populations of Isfahan and Razavi Khorasan showed the most difference.
Conclusions In general results demonstrated that the total diversity of jujube ecotypes in Iran is summarized in the area of South Khorasan province. Given data showed that South Khorasan has been an original place of cultivation of this medicinal plant, this area could be considered as one of the important centers of jujube diversity. In addition, significant levels of diversity were observed among ecotypes belonging to Isfahan and Mazandaran provinces.

Water deficit is the most important abiotic stress limiting crop productivity in most arid and semi-arid areas of the world and Iran. In order to achieve precise experimental comparisons, the response of chickpea genotypes MCC508 and MCC 521 to water deficit was evaluated and then expression of the genes assessed under the same stress situation. Decreasing trend of Relative Water Content (RWC) was significantly less in MCC508 compared with MCC521, especially after 24 hours (p≤0.05). Membrane Stability Index (MSI) was also higher in MCC508 whereas electrolyte leakage and Malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation were almost stable but increased 1.2-fold relative to control after four days stress. Proline was accumulated up to 16.8 and 9.4 µ mol g-1FW in MCC508 and MCC521 after 4 days, which indicated an increase of 5.1 and 3.8 fold related to the control, respectively. Semi-quantification gene expression analysis for Dehydrin1and CapLEA-1 showed different response to water deficit for each genotype. Both of these genes up-regulated in tolerant genotype MCC508 with the amount of 4 and 2.1 fold compared to their respective control (p≤0.05) so that the up-regulation trend steadily continued under the stress situation. However, CapLEA-1 expression was not significantly regulated in the sensetive genotype; instead, Dehydrin1regulation was significantly evident as much as 1.4 fold increase and then decreased (p≤0.05). It, therefore, seems that stable, high up-regulation of Dehydrin1and CapLEA-1 genes and their function (stability of lipids and cell memebrane, correct protein folding and detoxificaton) might be a possible reason for high tolerancy response to water deficit in MCC508 compared to MCC521.

Among abiotic stresses, salinity has been increasing over the time for many reasons like using chemical fertilizers, global warming and rising sea levels. Under salinity stress, the loss of water availability, toxicity of Na+ and ion imbalance directly reduces carbon fixation and biomass production in plants. K+ is a major agent that can counteract Na+ stresses, thus the potential of plants to tolerate salinity is strongly dependent on their potassium nutrition. HKTs (High-affinity K+ Transporters) are a family of transporters that mediate Na+-specific or Na+-K+ transport and play a key role in the regulation of ion homeostasis. In this study, we intended to focus on Electrolyte Leakage, ratio of K+/Na+, transcriptomic responses of a subclass two HKT in the roots of Aeluropus littoralis under salt stress. We investigated a noticeably different expression pattern over studied time points and found a snappy increase of AlHKT and rebalance of K+ concentration. It can be suggested that the early and high response of a Na+-K+ coupled transporter acted as a part of A. littoralis salt tolerance.

Pistacia atlantica Desf. mutica is a dioecious plant. In addition to having a high nutrition and medical value, it is considered as an important Pistacia vera stock because of desirable properties. Pistacia species has along juvenile stage and persumably marker assistance selection can enhance its breeding program. Sequence Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR) has been used to determine sex in Pistacia atlantica Desf. mutica. In this experiment,9 leaf samples of known male and female trees and 1unknown sample were collected and tested with a pair of SCAR primers. According to the results, only anapproximately 300 bp fragment was amplified in all female trees and it was absent in male trees. Although sex determination mechanism in Pistacia is still unknown, since correlations between SCAR marker and sex locus, we can useSCAR marker could be used for sex determination in Pistacia atlantica Desf. Mutica seedlings.

Plant tissue culture techniques are used as basic requirement of common plant transformation systems. In most cases of plant transformation، a reproducible regeneration protocol is the limiting step due to long time lasting، specialized facilities and well experienced persons. Furthermore، tissue culture procedures induce somaclonal variation among regenerated transgenic plants. Therefore، recently current studies in plant molecular biology prefer plant transformation procedures avoiding tissue culture phase. Various in plant a transformation procedures have been explored، among which the floral dip method is the most reliable in vivo transformation method. In this research، with the aim of evaluating the ability of floral dip method for genetic transformation of some Apiaceae plants، we studied Dill (Anethum graveolens)، Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)، Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)، Carrot (Daucus carrota)، Parsley (Petrocelium sativum) and Celery (Apium graveolens). Arabidopsis thaliana was used as a model plant of experimental procedure. Flowers، in different stages of inflorescence development، were immersed in different suspension of Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying the plant binary vector pBI121. This vector carries plant reporter gene uidA (gus) and the plant selectable marker gene npt II. Although، producing transgenic Arabidopsis plants with a high transformation rate of 4% verified the accuracy of experimental procedure، floral dip method was not successful for transformation of Apiaceae plants. Only one transformed celery plantlet، carrying nptII gene with no expression of GUS، was obtained bby screening more than 10000 seeds produced by treated plants from all the species. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing gus reporter gene were confirmed through PCR and histochemical assays.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) as one of the most valuable industrial and pharmaceutical plants has been studied from many aspects because of its importance. But there is not any sufficient and reliable information about its distribution and classification. So its types are categorized according to traditional، local or geographical names or some visual traits. The most important reason is the sterility of garlic and its flowering inability. This study، as the first report of using ISSR and M13 markers on Iranian garlic ecotypes، was performed to evaluate the genetic diversity and relationship and distinguish the repetitious clones among populations from Iran. According to our results، 26 studied clones were categorized as 24 different genotypes with a possibility of classifying them into four groups coincide with their geographical gathering zone. Group one contains ecotypes from north and western North of Hamadan province and group two contains clones from west and south west of Hamadan province، central، east and south east of Iran. Sample from Ahvaz was the only member of group three and ecotypes from North and eastern north of Iran formed group four.

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is a valuable medicinal plant which is important in Iranian traditional medicines. Although the regional plants such as jujube play an important role in our economy، but they are forgotten in research and technology. Considering the economic and medicinal importance of jujube، the first step in breeding programs is determination of the genetic diversity among the individuals. 34 ecotypes of jujube، which have been collected from eight provinces of Iran، were used in this study. The genetic relationships of Iranian jujube ecotypes were analyzed using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker. Six out of 15 random decamer primers applied for RAPD analysis، showed an informative polymorphism. According to clustering analysis using UPGMA''s methods، the ecotypes were classified into two major groups at the 0. 81 level of genetic similarity. The highest value of similarity coefficient (0. 92) was detected between Mazandaran and Golestan ecotypes and the most genetic diversity was observed in ecotypes of Khorasan-Jonoubi. The affinity of Khorasan-Jonoubi and Esfahan ecotypes indicated a possible common origin for the variation in these areas. Results indicated that RAPD analysis could be successfully used for the estimation of genetic diversity among Ziziphus ecotypes and it can be useful for further investigations.

Aim and The toxic effects of cadmium on growth parameters and cell division in Meristem of different plants have been demonstrated. However، the molecular mechanisms of this process are not completely understood until now. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cadmium on the expression of CDK-A and cyclin B1 genes in root tip of wheat seedlings for the identification of molecular cadmium limiting mechanism. Treated wheat root tips with 0، 5، 10، 15، 20، 30، 60، 90 and 120 mg/l concentrations of cadmium used for RNA extraction and RT-PCR with primers specific for cyclin B1 and CDK-A genes. Resuls showed that expression of cyclin B1 gene at cadmium concentrations ranging from 5-15mg/l was invariant. But in higher concentrations (more than 15 mg/l) limiting effect of cadmium was quite clear. Also expression of CDK-A gene at 60، 90 and 120 mg/l concentrations of cadmium affected by limiting effect of cadmium. The decrease in root and coleoptiles growth of wheat seedlings treated with different concentration of cadmium depends on the expression of cyclin B1 and CDK-A genes and other unknown factors.

GBSS protein, that is the product of Waxy gene (Wx) is one of the major enzyme in starch biosynthesis that controls the proportion of amylose to amylopechtine and its absence leads to production of starch with low amylose and higher amylopechtine content, called Waxy starch.Wx-A1, Wx-B1, Wx-D1 are three locuses in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) genome that encodes GBSS protein and waxy starch is produced when all of them are null. In this project the polymorphism of Wx-A1 and Wx-B1 genes in 20 Tetraploid and Hexaploid Iranian wheat cultivars was studied by PCR-RFLP and Direct Sequencing techniques. Result showed any polymorphism in Wx-B1 genes of studied population But PCR-RFLP demonstrated the polymorphism in the second part of Wx-A1 gene of Hamoun and Alvand cultivars. According to sequencing and in silico studies of the mutation effects on GBSS features, the two selected cultivars can be assumed as a donor for Wx-A1 null allele.

Papaver somniferum L. today is considered as the commercial source of the narcotic analgesics morphine and codeine. Codeinone reductase is a key gene in metabolic engineering of isoquinoline alkaloids pathway with the ability of conversion of codeinone to codein and morphine. In this project, at first optimization of the gene transfer of P. somniferum was performed via A. tumefascience containing pBI121 plasmid. This gene then was cloned in expression vectors under control of CaMV35 promoter and transferred to plants by agro transformation. After preparing the structure, hypocotyl explants of P. somniferum was inoculated by agrobacterium carrying recombinant structures. HPLC analysis indicated the variation of the amount, type and percentage of alkaloid compounds in transgenic samples compared to the control plants. The result of the evaluation showed qualitative and quantitative changes in metabolite production of transgenic and control plants.

This study included 81 samples which belonged to 13 speices from Myriophyllum genus. Both nrDNA ITS1 and ITS2 and cpDNA matK, rbcL and trnH-psbA loci were used for diagnose of invasive from native plant. The nrDNA ITS1and ITS2 data proved highly variable and could differentiate between all but had low PCR amplification success,based on these result they would not recommend as a suitable barcode in Myriophyllum genus. Although matK had high amplification success but had low sequencing success which could not be ideal barcode among studied species. Based on result Non-coding trnH-psbA spacer region and a portion of the coding rbcL gene are recommended as ideal barcode that provide the necessary universality and species discrimination among Myriophyllum species. a limited investment in DNA barcoding can generate an identification tool for plant material, specifically useful for cases where morphology is inadequate to assess species identity

Microbial endophytes, which make one of the most important classes of soil microorganisms, induce genetic, physiological and ecological alterations in their host plant and thus increase its yield and enable its cultivation in saline or dry soils or in climates facing biotic and abiotic stresses. The endophyte fungus Piriformospora indica exhibits a high effect in plant growth and increased resistance against environmental tensions like drought and salinity, as well as against phytopathogens. This work was intended to study the potential of P. indica in enhancing growth and elevating drought resistance in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) during 2010. A greenhouse trial of completely randomized design with two fungal treatments (inoculated vs. non-inoculated) and three drought levels (F.C., 50% F.C. and 25% F.C.) with four repeats was conducted in greenhouse of Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute (Isfahan). The results indicate that the fungus P. indica has accompanied biomass increments of both shoot and root parts in the inoculated plant compared to the control, as in inoculated plant, total shoot dry weight and root dry weight were increased by 39 and 46 percent, respectively. Also, in stress conditions RWC in inoculated plant was greater. In addition to the growth increasing activity, the effective role of the fungus in enhancing barley growth and yield under drought conditions (especially at the 25% F.C. level) is evident. According to the results, and to the fact that the fungus can be cultured on artificial (host-plant-free) growth medium, this fungus can be contemplated as making a growth stimulating agent and in producing biological fertilizer for use in crops; and it might take a significant role toward a sustainable agriculture. The application of this fungus can also be beneficial in increasing growth and production of crops such as barley and wheat under the dry conditions widely encountered in Iran.

Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (PEPCK) has been shown to be present in plants and animals, playing different metabolic roles in different tissues. The basic role of this enzyme is its contribution in the gluconeogenesis pathway. Evidences have shown that PEPCK may play a role in metabolism of nitrogenous compounds in developing seeds of legumes. In this research, pepck gene expression and the occurrence of PEPCK protein and its activity in different genotypes of chickpea (Cicer arietinume L.) were determined. Two low protein genotypes (MCC291 & MCC373) and two high protein genotypes (MCC458 & MCC053) out of 20 chickpea genotypes were selected, from which the total RNA was extracted through different stages of seed development. The expression of chickpea pepck gene was estimated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The results of RT-PCR showed that two isoforms of this gene were expressed in high protein genotypes, whereas in the low protein genotypes were not expressed. The differential expression of pepck gene is perhaps related to the possible role of Phosphoenolpyrovate Carboxykinase in protein content of chickpea seeds.

Analysis of genetic diversity is an important and effective strategy in crop development. In this research 12 polymorph microsatellite markers used to study of genetic diversity structure of 25 accession of diploid einkorn wheats in two species (Titicum boeoticum and T.urartu) collected from west and Northwestern Regions of Iran. Totally 87 alleles amplified by 12 pairs of SSR primers used in this study. Allele number of different loci was varied from 2 to 14 alleles and 7.2 alleles per locus in average. Calculated polymorphism information content for SSR loci was in the range of 0.37 to 0.92. Similarity coefficients calculated by Dice and Jacard functions used for cluster analysis of accessions with UMGMA algorithm. Results showed further genetic distance in genotypes originated from western provinces than others. The most genetic diversity observed in Lorestan and Kermanshah for boeoticum and urartu populations respectively, probably the center of origin of these einkorn wheats in Near-East.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are a diverse group of nitrogenous compounds which is found in about 20% of plant species. Isolation of effective genes involved in morphine biosynthesis of opium poppy is very important in the production of specific which can be achieved using metabolic engineering techniques. In this biosynthesis pathway, the key enzyme SAT is Involved in the conversion of salutaridinol 7-O-acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.150) to salutaridinol-7-O-acetate, which is the immediate precursor of thebaine. In this project, the gene encoding this enzyme was isolated using primers which were designed on the basis of the gene sequence available on data banks (NCBI) for papaver somniferum. This gene IS then cloned in expression vectors under the Control of Camv 355 promoter. The result of this cloning was confirmed using different molecular methods such as enzyme digestion and PCR. Agro infiltration method was also used for transient expression of SAT gene. The result of evaluation showed that morphine and codeine were only Produced in the leaves of transgenic plants containing SAT transgen.

Kernel hardness is one of the most important characterizations on end-use quality of bread wheat and also used for their marketing classification. Kernel texture, mainly controlled by one major locus (Ha) located on the short arm of chromosome 5D. Two tightly linked genes as puroindolin a , and b covered by this major locus and designed as Pina and Pinb respectively. When both puroindolines are in their ‘functional’ wild state, grain texture is soft. When either of the puroindoline alleles is absent or alter by mutation, then the result is hard texture. In this study, 61 Iranian commercial cultivars and 92 landraces were investigated for their kernel hardness and puroindoline alleles using SKCS and, PCR and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS) techniques respectively. Specific primers were used to amplify Pina and Pinb. The results indicated that frequency of hard, mixed and soft genotypes were 65.6, 19.6 and 14.8% respectively, in commercial cultivars and 58.7, 13 and 28.3% in landraces varieties. Among hard type of commercial cultivars, 18 and 5, genotypes have identified as Pina-D1b and Pinb-D1b respectively. Kavir was only cultivar with Pinb-D1e allele. Pinb-D1b allele was identified in two hard types of landrace varieties. Surprisingly, Pinb-D1c was not found in any varieties. Influence of the above proindoline alleles on kernel hardness showed that the SKCS hardness index of Pina-D1b was significantly higher than that of Pinb-D1b. Our knowledge about the genetic basis of kernel hardness could provide useful information in breeding programs of bread wheat.