محمود قاسم نژاد

 Olive tree, with a thousand years of cultivation history, is one of the most important horticultural crops in Iran and has always played an important economical role for orchardists. In olive orchards traits such as an increased formation of incomplete flowers, low yield of fruits and oil are often found as major problems. It should be noted that these traits are affected by numerous environmental and management factors from which the nutrition status is one of the most important ones. Proper nutrition plays an important role in both olive fruit and oil yield. There is a wide range of fertilizer compounds with different formulas and efficiencies available in the world market, among which nano-products are becoming increasingly popular. However, there is limited information on their efficacy in different plant species.

In order to evaluate the impact of fertilizers on olive cultivation, a research was conducted during two successive years from 2019 to 2020 in a commercial orchard on 15 year old olive tree cv. ‘Zard’, in Manjil city of Guilan province. Foliar application included five treatments using two types of fertilizers; nano (nano-chelated nitrogen and potassium: nano-NK) and chemical fertilizers (urea and potassium nitrate; NK). Treatments involved application of two concentrations from each fertilizers sources; 1.02g and 0.81g (nano-N1K1 and N1K1), 1.36 g and 1.08 g (nano-N2K2 and N2K2) of pure nitrogen and potassium, respectively. Foliar application was conducted in four stages bud-swelling, before blooming, pit hardening and shortly after harvest of table olive. Spraying with water was considered as the control. The nano-chelated fertilizers were obtained from Khazra Company, Teheran, Iran (http://en.khazra.ir). Spraying with water was considered as control. The experiment was performed in a randomized block design with three replications. The measurement of leaf nutrient status and its chlorophyll and carbohydrate contents were carried out at two times each growing season; in August (during pit hardening stage) and October (shortly after the harvest of table olive). At the green ripening stage, fruits were collected and weighted to determine fruit yield. At the end of the experiment quantity and quality traits of oil were measured.

 The results showed that the trees under N2K2 treatment had the highest yield. In terms of mineral content, both forms of fertilizers increased the concentration of nitrogen and potassium leaf elements compared to the control trees. Chlorophyll content was affected by nano-N1K1 foliar application and carbohydrate content was affected by nano-N1K1 in the pit hardening stage and nano-N2K2 in shortly after the harvest of table olive. Nano-N1K1 treatment with the lower crop load not only increased oil content but also improved quality characteristics of olive oil (free fatty acids, peroxide value, specific ultraviolet absorbance K232, K270 and contents of pigments), total phenol content, antioxidant capacity and fatty acid composition. Generally, the results showed that olive trees responded well to fertilizer feeding. These trees produced better crop and higher quality oil in comparison with control trees. According to the results, fruit yield is better under urea and potassium nitrate treatment, and the quality of olive oil is more stable after nano-chelated nitrogen and potassium foliar application. It seems that the reason for the high amount of fruit yield with N2K2 in comparison to the slow-release property of nano-fertilizers is that using nitrogen and potassium in the form of ordinary chemical fertilizer regulates the biosynthesis, conversion and rapid translocation of assimilates and mineral elements into reproductive structures, which resulted in soaring yield. We assumed that nano-N1K1 foliar spray in the pit hardening stage and shortly after the fruit harvest for table olive might export the assimilation into the fruit to fulfill cell metabolism requirements for oil synthesis.

 The current findings indicated that two of four treatments, i.e. nano-N1K1 and N2K2, could be more effective on olive trees in terms of general fruit and oil attributes. It was remarkable that nano treatment with a lower concentration could provide adequate beneficial effects on quality characteristics of olive oil and is in line with good management strategies regarding the preservation of the environment. To the best of our knowledge, the current work is the first report considering the application of nano-chelated nitrogen and potassium and their is use as a foliar application on olive trees. Additional studies would be necessary to further optimize the concentration and timing of the applications with these new formulations.

The production of misshapen fruits in 'Hayward' kiwifruit, due to genetic potential, or environmental conditions, is the main factor for reducing exportable and marketable fruits. To solve this problem and produce uniformity in the fruits, it is recommended to thin the malformed fruits immediately after setting. This study was conducted as a randomized complete block design with four replications. The experimental treatments included thinning all of the small, flat, fan-shape and misshapen fruits at four different times: 15, 30, 45 and 60 days after fruit set in the whole vine. Fruits were harvested when reached at maturity stage, and characteristics such as fruit yield per vine, fruit grading according to size, fruit firmness, dry matter percentage, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, TSS/TA, pH and ascorbic acid content were measured. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the thinned and control vines for fruit yield. Fruit thinning times caused a significant increase in the percentage of extra grade fruits, so that the highest extra fruit percentage was found when fruit thinning carried out 15 days after fruit set (49.01%), which showed an increase of about 25 percent compared to control (24.71%). Furthermore, fruits thinning reduced flesh firmness, titratable acid and ascorbic acid as compared to control, but increased fruits dry matter percentage, soluble solids, TSS/TA, pH and fruit volume. Overall, early fruit thinning; 15 days after fruit set, with increasing extra grade fruits and reducing grade 2 and out-of-grade fruits caused improve in proportion of marketable and exportable fruits.

Obtaining superior kiwi cultivars through the modification of genotypes is an effective step in increasing the qualitative production of the fruit and, as a result, the further prosperity of agriculture and the increase of exports. In this research, it was assumed that there is a difference between the tested genotypes in terms of some biochemical and morphological characteristics; Therefore, considering the high nutritional and economic value of the golden kiwifruit, the aim of this research was comparing some physiological and anatomical indicators related to the nutritional value of kiwifruit in two golden kiwifruit genotypes (Y1) and (Y2).

For this purpose, factors including the length, width and shape of the fruit, internal tissues of the fruit, hairs and lenses, amount of soluble solids, titratable acid, firmness of the fruit tissue, percentage of dry matter, vitamin C, total phenol content and antioxidant capacity of the two genotypes were investigated.

The results of this research showed that the Y2 genotype, except for the fruit taste index, in other characteristics including fruit size, the ratio of the edible flesh of the fruit to its core, the density of individual short hairs and long hairs, as well as in terms of some qualitative and physiological characteristics such as dry matter percentage, fruit texture firmness, vitamin C content, total phenol content and antioxidant capacity had a higher content. Based on the mentioned indicators, it can be said that this genotype has a better commercialization field than the Y1 genotype.

A Acer velutinum Boiss. (Persian or velvet maple) is one of the industrial and important species of Hyrcanian (Caspian) forests with wide distribution. This species is rarely seen in the forests of other parts of the world and has only been reported from the forests of the Caucasus. Therefore the information about this species is very limited. This research aims to investigate the response of A. velutinum seedlings to drought stress as one of the consequences of climate change. Seedlings of velvet maple were analyzed in terms of height, basal diameter, leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), biomass, photosynthesis pigments, relative water content RWC), free proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and peroxidase(POD) activities to drought stress. One year old of Potted plants were exposed to four water supply regimes (100, 75, 50, and 25% field capacity (FC); performed as a control, mild, moderate, and severe water stress. The results showed that drought reduced all aspects of growth in the velvet maple. It negatively affected on growth and reduced plant height, stem diameter, biomass, and leaf area, but SLA significantly increased under moderate treatment. Drought stress reduced chlorophyll content, however, no significant difference was found for carotenoids. RWC reduced significantly just under severe drought stress. Proline and MDA content increased significantly when plants were exposed to moderate and severe drought stress. Drought stress induced POD and SOD activity under drought treatments, although the highest activities were measured under mild and moderate treatments. Our data demonstrate that A. velutinum seedlings have relative drought resistance. They used drought avoidance and tolerance mechanisms through changes in morpho-physiological characteristics. The results of this research briefly showed the mechanisms of drought tolerance in A. velutinum and will provide essential information for more research in the future.

Citrus sinensis cv Thomson Navel and Citrus limon cv Lisbon are known as relatively resistant and cold-sensitive garden products. Thus, in the present study attempts are made to investigate the vulnerability of Thomson oranges and Lisbon lemons to cold stress under controlled environmental conditions compared to treatment temperatures (4, -4 and -8 °C). This factorial experiment was conducted according to a completely randomized design. The ANOVA results showed that the temperature/cultivar interaction can significantly affect some traits such as lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, total flavonoids, ion leakage, chlorophyll a, carotenoids, total chlorophyll and LT50 (P> 0.001). However, the catalase/chlorophyll b interaction was found to be significant at p= 5%. The highest levels of ion leakage (59.65%), lipid peroxidation reaction (0.77 µg g−1 FW MDA) in lemon and catalase and superoxide dismutase (33.43 µmol•g−1 FW and 160.3.3 μmol g −1FW min respectively) in orange was recorded at -8 °C. In contrast, the highest levels of ascorbate peroxidase (39.7 µg g−1 FW) was recorded in lemon and total flavonoids (32.48 mg g−1 FW of catechin) was recorded in oranges at 4 °C. in the present study, different reactions were also observed at different temperatures. Oranges showed higher resistance to cold compared to lemons. As for the measured traits, however, oranges were mostly ranked higher than lemons. Exposure of genotypes to cold stress led to an increase in malondialdehyde.

This study investigates the effect of drought stress on the morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters of Alnus subcordata C. A. Mey., an endemic wood species to Hyrcanian forests. The experimental design was completely randomized on one-year seedlings and four levels of drought stress (25% (severe stress), 50% (moderate stress), 75% (mild stress) and 100% (no stress) of crop capacity. The results showed that drought reduced the growth and biomass of seedlings. The decrease in severe stress treatment compared to the control in seedling height, basal diameter, total biomass, leaf area and specific leaf area were 41.8, 40, 72.4, 91.9 and 49.6% respectively. The root to shoot ratio showed an increase of 53.3%. With the increase of stress, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b decreased by 50% and carotenoid decreased by 38.4%. The relative water content of the seedlings decreased by 33.50 and 24.9% in severe and moderate stress compared to the control treatment. The percentage increase of proline and malondealdehyde in the stress treatment compared to the control treatment was 169.8% and 142.7%, respectively. The activity of superoxide dismutase increased by 25% and 36% and peroxidase by 140% and 148% respectively in the mild and moderate stress treatment. The result showed that Caucasian alder seedling (a rather drought-sensitive species) could coped with drought in mild and moderate treatment by tolerance mechanisms such as reducing growth and biomass, increasing of the root to shoot ratio, reducing photosynthetic pigments and relative increasing in enzyme activities.

Climate change has affected the rates of chilling and heat accumulation, which are vital for flowering and production in temperate fruit trees. In this study, the chilling requirement of kiwifruit was analyzed by using the dynamic (CP) and chilling hours (CH) model, and the heat requirement was analyzed by using the growing degree Hours (GDH) model. The results shown that high temperatures at bud swell or woolly bud phase led to the acceleration of the different stages of bud phenology. Also, reduction of chilling requirement delays the events of bud phenology. In addition, a linear and significant relation was observed between chilling requirement and heat accumulation. So, the flowering time of kiwifruit cultivar “Hayward” was significantly affected by the timing and interaction of received chilling and heat accumulation. In the cuttings that received 954 and 1194 chilling hours, the heat requirement for breaking vegetative buds was 10543 GDH and 8251 GDH respectively. With cold-continuing, the heat requirement for breaking buds decreased, and flowering was done in shorter periods. The obtained results showed that the amount of chill recieved is effective in the percentage of bud break, and the number of flower buds formed. Also, the chilling requirements for maximum bud breaking were about 725 CH, and the chilling requirements for maximum flowering were above 954 CH in Hayward cultivar.

Anthurium is commonly cultivated through soilless culture in greenhouses, owing to its specific thermal and nutritional requirements. However, the high costs associated with conventional substrates necessitate the use of available, domestic, and inexpensive alternatives. In this study, light expanded clay aggregates (LECA) and its mixture with locally available materials such as rice husk, tea waste, and charcoal were utilized as substrates. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three replications. After four months of cultivation, various morphological traits, including plant height, flower stem length and number, flowering time, flower stem fresh weight, leaf length and number, spadix length and diameter, spathe length and diameter, as well as physical traits such as bulk and particle density, humidity, water retention capacity, and porosity, were evaluated. Additionally, biochemical properties such as pH, EC, nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, and calcium of the substrates were assessed. The results indicated that the substrate containing a mixture of tea waste and LECA yielded the maximum plant height (35.5 cm), flower stem length (22 cm), number of flower stems (3.9), and number of leaves (15). Furthermore, this substrate exhibited the most appropriate physical properties, including the highest bulk (0.81 g/cm3), particle density (1.54 g/cm3), and humidity (66%). Conversely, the mixed substrate of LECA with rice husk demonstrated the maximum values of electrical conductivity (9.2 μS/cm), nitrogen (1.1%), and potassium (0.21%). Overall, the substrate composed of a mixture of tea waste and LECA not only reduces the costs associated with soilless systems but also enhances the quality and quantity of Anthurium cut flowers in greenhouses.

Harvest at inappropriate time is the most important factor in reducing the fruit quality, marketability, and postharvest life of kiwifruit. In this study, the effect of different harvest times on fruit quality, nutritional value, and organoleptic characteristics of two novel kiwifruits of yellow and red flesh was investigated. Fruits from promising genotypes were harvested at 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, and 180 days after full bloom (DAFB). The results showed that fruits harvested after 180 DAFB showed higher weight, length, diameter, dry matter, soluble solids content, and total soluble sugars. Meanwhile, titratable acidity was lower than fruits harvested earlier. The values of soluble solid content ranged from 6.80 to 11.66° brix in golden kiwifruit and from 6.90 to 13.70° brix in red flesh kiwifruit. With delayed harvest, total phenols, ascorbic acid content, DPPH and FRAP antioxidant capacity and hue angle in outer and inner pericarp decreased in both genotypes. Ascorbic acid content in the red-fleshed genotype decreased from 90.34 to 75.57 mg/100 g and in the golden genotype from 74.83 to 50.62 mg/100 g. Fruits from the red-fleshed genotype had the higher antioxidant capacity and nutritional value compared to the golden genotype. There was a positive significant correlation between ascorbic acid content and antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH (r=0.98) and FRAP (r=0.95) methods. In conclusion, novel golden and red flesh kiwifruit genotypes reached the minimum soluble solid content and hue angle for commercial harvest with favorable organoleptic properties only at 170 DAFB and the delay in harvest increased the organoleptic properties in both genotypes. However, the content of their antioxidant capacity was slightly lower compared to the early harvest.

Drought is predicted to increase drastically in the coming decades, making it crucial to understand the adaptive responses of tree species to such conditions. This study evaluates the effect of drought stress on the morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters of Fraxinus excelsior, a native species from the Hyrcanian forest. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design, where one-year-old seedlings were subjected to four water stress conditions: 25% (severe stress), 50% (moderate stress), 75% (mild stress), and 100% field capacity (no stress). Results showed that drought reduced the growth rate and biomass of seedlings. Compared to the control treatment, the rate of decline in seedling height, biomass, leaf area, and specific leaf area index was 47.6%, 43.2%, 77.1%, and 38.1%, respectively, in the severe stress treatment. The root-to-shoot ratio increased by 44.8%. As water stress increased, the content of chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids showed a slight and insignificant decrease. The relative water content of seedlings decreased by 34.20% and 23.18% in severe and moderate stress treatments compared to the control treatment. Proline and malondialdehyde increased by 93.8% and 165.06%, respectively, in the severe stress treatment. Superoxide dismutase enzyme activity increased by 5%, while peroxidase enzyme activity increased by 273% and 240% in mild and moderate stress treatments, respectively. The data from this study suggests that F. excelsior seedlings cope with drought through avoidance and tolerance strategies such as reducing growth and biomass, increasing root-to-shoot ratio, retaining photosynthetic pigments and osmotic potential, and increasing enzymatic activities up to 50% FC. This species is recommended for afforestation and reforestation in drought-prone areas.

In order to investigate the relationship between markers related to important quantitative and qualitative traits including percentage of total extract, fruit juice, Total soluble solids (TSS), fruit juice acidity (TA), pH, EC, vitamin C, fruit density, fruit volume and number of seeds in 33 lime acidic genotypes, 13 pairs of microsatellite markers (SSR) and 9 ISSR markers were used. In this order, stepwise regression analysis was performed between molecular data as independent variables and related traits as dependent variables. A total of 28 alleles from 11 pairs of microsatellite markers were significantly associated with changes in 19 traits. Acidity with seven positive alleles was highest and fruit length, TSS, number of seeds, L (skin radiance), C (Chroma) and b (blue to yellow) each with one allele had the lowest number of related alleles. The microsatellite markers TAA41 1 and TAA1 2 had the highest standardized regression coefficients with coefficients of 1.98 and 1.69, respectively. The results showed that out of 19 evaluated traits, 17 were related to at least one of the ISSR markers. A total of 39 bands from eight ISSR markers were significantly associated with changes in 17 traits. Identifying markers related to quantitative and qualitative traits, superior progeny can be used in the early stages of seedling growth, and there is no need for the plants to enter the maturity stage in breeding programs, especially hybridization.

Water is one of the most important restrictive factors in the production of agricultural products worldwide. The aim of this research is to study the effects of different levels of irrigation and organic mulch on yield, water productivity, fresh weight, dry matter percentage, hardness, soluble solid content, titratable acid, and chlorophyll index of Granny Smith apple fruit at harvest. For this purpose, factorial experiment was performed in a randomized complete block design with three replications in 2019. Irrigation treatment were applied at supply levels of 100, 75 and 50 percents of tree water requirement (ETc) and organic mulch to thicknesses of zero, 4, 8 and 12 cm. The results showed that the highest average of fresh weights of fruit were allocated to 75 and 100 percent water supply levels and organic mulch treatment at thicknesses of 8, 4 and 12 cm had a significant positive difference in fresh weight of fruit compared to the control, respectively. The average yield of mulched trees was 11.52 percent more than control trees, the highest yield was obtained in treated trees with 8 cm of mulch. Fruit SSC and the firmness of fruit were improved at 50 percent irrigation. The interaction of 8 cm mulch treatment with 75 percent irrigation had the most amount of fruit acid. Both chlorophyll a, b and total decreased with increasing drought stress and improved with the application of mulch treatments .In addition, interaction of both experimental treatments, increased water productivity and benefit per drop unit area.

Farmers have traditionally used their sensory and perceptual systems to diagnose and monitor the health and needs of their crops. However, humans have five basic perceptual systems with varying degrees of accuracy that can vary from person to person and largely depend on stress, experience, health and age. To overcome this problem, in the last decade, with the advent of smart phone technology, new agricultural programs have been developed to achieve better, cost-effective, accurate and reliable detection systems. Conventional smartphones are equipped with several sensors that can be used to support normal and advanced agricultural activities in real time at a very low cost.Thus, the development of agricultural applications based on smartphones has increased exponentially in recent years. However, the great potential offered by smartphone applications has not yet been fully realized. Due to the fact that farm management and irrigation operations usually require a lot of time, therefore, human resources must perform tasks in a specific time. The use of smartphone software increases the quality of management and better use of inputs, as well as reducing time and manpower, and ultimately related costs. Therefore, the present article provides an overview and analysis of the features of several mobile applications for use in smart farming on the market or developed in various studies. This helps farmers to assess the type of available programs, their features and compare them. This article is also a good resource to help researchers and application developers understand the limitations of existing tools and gaps in new work.

In this study, the effect of drought stress on morphological and physiological characteristics of two forest species: Alnus subcordata and Acer velutinum, which are used in natural forest restoration and afforestation, was evaluated. A factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with two factors (two species and four levels of drought stress: (25% (severe stress), 50% (moderate stress), 75% (mild stress), and 100% (no stress) percentage of field capacity). The results showed that drought stress significantly reduced the height, basal diameter, Leaf, and root biomass in both species, Whereas A. subcordata showed more stem biomass reduction. Root to shoot ratio showed a noticeable and slight increase in A. subcordata in A. velutinum respectively. Both species experienced a significant decrease in leaf area in drought conditions. Meanwhile, the specific leaf area decreased in A. subcordata as the degree of water stress increased, but it increased under mild and moderate treatment in A. velutinum seedlings. Total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a decreased in A. subcordata more than A. velutinum. Also, chlorophyll b decrease was similar in both species, while, carotenoids content decreased significantly in A. subcordata and increased insignificantly in A. velutinum. Drought stress showed a significant effect on the relative water content and proline in both species. There were no differences between the two species in proline content. furthermore,  A. velutinum had more relative water content than A. subcordata seedlings under moderate treatment. These findings suggested that the two species did not show similar responses to drought stress. Also, based on the measured characteristics A. velutinum may maintain stronger drought tolerance. The malondialdehyde content and antioxidant enzymes activities in both species increased with increasing stress. A. subcordata had a more increase in malondialdehyde content in drought treatment compared to the control treatment. The activity of antioxidant enzymes in both species increased in moderate and mild stress treatment and A. velutinum showed higher enzyme levels. Our results highlighted that the two species did not show similar responses to drought stress and A. velutinum maintained stronger drought tolerance based on the measured parameters. According to these findings and based on more ability of A. velutinum to cope with drought, it is recommended that A. velutinum plantation has more priority compared to A. subcordata in water deficit regions.

In recent years, the increasing prevalence of root knot nematodes has caused serious damage to kiwifruit cultivation in northern Iran. Due to the prevalence of several species of this genus in the country, accurate identification of species of this nematode in the kiwifruit industry is important. In this study, we attempted to identify the root knot nematode species by polymerase chain reaction, using specific primers of the gene encoding one of the pharyngeal glands secretory proteins (sec-1) to confirm the morphological identifications. After sampling and isolation of the nematodes from kiwifruit orchards in Guilan and Mazandaran provinces, initial identification was performed using morphological characteristics. The Inc-k14 primer pair was used to amplify the SCAR region and the SEC-1 primer pair was used to amplify the sec-1 gene for specific identification of Meloidogyne incognita from the other species. In all samples, a 399 bp was amplified by Inc-K14 primers and a 502 bp fragment was amplified by SEC-1 primers, which are expected as specific bands for M. incognita. The PCR test using Rjav/Fjav, Rar/Far, and Rh/Fh primers, which are specific primers of M. javanica, M. arenaria and M. hapla, respectively, did not lead to band amplification in this study. According to the results, SEC-1 primer is suitable for rapid and accurate identification of M. incognita in infested kiwifruit orchards (in present study) and will not have non-specific band amplification problems using Inc-K14 primers that amplify the SCAR region.

In kiwifruiy vineyards, the high concentration of bicarbonate ions in irrigation water or soil is one of the main limiting factors on growth and production. The high levels of bicarbonate in irrigation water caused soil alkalinity and reduced the root accessibility to nutrients such as irons. Iron deficiency in kiwifruit vineyards caused leaves chlorosis and therafter, fruits. Fruits with iron deficiency have an unacceptable taste and low shelf life. Iron deficiency is usually more severe in June and July with increasing irrigation frequency. Growing suitable rootstocks that have a high tolerance to soil alkalinity is a good strategy to overcome this problem. Therefore, in this study, the response of seedlings in different populations of kiwifruit from three different species to irrigation water bicarbonate was investigated.

In this study, the effect of different concentrations of bicarbonate ions in irrigation water (0, 170, 350, and 550 mg L-1) on leaf chlorosis and iron uptake of seedlings of six kiwifruit seed populations (Green 11, Bruno, Red 2, Red 6, Red 22 and Baby kiwi) from three different species (Actinidia deliciosa, A. chinensis and A. arguta) was investigated as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications in research greenhouse of faculty of agricultural sciences, University of guilan. Each replication was one potted seedling. The plants were irrigated with different bicarbonate level for 6 weeks with three days intaervals. Traits such as leaf fall percentage, stem diameter, chlorosis percentage, necrosis percentage, chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids and iron content of leaves were measured.

The results showed that increasing bicarbonate concentration in irrigation water caused leaf abscission. The highest leaf abscission percentage was observed in Baby kiwi from A. arguta with 16.6% and the lowest one in Bruno (1.19%) from A. deliciosa species as compared to their control, when exposed to high bicarbonate stress. Genotype type, different levels of bicarbonate and their interaction did not show a significant effect on the percentage of stem diameter changes. The Red2 from A. chinensis species seedlings showed the highest leaf chlorosis (38.46%) and the lowest leaf chlorosis was found in Green 11 seedlings from A. deliciosa with 6.95%. With increasing the amount of bicarbonate in irrigation water, the percentage of leaf necrosis also increased. Total leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid content significantly declined in all genotypes with increasing bicarbonate ion content in irrigation water. With increasing bicarbonate ion concentration in irrigation water, leaf iron content significantly decreased. The lowest iron declining percentage compared to the control when seedlings exposed to 170, 350, and 550 (mg L-1) of bicarbonate of irrigation water was found in Bruno from A. deliciosa species with 3.28, 4.29, and 4.72%, respectively. Moreover, the results showed that there is a significant correlation between leaf iron content and chlorophylls content, chlorosis percentage and necrosis percentage.

Overall, because of low leaf abscission and higher iron absorption in Bruno seedlings when exposed to high bicarbonate concentration in irrigation water or soil cab be recommend as a souperior rootstock.

In this study, the effect of different concentrations of sodium chloride (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 ds/m) on growth characteristics and leaves sodium and chlorine content of eight pomegranate cultivars (Malas Saveh, Malas Esfahan, Rabab Qermez Shiraz, Gabry Yazd, Gabry Torosh Yazd, Zaq Sefid Yazd, Zaq Torsh Yazd and Malas Toq Peshva) was investigated. The experiment was carried out as a factorial based on randomized block designs with three replications. At the end of study, growth characteristics and leaves sodium and chlorine content were determined. With increasing salinity, plant height and diameter, branches number and leaf chlorophyll index were decreased, but the leave necrosis and chlorine and sodium concentration were increased. Shoots fresh and dry weight were increased slightly when salinity increased up to 3 dS/m and thereafter decreased.. The lowest leaf abscission was found in Zaqe Sefid Yazd and Gabry Yazd when treated with 6 and 12 dS/m. At 12 dS/m, the lowest leaf necrosis was found in Malas Esfahan, but at 6 dS/m, Zaq Sefid Yazd and Malas Esfahan showed the lowest decreasing percent respectively. At 9 and 12 dS/m Malas Saveh and Rabab Qermaz Shiraz showed the highest leave necrosis as compared to the control. In salinity of 6 and 12 dS/m, the Gabry Torosh Yazd and Malas Esfahan cultivars showed the lowest decreasing in chlorophyll leaf index respectively. The lowest chlorine and sodium accumulation at 12 dS/m was observed in Malas Toq Pishva and Zaq Sefid Yazd cultivars.

Increasing fruit yield and improving fruit size along with high dry matter percentage, is the main goal of kiwifruit growers in the worldwide. There are deferent techniques to access exportable fruit size with high dry matter content in kiwifruit including summer pruning, root pruning and flower and fruit thinning. Furthermore, trunk girdling and plant growth regulators such as Forchlorfenuron (CPPU) are widely used in modern kiwifruits orchards to increase fruit yield and quality.

In this study, the effect of vine trunk girdling at different times (spring, summer, autumn), CPPU (10 mg L-1 of active ingredients in water), combined effect of CPPU and summer girdling as compared to control (without girdling and CPPU treatments) on fruits quality of Hayward kiwifruit at harvest and the end of cold storage was evaluated in complete randomized block design in 1398. Fruits were harvested based on soluble solids index and fruit quality was measured immediately after harvest and after three months storage at 1o°C.

The results showed that the summer girdling with CPPU, CPPU alone and spring girdling increased 37.99, 32.19 and 22.11% of kiwifruit weight compared to control respectively. Application CPPU increased fruits weight, length and diameter, but decreased fruits dry matter percentage and the ratio of soluble solids content to titratable acidity (SSC/TA) the compared to control. No significant differences were found between CPPU treated fruits and control for fruit tissue firmness, soluble solids content at harvest time and after three months storage in cold storage. The summer trunk girdling together with CPPU spray increased fruit weight (38% as compared to control). In addition, this treatment showed the highest fruit dry matter percentage, soluble solids and SSC/TA at harvest time and the lowest fruit weight loss (0.66%) with the highest fruits tissue firmness (3.96 kg force) at the end of three months storage time. Summer girdling showed the highest fruit weight loss (2.54%) at the end of storage, while no significant difference was found between autumn and spring girdling treatments compared to the control.

Overall, the results showed that summer vine trunk girdling with CPPU spray not only improved kiwifruit size and yield but also improved fruit quality by increasing fruits dry matter percentage and soluble solids content. Such fruits showed the longer postharvest life as compared to control and other treatments. Therefore, it is recommended for improving fruit size and quality in Hayward kiwifruit, CPPU spray was applied with summer vine trunk girdling.

In this study, the effects of fertigation with different levels of nitrogen (200, 400 and 600 g/tree and the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was 4: 1: 3) and hole method fertilization on flowering, fruit yield, oil yeild and quality of olive cultivar Zard were investigated during two consecutive years. The results showed that fertigation treatments significantly increased inflorescences and flowers number, fruit and oil yield. The highest number of inflorescences and flowers were found with 400 g nitrogen as compared to the control and hole method fertilization in the first year. The highest fruit yield (35.2 kg/tree) was found with 400 g nitrogen in the first year and 400g and 600g nitrogen about 44.65 kg/tree in the second year. The highest oil yield (4.5 kg/tree) was found with 400 g nitrogen in the first year and 600 (8 kg/tree) and 400 (7.2 kg/tree) g nitrogen in the second year, respectively. No significant differences were found between fertigation treatments and hole method fertilization and control for oil peroxide value, free fatty acids, K232. The highest leaf nitrogen and potassium contents were found in hole metod fertilization and fertigation with  200 g nitrogen, respectively. Overall, fertigation with 400 g/tree nitrogen could increase fruit and oil yeild in olive cultivar Zard withoud undiserable effects on oil qualiy.

Kiwifruit is one of the main exportable agricultural products, during which large quantity of kiwifruit was annually exported from Iran. Low percentage of winter bud break and malformed fruits incidence is the main factors for low productivity in Hayward Kiwifruits. Because the exportable fruits quantity was positively correlated with bud break percentage, flower number and normal fruits percentage. Therefore, the main objective of current study is to evaluate bud break and malformed incidence percentage in some kiwifruit vineyards in Talesh and Rudsar in West and East of Guilan province respectively.

This experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design in nine kiwifruit vineyards in both east (Rudsar) and west (Talesh) of Guilan province. Three uniform Hayward kiwifruit vines with four canes were selected in each vineyard. Climate conditions in two regions were also studied. Bud break percentage, flower number per winter bud, aberrant fruit percentage (flat and fan fruit percentage) and bud index for aberrant fruits was investigated.

The results of orthogonal test showed that there is a significant difference between two regions for bud break percentage, flower number per bud and malformed fruits percentage (flat and double fruit percentage) and bud index for flat and fan fruits. Bud break percentage varied (45.5-58.76%) in Talesh vineyard and (30.7-45.39%) in Roodsar. Furthermore, aberrant fruits percentage was (2.04-5.85%) in Talesh and (2.1-5%) in Roodsar. There were significantly different in terms of the number of flowers per kiwi winter bud in different vineyards. This value varied between (1.81-2.59) and in Rudsar (1.78-1.18). There was a significant difference between different vineyards in terms of cane diameter, average number of buds in cane, percentage of flowering buds, number of flowers in winter buds, percentage of flat and fan fruits. The incidence place of flat and fan fruits on the canes was the same independently to vineyards, but double fruit formation place was dependently to vineyard. The most flat and fan shape fruits was found on node 2 and 3 of current season shoot, however, double and triple fruits incidence was found in node 1 and 2.

Overall, the results showed that bud break percentage and aberrant fruits incidence was varied to environmental condition and orchard practices. These conditions caused disorders incidence in Hayward kiwifruit by affecting on vine physiology

In this study, the effect of different post-veraison deficit irrigation treatments on yield and berry quality of grape cvs. ‘Keshmeshi’ and ‘Sahebi was evaluated in a split plot experiment with a randomized complete block design. The treatments were control, irrigated at 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and deficit irrigation at 80, 60 and 40% of control during post-veraison till harvesting. Results showed that no significant difference was found between control and 80 deficit irrigation for berry yield, mean berries and cluster weight, but deficit irrigation at 60 and 40 % decreased berry yield up to 22 and 37%,  respectively as compared to control. The deficit irrigation at 40% increased TSS in Keshmeshi, but in Sahebi cultivar, deficit irrigation resulted to decrease TSS. Furthermore, deficit irrigation also decreased TSS to TA ratio. The highest phenolic content, which found in Keshmeshi and Sahebi cultivars at 80% deficit irrigation was 60 and 40% more than control. The antioxidant activity of Keshmeshi and Sahebi cultivars was increased 45 and 34% as compared to control with 80 and 40% deficit irrigation. Deficit irrigation at 80% of control could save water up to 20%, without reducing water use efficiency. In general, 80% deficit irrigation might be sufficient to maintain yield potential of Keshmeshi and Sahebi cultivars, without significant loss in grape quality.

In this study, the effect of fertigation (83.3, 124.8, 166.4 kg Nitrogen per hectar) and “Pit-fertilization” on fruit yield and quality of Hayward kiwifruit was investigated. Control treatment was the common manner of fertilization by local orchardist. The results showed that leaf mineral nutrient elements significantly changed by fertilization treatment. Fertilization with 166.4 kg N /ha and pit-fertilization significantly increased leaf nitrogen, potassium, and calcium, but no significant difference was found between treatments for phosphorus. Furthermore, the highest nitrogen was found in pit-fertilization treatments (1.01%). The highest fruit yield per vine was found in pit- fertilization treatment (56.8 kg/vine) and fertigation with 166.4 kg N/ha (42.82 kg). The mean fruit weight of all fertilization treatments was more than 90 g, which was higher than the control (85.82g). No significant difference was found for dry matter percentage in fertilization treatments, and all were more than 17%, except the pit method treatment. Fruit firmness of fertigation treatments with 83.3 kg N/ha and pit method was more than other treatments: with 7.69 and 7.35 kg/cm, respectively. Fertigation increased fruit soluble solid content (SSC) and resulted in early ripening. In addition, fertigation with 83.3 and 124.8 kg N/ha increased significantly fruit vitamin C. Overall, pit fertilization and fertigation with 166.4 kg N/ha are recommendable due to increasing yield and maintaining fruit quality as well as reducing fertilizing cost and ecological problems.