منصور مطلوبی

Rose plant is known as a very important shrub in the ornamental horticulture sector. They are mostly propagated by asexual methods such as rooted cuttings, grafted rootstocks both on commercial and home gardening scales. While budding has long been selected as a reliable and preferred way of garden rose reproduction on selected rootstocks over the past centuries, still it faces many restrictions imposed mostly by the seasonal physiological stage of the plants. In this study, we try to determine the best time for budding garden roses under cold climatic conditions by comparing the results of three seasons and two methods of grafting. This study was carried out in the rose garden of the University of Tabriz during 2016-2017. Two cultivars of roses i.e., Rosa hybrida ‘Avalanche’ and R. hybrida ‘ Blue Moon’ were selected and budded onto Natal Briar rootstocks. Three times of grafting season i.e., September, March, and June were chosen to do budding by either T-budding or chip budding method. Scions were cut out and taken from three positions of mother stems: upper, middle, and bottom parts. The budding type in September and June was T-budding (shield budding) but chip budding was applied for the grafts done in March. Grafted plants were then investigated for their success in grafting and growth (%), number of days needed to bud burst, quality of flowering stem (fresh, dry weight of stem and flowers, length and diameter of stem and flower) and other related characteristics. The factorial experimental design was used to plan and analyze data of June grafts. June grafts indicated almost 100% success in budding and stem growth while those propagated in September and March. However, the time needed for bud break was the least for September and March compared to June grafts. The longest stems about 45 cm were produced in ‘Blue Moon’ budded in March, while cultivar ‘Avalanche’ generated flowers with the highest diameter (45 mm) on the shoots arising from June grafts. The percentage of flowering was obtained at 100% for the shoots originating from the upper layer of the mother stem in both cultivars, however, it decreased to about 66% for shoots grown from the lower layer in ‘Blue Moon’ cultivar. Time to flowering was the least for the ‘Avalanche’ shoots arising from the upper layer with about 33 days while it increased to about 45 days for shoots grown from the lower layer of ‘Blue Moon’ cultivar. In general, the overall quality of September grafts such as stem length, diameter, number of nodes, dry and fresh weight and SLA of flowering stems were better than the grafts done in March and September. Comparing the cultivars, it was revealed that ‘Blue Moon’ cultivar performed better than ‘Avalanche’ in terms of producing longer stems with lesser stem thorns, but ‘Avalanche’ produced the largest flowers This experiment demonstrated that June time can be selected as the right season for budding garden roses in regions with similar cold winter months. Flowering stems grown in June showed lower quality when compared with the stems arising from the grafts of September or March. This could be probably induced because of the rapid release of buds from internal preventions as a consequence of spring strong growth stimulators accumulated within the buds. Comparing the time of budding shows that June budding can bring growers many benefits in terms of the fewer days needed to flower, and considering, on the other hand, the lowest risk of chilling damage on graft union as well as scion buds during the cold months of winter.

Muscari and Bellvalia are related ornamental bulbous plants that grow natively in several areas of Iran. These species are highly used as potted and outdoor ornamental plants. Also, these plants have been used as edible species in some regions, but they are not common in Iran. These ornamental plants have the potential to be introduced as valuable edible genotypes and enter the process of domestication and commercial production. Besides ornamental uses, these plants are used primarily as mucilage and filler in cooking. Moreover, various phenolic and saponin compounds affect flavor, too. In the present study, the physicochemical properties of three species of Muscari, including comosum, botryoides, and neglectum, and one species of Bellevalia from native places were evaluated. These antioxidant capacity, total phenol, and total content of saponin, mucilage, alkaloids, and steroids in leaf and bulb extracts were examined. By evaluating the various metabolites of proposed plants, it can be concluded that M. comosum is a suitable genotype for entering the domestication process and as a parent for hybridization. Also, the lesser-known genotype, Bellevalia paradox, in addition to being an ornamental plant, has valuable nutritional properties, and further studies on this genotype will have an appropriate approach.

Extending the flower vase life is very important in the floriculture industry. In present study, the effectiveness of chitosan and salicylic acid nanoparticles in delaying of the senescence of cut roses was evaluated. Experiments were performed in a completely randomized design with 9 treatments in six repetitions, and the treatments were applied by petal spraying every three days. Chitosan nanoparticles with two concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 mg L-1) and SA with two concentrations (0.1 and 0.3 mM) on the postharvest quality of cut roses were tested. Biochemical and enzymatic traits were measured during a period of 15 days (1, 4, 7, 11, 15 days after harvest), whereas, the vase life, RWU and electrolyte leakage were recorded till the end of flowers vase life. The maximum vase life (17.8 days) observed in flowers subjected to foliar spraying of 0.5 mg L-1 of chitosan nanoparticles with 0.3 mM salicylic acid, while shortest flower longevity (13.5 days) obtained in untreated flowers. Also, the amount of relative solution uptake of flowers and flavonoid content with significant increase were observed in 0.5 mg L-1 chitosan nanoparticles with 0.3 mM salicylic acid treatment. Treatments containing chitosan nanoparticles, especially the combined treatment of 0.5 mg L-1 of chitosan nanoparticles with 0.3 mM SA, reduced the amount of electrolyte leakage of the petals and increasing the vase life. Moreover, the lowest activity of antioxidant enzymes including GPX, PPO, POD and hydrogen peroxide were observed in flowers sprayed with 0.5 mg L-1 chitosan nanoparticles + 0.3 mM SA. Among chitosan nanoparticle treatments, the longest vase life was related to 0.5 mg L-1 (15 days), which increased flowers vase life by 11% compared to the control. Between SA treatments, the concentration of 0.3 mM was the most effective with a 6% increase in flowers vase life comparing untreated flowers. Finally, the combined treatments of chitosan nanoparticles and SA beside improving postharvest quality of cut roses, caused a 31% increase in flower longevity comparing untreated flowers.

Paclobutrazol is a growth regulator used to control growth and reduce the frequency of mowing in all types of turfgrass plants. This material also affects the height and quality of different types of turfgrass. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to compare the growth behavior of two types of turfgrass subjected to paclobutrazol treatment and also to evaluate the possibility of using paclobutrazol to reduce the growth of turfgrass in areas with the same climate of Tabriz.

To determine the effect of paclobutrazol on height, and visual properties of turfgrass such as density, clippings fresh weight, leaf chlorophyll index, length and width of leaf blade, two grass plants Poa pratensis and Festuca arundinacea were treated with paclobutrazol in different concentrations. Grass plants were tested with concentrations of zero (control), 15, 30 and 45 mg/L-1 paclotrazol as foliar spray in 4 replicates of each treatment. This research was carried out in as a split plot experiment in the form of a randomized complete block design, so that the type of grass as the main factor in 2 levels and paclobutrazol as a secondary factor were considered in all the evaluated traits in both plant species.

The results of this research showed that paclobutrazol significantly affects the height of P. pratensis and F. aranudinaceae turfgrass plants. This effect was in the form of a significant reduction in the height of plants and controlling their growth. By increasing the concentration of paclobutrazol from zero to 45 mg/L, the height of the plants decreased. In both mentioned types of turfgrass, the most effective concentration was 45 mg/L. By increasing the concentration of paclobutrazol, the density of P. pratensis and F. aranudinaceae turfgrass plants has increased. The increase in density after paclobutrazol treatment was more evident in F. aranudinaceae. In general, the fescue turfgrass plant has stronger foliage, deep and strong roots, and lower density. The only exception was the increase in the chlorophyll index of fescue leaves (10 days after treatment) and P. pratensis (20 days after treatment) and in both of them under the concentration of 30 mg/L of paclobutrazol. Following paclobutrazol treatment and increasing its concentration, the length and width of the leaf blade as well as the clippings fresh weight of turfgrass plants were decreased. The reduction in the length and width of the leaf blade was similar in both plants, and the most effective concentration of paclobutrazol was 30 mg/L. However, the optimal effect of paclobutrazol was observed up to 30 days after the treatment. In the fourth measurement (40 days after the treatment), the effect of paclobutrazol decreased and there was no significant difference in the length and width of the leaves of the treated plants and the control plants.

In general, with the treatment of different concentrations of paclobutrazol, the number of aerial branches produced in F. aranudinaceae was more than that of P. pratensis. Since paclobutrazol is a growth inhibitor and by preventing the synthesis of gibberellin hormone, it prevents plants from elongation, this substance can be used to control the growth of turfgrass plants. This growth control reduces the number of mowing times, reduces fertilizer consumption, increases the efficiency of water use, and ultimately saves the cost of maintaining turfgrass plants. Since paclobutrazol accumulates in the roots and eventually causes the formation of new branches, it can be concluded that the effect of paclobutrazol on the density of F. aranudinaceae is greater than that of P. pratensis.

 To evaluate the effect of different levels of IBA (0, 1000, 1500 and 2000 mg/L) and position of take cuttings (lower, middle and upper) on rooting of greenhouse rose cultivar cherry brandy. In general, the aim of the research is to determine the best level of IBA hormone for the rooting of greenhouse rose cuttings, the possible effect of the possible of the cutting on the rooting rate of the cuttings, to determine the most suitable level of the hormone and the location of the cutting to produce the desired aerial part of the resulting cutting, In addition, to evaluate the best level of the hormone determining the most suitable position for cutting is based on some physiological parameters such as the relative content of leaf water and the efficiency of maximum chlorophyll fluorescence.

To conduct the experiment, the mother plants were purchased from a commercial greenhouse in Bostan-Abad and transferred to the physiology laboratory. To conduct the experiment, rose cuttings with a length of 10 to 12 cm and a diameter of 2 to 3 mm were prepared, and after removing the lower leaves, at least two end leaves were left on the cutting. In this research, a factorial trial based on a randomized complete block design with three replications was used. The traits measured in this experiment were rooting percentage, root fresh weight, number of roots, root length, relative leaf water content and variable to maximum fluorescence ratio.

 The results of the average data comparison showed that the highest rooting percentage of cuttings and root fresh weight were seen in the treatment of 1500 mg/L of IBA and in the cuttings of the lower and upper parts, respectively. The lowest rooting percentage of cuttings and root fresh weight were also observed in the cuttings taken from the upper of the branch without hormone application. The cuttings taken from the lower part of the branches at a concentration of 1500 mg/L of IBA had the highest number of roots, which did not show a significant difference with the middle cuttings of the branch at a concentration of 1500 mg/L and lower cuttings at a concentration of 2000 mg/L. The cuttings in the middle part produced the lowest number of roots in the control treatment. The cuttings taken from the middle and upper of the branch had the longest and shortest root length, respectively. The cuttings taken from the lower part of the branch at a concentration of 1500 mg/L and the middle part at a concentration of 2000 mg/L of hormone had the highest and lowest relative content of leaf water, respectively. The maximum variable chlorophyll fluorescence was observed in the cuttings taken from the lower part of the branch and treated with 1500 mg/L of hormone. The terminal cuttings also had the lowest variable chlorophyll fluorescence to the maximum under the absence of hormone application.

 Finally, due to the fact that the concentration of 1500 mg/L and the lower cuttings had the highest percentage of rooting, root length, root fresh weight, relative leaf water content and maximum variable chlorophyll fluorescence. It should be the best type of cuttings and hormone concentration for the rooting of rose cuttings. At the highest concentration of indole butyric acid (2000 mg/L) in most cases, there was a significant difference in the rooting characteristics of rose cuttings compared to the concentration of 1500 mg/L.
.

Zamofilia is one the most valuable foliage plants which is commonly propagated using vegetative methods. This technique requires a great number of mother plants to provide adequate cuttings for commercial propagation which hardly seem to meet the most economical expectations. However, due to the slow growth habit of this plant, even under ideal growing conditions, its commercial and mass production are limited by some species-related characteristics. Therefore, developing an improved method of micropropagation which lead to a fast and reliable mass propagation technique may overcome most of these limitations especially at commercial scale. In this regard, this research was conducted and aimed to introduce an efficient micropropagation method in in-vitro condition for rapid propagation of this plant. Two different concentrations of BAP (1 and 2 mg L-1) and NAA (0 and 0.1 2 mg L-1 ) were applied on the explants taken from one of the three different positions of the leaflets (i.e., lower, middle and upper parts) cultured in MS medium and treated with blue (460 nm) or red (660 nm) light supplied by LED luminaries The results showed that the best treatment for callus and protocorm formation with the maximum stimulation (93.75%) and (66.66%) was the application of 2 mg/L BAP along with 0.1 mg/L NAA in The light was red. Callus production occurred in cut surfaces by 90% under blue and 85% under red light, while these lights induced protocorm indirectly by 80% and 90% respectively, leaving the rest to be regenerated by directly. Blue and red light induced protocorm emergence by 95% and 97% respectively from the cut surface and the parts around the cut location were responsible for the emergence of the remained protocorms. The highest rate of regeneration of protocorms (95%) in the treatment of 0.1 mg/liter NAA .

The rapid flowering of bedding flowers, such as petunia (Petunia hybrida L.) and zinnia (Zinnia elegans L.), increases the uniformity of the seedbed and their simultaneous flowering. In this study, the effect of seed priming on the germination and vigor of petunia and zinnia seedlings has been investigated. A factorial experiment was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design with two factors, the first factor, the plant species, and the second factor, three salts of potassium nitrate, calcium chloride, and sodium chloride along with control in the laboratory of the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Qasim-ul-Akhra University of Babol, Iraq. The results showed that in both plants, halopriming treatment with 50 mM potassium nitrate and calcium chloride for 24 hours provided better results in terms of germination and seedling growth. Between the two treatments of potassium nitrate and calcium chloride, there was no significant difference in the characteristics of time to reach 50% germination, average germination time, germination index, final germination, and wet and dry weight of roots and shoots of petunia and dry weight of zinnia shoots. In general, the findings of this study will be important in understanding the direct physiological effect of halopriming in increasing seed germination and seedling establishment in petunia and zinnia and can provide detailed information about the potential effectiveness of priming with potassium nitrate and calcium chloride to the seed industry.

African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl.) belonging to the family Gesneriaseae is a very popular indoor plant. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of red, blue, red and blue light (one part blue and three parts red) and white fluorescent on the vegetative and reproductive growth of African violet plants. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 16 replications in the first phase and 16 treatments with 4 replications in the second phase. The tallest plants in the first and second phases were those treated with red light with an average of 8.2 and 12.5 cm, respectively. Plants treated with mixed blue and red light produced the highest leaves/plant in the first phase of the experiment. However, these plants reduced their number of leaves in the second phase when treated with the blue light. In the first phase, the fluorescent and red light alone developed the greatest canopy area (about 350 cm2), while in the second phase, the canopy area in fluorescent light reached its maximum rate (500 cm2). Similar results were observed for the leaf area. Blue light produced the highest flowers/plant in the first phase, although in the second phase, plants transferred from fluorescent light to the mixed blue and red light indicated increases in flowers/plant. The overall results of the experiment indicate that the blue light plays an important role in early flowering and the red light has an important effect on the rate of canopy extension.

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) can be used as a tool to control the quality of plants in order to meet the requirements of the market by accurately schedule uniform flowering based on a predetermined market date. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different light qualities of red (R), blue (B), and UV-A (UV) provided by LEDs, and white light produced by fluorescent lamps (FL) on growth, morphology and flowering characteristics of African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl.). An experiment was conducted in controlled environment growth chambers at 25 °C. Three ratios of R:B (1:0, 3:1, 0:1) and FL (14 h/d) were used as all-day treatments and UV LED (2 h/d) was supplemented for three ratios of R:B (1:0, 3:1, 0:1) and FL (14 h/d) as end of day (EOD) treatment. Statistical analysis showed addition of B to light spectrum inhibited abnormal leaf growth and promoted compactness. Flowering under FL treatment was distinctly inferior as measured by the number of floral buds, full blooms and inflorescences. However, addition of EOD UV plus R3B1 contributed to higher production of floral buds and full blooms in a short period of time. Supplementing UV light to LED treatments resulted in accelerated leaf expansion. Generally, supplemental UV plus R or B was an acceptable energy-efficient alternative for improving quality of African violet. Vegetative and reproductive phase of Saintpaulia were a function of light quality which could assist the predictability of flowering time in controlled environment systems.

 Marigold (Calendula officinalis) is an herbaceous plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. C. officinalis is always one of the most widely used medicinal plants and is widely cultivated for its extract in traditional and herbal medicine especially in Iran. Marigold extract has medicinal effects such as wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, immune stimulating, anti-tumor and anti-AIDS. To achieve the higher yield and quality in this plant, it’s necessary to have enough nutrition. Fulvic acid stimulates plant metabolism, increases enzyme activity as a catalyst in plant respiration, and increases nutrient efficiency and cell pore permeability. On the other hand, triacanthanol is a type of alcohol with a 30-carbon chain and is found naturally in plant epicotyledonous waxes. The use of triacanthanol increases plant dry weight and reduces the content of sugar, amino acids and protein.
 In order to evaluate the effect of fulvic acid and triacantanol and their interactions on some characteristics of C. officinalis, a factorial experiment with 16 treatments and 3 replications was conducted at greenhouse. Experimental treatments consisted of four levels of fulvic acid (0, 0.5, 1, 2 mg / l) as the first factor and four levels of triacantanol (0, 10-5, 5.5×10-4, 10-4 M) as the second factor. Treatments were sprayed on the plant three times in the form of foliar spray. Physiological factors were measured during the growing season and after applying the treatments. Finally, at the end of the growing season, plants were sampled to measure the parameters. Yield and fresh and dry weight (at flowering stage and in the form of fully opened flowers), shoot height with a ruler, number of leaves and leaf area were measured with a leaf gauge. Number of flowers by counting the number of flowers from the time of the first flower to the end of the experiment without taking into account the unopened buds, the time required for flowering (early flowering, late flowering) in terms of days by noting the date of the day At the time of emergence, the first flower in each treatment was examined. Acetone at 100% was used to measure photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids) and their absorption was measured at 470, 644.8 and 661.6 nm by spectrophotemeter. The measurement of total phenol was performed using a covalent folate reagent in the absorption spectrum of 765 nm in a spectrophotometer. The flavonoid content of all extracts was measured by aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The absorbance of the samples was read at 415 nm by spectrophotometer. Quercetin was used as the standard to obtain the calibration curve. The flavonoid content of the samples was reported as mg quercetin per 100 g fresh plant weight. DPPH free radical scavenger was used to measure antioxidant activity. The absorbance of the samples was read at 517 nm using a spectrophotometer.
Based on the results of this study, it was observed that the foliar application of 10-4 M triacantanol led to an increase in flower yield, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, number of flowers, flower height, antioxidant activity, and flavonoid content. On the other hand, the application of 10-5 M triacantanol increased the percentage of evergreen dry matter and phenol content more than the other concentrations. Among the different concentrations of fulvic acid tested, the concentration of 2 mg/l showed the greatest positive impact on the number of leaves, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, dry matter percentage, antioxidant activity, and total flavonoid content. Overall, the application of 10-4 M triacantanol and 2 mg/l fulvic acid as a leaf treatment significantly improved most of the measured traits in comparison to the control treatment. It is worth noting that plants treated with 2 mg/l fulvic acid flowered later than the other treatments, and there was a significant interaction between triacanthanol and fulvic acid on flower yield and height.
 The results of this study in response to the use of the triacantanol and fulvic acid indicate that the use of these two compounds in foliar spraying can be very useful to achieve sustainable production and achieve organic farming. Triacanthanol promotes growth by regulating many of the genes involved in photosynthesis The use of fulvic acid increases the permeability of the cell membrane and better penetration of nutrients from the membrane. Also, soil permeability to nitrogen uptake increases by plant roots.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different treatments of seed dormancy failure and improved germination of Caper seeds (Capparis spinosa L.).

The experiment was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design at the University of Tabriz in 1398. The treatments used in this experiment include leaching treatment at 40 ° C for 12 hours, scarification treatment and chilling treatment (in a cool (4-5⸰C) and wet place for two weeks and one months). It was applied to Caper plant seeds in different treatment combinations in laboratory conditions.

characteristics such as germination percentage, seed vigor index, seed germination rate, first day of germination, plant height and leaf emergence time were recorded and compared in each treatment. All characteristics were statistically significant at the level of one percent. The best treatment in all germination and growth characteristics of the plant was combined treatment of one month cold with seed scarification.

In general, The Mechanical scarification of seeds with combined treatment of one month cold has a more favorable effect than treatments with two weeks and without seed scratching. Therefore, increasing the cooling time had a positive effect on this experiment. Increasing the cooling time is more effective in eliminating seed dormancy and germination rate, and also seed leaching increases plants height.

Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) is one of the valuable and multi-purpose medicinal plants native to Iran.Sumac is known to be useful in the treatment of many diseases due to its rich antioxidant and phenolic and tannin content in this plant. Cultivation of sumac is very important in the livelihood of farmers in the region. Every year its fruits are harvested in the traditional way. Environmental stress is one of the most important factors limiting the growth and development of plants. Drought stress has different effects on plants and reduces the quality and yield of agricultural products. Photosynthesis is one of the first processes that are damaged under drought stress. Investigating the fluorescence kinetics of Chlorophyll a can provide useful information about the structure and function of the photosynthetic apparatus. In order to identify drought resistant cultivars, an experiment was conducted with four cultivars of sumac from two regions in the northwest of the Iran. Most of the parameters related to chlorophyll a fluorescence in different varieties showed significant results. Our data showed that the FV/FM ratio decreased in drought-exposed plants. The reduction of PIabs under drought stress was due to a decrease in the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II reaction centers and the rate of electron transfer (ETo/RC), accompanied by an increase in energy loss (DIo /RC). Among the cultivars studied, Aqboraz cultivar was reported to be resistant in all traits.The origin of the sumac plant is in the Middle East region, including Iran. Sumac is a valuable medicinal plant that is cultivated in the northwestern region of Iran. With the increase in the global average temperature, the frequency of drought events and heat waves increases, this issue has significant negative consequences for the production It will have agricultural products. Drought is considered one of the most important environmental stresses that plants are repeatedly exposed to periods of water deficit, which affects the growth and development of plants and subsequently the yield of agricultural products. Photosynthesis is one of the key processes that it is significantly affected by drought stress. The primary effect of water shortage is stomatal closure, which allows plants to limit transpiration. In addition, a decrease in relative water content (RWC) and leaf water potential has also been reported in case of water deficit. Photosynthesis is one of the most sensitive processes to drought, which by limiting the release of carbon dioxide in the stomata and mesophyll cells, reducing stomatal conductivity and changes in carbon absorption leads to a decrease in the internal concentration of CO2. In recent years, the measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence, especially the OJIP test, has become a popular method to evaluate the stability of photosynthesis under the influence of various stress factors from biotic and abiotic factors. Chlorophyll a fluorescence is a natural phenomenon that describes the loss and radiation of heat or the re-emission of a part of the absorbed energy that is not used to drive photosynthesis. Measurement of chlorophyll a fluorescence provides information on changes in photosynthetic efficiency and heat dissipation. It is an extremely simple, non-invasive, highly sensitive, rapid and accurate method that provides a quantitative assessment of oxygenic photosynthesis. Photosynthetic organisms change their photosynthetic activity to adapt to stressful conditions such as drought. When the protein-chlorophyll complexes of thylakoid membranes are damaged by stress or normal physiological changes (ripening, senescing, etc.), the fluorescence changes as a natural process of chlorophyll molecules. Chlorophyll fluorescence can be easily measured and analyzed by various techniques. One of the widely used techniques is the OJIP test, which provides parameters based on the theory of energy flux in thylakoid membranes. OJIP parameters describe photosynthetic reactions through algebraic equations and quantify the characteristics of the structure and function of photosystems. JIP parameters detect changes in photosynthetic efficiency at the cellular level even before visible signs of stress appear.In order to investigate the response of sumac leaves to the drying of leaf water content, this experiment was carried out in the physiology laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture of Tabriz University in the summer of 2022. The leaves of sumac plant collected from Arsbaran (Aqboraz and Horand) in East Azerbaijan province and Sardasht (Yasinabad and Mavolo) in West Azerbaijan province were used to assess their tolerance to drought stress. From each region, 50 fully developed sumac leaves were randomly selected and after being placed in insulated boxes with relative humidity close to 100%, they were transferred to the laboratory. The leaves were measured for chlorophyll fluorescence parameters after at least 30 min adaptation to darkness. This measurement was done every two hours up to 3 times. In all three periods, the weight of the leaves was measured in milligram with a three-zero scale. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis test called OJIP was measured by Handy PEA fluorimeter (Hansatech, UK). The parameters obtained from the fluorimeter are listed in Table No. 1. Abiotic stresses such as drought have a destructive effect on the physiological characteristics and growth of plants. Closing the stomata to prevent water loss is one of the primary responses to drought stress. Drought stress causes the destruction of one chlorophyll through premature leaf senescence, and as a result, photosynthesis affects the most important photochemical process of the plant. The main aim of this research was to measure and investigate the water loss of sumac plants and its effect on the photosynthetic system of the plant. The obtained data showed that the OJIP test parameters, including density of reaction centers per photosystem II antenna chlorophyll, energy dissipation flux per reaction center showed an increasing trend based on previous studies. The Maximum quantum yield of photosystem II photochemistry, electron transport flux per reaction center, and performance index of photosystem II based to absorption also showed a decreasing trend according to previous researches and the findings of this research follow the previous studies. In general, the samples collected from Aqboraz region showing a better ability to cope with drought stress when compared to other cultivars. Making them promising candidates for use in future breeding programs. These results show that Aqboraz sumac landraces have a high resilience to water stress, opening new perspectives for screening landraces sumac cultivars for drought tolerance.

Flower stem length is highly important in cut roses. One of the Richard’s function application is estimating growth behavior of plants. Four cultivars of cut roses have been selected in a commercial greenhouse then were subjected to stem length measurement upon producing a new node. Data was first fitted to the nearest form of curve, i.e., quadratic model. Coefficient of determination was calculated between 0.95 and 0.98 for this model. Thereafter, data transformation was done by dividing each value by the maximum value in the measured data. Richard’s function was then fitted to the data which gave rise to R2 value of more than 0.99 for most cultivars. To estimate model parameters for all curves of cultivars in two seasons we used nonlinear least square regression. The cultivar ‘Black Magic’ showed the highest rate of curve slope in inflection point, however the curve slope for spring season was appeared to be more than the summer slope. First derivative of the Richard’s function was used to calculate the relative stem growth rate. Results indicated higher rate of relative growth rate for spring stems rather than summer stems. Spring stems showed their highest relative growth rate in eighth and ninth node while this happened for summer stems in nodes of five and six. Estimation of stem final length was done by 10 cm difference from the measured value in fourth node onwards and about 5 cm difference in nodes followed by node 8.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate budding strength of cuttings and imaginary differences of rose leaves as a result of different temperature treatments. In the first trial four different temperatures (1, 3, 5.5 and 80c) along with 3 different layers of stems from which cuttings had been taken were used in a factorial randomized complete block design. The experiment was composed of 12 treatments, 4 replications each one containing 3 samples. Budding features of cuttings which were measured and recorded were: days to budding, sprout diameter and length, number of leaves and sprout fresh weight. Results of this experiment indicated that both temperature and stem layer affected days to budding, sprout length and diameter significantly with middle layer showing maximum sprout length and diameter when compared with the two other layers. To reach the budding stage the top layer was the fastest. Second experiment was designed using two factors in which 5 levels of temperature (-11, 0, 5, 10, 250c) were used to treat leaf samples taken from 4 different cultivars and species of roses (Rosa hybrida 'Blue moon', R. damascene, R. 'Tuscany superb', R. 'Fieta') based on factorial randomized complete block design. According to the results it was determined that green and red color parameters of leaf images could be used as a scale to evaluate the effect of temperature variations on rose leaf. Comparing with blue color, these two colors showed high potential in quick and earlier detection of stresses imposed by environmental temperature variations.

For sustainable development and optimized water use, effect of drought stress on two groundcovers namely mose rose and ice plant was studied. Irrigation treatments were field capacities of 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent which were applied for two months on the established one month old plants. After the mentioned period of time vegetative traits were measured and in case of mose rose number of flowers were counted and ANOVA was conducted. The results indicated that the plant type (species), treatments (the applied drought stress levels) and their interactions had significant effects on the traits of shoot length, leaf number, fresh weight, dry weight, chlorophyll index and flower number (in case of mose rose). The ice plant was more efficient than mose rose for the most of measured traits. Also significant differences were observed for these parameters in applied irrigation levels. The flower number in mose rose was significantly affected by irrigation level. Although the sever stresses caused significant decrease of growth rate in these groundcovers but they tolerated and survived even at 25% FC of irrigation and in some cases there was not significant differences between 50 and 75 percent of FC. So in order to water conservation and have a landscape with healthy and acceptable plants from landscape users’ viewpoint the irrigation amount could be reduced to 50% of field capacity for these plants.

Cut roses are always valued for their beautiful and outstanding flowers. Apart from the physiological and nutritional features of the plants, there are many other factors which influence the marketable quality of cut roses over the entire period of production phase. Among them we tried to understand how plant age and different methods of stem treatment can modify cut stem physical properties. To do this, the effect of newly stented plants beside the three-year old stented plants combined with four stem training methods were evaluated for their cut flower qualities. The results showed that the time to bud break was shorter (seven days) for young plants while it reached to about 15 days in old plants particularly for the third and fifth buds. In general, young plants performed better for some quality traits such as higher stem length and higher flower and stem diameter. When shoots were bent over the fifth bud, the highest shoot weight and leaf area were produced in the new growing cut flowers. It was concluded that young plants tended to increase their foliage volume by producing more leaves on relatively vigorous shoots, thereby they increased their marketable stem quality.

Greenhouse is a structure which provides the best condition for the maximum plants growth during the cold seasons. In cold climate zones such as Tabriz province, Iran, the greenhouse heating is one of the most energy consumers. It has been estimated that the greenhouse heating cost is attributed up to 30% of the total operational costs of the greenhouses. Renewable energy resources are clean alternatives that can be used in greenhouse heating. Among the renewable energy resources, solar energy has the highest potential around the world. In this regard, application of solar energy in greenhouse heating during the cold months of a year could be considerable. The rate of thermal energy required inside the greenhouse depends on the solar radiation received inside the greenhouse. Using a north brick wall in an east-west oriented greenhouse can increase the absorption of solar radiation and consequently reduces the thermal and radiation losses. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of implementing of a north wall on the solar radiation absorption and energy consumption of an east-west oriented single span greenhouse in Tabriz.
This study was carried out in Tabriz and a steady state analysis was used to predict the energy consumption of a single span greenhouse. For this purpose, thermal energy balance equations for different components of the greenhouse including the soil layer, internal air and plants were presented. For investigating the effect of the north wall on the energy consumption, the Ft and Fn parameters were used to calculate the radiation loss from the walls of the greenhouses. These factors were determined using a 3D–shadow analysis by Auto–CAD software. An east-west oriented single span greenhouse which has a north brick wall and is covered with a single glass sheet with 4 mm thickness was applied to validate the developed models. The measurements were carried out on a sunny winter day (November 30, 2015). The hourly variations of solar radiation on a horizontal surface were measured to calculate the total solar radiation received by the greenhouse using the Liu and Jordan equations. For heating of a greenhouse in nighttime, an electrical heater was used while an additional required energy was measured using a single phase meters. The inside and ambient temperatures of the air were recorded using SHT11 temperature sensors. A computer-based program of EES (engineering equations solver) was developed to solve the energy balance equations. Different statistical indicators were used to predict the accuracy of the presented models.
The obtained results showed that in winter months the greenhouse without the north brick wall can receive 14% more solar radiation than the greenhouse with a north brick wall. On the other hand, the use of a north wall in the greenhouses can reduce the radiation and thermal loss from north wall. To maintain the temperature at 25 °C in day-time and 15 °C in night-time, the additional required energy was calculated for greenhouse with and without north brick wall. The results indicated that the total energy requirement to keep the plants warm was 313.8 MJ in greenhouse without north brick wall and 210.8 MJ in greenhouse with the north brick wall. In other word, use of the north brick wall in the greenhouse can contribute to reduce energy consumption by 32%. Comparisons between the predicted and measured results showed a fair agreement for greenhouse energy requirements. The correlation coefficient and mean percentage error for this model were determined to be 0.79 and -2.34%, respectively. Due to the small values, the radiative exchange within greenhouse cover and the sky was neglected. Therefore, the results of the presented model showed fewer values in comparison with the experimental results. It can be concluded from the final results that a considerable amount of the incident radiation has been lost to the ambient by convection from the cover of the greenhouse (glass walls and north walls).
In the present study, the effect of north brick wall on solar radiation absorption and energy consumption of a single span greenhouse located in Tabriz was investigated. Results showed that use of north brick wall in an east-west oriented single span greenhouse leads to a reduction of 14% in solar radiation absorbed by the greenhouse. The results indicated that use of the north brick wall in the greenhouse can decrease energy consumption by 32%. There was a fair agreement between the experimental and theoretical results with the calculated correlation coefficient and mean percentage error of 0.79 and -2.34%, respectively.

One of the best ways to provide optimum conditions to the crop is the development of accurate greenhouse models for inside environment control. In this study a mathematical model was developed for computing transmitted total solar radiation (beam, diffused and ground reflected), for the single span greenhouse, without crops, was performed in Tabriz University. Also a dynamic model was developed to predict the all internal temperatures of the greenhouse including greenhouse inside air, soil surface and north wall temperature. The input parameters of the model were the measured meteorological conditions and the thermo-physical properties of the greenhouse components. Results showed that soil surface heat exchange has a positive contribution to the internal air temperature. Comparisons between the predicted and measured results showed close agreement for greenhouse air temperature. The correlation coefficient and mean percentage error for this model were calculated as 0.99 and -3.62%, respectively. Results also showed a considerable amount of the incident radiation was lost to outside the greenhouse by convection and radiation.

Controlling greenhouse microclimate not only influences the growth of plants, but also is critical in the spread of diseases inside the greenhouse. The microclimate parameters were inside air, greenhouse roof and soil temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation intensity. Predicting the microclimate conditions inside a greenhouse and enabling the use of automatic control systems are the two main objectives of greenhouse climate model. The microclimate inside a greenhouse can be predicted by conducting experiments or by using simulation. Static and dynamic models are used for this purpose as a function of the metrological conditions and the parameters of the greenhouse components. Some works were done in past to 2015 year to simulation and predict the inside variables in different greenhouse structures. Usually simulation has a lot of problems to predict the inside climate of greenhouse and the error of simulation is higher in literature. The main objective of this paper is comparison between heat transfer and regression models to evaluate them to predict inside air and roof temperature in a semi-solar greenhouse in Tabriz University.
In this study, a semi-solar greenhouse was designed and constructed at the North-West of Iran in Azerbaijan Province (geographical location of 38°10′ N and 46°18′ E with elevation of 1364 m above the sea level). In this research, shape and orientation of the greenhouse, selected between some greenhouses common shapes and according to receive maximum solar radiation whole the year. Also internal thermal screen and cement north wall was used to store and prevent of heat lost during the cold period of year. So we called this structure, ‘semi-solar’ greenhouse. It was covered with glass (4 mm thickness). It occupies a surface of approximately 15.36 m2 and 26.4 m3. The orientation of this greenhouse was East–West and perpendicular to the direction of the wind prevailing. To measure the temperature and the relative humidity of the air, soil and roof inside and outside the greenhouse, the SHT 11 sensors were used. The accuracy of the measurement of temperature was ±0.4% at 20 °C and the precision measurement of the moisture was ±3% for a clear sky. We used these sensors in soil, on the roof (inside greenhouse) and in the air of greenhouse and outside to measure the temperature and relative humidity. At a 1 m height above the ground outside the greenhouse, we used a pyranometre type TES 1333. Its sensitivity was proportional to the cosine of the incidence angle of the radiation. It is a measure of global radiation of the spectral band solar in the 400–1110 nm. Its measurement accuracy was approximately ±5%. Some heat transfer models used to predict the inside and roof temperature are according to equation (1) and (5):
Results showed that solar radiation on the roof of semi-solar greenhouse was higher after noon so this shape can receive high amounts of solar energy during a day. From statistical point of view, both desired and predicted test data have been analyzed to determine whether there are statistically significant differences between them. The null hypothesis assumes that statistical parameters of both series are equal. P value was used to check each hypothesis. Its threshold value was 0.05. If p value is greater than the threshold, the null hypothesis is then fulfilled. To check the differences between the data series, different tests were performed and p value was calculated for each case. The so called t-test was used to compare the means of both series. It was also assumed that the variance of both samples could be considered equal. The variance was analyzed using the F-test. Here, a normal distribution of samples was assumed. The results showed that the p values for heat model in all 2 statistical factors (Comparison of means, and variance) is lower than regression model and so the heat model did not have a good efficient to predict Tri and Ta. RMSE, MAPE, EF and W factor was calculated for to models. Results showed that heat model cannot predict the inside air and roof temperature compare to regression model.
This article focused on the application of heat and regression models to predict inside air (Ta) and roof (Tri) temperature of a semi-solar greenhouse in Iran. To show the applicability and superiority of the proposed approach, the measured data of inside air and roof temperature were used. To improve the output, the data was first preprocessed. Results showed that RMSE for heat model to predict Ta and Tri is about 1.58 and 6.56 times higher than this factor for regression model. Also EF and W factor for heat model to predict above factors is about 0.003 and 0.041, 0.013 and 0.220 lower than regression model respectively. We propose to use Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) to predict inside variables in greenhouses and compare the results with heat and regression models.

The monitor and prediction of crop developmental stages, particularly harvest time, play an important role in planning greenhouse cropping programs and timetables by cut rose producers. There have been many scientific reports on the application of image analysis technology in estimating greenhouse crop growth stages. In the present research, we studied leaf color variations over time by taking timely images from four commercial rose cultivars and processing them later using image j software in RGB color space. Results revealed a higher correlation between the leaf color variations and the stages of stem growth in both white color (R2=0.89) and colorful cultivars (R2=0.94). Furthermore, it was determined that there was a significant difference in leaf color components within stem layers in all cultivars. A good correlation was also observed between the leaf total chlorophyll measured directly by spectrophotometric method and the data acquired indirectly from SPAD readings. Among the models fitted to the stem height and color variation data, linear and exponential models performed best. However, some differences were observed between the cultivars. The potential observed in image analysis technique in detecting color differences among the leaf layers and its versatility in non-destructive determination of a link between the leaf color changes and rose stem growth give it the utmost merit and applicability in greenhouses. Developing such a model for other important cultivars of greenhouse roses will make it possible to equip rose greenhouses with several powerful and reliable tools in order to assist the growers to precisely adjust the crop harvest time and accurately plan their operations according to the market demand and policy.

In greenhouse roses, canopy management has been highly noted and emphasized during the past decades. It was recognized that improving canopy shape by implementing some techniques such as stem bending and flower bud removing can highly affect the marketable quality of cut roses. For most growers, the best method of flower bud treatment has not yet been described and determined physiologically. This experiment was designed to answer some questions related to this problem.
A plastic commercial cut rose greenhouse was selected to carry out the trial. Three greenhouse rose cultivars, namely Eros, Cherry Brandy and Dancing Queen, were selected as the first factor, and three methods of flower bud treatment along with bending types were chosen as the second factor. Cuttings were taken from mother plants and rooted under mist conditions. The first shoot emerging from the cutting was treated at pea bud stage by one of the following shoot bending at stem base with intact bud, immediate shoot bending at stem base after removing flower bud and shoot bending at stem base two weeks after flower bud removal. Some marketable stem properties including stem length, diameter and weight, and characteristics related to bud growth potential were measured, and then the data were subjected to statistical analysis.
Analysis of variance showed that cultivars differ in their marketable features. Cherry Brandy produced longer cut flowers with higher stem diameter compared to the two other cultivars. This cultivar was also good in stem weight trait; however its difference from Eros was not significant. Dancing Queen did not perform well in producing high quality stems on the whole. Regarding number of days until bud release and growth, Cherry Brandy’s buds spent fewest days until growing. In many studies, the effect of cultivar on rose shoot growth quality has been documented and explained. For instance, it was determined in Rosa hybrida ‘Fire and Ice’ that the rate of increase in stem length was about two times more than that in ‘Kardinal’ cultivar when both compared to control cultivar. These differences may have genetic and/or environmental origins. Methods of stem treatment significantly affected some shoot characteristics such as bud burst time, number and weight of growing shoots on bent stems and flower diameter, but no significant effect was observed on most important marketable traits. However, this factor interacted significantly with cultivar in some characteristics such as time of bud burst and the number of growing shoots on bent stems, showing that similar stem treatments can cause different results in different cultivars. Methods of stem treatment unexpectedly did not change the stem marketable qualities such as stem length and diameter, while it significantly altered time of bud burst, flower diameter and weight of shoot sprouts on bent stems. The most interesting result was that time of bud burst decreased from about 10 days in the immediate stem bending with intact bud to about 5 days in the treatment containing bending practice two weeks after the flower bud removal. This feature can be valuable, since it can decrease time of shoot growth and harvest time, thereby increasing stem production per time scale. The highest weight of shoot sprouts on bent stems obtained when bud removal performed at bending time, indicating that this phenomenon occurs as a consequence of apical dominance removal. Growers can adjust leaf area per plant by controlling the rate of bud growth with or without the number of bud sprouts on the bent stems through implementing different flower shoot management systems. It was reported in many studies that altering stem position, removing flower bud, defoliating and practicing similar activities can change hormone and carbohydrate balance inside the plant, which, in turn, may lead to new shape of plant canopy with different leaf areas and distribution patterns as a result of varying bud growth potential scattered in different positions within the canopy. On the other hand, interactive relations between sink and source organs can positively or negatively affect bud growth potential, which can be a powerful tool for growers to manipulate plant canopy development and cut flower quality.
In commercial rose greenhouses, growers are usually seeking methods which are simple and effective in practice. One of these important methods can be found in training and treating ways of growing stems. The findings of this study suggest that choosing a proper time for apical bud treatment and stem bending can highly influence some important qualitative traits in greenhouse roses. For instance, if the aim is to delay the crop harvest time, the practice of delayed apical bud removal treatment can be chosen as the best option to cause the delay. On the other hand, crop leaf area during the sunny summer days can be increased by adopting a proper treatment which leads to higher rate of bud burst on bent stems. During the winter days, however taking a practice with the potential of producing lower leaf area (by accurate timing and proper management of apical flower bud sink) can be a more useful way of efficient intercepting of incoming light. Taken together and assuming these kinds of manipulations as a tool, growers can make good decisions according to their existing greenhouse conditions, scheduled harvest time and many other influencing factors in order to obtain the highest possible number of cut flower stems.

Recently much attention has been paid by horticulturists to light-emitting diodes as a new source of economical and spectral-selective light. The reason is mainly coming from their versatility in handling and mounting, long working time, wattage use efficiency and lower heat production. In this study we examined their potential in promoting seed germination and producing quality flower seedlings for which we designed four growth chambers each equipped with a different light quality sources, namely red, blue, combination of 25% blue and 75% red and fluorescent lamps. Seeds of four annual bedding flowers including impatiens (Impatiens balsamina), zinnia (Zinnia elegans), petunia (Petunia × hybrida) and verbena (Verbena aubletia) were sown and grown to produce seedlings. Plants were illuminated 12 hours per day in the growth chambers. According to the results, seedlings under red light showed the highest emergence percentage, rate and value. Light quality variably affected growth characteristics among plant species. Impatiens and zinnia plants under blue light showed a significant increase in leaf number. The stem diameter of impatiens increased under red light. By contrast, in petunia stem diameter increased under blue light significantly. Inclusion of 25% blue light to red light reduced hypocotyl and shoot height and increased root fresh weight and root length of most plant types. Light quality did not affect the time of emergence (T50), true leaf stage, four-leaf stage and shoot fresh weight. Our study demonstrated that light-emitting diodes could be an effective and reliable source of lighting under controlled environment for production of quality flower seedlings. Generally, the pure red light enhanced seedling emergence and during growth period, high quality seedlings could be produced when 25% blue light was added to red light.

The ecological domain includes some aspects of agriculture that has not a good development until now. Commercial greenhouse is one of the most effective cultivation methods need to more attentions. Researches are on intelligent greenhouses with some important aspects such as receiving the maximum solar radiation and having the minimum heat loss. In recent study, the application of Artificial Neural Network models to predict inside air humidity and soil temperature beside on some inside and outside parameters were investigated. For this purpose, data was recorded from a semi-solar greenhouse located at agricultural faculty of Tabriz University using several temperature and humidity sensors, solar meter and hot wire. This greenhouse has the best structure between all typical kinds of greenhouse and furthermore has the best situation about heat lost and gain the most solar radiation between all types of greenhouses in this region. Single layer multilayer perceptron (MLP) models with LM learning rule and different neurons in hidden layer were used. The results showed that 4-9-1 and 5-6-1 topology with R2 =0.9945 and 0.9971have the highest precision to predict the soil temperature and inside air humidity in semi-solar greenhouse. For theses topologies, MAPE and RMSE were 1.1060, 1.1956% and 1.0353, 0.2502°C, respectively. Comparison between the results of ANN and multiple linear regression (MLR) models showed that ANN is more powerful than mathematical models in this subject. Also results showed that Artificial Neural Network can be used to control automatically the greenhouse environmental parameters with minimum cost in the future.

Solar energy is the most important source of renewable energies. Using solar energy in greenhouse heating during the cold season could be of great importance. In this study, six most commonly used shapes of greenhouses including: even span, uneven span, vinery, single span, arch and quonset types were selected for comparison from received solar radiation point of view for Tabriz city climate condition. These greenhouses were investigated for both east–west and north–south orientations, built all in the same dimensions. Results showed that the single span greenhouse received the maximum and quonset one received the minimum solar radiation. The single span greenhouse in east–west orientation received more radiation as compared to other greenhouses during the winter months. In summer months north–south orientation of an arch shape greenhouse received the most solar radiation. The single span greenhouse in east–west orientation appeared to be the best year-round greenhouse productions in Tabriz region. This shape received 8% more radiation as compared to an average amount of a normal greenhouse and can be used for crop production in winter. Results also showed that in the single span greenhouse oriented in east–west direction, about 60% of the incoming radiation was intercepted by the southern faced greenhouse roof.

In order to study the effect of CPPU growth regulator on qualitative characteristics of cut rose (Rosa hybrida cv. Avalanche)، an experiment was performed as factorial، based on a completely randomized design، with four replications. In this experiment، the first factor included four concentrations of CPPU (0، 25، 50 and 100 mg/L) and the second factor was two application positions of CPPU (on the stem، and on the bud with a half cut ring 1 cm above the bud). The results showed that bud break، flowering time، length and diameter of flower shoot، flower diameter، number of internodes and fresh and dry weight of flowering stem were significantly (P< 0. 01) affected by CPPU treatments. The earliest bud break and flowering، longest stem، highest shoot and flower diameter and the highest stem fresh and dry weight were observed in the 50 mg/L CPPU treatment. However، application position of CPPU on the stem did not show any significant effect on the studied traits. Based on the results of this experiment، using CPPU growth regulator can increase growth of basal buds and enhance qualitative properties of the cut roses.