فهرست مطالب نفیسه مهدی نژاد

Heavy metals especially cadmium (Cd), with potential toxicity and injurious effects for plants and humans, are one of the most important abiotic stresses for crop plants such as maize which lead to a considerable reduction in the crops production in developing countries including Iran. Therefore, assessing genetic diversity for Cd stress tolerance, as one of the basic principles of plant adaptation to abiotic stresses, is very important. In this regard, the present study was carried out to evaluate the genetic diversity of maize pure lines and hybrids based on important agronomic traits associated with grain yield under non-stress and Cd stress environmental conditions. The results of this research can be useful for maize breeders in identifying suitable parental genotypes for maize breeding programs to develop high-yielding and Cd stress-tolerant genotypes in regions contaminated to this heavy metal.

In this study, 95 maize genotypes comprising pure lines and hybrids, were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replications under two non-stress and Cd stress conditions. The experiment was performed in a pot experiment in an open area of the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Station of Jiroft, Kerman province, Iran, in two cropping seasons, 2020-21 and 2021-22. Under Cd stress conditions, cadmium chloride solution (CdCl2.2H2O) with a concentration of 30 mg.L−1 was applied at two important stages of maize plant growth, including six-leaf stage (Code 16 in Zadoks scale) and the appearance of first male flowers (Code 50 in Zadoks scale). The measured traits included 24 different phenological, morphological, and agronomic traits. Grouping of maize genotypes in term of the studied traits was performed using cluster analysis based on Ward’s minimum variance method, and discriminant function analysis was used to confirm and validate the results of cluster analysis.

The results of this study indicated that there was an extensive genetic diversity among the studied maize genotypes for most of the studied traits, especially for grain yield and its components under non-stress and Cd stress conditions. Cluster analysis grouped the maize genotypes into four separate clusters with accuracy probabilities of 91.6% and 97.9% under non-stress and Cd stress conditions, respectively. Comparison of means between these four groups showed that under non-stress conditions, 41 and 24 genotypes in the third and fourth groups were the high yielding genotypes of this experiment, respectively. Under Cd stress conditions, 49 genotypes with the higher grain yield and yield components in the second and third groups (such as Ma002, Ma003, Ma004, Ma005, and Ma007) were identified as Cd-tolerant genotypes. These genotypes mainly showed short to medium phenological periods. Also, 11 genotypes (Ma001, Ma008, Ma030, Ma033, Ma036, Ma039, Ma042, Ma045, Ma072, and Ma089), indicated the lowest means for important agronomic traits including yield and its components under both non-stress and Cd-stress conditions. These genotypes were unable to tolerate Cd stress under the conditions of this experiment and were identified as sensitive genotypes.

The present study led to the identification of 40 tolerant maize genotypes to Cd stress (such as Ma003, Ma005, Ma007, Ma013, Ma014, and Ma015). These genotypes in addition to exhibiting desirable yield and yield components under non-stress environment, also showed suitable yield under Cd stress conditions. Therefore, by carefully selecting the parents among Cd-tolerant genotypes and carrying out targeted crosses between them, it is possible to obtain suitable hybrids for cultivation in Cd-stressed environments by exploiting genetic phenomena such as transgressive segregation and heterosis.

Essential oils have been utilized for various purposes throughout history. These aromatic substances have become increasingly popular in alternative medicine, aromatherapy, and personal care products.

In this study, essential oils from the aerial parts of four Allium species and three Brassicaceae members, namely Fortuynia garcinii, Draba verna, and Thlaspi arvense were evaluated for their antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

The radical-scavenging properties were tested using DPPH assay. Antimicrobial activities were examined on nine standard pathogens: three Gram-positive bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus pyogenes, three Gram-negative bacteria including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica and two fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium oxysporum as well as the yeast Candida albicans.

The IC50 values of antioxidant assay ranged from 124.66 to 155.04 μg/ml. Allium zagricum showed the best antioxidant effects with IC50 of 124.66 μg/ml compared to standard vitamin E (IC50 = 10.40 μg/ml). Similarly, the MIC values of 25-400 μg/ml with Fortuynia garcinii fruits-Zahedan were assessed as the best antimicrobial effects, while they were higher than the MIC values recorded for positive controls (0.06-16 for amikacin and 32-256 for clotrimazole).

Essential oils extracted from Allium zagricum and Fortuynia garcinii can be prescribed for the treatment of oxidative stress-related and infectious diseases.

Water deficit, followed by drought stress in plants, is one of the first and most important causes of disruption in cellular mechanisms, oxidative stress, and is a serious threat and limitation for agricultural products. In this research, evaluation of biochemical traits (cellular oxidation rate and chlorophyll a and b) and the transcription rate of some antioxidant genes including catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) evaluated by real time PCR under the influence of different levels Drought stress was conducted in the research farm of Zabol Agricultural College in the form of a split plot experiment in the form of a block design with three replications on wheat cultivars (Kalate and Ehsan). The first factor of cultivars and the second factor of irrigation levels included 0.3 times (crop capacity as a control treatment), 2 times and 4 times. The results of variance analysis of biochemical traits showed that the effect of drought stress was significant for these traits as well as the difference between cultivars. The results of examining the expression of CAT, APX and GR genes in the conditions of applying irrigation levels showed a different trend in the cultivars of this research and they had an increase in expression along with an increase in drought stress levels, and this increase in expression in Kalate variety was 3.45, respectively. , 10.10, 6.2 times compared to control) for CAT, APX, GR genes during stress was -4 times more than Ehsan variety. In this research, Kalate cultivar was in a more favorable condition in terms of most of the investigated traits.

Salinity is one of the main obstacles to increasing crop yield. The most severe problems in soil salinity occur in arid and semiarid regions. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is widely planting in the arid and semiarid regions. It is the fourth most important cereal crop worldwide, and it has a long history as a model for genetic studies. It is the most salt tolerant cereal. Salt tolerance in crop plants is a genetic and physiological complex trait and is controlled by several quantitative trait loci. Both genetic diversity and the adaptation to a broad spectrum of micro-ecological conditions including water availability, temperature, soil type and altitude have strongly influenced the development of salt tolerance in barley.

In order to identify genomic regions controlling the agro-morphological characteristics and markers linked to them under normal and salinity stress conditions, an experiment with 136 double haploid lines of barley and their parents (Nure and Tremois) was conducted based on alpha lattice design with two replications at the Agricultural Research Center of Zabol, during 2020-2021 crop year. Agronomic traits were including tiller number per plant, spike number per plant, grain number per spike, awn length, internode length, node number, plant height, 1000-grain weight and grain yield. The combined analysis of variance, correlation coefficients between the traits and descriptive statistics calculated for normal and salt stress conditions. The data were analyses by the SAS (ver. 9.2) statistical software. QTL analysis was conducted by composite interval mapping (CIM) method using QTL Cartographer v2.5 for each of the normal and stress conditions and their averages separately (with threshold value (LOD) 2.5, minimum distance 2 cM between QTL).

The combined analysis of variance indicated significant differences among the genotypes for all studied traits. This indicates high levels of genetic diversity in this population. Since the population is double haploid lines, therefore, the diversity observed in this population is often caused by additive effects. Maximum correlations were observed between grain yield with tiller number, as well as spike number per plant. The high correlation between the traits may be due to the similar loci controlling QTLs or due to their linkage. According to the table of descriptive statistics, the studied double haploids are representative of all the possible double haploids resulting from the crossing of Tremois and Nure, and the studied traits are controlled by the additive effects of genes. In total, 24 QTL loci were identified for the studied traits: 9 QTLs were obtained under normal conditions, 8 QTLs were identified under stress conditions, and 7 QTLs were identified in the average of the two conditions. These QTLs explained 8 to 16% of the phenotypic variance (R2). The LOD value ranged of 2.5 - 5.04. The highest and lowest LOD values were related to QTLs of number of seeds per spike on chromosome 2H and number of nodes under stress conditions. Regarding marker-assisted selection, the stability of QTLs across different environments and genetic backgrounds is of utmost importance. Out of the 24 identified QTLs, only the QTL associated with the thousand seed weight trait (Qtgw1H) demonstrated stability, making it suitable for marker selection. The markers identified for this trait not only exhibit close linkage with the gene responsible for the thousand seed weight trait but also possess high heritability and are easily detectable. The markers associated with stable QTLs can be utilized in future studies.

Based on the findings of this research, significant statistical differences were observed among all genotypes. Transgressive segregation, both high and low, was evident across all traits. Two traits, namely the number of tillers per plant and the number of spikes per plant, exhibited QTLs at the same location, indicating a linkage and correlation between these traits. Among the 7 major QTLs identified in this study, the most prominent one was associated with the number of spikes per plant (Qng2Hma) on chromosome 2H, linked with marker E42M38_235-2H, which accounted for 16% of the phenotypic variance. Only one QTL (Qtgw1H) for 1000-grain weight, linked with marker WMC1E8, was identified as a stable QTL. These genomic regions, once validated across various genetic backgrounds and environments for salinity tolerance in barley, can be utilized in marker-assisted breeding.

The first step in breeding programs is to use the genetic diversity among existing populations, cultivars and lines. Maize is used as a model plant to study the genetics of various traits. Compared to other crops, maize has a high demand for zinc (Zn) and is known as an indicator of zinc deficiency in the soil. In terms of climatic conditions, Iran is located in a arid and semi-arid region, and there is a lack of micronutrients specially Zn in this region. Lack of nutrients such as Zn is one of the important abiotic stresses that affects the growth and development of plants including maize. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of a number of corn lines under normal and zinc deficiency conditions.

To assess the genetic diversity of 95 maize lines using agro-morphological traits, an experiment was carried out in alpha lattice design in two replications under two normal (use of zinc sulfate fertilizer) and zinc deficiency (no use of zinc sulfate fertilizer) conditions in Zabol Agricultural Research Center during two years. The studied maize lines were obtained from Razi University of Kermanshah, Khorasan Razavi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center, and Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII) in the form of research project No. 94/101/T.T. approved by Biotechnology Institute of Urmia University. Twenty-nine traits were measured and recorded. Combined analysis of variance of the studied traits under normal and zinc (Zn) deficiency conditions were performed using SAS ver. 9.4 software. Other statistical analyzes including descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, forward stepwise regression and factor analysis method were done using R software by pastecs, corrplot, olsrr, and psych packages, respectively.

The results of this study revealed high phenotypic variation among the studied maize lines for all investigated traits under both normal and zinc (Zn) deficiency stress conditions. The results of analysis of variance confirmed the presence of high phenotypic diversity among maize lines. All traits were affected by environment, and a statistically significant difference was observed between two environments for the all measured traits in maize lines. Genotype × environment interaction was also significant for most of the studied traits. Descriptive statistics showed a considerable diversity among the lines, and the highest diversity in both normal and zinc deficiency conditions was observed for yield per unit area, economic yield, and number of grains per cob. In correlation analysis, weight of five cobs, number of grains per cob, and 100-grain weight showed a positive and significant correlation with economic yield in both normal and zinc deficiency conditions. Therefore, these three can be introduced as important traits in the initial selection of zinc deficiency tolerant lines. In factor analysis of morphological traits using the parallel analysis method, four hidden and independent factors were determined under both normal and zinc deficiency conditions, which explained 63% and 57% of the total variation of the lines, respectively. Based on the results of the factor analysis, the traits number of days to tasseling, number of days to pollen emergence, number of days to cob emergence, plant height, ear diameter and width, number of grains per cob, economic yield, yield per unit area, and harvest index with high degree of commonality under both normal and zinc deficiency conditions, can be suggested as key traits for the selection of zinc deficiency tolerant lines.

The results of this research showed that there is a high genetic diversity among the studied maize lines in terms of morphological traits under both normal and zinc deficiency stress conditions. It makes it possible to use these lines in breeding programs as a valuable genic source to improve the performance of lines and produce improved lines under normal and zinc deficiency conditions.

Covered smut disease caused by the biotrophic fungus, Ustilago hordei (Pers.) Lagerh., is one of the significant limiting factors in barley cultivation. This disease is present in all barley cultivation regions, and if seeds of sensitive cultivars are planted without the use of fungicides, it can become a serious problem. Moreover, this disease adversely affects grain quality by contamination of healthy seeds with teliospores. The contamination level in the farms of Karaj and Zabol in 1990-1992 ranged from zero to 90%. Considering the importance of organic agriculture and the public demand for production systems with reduced chemicals inputs, planting improved seeds with genetic resistance is the most effective and economical approach to control this disease. This research was conducted to assess the sensitivity of barley cultivars to the covered smut disease and to evaluate the effect of this disease on the phenological, physiological, and agronomic characteristics of barley cultivars.

 In this study, 148 spring barley varieties from common commercial varieties from European countries along with Oxin and Zehak cultivars from Iran were investigated. This experiment was conducted in field conditions using an alpha lattice design with two replications under two environmental conditions, disinfection of seeds with fungicide and disease stress by inoculation of the covered smut pathogen, in the Zehak Agricultural Research Station, Sistan and Blouchestan province, Iran, in 2021-22 growing season. To induce the stress of covered smut disease, the seeds of the studied cultivars were artificially contaminated. The measured traits in this experiment included phenological, morphological, physiological, and agronomic traits, as well as spike infection percentage after maturity. To perform statistical analyses, the normal distribution of the collected data was firstly tested using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and then combined analysis of variance was conducted. Comparison of means, simple correlation coefficients between traits, principal component analysis, and heritability of the studied traits were conducted.

The results showed that the accurence rate of covered smut disease among the studied cultivars under disease inoculation conditions varied from 0% to 26.48% with the average of 3.51%. The genotype × environment interaction for all studied traits including days to tillering, tiller number per plant, plant height, flag leaf length and width, flag leaf sheath length, peduncle length, spike length, number of nodes, internode distance, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index, water-soluble carbohydrate concentration, and disease infection percentage, was significant at 1% probability level, except for phenological traits including days to germination, days to tillering, days to heading, as well as canopy temperature. The heritability rate of resistance to covered smut disease was 97.89%. Also, a negative and significant correlation was observed between the percentage of disease infection with plant height, flag leaf sheath length, peduncle length, spike length at the 1% probability level, and with biological yield at the 5% probability level.

The results of this research showed that there was a significant genetic diversity among the evaluated cultivars and the studied cultivars exhibited diverse reactions to different environmental conditions. Due to the significant impact of covered smut disease or loose smut disease on spike-related traits during the maturity stage, therefore it is challenging to differentiate resistant cultivars from susceptible ones in other stages and traits, and the selection of resistant cultivars requires waiting until the end of the cropping season.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is known as the fourth most important grain crop in the world. Drought stress is also one of the main factors that reduce the growth and yield of barley, and grain yield is directly related to the morphological characteristics of the flag leaf.. In order to identify the main and epistatic genomic regions and investigate their interaction with the environment for morphological traits related to flag leaf, including length, width, area, and flag leaf sheath length, an experiment was conducted with 136 doubled haploid lines of barley along with their parents 'Nure' and 'Tremois' using an alpha lattice design with two replications under normal and drought stress conditions at the Zabol Agricultural Research Station, Iran, in 2015-16 growing season. The genetic map of the target population comprised 543 markers (including DArT, SSR, SNP, and AFLP markers) for the QTL analysis. In this study, single-locus and two-locus QTL analyses were performed using the composite interval mapping (CIM) and mixed-model based composite interval mapping (MCIM) methods, respectively. Based on a single-locus analysis, five QTLs were identified, including three putative QTLs, Q1FLW-1H.SZ, Q1SHFLL-1H.NZ and Q2SHFLL-1H.NZ at bPb-6343-bPb-8081, bPb-1419-bPb-9180, and bPb-9108-bPb-6343 marker intervals, and two suggestive QTLs, on chromosomes 1H and 5H for the traits of flag leaf width (FLW, cm) and flag leaf sheath length (SHFLL, cm). Based on a two-locus analysis, eight additive (M-QTL) QTLs and 15 pairs of epistatic effects (E-QTL) were detected for different traits, among which two pairs of epistatic QTLs for the FLW trait showed significant QTL × environment interactions (AAEI). All detected M-QTLs for flag-leaf-related traits across two environments, without additive × environment interactions (AEI), were identified as stable QTLs, and the highest number of stable QTLs was associated with chromosome 1H. In this study, drought stress-tolerant QTLs were identified in all barley chromosomes except chromosome 2H. Most of the QTLs associated with the investigated traits in the Nure/Tremois population in the present study have not been reported previously and, therefore, are novel. The stable and putative QTLs controlling flag-leaf-related traits in this study, along with the markers linked to these QTLs, can be utilized in marker-assisted selection (MAS) and gene pyramiding breeding programs after confirmation and validation in different environmental conditions and genetic backgrounds to create high-yielding and drought-tolerant barley cultivars. Additionally, these findings will accelerate the understanding of the genetic relationships among spike-related traits at the molecular level.

Fungal diseases cause a massive reduction in the production of rosemary plants every year. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can provide valuable fungal bio-pesticides for practical usage. However, the effect of VOCs on the pathogenic fungi of rosemary is poorly studied. This research characterized some fungal pathogens (Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Phytophthora infestans, and Phytophthora citrophthora) isolated from rosemary plants. We studied the inhibitory effect of VOCs, including isovaleric acid, 1-octene-3-ol and 3-octanone on growth and disease incidence of isolated fungi under in vitro and greenhouse conditions. The action of individual VOCs on the growth indices of infected plants was also investigated. 1-octen-3-ol showed the most efficacy percentage and inhibitory effect on mycelial growth at five mg/l concentration. Isovaleric acid decreased fungal growth and disease incidence at 10 mg/l as high as 94.74% and 87.23%, respectively. However, 3-octanone had no significant efficacy percentage and inhibitory effect on mycelial growth. 1-octen-3-ol enhanced the growth of fungal-infected plants to the highest amount, but 3-octanone did not increase the growth of infected plants. The obtained data revealed that the different effects of various VOCs on fungal pathogens are related to different chemical structures and action mechanisms of volatile compounds and the species of fungi involved.

In order to study the genetic diversity of 25 apple genotypes from three regions of Hamoon, Benjar and Emamiyeh of Zabol city and one region of Zahedan, 14 primers of IRAP and REMP were used. All 11 IRAP primers and 3 REMAP primers were able to generate high-resolution, polymorphic band patterns, and were able to identify a total of 61 polymorphic gene loci. The results obtained for the studied primers were as follows: the average percentage of polymorphism among the studied accessions was 39.79, with the lowest percentage of polymorphism belonging to the primer (83003 + K001) and the highest percentage of polymorphism to the primer (8565). The content of polymorphic information (PIC) and marker index (MI) of markers varied between 0.02 up to 0.28 and 0.29 to 0.54 in all studied genotypes respectively. The highest PIC was related to K006 primer and the lowest PIC was related to K001 + 83003 primer, and the highest and lowest MI was related to 8565 and K001 + 83003primers respectively. The results reinforced the possibility that the retrotransposons, which produced the most polymorphisms, were more displaced in the evolution of the plants under study and reproduced more copies within the genome. The results of cluster analysis based on UPGMA method, 25 studied genotypes in three separate groups. The reason for the location of genotypes with geographical origin as well as morphological similarities and the same horticultural traits in different subgroups can be due to the classification of different amounts of mobile elements in these genotypes

To improve a complex character such as grain yield with low heritability, indirect selection through other characters and selection index based on different effective traits were used. Grain yield has quantitative heritance and can be affected by environment severely; therefore selection for genetic improvement only based on yield may have low efficiency. But selection based on proper index can be one of the most effective methods for indirect selection of yield and yield components simultaneously.

In order to determine selection index for improvement of maize yield, 14 single cross maize hybrids (including 12 promising maize hybrids and KSC704 and KSC705 cultivars as control cultivars) were planted in two separate experiments (Saline stress and normal condition) based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replication in Khorasan Razavi agricultural and natural resources research and education center (TOROQ Station and Abbas Abad Station), Mashhad Iran on 2017-2018. In this study silage yield, Dry Forage yield, number of total leaves, Ear Diameter, Ear Length, Ear Height, Kernel depth, anthesis silking interval (ASI) and Plant Height appearance was measured randomly from 10 sample. Then some of morphological and phonological traits, yield and yield components were recorded.

The results of ANOVA showed significant differences between hybrids for many of measured traits in both conditions (P≤0.01). Thus, selection will be effective due to existence of enough variation. The results of correlation, multiple regression and principle component analysis were used for identification of traits that are more effective on grain yield. Selection indices were calculated based on results of stepwise regression considering to phenotype, genotypic and economic values. Based on stepwise regression results in normal condition, Plant Height, Number of Ear, Dry Forage Yield, Days to anthesis, Number of Leaves totally could explain 77.84 percent of gain yield variation, then these traits were used to calculate selection index. In Saline stress condition, Number of Ear, Ear Length, Days to anthesis, Number of Leaves, Plant height could explain 76.90 percent of grain yield variation that these traits were used to calculate of selection index. Smith-Hazel and Pesk-Baker selection indexes for dry silage yield performance, leaf total number, number of cob, plants length and days to pollination in non-stressed condition and number of cob, days to pollination, leaf total number and plants length were calculated under stressed situation. Moreover, relative efficiency of selection and expected gain of selection index using the Smith – Hazel index was higher than the Pesk – Baker index. The highest relative efficiency of selection under non-stressed condition was measured in index number 5 (Smith – Hazel 5) while in saline stressed condition it was achieved in index number 4 (Smith - Hazel 4).

In summary, by adjusting phenotype values in mentioned traits in index equivalent, the amount of each index was determined. Finally Based on grain yield and selection indices, 20 percent of the best genotypes were selected by each selection indices. The highest selection indices were obtained for the hybrids 1, 5, 2, 8 and 6 in normal condition and hybrids 13, 3, 4, 10 and 8 in saline condition.

One of the important abiotic stresses in the arid and semi-arid world, including Iran, is soil and water salinity that reduces crop yield. Determination of damage amount of salinity stress to crops such as wheat is also essential. Since chlorophyll fluorescence analysis has become an important tool in fundamental and applied research in the field of plant physiology and agronomy, this experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of salinity on chlorophyll fluorescence of 240 wheat genotypes at three levels of salinity (0, 9, 12 dS.m-1) in greenhouse conditions. After 21 days of salinity stress, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and related transients (Fo, Fv, Fm, Fv/Fm, Vj, PI, Fv/Fo, and ABS/RC) and the photosynthetic pigments were measured. All photosynthetic pigments decreased after salinity stress, and this decrease was significant in susceptible genotypes. Salinity also significantly reduced the quantum yield of photosystem II (Ø PSII) and the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and significantly increased the ABS/RC, Fo, and Vj parameters in susceptible genotypes.

In order to study the application of zeolite on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of carela medicinal plant under deficit irrigation, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications in a greenhouse at the Agricultural Institute, University of Zabol during 2018. Experimental factors included deficit irrigation in three levels, (90, 70 and 50 % F.C.), and four levels of zeolite (0, 20, 30 and 40 g/kg of soil). The results showed that application of zeolite increased fresh and dry fruit weight, fruit diameter and fruits number per plant and deficit irrigation had a decreasing effect on the mentioned traits. Application of zeolite at all levels of deficit irrigation increased plant length, fruit length, fruit yield, chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid, vitamin C and alkaloids, so that the highest amount of these traits was obtained from 40 g/kg zeolite. In general, application of zeolite was helpful in reducing the adverse effects of deficit irrigation on carela's quantitative and qualitative traits.

In order to survey the effect of silver nano-silver particles and weight of corm on physiological and morphological features of Crocus Sativus under climatic conditions in the area of Systan, an experiment was carried out based on a factorial randomized complete base-blocks design with three repetitions using two different weights of Crocus Sativus corm (more and less than 8 g) and two different concentrations of nano-silver treatment (zero and 50 ppm) in Dadi village located in Teymourabad district of Hamoun province during two consecutive years 2014-2016. Findings indicated that the treatment with nano-silver particles (AgNPs) had a significant effect on the morphological and physiological properties during the both study years and increased all traits under study as compared with the control. Moreover, the treatment including corm weight more than 8 g had significant effects on all properties under study during these two years. The results of analysis of the quantitative traits and color in saffron, which was done by HPLC method, showed that flavonoids, flavor, and odor of saffron in the sample soaked in the Ag Nanoparticles' solution remarkably increased in comparison with the control. Comparisons also indicated that the samples weighing more than 8 grams had a more significant increasing rate of the traits compared with the lighter samples. The results of the present study also showed that under hot and dry conditions and if the saffron corms with optimal size are exposed to suitable concentrations of Ag nanoparticle solution, increased qualitative and quantitative traits is observed, and this can even lead to improved economical properties in the plant.

Salinity stress is one of the environmental factors limiting the growth of plantsand has a negative effect on their physiological processes. The harmful effects of salinity appear in plants in various ways such as death or reduction of production. Artichoke is a plant with lowdemand and resistance to salinity. The Artichoke is a perennial plant; the height of the stem is about 2 meters. Its leaves are wide, long and white in color. One of the pillars of sustainable agriculture is the use of nano fertilizersin crop ecosystems to remove or reduce the use of chemical input. Using nano fertilizers Compared to traditional fertilizerscan lead to benefits like efficiency and quality increase due to high absorption velocity, prevention of leaking waste, availability even during growth and complete absorption by plants because of appropriately fast nutrition release, reduction of plants toxicity and any other stress deriving from high concentration of local salty areas in soil, yield increase due to efficient nutrition condition of plants. Salinity stress disturbs nutritional balance in plants. Iron is one of the essential elements in plants. The balanced consumption of this element increases the yield and quality of plants.Using micronutrients through soil or sprayingimproves plant growth under stress conditions. Foliar application of elements, which prevents soil contamination, is a useful method for rapidly absorbing elements in plants.

In order to investigate the effects of salinity and nanosilver on morphological and physiological traits of artichoke, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications in the greenhouse of Zabul University Institute. Salinity stress in 3 levels (0, 6, and 12 mM) and nanosilver spraying in 3 levels (0, 40, and 80 mM) were considered as treatments. The nanosilver spraying was performed at seedling stage (6-8 leaves).The control was distilled water. Application of salinity stress began in the seedling stage and continued until sampling. Sampling and evaluation of the fresh weight plant, and fresh and dry weight of root were done at the beginning of the flowering. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed by SAS software (version 9.1) based on all data. Then means of results were compared with LSD test at P < 0.05 level.

The main effects of salinity stress, nanosilver and their interaction on all traits were significant at 1% probability level. Maximum numbers of leaves (5 numbers), fresh weight of plant, fresh and dry weight of root (8.82, 5.93, 0.64 g per plant, respectively) and plant height were obtained by using nanosilver and lack of salinity.

Nanosilver foliar application reduced the effects of salinity and increased the physiological and morphological characteristics of Artichoke.

This research was conducted to determine the characteristics and germplasm grouping of different genotypes of apples grown in Sistan and Baluchestan province. 25 apple genotypes were collected from four regions of Hamoon, Bonjar, Imamieh and Zahedan and morphological and pomological traits were evaluated. Comparison of means of data showed that there was a genetic diversity between the genotypes in terms of quantitative traits, especially the annual shoot diameter, leaf blade length, width of the eye socket and pedicel cavity, pedicel thickness and length, and fruit length and width. The means for these traits were higher in Zahedan genotype than that of Zabol genotypes. In terms of pomological traits, the genotypes had a considerable diversity. Correlation analysis between traits showed a positive and significant correlation between pedicel thickness with pedicel length (0.65), fruit width (0.76), fruit weight (0.48) and also between annual shoots diameter (0.61) with the width of the eye socket (0.83), depth of eye basin (0.84) and fruit length (0.72).

LEA proteins as cumulative proteins were identified in the late embryonic period to cope with environmental stresses for the first time in wheat and cotton Dehydrogenase proteins are the second group of LEA family of highly hydrated proteins that are resistant to drought. In order to identify and evaluate the molecular evolution of the nucleotide sequence of the DHN5 gene, this gene was derived from three wild species of diploids (Aegilops speltoides, Aegilops tauschii and Triticum urartu), two durum wheat cultivars of tetraploid (Behrang and Shabrang) and two wheat cultivars of hexaploid (Bolani And Sistan) were isolated and sequenced. This is the first report of detection of DHN5 gene in wheat.  Results of gene sequencing in wheat cultivars and its ancestors were recorded in the NCBI. The results showed that transient succession was more than interchanging substitution and the ratio of dN / dS was 1.13, which shows the trend of positive selection of DHN5 gene among wheat cultivars and wildlife during evolution. Protected areas form a small part of the DHN5 gene sequence, which indicates its susceptibility to nucleotide and mutational changes. The phylogenetic tree of the wheat genes sequence, along with 28 other plant varieties, was plotted using the Neighbor-joining method, which indicates the various evolutionary pathways of the DHN5 gene. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Sistan cultivar suffered from many mutations because of its compatibility with drought stress conditions, therefore the sequence of this gene has changed greatly, which makes it possible to separate from other wheat in the phylogenetic studies. According to the results obtained in all of the studied cultivars, it can be concluded that this gene is probably located on all three genomes A, B and D of wheat.

Association mapping is a technique with high resolution for QTL mapping based on linkage disequilibrium and has shown more promising for describing genetically complex traits. In addition, it is a powerful tool for describing complex agronomic traits and identifying alleles that can contribute to enhance the desired traits. In this study, whole genome association mapping was used in a set of 148 spring barley cultivars. Phenotypic evaluation was conducted at Zahak Agricultural Research Station, Iran, using alpha-lattice design with two replications, for two croppinhg cycle (2014-2015 and 2015-2016). Traits such as days to anthesis, days to physiological maturity, grain filling period, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, grain number per main spike, thousand grain weight and grain yield were measured. Association analysis between the markers and phenotypic traits was performed with a mixed linear model (MLM with K+Q). In total 28 QTLs were identified which were related to the measured traits. A stable QTL was detected on chromosome 5H (74.76 cM) for days to anthesis. Three QTLs were detected on chromosomes 4H (125.08 cM and 120.64 cM) and 5H (74.76 cM) for grain filling period. One QTL on chromosome 2H (10.87 cM) was associated with days to anthesis, grain filling period and 1000 grain weight. One QTL on chromosome 4H (125.08 cM) was also associated with days to anthesis, grain filling period as well as flag leaf length and 1000 grain weight. Common genetic locations for these traits could be due to pleiotropic effects or genetic linkage.

In order to study The Effects of drought Stress in response of wheat cultivars and wild genotype, a factorial experiment was carried out in completely randomized design in pot with three replications at 2017-2018 years. The wheat cultivars including (Bolani, behrang, shabrang, sistan) and wild (urartu, tauschii, speltoides) were as the first factor and irrigation treatment with three levels consisted of normal (80% of water holding capacity of soil), mild stress (60%) and severe stress (40%) was as the second factor. Physiological studies include: chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, Water Use Efficiency, Leaf Relative water content and the was morphological: dry matter production (dry weight of plants), stem dry weight, stem fresh weight, Root dry weight, Root fresh weight, stem length and Rott length. Analysis of variance showed that simple effect of drought stress had a significant effect on the traits chlorophyll a and b, total, carotenoids, stem dry weight, plant dry weight of plant , leaf relative water contwnt, water use efficiency and also on stem length, stem fresh weight characteristics and Root dry weight. The result of the mean comparison showed that the tolerant cultivaers had the highest stem fresh weight, plant dry weight of plant, Leaf Relative water content and Water Use Efficiency. Comparison of cultivars and wild: cultiwars of Bolani and tauschii wild life showed more resistance.

Cynara cardunculus L is a diploid herbaceous plant and perennial. Artichoke sugar is a fructan that has the least effect on blood sugar and is very useful for diabetics in this regard. The aim of this study was to isolate, identify, and evaluate the relative expression of the fructan 1-exhohydrolase gene (FEH1) gene in the artichoke plant. In order to identify and evaluate the molecular evolution of FEH1 gene, DNA was extracted from leaf samples of artichoke and after amplification was sequenced by PCR technique. Also in order to investigate the effects of salinity, silver nanoparticles of green synthesis and salicylic acid on the change of relative expression of FEH1 gene, an experiment was performed as a factorial in a completely randomized design in a greenhouse. The relative expression pattern of this gene was measured by Real Time PCR. The results of analysis and analysis of nucleotide sequences of the FEH1 gene showed that the highest frequency belonged to Guanin (31.56) and the lowest frequency belonged to Tymien base(12.4). The results of the Neutrality test also showed a directional choice on this gene during evolution. A phylogenetic study of the FEH-1 gene sequence and its comparison with other similar sequences in different plants proved that the similarity between the studied sequences was high(more 90%) and the plants were slightly different from each other in terms of genetic distance. The results of comparing the mean interactions of salicylic acid and salinity concentrations showed that the application of 12  ds m-1of salinity alone significantly increased the expression of FEH1 gene at the probability level of one percent. The use of salicylic acid in combination with salinity moderated the effects of salinity and also reduced FEH1 gene expression. Also, the results of comparing the average interaction of salicylic acid and nano silver concentrations showed that in the treatment of 200 and 400 mM salicylic acid with 40 mM nano silver at the probability level 1% expression of FEH1 gene in artichoke plant increased significantly. Clearly, it was found that both in terms of expression and expression intensity of FEH1 gene, there is a high potential to focus on increasing soluble sugars and ultimately increase plant tolerance to salinity stress in artichoke .

In order to investigate the morphometric diversity of Moringa populations in ten regions and villages located in Fennuj and Nikshahr of Baluchestan including Bennet, Keshgh, Desc, Madhadi, Nesfaran, Condaran, Tang Fnvjh mouth, and Haft Dokhtaran, Moringa seeds were collected. Twenty Sterile seeds of each genotype were cultured in separate petri diches in three replicates and the culture plates containing immature embryos were placed in the growth room with 16 hours of light period and 8 hours of darkness at 25 ° C  of day and 19 ° C of night. After germination, they were grown in a completely randomized design in the pots. After three months and complete deployment, morphological traits including root length, tuber length, seedling length, tuber diameter, leaf number, leaf area distance to needle leaf, stem length, needle length, and needle leaf length were studied. Statistical analysis was performed including analysis of variance, correlation between traits, cluster analysis and factor analysis using SAS  version 9.3 software. According to the results of variance analysis, all quantitative traits were significantly different at the level of 0.05%. The results of this research showed a high correlation between the measured traits. Based on cluster results, different genotypes of plants were divided into two distinct groups. Factor analysis also showed that the special values of 4 factors were more than one and totally explained 82% of the total variation among 10 populations.

In order to study of effect of foliar application salicylic acid on some morphophytochemicals and antioxidant of artichoke under Salt Stress, a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications at seedling stage was conducted at Greenhouse Research farm of the University of Zabol. Experimental treatments included salinity stress in 3 levels (0 , 6 , and 12 m M) and salicylic acid at 3 levels (0 , 200 , and 400 m M) . The results showed maximum numbers and length of leaves, plant height, fresh and dry weight of plant, fresh and dry weight of root were afforded by using 400 m M salicylic acid. The highest amount of total phenolic content, flavonoids, atioxidant capacity and carbohydrates were related to 400 mM salicylic acid and 12 m M salinity (0.47, 0.56, 31.24 and 5.65 respectively). On the other hand the highest of prolin (0.51) was observed in 200 m M salicylic acid and 12 m M salinity. In general could said that stress causes damaging effects of on plants and the use of salicylic acid increases the plant tolerance to salt stress.

To study the effect of salinity stress on biochemical and morphophysiological characteristics of some wheat cultivars in seedling stage, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Research Laboratory, Agriculture Faculty, University of Zabol in 2016. The experimental treatments were salt stress at 4 levels (control, 100, 200, 300 mM NaCl) and 11 Bread Wheat cultivars and one cultivar Durum Wheat. The cultivars were significant (P≤0.01) for all studied traits except for stomatal conductance. Simple correlation coefficients between traits showed that There was a positive and significant correlation between germination percentage and germination rate and a negative significant correlation between catalase activity and carbohydrate content in salinity stress conditions. Factor analysis based on principal component analysis and Varimax rotation in non-stress and in salinity conditions (average tensions), Factor analysis was identified five factors for normal and five factors for severe stress conditions that at overall were explained 87.13 and 83.11 % of total variation, respectively. The results of factor analysis showed that stress tolerance component including proline content, ascorbate peroxidase activity, glutathione peroxidase activity, length and number of rootlet were selected for selection of suitable cultivars for salinity stress conditions. The cultivars were classified into two groups using cluster analysis in both conditions of non-stress and salinity stress. According to the results, it could be exploited from genetic diversity in breeding programs, using genotypes of the first and second group in hybridization because of their maximum difference.

Astaxanthin is a precious material and has many favorites for human; it is extracted from some creatures such as Haematococcus lacustris. Researchers try to maximize the production of this material. In this research effects of linoleic acid (LA), TiO2 and SiO2 Nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated on astaxanthin production, and expression of two astaxanthin metabolic pathway genes (CRTO and CRTR). The microalgae was cultured in BBM medium for 19 days autographically. In 3rd day, treatments were added to the cultures and astaxanthin measured in 3 days respectively in logarithmic and stationary phases, also RNA was extracted, Real-time PCR applied and Gene expression investigated in 11th. 30 µM LA and TiO2 NPs (40 mg L-1) induced 3.4 and 1.5 times astaxanthin production compared to the control, furthermore, CRTO and CRTR under 30 µM LA and SiO2 NPs (40 mg L-1) treatments displayed the highest gene expression. It was demonstrated that special concentration of Linoleic acid and TiO2 NPs, as inducers, could be used for astaxanthin production; also, Linoleic acid has a direct relationship with astaxanthin production and CRTO´s gene expression in the microalgae.

This research was conducted to evaluate the diversity and molecular confirmation of oat gaze by DNA barcoding method. Moringa seeds were cultivated in Baluchestan province of Baluchestan province including Bennett, Kishigh, Desh, Madhadi village, Nesfaran, Condar, Tang Fanvjh entrance, mouth and seven girls. After three months, the DNA was isolated from the leaf samples and the ITS2 region was amplified and sequenced. The ClustalW sequences were combined with Mega7 software, clustering and genetic similarity and spacing. The intrinsic similarities of the Moringa Baluchistan specimens were detected in the range of 99.9%. In the present study, ITS2 did not distinguish between Balochistan's ten variants in terms of genetic variation within the group. Therefore, in order to evaluate the ability to evaluate the genetic diversity of the species, another test was performed, so that the sequences of other species of Moringa family were used in NCBI, and the Moringa sequence of the present study was compared. The Moringa-Baluchestan sample sequence with Ethiopic peregrine sequences showed homology of about 92%. The emergence in this method showed that the studied populations were divided into five groups and it was determined that the similar species were placed in the same branch. The Moringa-Baluchestan sample sequence was grouped with sequences of peregrine species in one group.Since the Moringa species in Balochistan have been introduced based on morphological keys in the Iranian flora, peregrine has been introduced. Based on the results of this study, the same was also recognized and confirmed through molecular.

Anarshitan is almost evergreen tree which due to its beautiful flowers, high temperature and drought tolerance, sand fixation, treating some diseases and making wood is of great importance.  This study was conducted to evaluate the morphological and physiological characteristics of Tecomella undulate  in 7 habitats of Jiroft city in Kerman province . The results showed that most traits were significant in terms of genotype, confirming the presence of diversity in each trait. As the altitude increased, plant height, leaf length and width, fresh and dry weight and stem diameter showed a decreasing trend. The most activity of antioxidant enzymes was recorded in the leaves of Amberabad and Gomrokan areas.The correlation coefficients between the traits showed a significant positive or negative relationship between some vegetative and physiological traits. Finally, this diversity among the sample population in the southern regions of the country can be regarded as a valuable genetic source for plant breeding.