a .moshatati

In the pursuit of a resilient and progressive agricultural system, the incorporation of diverse fertilizers is deemed essential. This practice not only enhances product quality but also aids in cost reduction. However, over-reliance on a specific type of input can inadvertently lead to unintended repercussions. The unrestricted utilization of chemical fertilizers, for instance, can precipitate adverse outcomes such as imbalanced pH levels, the accumulation of heavy elements, soil structure deterioration, and environmental contamination. Conversely, organic fertilizers, while environmentally friendly, often release nutrients at a slower rate, potentially disrupting optimal plant growth. To attain a balanced and sustainable agricultural approach, the combined application of organic and chemical fertilizers is advocated. Moreover, harnessing the biological potential inherent in soil ecosystems, including beneficial microbial communities encompassing bacteria and fungi, emerges as a promising avenue in cultivating sustainable agriculture. Acknowledging the adverse impact of late-season heat stress on wheat production in Khuzestan and recognizing the significance of reducing chemical fertilizer usage while augmenting organic and biological fertilizers to foster ecological health, this experiment undertakes the exploration of the effects of a synergistic approach. Specifically, it delves into the combined utilization of nitrogen and compost fertilizers, complemented by the incorporation of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. This endeavor aims to shed light on how this combined strategy operates within the context of terminal heat stress, assessing its influence on the physiological attributes and yield of the wheat cultivar Chamran 2.

This experiment was carried out as split-split plots based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in the crop year of 2021-2022 in the research farm of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan. The experimental factors include three planting dates: December 1st, December 20th, and December 10th in the main plots; Six levels of combined use of nitrogen fertilizer with compost fertilizer include control (without nitrogen and organic), 100% nitrogen, 75% nitrogen+ 25% compost, 50% nitrogen+ 50% compost, 25% nitrogen+ 75% compost and 100% compost in sub-plots and two levels of application and non-application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in sub-plots. Each sub-plot was 3 meters long and 2 meters wide (with an area of 6 square meters) and included 10 crop lines at a distance of 20 cm from each other. The distance between the main and secondary plots was considered to be half a meter and the distance between the blocks was two meters. After physiological maturity, the plants were harvested and the physiological traits and grain yield were measured.

Variance analysis showed that the interaction effect of planting date, combined use of nitrogen with compost, and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, on the traits of relative leaf water content, planting to flowering, and grain yield were significant at the 1% probability level. Also, the interaction effect of planting date and the combined use of nitrogen with compost on all traits except the length of the grain filling period and the length of sowing to physiological maturity was significant at the probability level of 1%. The mean comparison showed that the highest relative leaf water content, cell membrane thermostability, and canopy temperature depression were obtained from the treatment of 100% compost, and the highest traits of the length of sowing to flowering and length of sowing to physiological maturity were obtained in the use of 100% nitrogen. Also, the longest grain filling period, grain filling rate, and grain yield were obtained in the combined use of 50% nitrogen+ 50% compost and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, and the lowest value was obtained in the control of not using nitrogen and compost. In general, the delay in planting and the occurrence of terminal heat stress caused a decrease in grain yield, but on different planting dates, the combined use of 50% nitrogen+ 50% compost compared to the treatment of 100% nitrogen increased wheat grain yield.

According to the obtained results, in areas with terminal heat stress, the combined use of 50% nitrogen+ 50% compost and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria can be considered to increase the growth and yield of wheat.

In order to investigate the effect of planting method and sugarcane residue compost fertilizer on morphological and physiological traits and grain yield of corn, a field experiment using a split-plot arrangement was accomplished in a randomized complete block design with four replicates in Mian-Ab, Shooshtar, south-west Iran in summer 2018. Experimental factors included four planting methods (on ridges, on watermark, in furrows, and on flat ground) as main factor in main plots and four amounts of sugarcane residues compost (0, 10, 20, and 30 t ha-1) in sub-plots. Results showed that the effects of planting method, sugarcane residue compost, and their interaction were significant on the leaf area index, plant height, ear height, SPAD, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, grains/ear, thousand grain weight and grain yield. Mean comparison showed that the maximum amount of the examined corn traits was obtained in furrow planting and using 30 t ha-1 of sugarcane residue compost and the lowest amounts were observed in ridge planting and absence of sugarcane residue compost. The highest grain yield (6497 kg ha-1) was achieved in furrow planting and presence of 30 t ha-1 of sugarcane residue compost and the lowest grain yield (3870 kg ha-1) was in ridge planting and absence of sugarcane residue compost. In general, it seems that furrow planting by providing better growth conditions and consumption of sugarcane residues compost fertilizer due perhaps to improvement in soil nutrient availability and moisture storage capacity increase the growth and grain yield of corn in Shooshtar region.

In order to study the effect of mycorrhiza inoculation and zeolite-enriched manure compost on photosynthetic pigments content and qualitative properties of triticale grain, a factorial experiment in a completely randomized complete block design with four replications were conducted at Research Field of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khouzestan during 2016-2017 growing season. The experimental factors included mycorrhiza application at two levels (application and non-application of mycorrhiza), and mixing of zeolite to manure in six levels (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% w/w of zeolite/manure). According to the results, under conditions of mycorrhiza application with increasing zeolite up to 15% leaf greenness index (SPAD) increased but decreased afterwards. The highest chlorophyll a (2.68 mg g-1) was obtained from 15% zeolite treatment and the lowest (1.82 mg g-1) was detected in control. Mycorrhiza inoculation caused a 14% increase in carotenoid content compared to non-inoculation. Grain phosphorus content (0.43 mg kg-1) was increased in mycorrhiza inoculation condition compared to non-inoculation (0.37 mg kg-1). Under inoculation conditions, the highest grain yield (3510.7 kg ha-1) belonged to application of 10% zeolite. Under non-inoculation condition more zeolite was needed (in compare to inoculation treatment) to obtain the highest grain yield. The highest protein yield (329.97 kg ha-1) was obtained from mycorrhiza inoculation treatment with 15% zeolite and the lowest protein yield (1152 kg ha-1) was obtained from mycorrhiza inoculation treatment with 25% zeolite. Finally, the results of this study showed that the application of zeolite in manure and inoculation of mycorrhiza fungi can increase the concentration of photosynthetic pigments and grain quality of triticale.

In order to increase the quality of agricultural products and improve healthy food production systems, application of organic fertilizers has become very important in agroecosystems. To investigate the effect of different concentrations and time of humic acid foliar application on the qualitative characteristics and shoot and grain micronutrients content of Triticale, an experiment was conducted at the Research Field of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan during the 2017-2018 growing season. The experimental design was a split plot based on the randomized complete block design with four replications. Treatments included the time of foliar application at four levels (tillering, stem elongation, flag leaf, anthesis) in the main plot and spraying concentrations at four levels (0, 200, 400 and 600 mg L-1) in the sub plots. The results showed that the foliar application of humic acid at the flag leaf and anthesis stages had the greatest impact on the plant physiological traits. The highest chlorophyll b content, leaf area index and total chlorophyll (SPAD) were obtained from the application of 600 mg L-1 humic acid and the highest chlorophyll a content was gained from the spraying of 400 mg L-1. The maximum grain iron (40.44 mg kg-1) was related to the spraying of 200 mg L-1   of fertilizer at the tillering stage. The highest protein yield (745.65 kg ha-1) was obtained from the foliar application of 200 mg L-1 humic acid in the flag leaf stage. The highest amount of manganese (30.73 mg kg-1) was related to the application at the stem elongation stage and the concentration of 200 mg L-1. Based on the findings of this study, humic acid foliar application can increase the accumulation of micronutrients in plant and improve the qualitative traits of triticale.

One of the basic principles of sustainable agriculture is application of biologic and organic fertilizers in order to reduce chemical inputs consumption and increase soil fertility. Application of manure improves biological activity, physicochemical properties and water holding capacity in soil. Despite these positive effects, increased weed seed bank, outbreak of pests and diseases and accumulation of ammonia in the root of plants are the disadvantages of manure application. Due to the unique attributes of zeolites if they were added at the beginning of composting process can provide ventilatory condition for the activity of aerobic microorganisms and absorbs nutrients, especially nitrogen. Another important solution of improving efficiency of sustainable agriculture ecosystems is use of biofertilizers as the most natural solution to increase biological activity of soil. Symbiosis of plant with mycorrhiza fungi improves nutritional status of plant by increasing water and nutrients absorption. Triticale is a commercial cereal with a vast potential to feed human and animal. This plant can be cultivated in poor soils that are not suitable for wheat production. Finally the aim of this study was to achieve maximum yield of triticale by increasing efficiency of manure compost and simultaneous use of this fertilizer and mycorrhiza.

The experiment was conducted at Research field of Agricultural sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan during 2017-2018. Experimental design was a factorial based on randomized complete block design with four replications. The experimental factors included mycorrhizal application at two levels (application and non-application of mycorrhiza), and mixing of zeolite to manure in six levels (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% by weight of zeolite manure). The size of each experimental unit was 2×2 m2 and planting density was 400 plants per m2. Before the sowing, biofertilizer were shaken completely to cover the whole seeds surface after which the seeds were shadow-dried and planted, irrigation was done immediately after seed sowing. Traits included plant height, peduncle length, spike length, spikes per square meter, number of grains per spike, 1000 grain weight, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index were assessed in this experiment.

Based on the results, the interaction between mycorrhizal inoculation and mixing of zeolite with cattle manure were significant on plant height, peduncle length, number of grains per spike, 1000 grain weight and grain yield. The main effect of zeolite and mycorrhiza were significant on spike length, number of grains per spike and biological yield. In inoculation condition the most plant height (124.32 cm) was obtained at the level of 10% zeolite, while in non-inoculation condition the highest plant height (106.62) was obtained at the level of 20% zeolite. The number of spikes per square meter at the level of 20% zeolite (456) was 36% higher than the non-use of zeolite treatment (303). Under inoculation conditions, the highest grain yield (3510.7 kg.ha-1) was belonged to application of 10% zeolite and the lowest grain yield (1579.69 kg.ha-1) was gained from non-application of zeolite treatment. In non-inoculation condition compared to the inoculation treatment, more zeolite was needed to obtain high grain yield and by application of zeolite up to 20 percent gain yield increased.

According to results of the present experiment, application of 10% zeolite in manure compost along with mycorrhiza is recommended to increase the yield of triticale. It can be stated that the addition of zeolite to manure and the use of mycorrhiza fungi is a suitable method for achieving high yield in triticale cultivation.