ali reza dadkhah

A factorial field experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted to investigate the effect of seed priming and soil application of humic acid on the growth and yield of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.). The research was carried out in Farm Research of Shirvan Faculty of Agriculture in 2020. Experimental factors included seed priming with three levels of humic acid (0 (P1), 2.5g/l (P2) and 5g/l (P3)) and two levels of humic acid soil application (0 (S1) and 6 liters per hectare humic acid (S2)). The results of the statistics analysis showed that the application of humic acid (both seed priming and soil application) significantly increased the growth traits and yield of Roselle plants compared to non-humic acid-treated plants (P1S1). Plants treated with P3S2 significantly had the highest plant height (167.3 cm), number of branches per plant (9.8), number of leaves per plant (81), leaf dry weight (34 g/m2), leaf area index (5.2), calyx yield (53.3 g/m2), number of seeds per plant (882), seed yield (1281 kg/ha) and biological yield (4230 kg/ha). However, non-humic acid-treated plants (P1S1) had the lowest plant height (133.5cm), number of branches per plant (6.7), number of leaves per plant (46), leaf dry weight (18.7 g/m2), leaf area index (2.9), calyx yield (37.3 g/m2), number of seeds per plant (554), seed yield (977 kg/ha) and biological yield (2900 kg/ha). The results also showed that soil application of humic acid had a more positive effect on the growth traits of Roselle plants than seed priming. However, leaf chlorophyll content and weight of thousand seeds (g) were not affected by both seed priming and soil application of humic acid.

Introduction:

   Mint has been used both as a medicinal and aromatic plant since ancient times. Peppermint volatile oil is one of the most important essential oils and has strong antimicrobial activity. The stage at which the maximum essential oil is obtained from the plant is not necessarily the stage at which the plant has the most biomass, therefore, the appropriate time for harvesting the plant should be determined according to the maximum amount of the effective substance and the yield of dry matter. In most of the methods of producing medicinal plants, quick access to the equipment for extracting effective substances is not possible, especially at high levels, and this requires drying a large part of the plants and extracting the effective substance in subsequent times. The quality of dried medicinal plants is defined by the content of their biologically active compounds. This study was aimed to determine the best time to harvest peppermint and the effect of different drying methods on the shoots biochemical compounds.

In order to increase the yield of peppermint medicinal plant essential oil, two separate experiments were designed and conducted in Shirvan Higher Education Complex (N 26 37', E 45 57', altitude 1067 m) in 2015. The aim of first experiment was finding the best harvest time at three levels (Before flowering, at flowering 50 and 100%) and the second experiment was finding the best method for shoot drying with nine levels (Microwave radiation at 90, 180, 360, 600 and 900 watts; Oven at 40 and 60°C; Shade; and Sun), were based on a completely randomized block design (CRBD) and a completely randomized design (CRD), respectively. In the spring of 2015, tillage operations were carried out and after preparing the land, 9 plots (2 × 3 meters) were created in it. The distance between the plots was considered 1.5 m. Rizhomes of peppermint plant was obtained from Mashhad Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center and transplanted at 20 × 30 cm intervals on May 26. Some morpholocial and biochemical traits were measured. Essential oil extraction was done by distillation method with water and essential oil components were determined by GC/Mass method.

The effect of harvesting time was significant (p≤0.01) on the plant height, number of leaves per plant, wet and dry yield of peppermint plant. The height of the plant after 50% flowering stage did not show any significant difference, but the other investigated traits include the number of leaves per plant, the wet and dry yield of the plant, the yield of essential oil in terms of wet and dry weight, and the inhibition of free radicals in the branches in shoots harvested at the time of full flowering had the highest amount, which showed a statistically significant difference. The yield of essential oil in terms of dry matter in the full flower stage increased 1.8 times compared to the 50% flowering stage and 4.6 times compared to the pre-flowering stage. The percentage of essential oil components was also affected by the harvest time, and the highest amount was observed in the full flowering stage (98.92 percent), include the highest amount in menthol (42.39 percent) and menthone (19.13 percent). The use of micro rays caused the shortest drying time, so that with the increase of power of micro rays, the drying time decreased and the shoots were dried in 0.16 hours at the power of 900 watts. The oven application at 60 and 40 °C were statistically ranked second and third in terms of drying speed with 10 and 14.6 hours. Sun and shade drying needed 46 and 109.6 hours to reach constant moisture, respectively. The highest amount of essential oil was obtained in the shade drying method (2.13%) and the lowest amount was observed in the microwave application at 900 and 600 watt. (0.01%). After shade drying, the highest amount of essential oil was observed in the oven method at 40 °C (2%) and in the sun drying (1.44%). According to the results of this study, it is recommended to harvest the branches at the time of full flowering and dry them using oven at 40 °C to obtain more essential oil yield of peppermint shoots.

In general, the harvesting time has a significant effect on the morphological characteristics and essential oil of the peppermint shoots. Harvesting peppermint in the full flowering stage resulted in the highest amount of essential oil and essential oil yield. The maximum height and number of leaves in the plant were obtained by harvesting at the time of full flowering, but the maximum wet and dry yield of shoots was observed at the harvest of 50% of flowering. The amount of menthol and menthone as the most important compounds of mint essential oil in the full flowering stage was higher than the other two harvesting times. Also, based on the results of this experiment, different methods of drying peppermint plant have various effects on the essential oil amount of peppermint shoots. The shortest time until drying was related to the use of microwave, oven, sun and shade, respectively, and the highest yield of essential oil was obtained in shade, oven at 40 °C, microwave at 90 watt and sun, respectively.

Todays the excessive use of chemical fertilizers endangered food safty consequently public health and environment. It seems that by using natural and ecological inputs, while increasing the yield of crops, it is possible to maintain the sustainability of production and the health of the environment in the long term.

The experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications in the Bojnord city located in north east of iran during the year 2022. The experimental factors included: plant density at three levels including 11, 20, and 29 plants per square meter, sulfur-containing humic acid (0 (no application humic acid) 4 and 6 liters per hectare) and pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars (Kosha and Ghafar).

The results of experiment showed that the highest plant height was related to the pinto bean (Kosha cultivar) at density of 29 plants per squer meter.However, the plant hight of pinto bean (Ghafar cultivar) was more affected by the plant density than the Kosha cultivar. Kusha cultivar had the highest number of seeds in pods. With increasing of  plant density, the number of pods per plant decreased in both cultivars of pinto bean (Kosha and Ghafar). In Kosha cultivar at plant density of 11, sulfur-containing humic acid factor did not significantly affected the number of seeds in pods. However, at higher densities, with increasing of humic acid application, the number of seeds in the pod increased. The highest seed yield was observed in the Kosha cultivar with application 6 liters of humic acid per hectare. The interaction effect of plant density and humic acid on seed yield showed that the highest bean seed yield was related to the density of 20 plants per square meter along with sulfur humic acid of 6 liters per hectare. The biological yield of Kosha cultivar was 11.8% higher than Ghafar cultivar. With increasing the plant density, the biological yield increased. Based on results, the highest biological yield was observed in the density of 29 plants, which increased by 41.3% compared to 11 plant density. It was also observed that at the level of no humic acid fertilization, the amount of total chlorophyll of pinto bean cultivars of Kosha and Ghafar were not affected by plant density. However, with increasing of humic acid application, the amount of total chlorophyll in both cultivars significantly increased, so that the highest amount of this trait was observed at level 6. liter per hectare of humic acid and at the densities of 11 and 20 plants in Kosha and the density of 11 plants in Ghafar cultivar.

In general, it was found that humic acid and plant density were able to have a positive effect on most of the traits and photosynthetic pigments of pinto beans. By observing the appropriate level of density, variety and humic acid, we will be able to harvest the maximum yield of pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars (Kosha and Ghafar) in the desired area.

This research was conducted in order to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of different organs of Zygophyllum eurypterum on the growth and germination indices of Triticum aestivum and Acroptilon repens. The test treatments included aqueous extracts of Zygophyllum in concentrations of 5,10 and 15% of roots, aerial organs and control. The results showed that with increasing extract concentration, the growth traits and total chlorophyll of both investigated plants significantly decreased. In such a way that the highest and lowest inhibition rates were associated with 15%aerial organs extract and 5%root extract, respectively, but the antioxidant activity of Wheat and Acroptilon increased with increasing levels of root and stem extract of Zygophyllum. The highest level of aerial organs Zygophyllum in Wheat reduced the germination rate by 77.12% compared to the control. However, the germination of Acroptilon seeds completely stopped at the levels of 10 and 15% of aerial organs. By increasing the aerial organs extract concentration to 15%; root length decreased by 49.2% and 52.9% in Acroptilon and in Wheat respectively. The highest amount of antioxidant activity was observed at the level of 15% of aerial organs in both plants, and among this, Acroptilon had more antioxidant activity with 70.32%. Most of the traits including germination percentage, root length and stem length,in Acroptilon weed, were more sensitive to the allelopathic effects of Zygophyllum extract compared to Wheat Based on the results the aerial organs extract of Zygophyllum were more capable to dealing with germination and seedling growth than the root extract.

This research was carried out in 2022 in order to study the effect of the aqueous extract of different parts of Zygophyllum eurypterum L. on seed germination and seedling growth of wheat and Convolvulus arvensis L. in two separate experiments including the laboratory and the greenhouse conditions, respectively. The experiments were exerted based on a completely randomized design with three replications and randomized complete block design with 4 four replications, respectively. The experimental treatments included water extracts of Zygophyllum eurypterum L in concentrations of 5, 10 and 15% of roots, 5, 10 and 15% of aerial organs (stem and leaves) and control (distilled water). The results showed that with the increase in the concentration of the extracts, the germination and growth traits as well as the total chlorophyll of both plants decreased significantly. In such a way that the highest amount of inhibition was related to 15% arial parts (stem and leaf) extract. Meanwhile, the antioxidant activity of wheat and weed C. arvensis L. increased by increasing the level of Zygophyllum eurypterum extracts. The level of 15% Zygophyllum eurypterum stem and leaf extract in wheat decreased the germination percentage by 63.7% and in C. arvensis L. by 89.2% compared to the control.  Increasing of extract concentration from zero to 15% of arial parts decreased root length decreased by 72.8% in C. arvensis L., and 52.9% in wheat compared to the control. The highest level of antioxidant activity of the weed C. arvensis L. was observed at the levels of 10 and 15% of arial parts extract which were 64 and 73%, respectively. Most of the studied traits of the weed C. arvensis L., such as germination percentage and speed and root length, were more sensitive to the effects of Zygophyllum eurypterum extract than wheat. Examining the results showed that arial parts of Zygophyllum eurypterum were more capable of dealing with germination and seedling growth than the root. Therefore, 15% aqueous extract of Zygophyllum eurypterum stems and leaves can be suggested to reduce the growth and weakening of the weed C. arvensis L.

This research was conducted in order to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of different organs of harmel (Peganum harmala) on the growth and germination of Amaranthus retroflexus and Chenopodium album in two experiments (laboratory and greenhouse) respectively, based on CRD with three replications and RCBD with four replications. The treatments included aqueous harmel extracts in concentrations of 10% and 20% root, 10% and 20% Aerial organ and control. with increasing extract concentration, the growth traits and total chlorophyll of both plants decreased significantly. The highest and lowest levels of inhibition rates were associated with 20% stem extract and 10% root extract, respectively, but total soluble sugars and antioxidant activity of weeds increased with increasing levels of harmel root and stem extract. shoot extract decreased the germination speed in Chenopodium and Amaranthus by 87.35% and 91.22%, respectively, compared to the control. In Amaranthus the length index of the plant by 63.33% and 96.67% respectively. the highest root and shoot concentrations (20%) decreased. The length of root by 50.49 and 86.94%, In Amaranthus and 47.87 and 81.80% in Chenopodium compared to the control. The highest total soluble sugar was observed at the level of 20% of the stem, and Amaranthus had more total soluble sugar with an increase of 64.9% compared to the control. Most traits in Amaranthus were more sensitive to the allelopathic effects of harmel compared to Chenopodium. extract of shoot was stronger than the root extract, which can be used in the preparation of herbicides with natural sources.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of organizational commitment, Islamic work ethic, work alienation in relation to job satisfaction and the organization with the possibility of breaking the law of employees. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey method. The study population was all employees of government offices in Najafabad city. Morgan table was used to determine the sample size and 331 people were determined. Of these, 306 members of the statistical community answered the questionnaire. To measure the research variables, the standard job satisfaction questionnaires of Minnesota Weiss et al. (1967), Sims satisfaction (2002), Banai and Russell job alienation (2007), Allen and Meyer organizational commitment (1993), Islamic work ethic and lamentation, respectively. Et al. (2015) and Five Ethical Troubles / Problems were used in the form of six Sims (1999) scenarios to investigate the possibility of breaking the law. The general research model approach has been structural equation modeling with partial least squares (PLS) approach and WarpPLS software. Findings show that job satisfaction and satisfaction with the organization have an inverse effect on work alienation. Job satisfaction and organizational satisfaction have a direct effect on organizational commitment. Organizational commitment has the opposite effect on work alienation; But organizational commitment does not affect the likelihood of breaking the law despite being reversed. Job alienation predicts and has a direct effect on employee law-breaking. Islamic work ethic as a moderator variable has been able to reduce the effect of organizational commitment on work alienation at the level of 99% (β = 0.25 and P <0.10) and also the effect of work alienation on the probability of breaking the law at the level of 95% (0.17 - = β and P = 0.04).

Weeds have significant negative effects on agricultural ecosystems. They are responsible for the decline of crop yield because of competition with crops for water, nutrients and sunlight. Existing weed control methods are either expensive or hazardous. Heavy use of chemical herbicides in most integrated weed management systems is a major concern since it causes serious threats to the environment, public health and increase cost of crop production. Therefore, alternative strategies against weed must be developed. Allelopathy is defined as the inhibitory/stimulatory effect(s) of one plant on other plants through the release of chemical compounds into the surrounding environment. It is characterized by a reduction in plant emergence or growth, reducing their performance in the association. Allelopathy provides a relatively cheaper and environmental friendly weed control alternative. This can be considered as a possible alternative weed management strategy. A number of plants have also been known to exhibit allelopathic property on other plants. Allelopathy associated with plants due to the presence of allelochemicals such as monoterpences, phenolic and volatile compounds in their foliage. Therefore, the present study was done to develop management practices to reduce the use of agro-chemicals for sustainable agriculture. Therefore, the effects of allelopathic potential of sugar beet and canola on suppression of some weeds of chickpea farm were studied. A field experiment based on a randomized complete block design with four replications was carried out in a naturally weeds infested land to investigate the allelopatic effects of canola (Brassica napus L. var Ocapi) and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris Var Jolge) residues on weeds and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) at research center of Shirvan Agricultural College (37° 23¢ north latitude and 57° 54¢ east longitude and altitude of 1060 meters), North Khorasan Province, Iran. Seven treatments including I: chopped residues of canola (1.5 kg m-2), II: chopped residues of sugar beet (1.5 kg m-2) both were separately incorporated to 25 cm depth soil uniformly 20 days before sowing, III: chopped residues of canola and sugar beet mix together (0.75 kg/m2 each), IV: shoot aqueous extract of canola, V: shoot aqueous extract of sugar beetVI: mixed adequate extract of canola & sugar beet, which were separately sprayed at post emergence stage (at 7, 15 and 30 days after sowing) and VII: without any residues and spraying as control. For preparation of aqueous extract, chopped shade dried residues of canola and sugar beet were separately ground into fine powder (using an electric mill). One hundred g of ground tissue of each of the tested species was placed in a 2 L Erlenmeyer flask and 1 L distilled water was added and left for 48 h at room temperature. The mixtures were then filtered through a double layer of cheese cloth followed by Whatman No.1 filter paper using a vacuum pump. Water extracts were applied between rows at the rate of 100 ml per square meter twice at 7 and 14 days after sowing (DAS) using a knapsack hand-sprayer fitted with a flat fan nozzle maintaining a pressure of 207 kpa. The result of experiment showed that growth traits of weeds and chickpea plant are significantly affedted by treatments. Maximum inhibition on weed density, weed dry weight, weed coverage (%) and the hight of chieckpea plants were recorded when using sugar beet residues incorporated with soil. So weed density, weed dry weight, weed coverage and the height of chickpea plants decreased by 52.4%, 90.15, 52.6% and 25.2%, respectively, compared to control. The highest (329.4 g m-2) and lowest (192.1 g m-2) chickpea dry weight were obtained in shoot aqueous extract of canola and shoot aqueous extract of sugar beet, respectively. The highest harvest index (59.2%) observed in plants treated with sugar beet residues. Some studies reported that allelochemicals like salt and drought stresses exhibited inhibitory effects on physiological processes that translate to growth. The effects of allelopathy on germination and plant growth may occur through a variety of mechanisms including reduced mitotic activity in roots and shoots, suppressed hormone activity, reduced rate of nutrient uptake, inhibited photosynthesis and respiration, inhibited protein formation, decreased permeability of cell membranes and/or inhibition of enzyme action. Weed cover reduction can be closely linked to slower leaf production and development of smaller leaves. It was reported that at stress condition leaf area decreases due to a combination of a decrease in cell number and in cell size. A possible reason for dry matter reduction could be the greater reduction in uptake and utillisation of mineral nutrients by plant under allelochemical stress condition. Hegab et al, (2008) found that higher concentration of allelochemical induced inhibitory effect on amylase activity in wheat seedlings. They also reported the application of allelochemicals at high concentrations decreased protein content of wheat seedlings. The present study concludes that integrating canola and sugar beet residues has the potential to suppress weeds germination and growth. These residues can be used as an eco-friendly approach to manage weeds in chickpea fields.

A factorial pot experiment was conducted based on randomized complete blocks design in green house condition to investigate the effect of short-term salt stress on leaf photosynthesis and ion relations of two sugar beet cultivars (Madison and 7233-P29). Plants were exposed to 0, 50, 150, 250, and 350 mM salinity (NaCl and CaCl2 in 5:1 molar ratio) for 48 hours. Measurements were done on youngest fully expanded leaves. Salinity caused a significant reduction in stomatal conductance and consequently leaf net photosynthesis in both cultivars. Net photosynthesis of cv 7233-P29 at low level of salinity (50 mM) at 12 h, 24 h and 48 hours after salinity application decreased by 7.4%, 15.1% and 20%, respectively, compared to control. However, reduction in photosynthesis at highest level of salinity (350 mM) at the same times were 62.4%, 73%, and 72.3%, respectively, compared to control. For Madison the percent of reduction was significantly higher than P29. Cultivar P29 at 12 and 24 hours after salinization had significantly higher Na content than Madison up to 250 mM. Potassium concentration tended to decrease with increase in salinity. Salinity led to increased Cl- concentration in both cultivars. However, Madison had significantly higher Cl- content than P29 at the highest level of salinity at all three times of sampling. A strong correlation between photosynthesis and stomatal conductance (R2=0.98) and weak correlation between photosynthesis and sodium concentration (R2= 0.22), and photosynthesis and chloride concentration (R2=0.55) indicated that in short-term exposure to salinity, stomatal conductance was one of the main causes of photosynthesis.

In order to control weeds in transplanting onions in Hormozgan province, an experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with eight treatments and three replications in research farm of Agriculture Shamil district of Bandar Abbas city functions during 2015-2016. The treatments were: Control (no control), Oxyfluorfen (Goal) (EC%24) at 0.48 Kg a.i.ha-1, Sethoxydim (Nabu-s) (EC%12.5) at 0.375 kg ai.ha-1, Haloxyfop-R methyl ester (Gallant Super) (EC%10.8) at 0.81 Kg a.i.ha-1, Oxadiazon (Ronstar) (EC%48) at 1.44 Kg a.i.ha-1, Chlorthal dimethyl (dacthal) (WP%75) at 6 Kg a.i.ha-1, Ioxynil (Totril) (EC%22.5) at 0.45 Kg a.i.ha-1 and weeding (control weeds growing in all periods). The results showed that the density, dry weight of weeds and yield of onion was affected by treatments. Mechanical methods (weeding) in between treatments the highest effect on the density, dry weight of weeds and yield of onion was. So that the yield of onion increased at a rate of 5.50 tons.ha-1. Among the herbicides, herbicide oxyfluorfen (2 to 4 leaf stage of weeds) after mechanical method have the greatest impact on the density, dry weight of weeds and yield of onion accounted. As weed density and dry weight, by 65.2, 63.1% respectively, and yield of onion as much as by 509% increased performance. In total, herbicide efficacy in controlling weeds oxyflorfen and Ioxynil, C. album L., A. retroflexus, P. oleracea, M. sylvestris L. and C. rotundus L. was good. Chlorthal dimethyl on A. retroflexus and C. rotundus L., Oxadiazon on M. sylvestris L., A. retroflexus, and C. rotundus L. weed control and herbicide Haloxyfop-R methyl ester, P. oleracea and C. album L. and C. rotundus L. was good. In first grade mechanical methods (weeding) with good control of weeds and the highest yield of onion best treatment was experimental and oxyflorfen in the second grade herbicide and another herbicide Oxadiazon and Ioxynil is recommended in the Hormozgan province.

To determine the allelopathic potential of Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. on seed germination and seedling growth of chickpea and soybean in laboratory condition, an experiment based on completely randomized design with four replications and six treatments was carried out including distilled water as control, aqueous extract concentrations of Z. clinopodioides by 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 15% (w/v) at Complex Higher Education of Shirvan during 2014. Germination percentage and rate, seedling shoot and root length, dry weight of chickpea and soybean significantly affected by aqueous extract concentrations of Z. clinopodioides in 5% probability levels. Germination percentage and rate of chickpea and soybean significantly decreased by increasing extract concentration. The most inhibitive effect was observed in 15%, that germination percentage of chickpea and soybean decreased by 17.5 and 23.5%, respectively compared to control. Z. clinopodioides extract had more inhibitive on germination rate than germination percentage. Z. clinopodioides aqueous extract significantly delayed the germination of chickpea and soybean. With increasing concentration of aqueous extract of shoot and root inhibition was more impressed than chickpea and soybean. Shoot and root dry weight of soybean showed more reduction than seedling dry weight of chickpea. However, shoot and root dry weight of soybean seedling decreased by 82.2 and 67% respectively, compared to control, while shoot and root dry weight of chickpea seedling decreased by 60 and 53.2%, respectively. According to the inhibitory effect of Z. clinopodioiedes, on growth of chickpea and soybean in farms growing perennial herbs such as Z. clinopodioiedes is not recommended.

Domestication, cultivation and mass production of shallot to prevent the loss of its genetic resources are of particular importance. This study was conducted in a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with 3 replications to evaluate the effects of different levels of phosphorus fertilizer and planting densities on medicinal and industrial plants of shallots at the Agricultural Research Station of Higher Education Complex of Shirvan. Treatments of this study were plant densities at tree levels (20, 30 and 40 plants per square meter) and phosphorus applications (superphosphate) at four levels (0, 150, 250 and 350 kg.ha-1). The results showed that phosphorus, plant density and the interactions between them significantly affected growth parameters such as leaf area index, leaf area ratio, crop growth, relative growth, and net assimilation rates as compared to controls. According to these results, it can be concluded that this plant reacts positively to the phosphorus fertilization.

Sugar beet is one of strategic products to supply sugar in water limited areas of Iran. Thus, proper managements to supply enouph water in production of sugar beet is very important. To evaluate the effects of some anti stress substances like salicylic acid, tyuful and glycine to irritigate the effect of early water deficit on suger beet, an experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications was carried out at the Research Farm of Fariman Sugar Factory in 2013. Treatments consisted of control (without using anti stress substances), with three concentration of salicylic acid (0.1, 0.5, and 1 mM), tyuful with three concentration (0.5, 1 and 1.5 liter per thousand) and glycine with three concentration (1, 2 and 3 liters per thousand). The results showed that the effects of anti-stress materials significantly affected the sugar content, root yield, white sugar yield and harmful nitrogen. Highest sugar content (15.65%), root yield (83.82 t.ha-1) and white sugar percentage (11.15%) were obtained by using tyuful 1.5 lit/1000. While, the lowest levels of these characters were obtained from control (not using anti stress substances). Maximum harmful nitrogen was produced in control treatment (4.38) and highest level of alkalinity with mean of 3.49 was observed by using 3 lit/1000 of glycine. Our results showed that all of the anti stress substances had positive effects on sugar beet under drought stress condition.

Germination is a critical stage in the life cycle of plants and often controls population dynamics, with major practical implications. Salsola arbusculiformis is one of the most important plants used to prevent soil erosion and a good fodder resource for sheep and goat in the rangelands of Iran. However, the species seems to have low seed germination, so the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different treatments to improve its seed germination. Three concentrations of gibberellic acid (100, 500 and 1000 ppm), mechanical scarification with sandpaper, concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4 (98%)), potassium nitrate (KNO3 (0.2%)), thiourea one Molar, four prechilling periods (10, 20, 30 and 150 days at 2 °C) were used as study treatments and distilled water as control. The results showed that there were significant differences (p<0.05) among and within the treatments in their effects on seed germination. The effective treatments to stimulate seed germination were prechilling for 150 and 30 days; sulphuric acid and sandpaper scarification. Prechilling for 150 and 30 days increased germination by 88.4% and 85.65%, respectively, while sulphuric acid and sandpaper scarification both increased germination by 76.1% compared to the control. The results also showed that gibberellic acid, potassium nitrate and thiourea did not promote seed germination. It was inferred that the most effective treatments among the methods used for breaking seed dormancy of Salsola arbusculiformis were prechilling for 150 days and mechanical scarification by hand with sandpaper.

This research conducted in order to prioritize the effective criteria on development of medicinal plants cultivation in North Khorasan Province using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Delphi methods. For this purpose, a list of effective factors offered to delphi group. Analysis of delphi process showed that among 23 offered factors 19 factors, had greater impact on development of medicinal plants cultivation. Hierarchy tree was drawn through grouping of 19 factors into four criteria including economic, promotional-educational services, cultural-social and supportive policies factors. The pair wise comparison questionnaires were then distributed among relevant researchers and experts of the province to get their opinions about the priority of criteria and sub- criteria. The questionnaires were analyzed using Expert Choice software. The result revealed that economic criterion with respective weight of 0.406 had the most impact among four criteria affecting the development of medicinal plants cultivation. The supportive policies (respective weight of 0.275), educational-extension services (respective weight of 0.193) and cultural-social factors (respective weight of 0.125) received the maximum towards the minimum priorities, respectively. The results of synthesis process showed that among the 19 factors, the guaranteed purchase and establishing of pilot fields of medicinal plants, farmers'' awareness of comparative advantage of medicinal plants, and the development of processing industries had the maximum towards minimum impacts on development of medicinal plants cultivation.

Soil macrofauna is one of the important components of soil biodiversity. This research was conducted to study the effect of climate and land use on soil macrofauna biodiversity in Northern Khorasan in 2009. The impact of climate was considered with selection two regions including Shirvan, with semi-arid climate and Jajarm, with arid-climate. In each region, two land uses including rangeland and agricultural land were considered. In sample units, the macrofauna were collected with pitfall traps, sorted and counted in terms of family. The analysis of data were perfumed using of t-test, ANOVA and PCA. The results showed that land use had significant impact on diversity in both regions. So, the taxonomic richness and Shannon diversity index were lower in rangelands compared to agricultural lands. This was attributed to low plant diversity and pressure of livestock grazing in rangelands. Also different composition of macrofauna was formed in two land uses. Impact of climate on diversity and composition of macrofauna was too much, so the favorable climate in the Shirvan compared to Jajarm region led to its improvement of soil macrofauna biodiversity.

To study the response of yield،yield components،protein and oil content of soybean cultivars to delay in planting in Shirvan region، an experiment was conducted at Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture، Shirvan in 2010. In this study، nine soybean cultivars (Habit، Hack، Black Hack، Cencutry، Cloumbos، Clark، Sahar، Zane and Willams) were evaluated at different sowing dates (20 May، 4 June and 20 June) in factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The results indicated that yield components، protein content and grain yield significantly reduced by delay planting. The first planting (20 May) had the highest grain yield (2338 kg/ha). There were significant differences between soybean cultivars for grain yield and other traits except oil content. Zane cultivar had the highest grain yield. Sahar cultivar had the lowest grain yield due to the reduced harvest index، increase days to flowering and days to poding. The results indicated that delay in planting causes reduction in grain yield. Zane، Black Hack، and Hack cultivars had the highest grain yield in all planting dates.

Drought stress in germination stage is one of most important factor that limit yield and growth of lentil in Iran. The heterotrophic seedling growth can be considered as the product of three components: initial seed weight، the fraction of seed reserves which are mobilized، and the conversion efficiency of mobilized seed reserves to seedling tissues. In order to investigate the effect of drought stress on percentage and rate of germination and seedling growth components، a factorial experiment was conducted based on randomized completely design (RCD) with three replications. The experimental factors were included three lentil cultivars (Robat، Kimia، Gachsaran) and five levels of drought stress (0، -3، -6، -9، -12 bar of polyethylene glycol 6000). The results showed that with increasing drought stress، percentage and rate of germination percentage was decreased to zero in the osmotic potential of -12 bar. Although significant difference was not observed in germination percentage in drought stress levels between different cultivars، but difference in germination rate was significant. The rank of cultivars was Robat> Gachsaran> Kimia in germination rate. The inverse linear relationship was made between drought stress levels and seedling growth components. More seed reserve depletion in Robat and Gachsaran lead to more seedling dry weight of two cultivars in compare to Kimia cultivar that had more conversion efficiency. Thus efforts to improve germination and seedling growth in lentil breeding programs should focus on improvement of component of mobilized seed reserves.

In order to investigate the influence of bio- and chemical fertilizers on growth parameters and essential oil of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Miller.), an experiment based on randomized complete blocks design with five treatments and three replications was carried out. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (strain Sebacina vermifera) and phosphate dissolving bacteria (genera Peseudomonas) were applied as bio-fertilizers. Five treatments including T1 as a control (100% recommended dosage of NP without inoculation), T2 (50% recommended NP without inoculation), T3 (Sebacina vermifera 50% NP) T4 (Peseudomonas 50%), T5 (Sebacina vermifera Peseudomonas 50% NP) were used. The results showed that inoculation of bio-fertilizers applied with 50% recommended dosage of NP, increased vegetative growth (plant height, number of umbel per plant, plant dry weight) of fennel plants compared to chemical fertilizer treatments only. Plants treated with combined of bio-fertilizers (arbuscular mycorrhizal strain Sebacina vermifera and phosphate dissolving bacteria genera Peseudomonas) had the highest plant height (72.6 cm), number of umbels per plant (45.5), dry weight (36.2 g) and fruit yield per plant (7.7 g). Application of bio-fertilizers also increased the amount of N, P and K in plant tissues compared to non-inoculated plants. Plants treated with combined bio-fertilizers had the highest amount of N (14.1 mg g-1), P (8.2 mg g-1) and K (9.2 mg g-1) in their tissues, while the least amount of N (8.9 mg g-1), P (4.7 mg g-1) and K (5.9 mg g-1) occurred in plant tissues treated with 50% NP fertilizers. The highest essential oil yield was also observed in combined bio-fertilizers 50% NP. However, the least amount of essential oil yield was obtained in plants treated with half dose of chemical fertilizer.