hamid sodaei zadeh

The lack of fresh water resources in arid and semi-arid regions is the most important factor limiting agricultural activities. On the other hand, one of the challenges that exist in cities is the accumulation of sludge resulting from urban sewage treatment. According to the available sources, the sludge obtained from urban sewage treatment contains large amounts of mineral and organic substances, which can improve soil fertility and water retention and are useful for agricultural products. In this regard, in order to investigate the effect of sewage sludge in reducing the effects of drought stress on the growth characteristics of Hibiscus sabdariffa L., a study was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design in a factorial format and under greenhouse conditions. The test factors included drought stress with four levels (100, 75, 50 and 25% of crop capacity) and sewage sludge with two levels (zero and 10 grams per kilogram of soil) and four replications. During the six-month growth period of the plants in the greenhouse, dry treatments were applied using tap water with a salinity of 700 micro Siemens per meter, based on the weighing of the pots. After the plants reached the stage of flowering and boll production, morphological traits such as plant height, shoot weight, stem diameter, number of bolls, root weight and number of leaves were measured. The results showed that the effect of sewage sludge application on the wet and dry weight of shoot, height, number of bolls, stem diameter and root wet weight at the level of one percent (p<0.01) and the dry weight of the root at the level of five percent (p>0.05) was significant. Using sewage sludge increased plant dry weight by 46%, height by 24%, stem diameter by 14%, and root dry weight by 50% compared to the control treatment.​ The investigation of the interaction effect of drought and sludge on the morphological characteristics of the plant showed that the application of sewage sludge at stress levels of 100, 70 and 50% of the field capacity increased the fresh weight of aerial parts by 118, 90 and 75%, respectively, compared to the control. The interaction effect of drought and sludge on the number of plant bolls showed that the highest amount of this trait was obtained with an average of 25 numbers in the treatment of sewage sludge application and 100% field capacity, and the lowest amount was equal to 1.25 in the treatment of 25% field capacity and no sewage sludge application. The interaction effect of drought and sewage sludge on plant physiological traits such as proline, sugar, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid levels was not significant. In general, the results of this research show the positive role of sewage sludge on improving the growth and performance of this plant under drought stress conditions.

Due to the reduction of quality and non-saline water resources, it is important to cultivate plants with high tolerance to environmental stresses such as salinity. The medicinal plant of hyssop grows easily in any soil without the need for food. This study with aimed at the response of different methods of hyssop plant planting to different levels of salinity was conducted as factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with 3 replications, during 2020-2021 growing season in Salinity Research Center, Yazd. The experimental factors included three levels of salinity (0.44 [control], 3 and 6 dS/m), as the first factor and two cultivation methods (seedlings and seeds) as the second factor. The results showed that the highest plant height (44 cm) in control (with 167% more salinity than 6 dS/m) and seedling method (43% more than seed method), leaf area (764.51 cm2 with different 55.5% than 6dS/m) was obtained in control method. maximum total dry weight (0.86 g/plant) in control (115% more than 6 dS/m) and seedling method (60% more than seed method), maximum carotenoids content (3.25 mg/g FW with different 62% more than 6 dS/m) were observed in control when seedling method was used, also, at control and seedling cultivation treatment maximum total chlorophyll content (26.87 mg/g FW and 106% more than 6 dS/m) and highest amount of sodium (9486.83 mg/kg DW with increasing 216% than control treatment) in 6 dS/m, and also highest amount of potassium (21090.09 mg/kg DW with different 30% than 6dS/m) in control, were observed. In general, in the seedling planting method, compared to seed planting, the plant had more tolerance and adaptation as well as growth.

With the increasing world's population, the need for food and medicine, and their continuous supply, are essential for mankind. Medicinal plants are one of the important factors for human life, as they can be used both as food and medicine. The ancients had a long history of using medicinal plants, and they used their many properties extensively. The scientific name for Caper plant is Capparis spinosa L. Due to its resistance to environmental stress and its ability to act as a protector against soil destruction, this valuable medicinal plant is suitable for growing in arid and desert areas. Commercial cultivation of this plant is very valuable because it is rich in bioactive compounds. This plant's compounds can be extremely useful and effective in protecting humans from various diseases or enhancing the treatment of diseases. This study aimed to examine the total phenol and flavonoid composition, antioxidant activity, and extraction efficacy of various parts of this plant in two desert locations in Yazd and Isfahan to select the best cultivation region from these two sites for expanding cultivation. To determine the most effective compounds and the optimal extraction method, various organs of the plant were examined separately in this research. The best extraction efficiency can be achieved by growing the plant in the region and harvesting the desired organ, and the extracted materials can be used to prevent and treat diseases.

 The caper plant was collected from desert sites in Yazd and Isfahan in different parts, which included leaves, stems, buds, flowers, fruits, and roots. Plants were collected from four different locations on the site, and finally, the plants from four different locations were combined. After the botany expert's approval, extraction was done from different parts of the plant with hydroalcoholic solvent (80% ethanol) by the Soxhlet method. In this research, different experiments of total phenol, total flavonoid, antioxidant content, and extraction efficiency were performed using standard methods. Different dilutions of extract and standard material were made for all experiments. Folin Ciocalto's reagent was used to measure the total phenol, and it was reported according to the Gallic Acid standard per gram dry weight of the plant. Different tests like ABTS, DPPH, CUPRAC, and FRAP were employed to measure the plant's antioxidant content. The standard for milligrams of Trolox per gram of dried plant weight was used to calculate all of them. The number of flavonoids was measured based on the Aluminium Chloride colorimetry method and was expressed in the standard form of milligrams of Quercetin per gram of weight of the dried plant. To determine the extraction efficiency, the weight of the powder extract obtained from the extraction of different organs was calculated with a scale, and then the ratio of the weight of the powder extract of the weight of dried plant was reported as extraction method efficiency. For each of the experiments, 3 repetitions were performed. A two-way analysis of variance was utilized to examine the data's normality, and finally, IBM SPSS Statistics 26 software was utilized to analyse them.

The findings demonstrated that phenolic and flavonoid compounds were abundant in various parts of the caper plant from both locations. The leaves demonstrated a higher concentration of phenolic and flavonol compounds, with 48.611 mgGA/gDW and 19.842 mgQE/gDW, respectively. The antioxidant activity of roots was the highest among all parts of the plant. The Yazd site's caper plants were found to have a higher total phenolic and flavonoid content, with 35.572 mgGA/gDW and 14.14.164 mgQE/gDW, when compared to the other regions. The highest antioxidant activity was found in the fruit and root of the caper plant using the DPPH method. The ABTS method's measurement of antioxidant activity resulted in the same results and indicated that fruits had the highest activity. A positive correlation was observed between the amount of phenol and flavonoids. Furthermore, the Yazd site had a higher extraction efficiency than the Isfahan site, measuring 16.754%. The best region between two desert sites is also the best organ for extraction, as per the results of the current investigation. These results can be utilized to cultivate caper plants that contain more effective substances. These findings emphasize the status of the Caper plant as a rich source of secondary metabolites and show its potential as a potent healing agent with highly beneficial compounds, the site of Yazd is a suitable site for the cultivation of this plant. By cultivating this plant, in addition to helping to reduce desertification and prevent soil erosion, it is possible to have a source of secondary metabolites, especially phenol and flavonoid compounds, and use them in many medicinal applications.

The scarcity of cultivable land for medicinal plant growth in arid regions has resulted in the excessive utilization of pasture plants for medicinal applications. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of hydroponic and aquaponic systems as alternative approaches for cultivating lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus). thus, an experiment based on a completely randomized design with five repetitions was conducted in Yazd University and the impact of three different cultivation systems (hydroponic, aquaponic, and soil) on the different characteristics of lemongrass were determined. The results demonstrated a significant impact of the cultivation systems on various morphological attributes of the plant including root length, stem diameter, height, and total plant dry biomass. The hydroponic system improves these aforementioned characteristics by 133%, 33.3%, 40.9%, and 56.5%, respectively, when compared to traditional soil planting methods. The aquaponic was found to be ranked lower than the hydroponic system, but it demonstrated a significant improvement in the investigated traits when compared to soil bed cultivation. The influence of different culture systems on the concentration of macro and microelements (excluding potassium) in the aboveground part of the plant was found to be statistically significant. The hydroponic system exhibited the highest nitrogen concentration, while the highest levels of phosphorus and magnesium were observed in the aquaponic system. Conversely, the soil cultivation system displayed the highest concentrations of calcium, sodium, iron, and zinc. Furthermore, the culture medium had a significant impact on the levels of chlorophyll, protein, fat, fiber, and ash in the plant. However, the investigated treatments did not show any significant influence on the concentration of the plant's proline and carbohydrates. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrate the significant impact of three examined cultivation systems on the morphological, physiological, and biochemical attributes of lemongrass as a medicinal plant. Moreover, the potential utilization of hydroponic and aquaponic beds as viable alternatives for cultivating this plant in arid regions is indicated. However, it is necessary to investigate the economic aspects of lemongrass plant production in the mentioned systems as well as the effect of planting substrate on the secondary compounds of this plant in future research.

The growth and yield of plants in the arid and semiarid areas are limited by salinity stress. In these areas, salinity intensifies by high temperatures. Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) is of great economic importance in the most of world areas due to their valuable essential oils. This study investigated the simultaneous effects of salinity and heat on rosmarinic acid production and expression of three effective genes (C4H, HPPR, and RAS) in rosmarinic biosynthesis in peppermint.

The effect of two levels of salinity 60 and 120 mM of sodium chloride (irrigation water with salinity of 10 Mm as control) and heat stress at 35°C (25°C as control) at three interval times (24, 48 and 72 hours) after treatments were measured in a completely randomized design with three replications.

The results showed that salinity stress decreased the relative level of rosmarinic acid. The process intensified over time so that it reached its lowest level at salinity of 60 mM at 72 hours. RAS genes expression was significantly reduced under salinity of 120 mM and 60 mM under 25˚C and 35 ˚C. Changes in the expression level of C4H in peppermint seedlings at the salinity levels of 60 mM and 120 mM at 25˚C showed a significant increase (4.1 and 3.6 times respectively) at the first 24 hours compared to control. The expression of HPPR gene in peppermint seedlings at 35 ° C increased 2.68, 1.79 and 2.55 times at 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively, compared to the control.

Simultaneous salinity and heat stress are a limitation factor for growing Mentha piperita L. These factors had a negative effect on the biosynthesis of rosmarinic acid in this plant. Salinity and heat stress decreased the expression of some genes and increased the expression of others in peppermint.

Due to the importance of halophyte species in the reclamation of saline lands, the present study was conducted to investigating the effects of different levels of salinity on growth traits and enzymatic of Salsola imbricata in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications and seven levels of salinity including 3, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 dS m-1 at research greenhouse of National Salinity Research Center. Traits of stem length, root length, root-shoot length ratio, collar diameter, number of branches, protein content, catalase, peroxidase, and proline were measured. Results showed that different levels of salinity were significant for all studied traits except peroxidase. Increasing salinity levels from 3 dS m-1 to 60 dS m-1, significantly reduced shoot length at the rate of 20%, root length 30%, root-shoot length ratio 11%, collar diameter 38%, and the number of branches per plant 29%. Increasing salinity from 3 dS m-1 to 40 dS m-1 decreased protein content by 30%, but the protein content increased by 26.7% by increasing salinity up to 50 and 60 dS m1. Results of enzymatic activities showed that increasing salinity significantly increased the amount of catalase, peroxidase, and proline, so the highest of these compounds was observed at 60 dS m1.

Selenium (Se) and silicon (Si) are identified to affect plant physiological attributes and yield parameters. Se and Si’s effective roles in reducing various environmental stresses in plant of Origanum vulgare L. are unknown and need to be investigated. This study aimed to examine the role of Si and Se application on O. vulgare under drought stress and the effect of these two elements on physiological traits and yield parameters of O. vulgare. The impact of the foliar spraying of Se and Si under drought stress conditions was studied through a split factorial experiment with three replications in greenhouse conditions at the Yazd University. Drought, as the first factor in three stress levels of 30, 70 and 100% of field capacity, and nutrient factors including Se in three levels of control, 15 and 30 mg/l, and Si in three levels of control, 150 and 300 mg/l were sprayed. Foliar spraying of Se 30 mg/l had a significant effect on the increase in proline, soluble sugar, chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolics compounds, and fresh and dry shoot weights. The foliar spraying of Si 150 mg/l had a significant effect on the increase in proline compared to the control traits. The change in foliar spray quantity of Si has no significant impact on changes in yield parameters. The combined foliar spraying of Se and Si to reduce the effects of drought stress has been more effective than applying just one of these elements in improving the physiological attributes of O. vulgare. The solution of 30 mg/l Se and 15 mg/l Si has a higher yield under drought stress conditions of 70% of the field capacity.

This study investigated the effects of simultaneous salinity and heat stress on some physiological and vegetative characteristics in peppermint. The effect of three levels of salinity (0, 60 and 120 mM of sodium chloride) and two levels of thermal stresses (25°C and 35°C) at 24, 48 and 72 hours after treatments were measured on some physiological and morphological characteristics of Mentha piperita L. in a completely randomized design with three replications. The results showed that simultaneous salinity and heat stress increased the relative levels of phenolic and proline compounds. At 35 ° C and 120 mM salinity, the amount of proline increased by 2.32, 2.5 and 1.92 times compared to the control at 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. The highest accumulation of phenolic compounds was observed at 35 ° C and salinity of 120 mM after 72 hours equal to 3.3 mg/g. The content of soluble sugar, carotenoids, total chlorophyll and calcium in peppermint seedlings had a decreasing trend. At 120 mM salinity, the ratio of K+/Na+ compared to the control decreased by 8.44, 10.37 and 9.35 times in 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. Salinity and heat stress decreased the fresh and dry weight of shoots, but in contrast, the fresh weight and dry weight of roots showed a significant increase. Simultaneous salinity and heat stresses are limiting factors for the cultivation of peppermint. The simultaneous stress of salinity and heat increased the amount of phenol, which could improve the quality of peppermint..

Hunting is a social phenomenon. One way to protect the environment, create an environmental culture in the community is remorseful predators. These people as part of the community can have a key role to protecting and restoring wildlife. The population of this research, hunters in Yazd province. The findings related to motivation to quit hunting was made through a questionnaire. Type of survey research. To analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistics were used. To determine the factors influencing the behavior of one-sample Wilcoxon test was used remorseful predators. SPSS 23 was used for data analysis software. The results showed that no significant relationship exists between hunters and hunted by different motives. Motivated individual and family, spiritual motivations, government, social factors and alternatives to hunting the view of respondents had a positive role in leaving their prey. With increasing environmental science hunters to protect wildlife, species, habitats and wild reduced. The law does not quit hunting.

Agroforestry systems have been introduced for sustainable development in response to the growing demand for food and the increasing need for proper exploitation of agricultural land. In the agroforestry system, rows of trees or shrubs established around farms create the microclimate conditions favorable to crop production. In this study, changes in the areas of cultivated land under an agroforestry system in Jiroft Plain, Iran, were studied using Landsat satellite images taken over a period of 22 years. For this purpose, the supervised classification method was used to identify two categories of land cover including cultivated land and bare land via Landsat TM sensor images as well as three categories of land cover including cultivated land, tree cover, and bare land via Landsat 8 images. The land cover changes over the 22-year study period were subsequently analyzed using the post-classification approach. Results revealed that windbreaks had been planted over 5.1% of the bare land and 15.4% of the agricultural land while 26.9% of the bare land had been transformed into farmland such that the area of agricultural land had risen from 556 ha in 1992 to 741 ha in 2014. Our findings indicate that proper management of the agroforestry system in the study area has led to the creation of conditions favorable to enhanced crop production. In order to make the most of the agroforestry system, high spatial resolution images should be used as tools toward determining the best tree species for use as windbreak and the best direction for their establishment both to achieve land conservation objectives and to create the conditions required for improved crop production.

Soil salinity is one of the most important factors affecting plant growth. Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bunge ex Boiss., as a salt tolerant specie grows in a wide range of desert lands and has a significant impact on wind erosion control. The present study investigated the effects of different soil conditions (soil saline and non-saline-sodic playa -sand), on amino acids and minerals of H. salicornicum. Sampling was done Completely randomized design with three replications. The results showed that in both habitats, serine has the highest contribution to the formation of the content of total amino acids of the H. salicornicum .The content of total amino acid in the two regions was significantly different at 1% level (p <0.01), the highest amounts of total amino acid (414.75 ppM) measured in sandy habitat and lowest amount (268.38 ppM) measured playa habitat. Sparic acid, glutamate, serine, glycine, alanine, tyrosine, valine, methionine in the sandy habitat was more than Playa. While glutamine and threonine in Playa had a higher content. Mineral analysis showed that the highest amount of phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, iron, manganese, zinc and copper in playa and most of nitrogen were in sandy area. Accumulation of ions such as sodium in plant tissues in playa is the most important physiological response of H. salicornicum to the regulation of osmotic potential. The role of osmolites such as Amine acids are considered at a later stage.

Drought stress is one of the important adverse factors that limits plant growth and productivity. Drought stress induces a range of physiological and biochemical responses in plants. Plants also respond and adapt to water deficit at both cellular and molecular levels, for instance through accumulation of osmolytes and proteins specifically involved in stress tolerance. Plants’ responses to water stress are also species and cultivar-dependent characteristics. Foliar application of kaolin has been evaluated for its ability to reduce the negative effects of water stress and to improve the physiology and productivity of Plants. The purpose of this research is to determine the effects of different kaolin concentrations, on the physiological and morphological characteristics of purple basil under deficit irrigation conditions.

In order to investigate of Kaolin on increasing of drought tolerance of Basil, a factorial experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with 3 replications in researcher greenhouses of Yazd university during 2017-18 growing season. The treatments were four levels of deficit irrigation including: I1=25%FC, I2=50%FC, I3=75%FC, I4=100%FC field capacity and three levels of kaolin concentrations consisted of K1=0%, K2=3%, K3=6%. In a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replications. After the plants establishment, drought treatments were imposed. After 40 days of applying drought treatments, kaolin was twice sprayed with 7 days interval. The leaves of plants were sampled one week after the last spraying and transferred to the laboratory and the amount of soluble sugars, proline and chlorophyll concentrations were measured. In order to analysis data, analysis two-way ANOVA were used and FLST test compared means after normality test. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS software, and Excel software was used for drawing the charts.

The results showed that the effect of kaolin foliar application and moisture stress was significant on plant height, plant diameter, leaf area, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, root volume, RWC, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, proline and soluble sugar .

Effect of Salicylic acid as a pre-treatment, on germination indices of Foeniculum vulgare Mill, Cynara scolymus L. and Nigella sativa under salinity stress was evaluated by a factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design with four replications. Salicylic acid and salinity were considered in 4 levels (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mM) and (0, 50, 100 and 200 mM) respectively. The results showed that salinity and pre-treatment of salicylic acid significantly affect all indices of germination of three species. Results showed increasing salinity led to decreasing the most measured germination traits. Pre-treatment with salicylic acid improved all germination indices under salinity stress conditions compared to control seeds for all three species and resistant to salinity is decreased in Cynara scolymus L. Foeniculum vulgare Mill, and Nigella sativa respectively. The highest percentage ( more than 96%) and rate of germination in Cynara scolymus was observed at levels of 0.5 and 1 mM salicylic acid ( more than 3.4 n/day). The most improvement of germination traits in Cynara scolymus L., and Nigella sativa was observed at pretreatment 0.5 and 1 mM and for Foeniculum vulgare at 1 mM. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of salicylic acid as a pre-treatment improves the germination traits of Artichoke, Corn cockle and Fennel under salinity stress at different concentrations.

Due to the limited resources of the water and the excessive growth of the population, the use of sewage in agriculture and green space irrigation is inevitable. In this regard, a research was carried out in city of Yazd to investigate the effect of irrigation with refined and untreated sewage on Rosmarinus officinalis, a species in the urban green space. This study was carried out in a randomized complete block design with five treatments (drinking water, refined wastewater, non-refined wastewater, refined wastewater + drinking water with a ratio of 1:1 and non-refined wastewater + drinking water with a ratio of 1:1) and 5 replicates. The results of chemical characterization of irrigation treatments showed that pH (7.2) and EC (1.27 ds/m) and the concentration of heavy metals, Pb and Zn in the effluent were in accordance with the FAO standard (0.5 and 0.24 mg/l, respectively) but cadmium concentration in both treatments was higher than the FAO standard level (0.02 and 0.04 mg/l). The results of morphological traits of Rosmarinus officinalis showed that there was no significant difference between different concentrations of sewage in terms of plant growth and root dry weight (p >0.05). The effect of irrigation with wastewater on dry weight of shoot and plant diameter was statistically significant (p <0.05). The highest dry weight and diameter were obtained with non-refined wastewater. The results of physiological traits such as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, glucose and proline showed a significant difference between treatments (p <0.05). The highest amounts of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll were observed for the irrigation with refined wastewater, and the highest amount of glucose and proline was related to irrigation with non-refined wastewater.

Water scarcity is one of the most important challenges for development and sustainable agriculture in the world especially in desert area. Thus finding and advising the methods in order to increasing water use efficiency in order to sustainable development and agriculture as well as nature conservation is a vital need. This study was conducted to investigate of decreasing water consumption in greenhouse of Yazd city (in central of Iran with annual precipitation equal to 60 mm) by using different superabsorbent within soil. Experiment was designed in a split plot based on completely randomized block design with three replication. Irrigation periods (3 periods including 4, 8 and 12 interval days) were considered as main factor while additive soil including hydrogel, plastic cover and cotton waste materials were sub. factor. Results indicated waste cotton is the best soil amendment among others and increasing irrigation period from 4 to 8 days is possible without significant reduction of the fruit production in condition of study area. Results indicated 31% increasing of production in 8 days irrigation by using of cotton waste compared to the control. Thus, using of cotton waste as sustainable production in greenhouse systems should be attended in arid regions.

In this research in order to study of stress influence(4, 8 and 12 ds/m of NaCl ) on some morphological, biochemical and antioxidantactivity of Securigera securidaca L. based on a randomized complete design with three replications, the seeds of plant were provided from Esfahan Pakan Bazr Institute and were grown in growth chamber located in Yazd University during September, 2014. Biochemical and antioxidant traits were measured spectrophotometrically. Results were showed that some morphological traits significantly decreased when salinity were increased. The pigments content were not significantly affected by different levels of salinity. Proline, total soluble sugar, flavonoid and anthocyanin content significantly increased in highest level of salinity in compared with other salinity and control treatments. Malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly increased in salinity of 12 ds/m while the most significant activity of DPPH scavenging and superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) enzymes were showed in salinity of 8 ds/m. in concluded, due to non-significant changes of morphological, biochemical and antioxidant traits in salinity of 4 ds/m especially, it may be suggested that Securiger securidaca L. is a semi-tolerant genotype under salt stress.

Seed germination indices can be affected by drought stress in ripening stage of seeds on mother plant. In this study, four water stress treatments (100, 75, 50 and 25% of field capacity (FC)) were imposed during seed maturation of Satureja hortensis, and subsequently the effects of treatment on seed germination characteristics of S. hortensis were evaluated using a completely randomized design with four replications. The number of germinated seeds was counted each day and sampled after ten days. Then, percentage,rate of germination, vigor, mean daily germination, final germination percentage, daily germination speed, germination index and length of shoot and root were determined. The results indicated that the drought stress had a significant (P

The aim of this study is determination of probability of occurring precipitation status under the condition temperature status and. zoning map preparation. For this purpose, the daily temperature and precipitation data from 13 synoptic stations were used in Fars province which includes at least the period of 20 years. At first were determined different scenarios of temperature and precipitation. In the next step, daily common frequency of temperature and precipitation events were counted and presented in matrix. In the following, common probability matrix of temperature-precipitation events was calculated. Finally, probability of precipitation under the condition temperature status was calculated for each station. Then 9 probability characteristics of 13 stations were analyzed clustery based on partial Euclidean distance indicator by wards method and their dendrogram were plotted. In the final step, zoning and probability maps was prepared using GIS software. The results showed that based on conditional probability characteristics, study area are divided in to three zones. Also, average results of probability of precipitation under the condition temperature status indicate high chance of days without precipitation and warm than other modes. In all three study zones, the days with high precipitation and low temperature are in second degree of chance. The minimum chance of occurrence, related to days with heavy rain and warm.

Nepeta species are widely used as medicine plants because of their anti-spasmodic, diuretic, anti-septic, anti asthmatic anti spasmodic, and tonic effects. Nepeta species also have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory activities. Germination and seedling growth are two important stages of the plant development and plant survival. Soil texture is one of the environmental factors, which affects the germination mechanism. In order to evaluate the effects of seed source and soil texture on the germination of N. asterotricha as a medicinal plant, an experiment was conducted in a factorial arrangement based on a completely randomized block design with four replications in 2014. The studied factors included different sources of seed collection (Sanij, Dehbala, Dareshir, Tezerjan) and three types of soil texture (Sand, Sandy loam and Silty clay). Results indicated that N. asterotricha germination was affected by the origin of seed source (altitude, direction, and slope). Seeds collected from Sanij and Tezerjan had the highest and lowest germination percent, respectively. Among different soil textures, soils with sand and sandy loam texture had the best performance. Results showed significant effects of seed sources and soil texture interaction affects the seed germination percent and germination rate (p≤0.01). Seed sources had different responses to soil textures indicating that seed collected from different areas may be compatible with specific soil texture. In general, the light soil textures had better effects on seed germination traits of N. asterotricha.

Drought is considered as one of the most important factors limiting crop yields around the world especially in the dryland area. The response of plants water stress has been assessed using different physiological techniques, such as chlorophyll, proiline and water soluble hydrocarbons measurement. In response to environmental stress, plant species accumulate different kind of osmolytes like glycine betaine and proline in their cytoplasm and subsequently adjust their cells osmotic potential. Of different osmolytes occurring in plants in response to environmental stresses, glycinebetaine (GB) has been studied extensively. Significant advances have been made in mitigating the inhibitory effects of environmental stresses by exogenously applied glycinebetaine in different plant species. Exogenous application of glycinebetaine as foliar spray has been employed to enhance drought tolerance in a number of crops. This study was conducted to evaluate the role of application of glycine betaine (GB) in improving drought tolerance of sorghum halopens under different stress treatments.
Material and The study was performed in an experimental greenhouse at Yazd University in 2012 based on randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Different amount of GB i.e. 0, 100 and 200 mM in combination with various irrigation periods i.e. 3, 6 and 9 days were considered as experimental treatments. Irrigation treatments were applied after germination and establishment of sorghum seedlings. Foliar sprays of GB were applied two times during growth period of sorghum. Different plant parameters including sorghum fresh and dry weight, proline and water soluble hydrocarbons were measured. Proline content of leaves was determined according to Bates et al. (1973). Soluble carbohydrate content was determined in aqueous solution phenol sulfuric acid reagent according to Kochert (1978). After testing the normality distribution of data, two way analysis of variance was used for data analyzing and Duncan multiple range test was used to compare mean of treatment. SPSS (version 16) software and EXCEL were used for data analysis and drawing graphs.
Results indicate that increasing GB concentration cause a significant increase in water soluble carbohydrate at 9 days irrigation period. None significant difference in sorghum carbohydrate content was observed at 3 and 6 days irrigation period when compared to control. Gorham et al., (2000) found that exogenous GB application was very effective in increasing carbohydrate content of cotton. In another study Makhdum and Shababuddin., (2006) reported that exogenous application of GB significantly increase the carbohydrate concentration of bean. Result also indicated that at 6 days irrigation period, with increasing GB concentration the proline content of sorghum leaves significantly increased. In this irrigation treatment, application of 200 mM GB cause a 62 percent increase in proline when compare to control. Exogenous application of GB to low-accumulating or non-accumulating plants may help reduce adverse effects of environmental stress. Externally-applied GB can rapidly penetrate through leaves and be transported to other organs, where it would contribute to improved stress tolerance (Ashraf and Foolad, 2007). According to our result increasing irrigation period from 3 to 6 and 9 days cause a significant decrease in fresh and dry weight of sorghum. The main consequences of drought in crop plants are reduced rate of cell division and expansion that can decrease dry matter accumulation of plant. On the other hand with the development of drought stress, as the plant photosynthesis decreased, plants need more carbohydrate compounds to adjust osmotic potential and subsequently available carbohydrate for grown and accumulation of dry material diminished. At 3 days irrigation period, application of GB had no significant effect on fresh and dry weight of sorghum whereas both GB concentrations significantly increase sorghum fresh and dry weight in water deficiency condition. Application of GB ameliorate the adverse effect of drought stress on fresh and dry weight of sorghum. This can attributed to this fact that GB-treated plants exhibited a slower decrease in leaf water potential during drought stress and developed wilting symptoms much later than untreated plants. Generally, they protect plants from stress through different courses, including contribution to cellular osmotic adjustment, detoxification of reactive oxygen species, protection of membrane integrity, and stabilization of enzymes/proteins (Bohnert and Jensen, 1996). Different studies demonstrated the positive effect of exogenous GB application in decreasing adverse effects of drought stress on dry material accumulation of some plant species such as corn (Wyn Jones, 1984), tomato (Makela et al., 1998(, bean (Webing and Rajashekar, 1999) and cotton (Gorham et al., 2000).
Overall results indicate the negative effect of drought stress on growth and development of sorghum. Application of GB ameliorate the adverse effect of drought stress and accumulation of proline and soluble carbohydrate in abovegrounds tissue of sorghum improved plant water relation under stress. However, more study on the mechanism of action of this substance under different experimental conditions is still needed. Also it is suggested that the time of application and frequency use of GB investigated in future research.

The herbicidal properties of some plants species can be exploited successfully as a tool to reduce the herbicide application. Wild plant species, including medicinal herbs, usually contain much higher levels of chemicals compounds than the cultivated crops; therefore it can be used to control the weed species. The current study was conducted inorder to evaluate the herbicidal properties of Capparis spinosa on Malva parviflora in both laboratory and greenhouse conditions. A factorial experiment was used with three replications. Evaluated factors including used parts of plant (foliage, root) as well as plant material amount (four concentrations of aqueous extract; 0, 0.6, 0.9, 1.25 g dry weight per 100 milliliter water; in laboratory condition and four amount of plant powder; 0¡ 4¡ 8¡ 12 g dry weight per 1000 g soil; in greenhouse condition). The results indicated that, in laboratory condition, with increasing concentration of Capparis spinosa aqueous extract from 0 to 12%, mean time to germination of M. paryiflora increased progressively from 1 to 1.4 and 2.2 days, respectively. At 1.25% aqueous extract concentration, the germination percentage, root and soot length as well as root and shoot dry weight diminished 87, 90, 91, 83 and 73%, respectively, when compared to the control. Also in greenhouse condition, the effects of Capparis spinosa powder added to the soil on measured parameter were significant. In the soil treated with 12g powder, seedling length of Malva parviflora in the second week of growth reduced about 47% when compared to the control. Overall, the results revealed the possibility use of herbicidal properties of Capparis spinosa for biological weed control and therefore reduce application of chemical herbicides.

Seed germination is the most sensitive growth stages of the plant to salinity stress. Seeds of many species produce a jelly-like layer called mucilage upon exposure to water. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of mucilage in increasing salinity tolerance of Lallemantia ibrica. Seeds of this plantcontain mucilage that can be used to treat some diseases such as neurological, liver and kidney disorders. Thus, a factorial experiment was conducted arranged in completely randomized design with four replications at Botany Laboratory of Yazd University in 2013. Salinity stresses (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 dS m-1) and seed type (with and without mucilage) were considered as first and second factors, respectively. Results showed that all traits were significantly affected by salinity stress. Germination and early growth of both seeds type decreased with increasing salinity stress. The highest and lowest seed germination rates were obtained in control and salinity level of 20 dS/m, respectively. Seeds with mucilage had higher seed germination and shoot length compared to seeds without mucilage. Overall, results indicated the positive role of mucilage in improving germination of L. ibrica seeds under salinity stress. However, the ability of mucilage in improving seed germination depends on plant species and amount of seeds mucilage.

Dust haze phenomenon is dust that cover large distance and it originated is of arid and semi-arid area.Environmental effects of dust including dispersion, transport and sediment become is large concerns in early of 1990s. The researches done associated to the frequency of dust days showed that most dust day's frequency is related to central holes of Iran. The main impact of origin sites is created via wind erosion. The Yazd province with more than percent fifty of desert and sand area is located in Yazd – Ardakan plain. Therefore always is exposed to wind erosion and difficult due to it especially dust storms. The critical focuses of wind erosion in Yazd-Ardakan plain is including Sebkha, Kalut & Yardang, Hill, Glacis Epandage Plain and water sediment. In determine of sediment source for the reason that using of traditional methods is very difficult so fingerprinting method pay attention is as appropriate and alternative method based sediment properties. In this method, most important principle is use of chemical, physical and organic properties and Comparethese characteristicswith the samecharacteristicsinsedimentsamples. The method is no many of theproblems oftraditional methods. The main advantages ofthismethod are including high speed, economic and the abilitytoobtaininformationabout the type ofsediment sources andlocation ofsediment sources. Investigation of reference showed that many studies is associated identify of dust source using of fingerprinting but in country there is any study in this case. The aim of this study is determine of falling dust origin using of fingerprinting in Yazd- Iran. Material and Method Study area: Yazd, the largest city in Yazd Province with the latitude as N 31° 53' 50" and longitude as E 54° 22' 3" and population of over 582682 people and approximately within 140 km2. Yazd located in Yazd – Ardakan plain. The climate in this area is arid and semi-arid. Yazd city and Yazd – Ardakan plain are selected for sampling of falling dust and determine of dust origin respectively. Sampling and Chemical analyses: Falling dust samples were collected from 33 different locations almost covering Yazd city area (roofs of buildings with a height 4 meter were selected for the fixing of the dust collectors). The dust particles were sampled using Marble Dust Collector (MDCO) method for six month from January 2012 to June 2013 (winter and spring seasons). The sampling of falling dust source was including Sebkha, Kalut & Yardang, Hill, Glacis Epandage Plain and water sediment of top soil (5cm) by plot (20*20 cm) with 3-8 repeat in Yazd – Ardakan plain. Then ten heavy metals including Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, Bi, Zn, Ag, Cd and Se were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Flame Spectrophotometer (Analytic jene-350 model, Germany). Determine the origin using discriminant analysis The each heavy metal ability was investigation in separation of dust source use of statistical analysis such as One - Way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis (P < 0.05) and criteria of strong linear multivariate (Tolerance ≥ 0.1 and VIF≤ 10). Then using of Discriminant analysis was selected the optimal combination of tracers with ability to separation of dust sources. Determination the contribution of dust sources: In new fingerprinting it is assumed combination of tracer proprieties is linear. Therefore can be wrote combination model for each of tracer specifications according equation (1). The results of table 1 showed to added each element was unchanged Cumulative percentage but wilks Lambda was declined and Significant level was better therefore was increased separation ability between groups. The power of detection function is evaluated with results ofthe audit functioncanonical (Table 2). To determine the roleof each of theresourcesfallingdust using theresults of thedetection function is in the function average concentrationof heavy metalsinthe monthwasin the function.The results are showed most likelybelongingtodust is associated to Sebkha in the six months.Therefore most contribution of falling dust of originsuburbanarea is Sebkha in Yazd – Ardakan plain. The best result was obtained of scenario with two groups including Sebkha - Kalut & Yardang and Hill - Glacis Epandage Plain. Therefore were defined discriminate analysis based on the scenario. The sources contribution in sediment production: The according to mixed multivariate model was obtained sources contribution 99.9 and 0.1 percent respectively. Therefore major contribution of falling dust is related to Sebkha and Kalut & Yardang. The results of minimizing the sum of the squares of the residuals are indicative the best portion for falling dust sources. The results showed portion of groups for production of falling dust are 100 and 0 percent respectively. These results almost are corresponded with results of mixed multivariate model. The assessments of this model showed percent of the relative error are between 0.0001-3.41 for all samples. The coefficient of performance model variable is between 0.71 – 0.99 for samples. Most occurrences of severe sand storms and wind with speeds that is more than 100 km/h are mainly severe in February to June and it events sometimes the black storms and thick clouds of dusts in Yazd Province, so it selected winter and spring seasons for research. The investigation of low relative error and high coefficient of performance model is indicating the accuracy and performance of model. The results of this model are in agreement with field observation completely. The high sensitive of Sebkha and Kalut against the wind and fine soil in this area are indicating major role this area in production of falling dust. The results of investing wind erosion in faces of Yazd – Ardakan plain is showed Sebkha and Kalut – Yardang among other of faces are the highestshare in production of falling dust because Sebkha are Crustofclay–salt therefore due tohighsalinity andsodiumishighly sensitivetoerosion and The soilof thislandisa sensitive andhighly susceptible to erosion. The Neogene hills are thehigherresistance againstwind erosion because they cover ispebblesand rubble. The researchin case of wind erosion in Yazd – Ardakan plain showed area involving Sebkha and Kalut despite the slight area than other area is highest proportion in wind erosion and production of dust.

Plant used different mechanisms to avoidance drought stress. This study was conducted to evaluate the role of exogenous application of glycine betaine in improving drought tolerance of Brassica napus. The study was performed on randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Different amounts of glycine betaine i.e. 0, 100 and 200 mM in combination with various irrigation periods i.e. 3, 6 and 9 days were considered as experimental treatments. Results indicate that application of glycine betaine cause a considerable increase in Brassica napus hydrocarbons as well as proline in water deficiency condition when compared to control. In water deficiency condition, application of 200 mM glycine betaine cause a significant increase in Brassica napus dry weight as well as chlorophyll content when compared to control. Also, drought tolerance indices showed that exogenous application of glycine betaine can increase stability of Brassica napus dry matter production at 6 and 9 irrigation days intervals when compared to 3 days intervals. Overall results indicat the possible use of osmotic adjustment material to improve growth of Brassica napus under water stress condition.