hassan marashi

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) belongs to the Zingiberaceae family and it is one of the most important spices in the world which produces spicy and fragrant flavors and it has many healing properties. This plant does not have the ability to produce seeds due to sterility. The growth of the plant through the rhizome causes the cost of cultivation and the probability of pathogen attack. Therefore, propagation using in vitro tissue culture be effective method for increasing the rate of proliferation and infection control. For obtaining the better results in tissue culture, explants should be prepared from healthy, fresh and strong maternal sources. Somatic embryogenesis usually not used for propagation due to mutation, so it is better to use the rhizome buds as explant to preserve genetic characteristics.

For micropropagation, explants including shoot, leaf, collar and buds of ginger in were used and cultured on MS basal medium supplemented with 9 different hormonal combinations (BAP alone or in combination with NAA) for shoot induction. Shoots were transferred to MS medium containing 1 mg/l NAA or IBA for rooting. Plantlets were transferred to pots and gradually adapted to the greenhouse condition.

The best explant for fast and easy multiplication of ginger was the healthy rhizome. MS culture medium supplemented with 2 mg/l BAP and 1 mg/l NAA produced 7 shoots in each rhizome bud. The best treatment for rooting was MS medium containing 1 mg/l NAA which produced 7 roots per shoot. Then, the plantlets were successfully adopted in pots containing garden soil and cocopeat at greenhouse condition.

The results of this study showed that micropropagation of ginger plant is affected by the type of growth regulators and their concentration in MS medium and the rhizome buds were the best explants for direct in vitro propagation of ginger.

In plant breeding programs, selection is one of the most important steps, and its efficiency is highly depends on the genetic diversity of the population and the heritability of traits. Due to the complexity of grain yield inheritance, direct selection is not very effective to improve it, so it is possible to obtain the necessary information for indirect selection to improve selection for grain yield by using multivariate statistical methods. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationships between important agricultural traits, evaluate basic selection indices and provide the best indices to improve grain yield and identify the best quinoa genotypes to continue the breeding program to introduce the cultivar. For this purpose, 60 quinoa genotypes received from IPK Institute of Germany and were evaluated in the frame of randomized complete block design with 3 replications in 2022 in the research farm located in Kohdasht city. The results of phenotypic and genotypic path analysis of grain yield showed that the two traits of 1000-grain weight and number of panicle per plant had the most positive and significant direct effect on the grain yield of the studied genotypes. Also, the use of phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficients and the first row traits included in the path analysis model of grain yield as economic value led to the highest genetic benefit of the traits and therefore, they can be good and suitable indicators for the selection of superior quinoa genotypes.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum. L) is an important economic crop worldwide, valued for its rich fibres and its role as a major source of edible oil. However, the resistance of cotton to conventional regeneration protocols is a challenge. Therefore, the development of efficient plant regeneration protocols for recalcitrant species such as cotton, especially from meristem apex explants, is crucial for the advancement of functional genomics and selective breeding using transformation technologies. In this study, we used seeds of Sahil, Varamin, Khurshid, Golestan, Latif, Kashmer and Armaghan varieties. The meristems isolated from these cultivars were cultured on a medium containing MS salts, B5 vitamins and hormones to induce organogenesis. The shoots were then transferred to a branching medium. Optimal branching was observed with a medium enriched with 2 mg/l BAP and 2 mg/l Kin, with no significant differences between varieties and a maximum branching level of 92. In addition, the shoots were transferred to five different rooting media. Statistical analysis showed that a medium containing MS salts, B5 vitamins and 1 mg/l IBA gave the highest rooting rate of 95%. Our study optimised a fast, productive and genotype-independent method for organogenesis and branching from the shoot tip in cotton. The improved rooting rate and the provision of a genotype-independent rooting method are further results of this research that promise significant advances in cotton regeneration protocols.

To evaluate the genetic diversity in quinoa genotypes for future studies, 60 imported quinoa genotypes were studied using microsatellite markers (SSR) at the faculty of agricultural sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran, in 2022. The results of the phenotypic evaluation of the quinoa genotypes showed that there was a relatively high diversity among them. Among the studied traits, seed yield plant-1 (42.8) and days to seed dough stage (8.14) had the highest and lowest phenotypic coefficient of variation, respectively. Evaluating the molecular diversity of genotypes using 40 microsatellite markers produced 136 polymorphic bands, and the average number of effective alleles (1.81), polymorphic information content (0.60), Shannon's index (0.54) and Nei’s genetic diversity (0.44), confirmed the existence of high diversity among the quinoa genotypes. The markers KAAT027, KAAT036, KAAT040, KCAA014, KGA042, KGA055 and KGA059 with five polymorphic alleles had the highest number of polymorphic alleles among the used markers in this experiment. The average number of effective alleles of microsatellite markers in the studied quinoa genotypes was 1.81 alleles, and markers KAAT027 and KAAT006 with 3.75 and 1.08 alleles showed the highest and lowest number of alleles, respectively. Cluster analysis using UPGMA method grouped 60 quinoa genotypes into two subpopulations with 38 and 22 genotypes. Since one of the important criteria to choose suitable and useful markers is the number of effective alleles, therefore, markers with more effective alleles such as KAAT027, KAAT036 and KAAT040 (all with more than three effective alleles) can be used to investigate the genetic diversity of quinoa genotypes in the future researches.

Pistachio is one of the most important crops that have a large genetic diversity due to its dicotyledonous and high heterozygosity, so identifying these genetic differences is of particular importance for breeding and production of psyllid-resistant pistachio cultivars. Pistachio psyllid is one of the most important pests of the pistachio tree. The nymphs and adult insects of this pest increase the amount of porosity, and reduce yield and lack of laughter, by consuming plant sap. In this study, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and small indels were investigated in Iranian pistachio sensitive cultivars (Akbari, Kalehghoochi, Ahmad Aghaei, Momtaz) and resistant cultivars (Badami Zarand, Haj Abdollahi, Italian, Sarakhs) to psyllids. The readings were first aligned with the reference genome, and then single-nucleotide polymorphisms and deletions, and small indels were identified by the GATK toolkit. The percentage of alignment of the readings with the reference genome was above 96%, which indicated the high quality of alignment. Sensitive cultivars had 2920688 and 701109 and resistant cultivars had 2919898 and 701000 SNP and small indels, respectively. In general, the results of data analysis showed that the structural and polymorphic diversity of mononucleotides and the small indels are greater in susceptible cultivars than in resistant cultivars.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) is adapted to many regions and has the ability to grow in desert and frosts conditions, and hot and dry climates. Due to the low water requirement of quinoa, the development of its cultivation can be expanded in most provinces of the country, and in addition to providing the food needs of the growing population, it can also help in creating jobs in these areas. Since the economic value of a variety depends on the value of its various traits, it is necessary to know the status of traits and the variation between genotypes in the studied population to improve and introduce cultivars. Although early maturity quinoa cultivars have been identified and/or improved in the native land of this plant in South America and in many European countries, so far, early maturity cultivars with the other suitable quantitative and qualitative characteristics such as high grain yield and quality have not been introduced. The present study was conducted to investigate the important morphological and phenological traits related to grain yield and growth period among a number of foreign quinoa genotypes. The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate genetic diversity between genotypes in term of the studied traits and to identify and introduce high-yielding, early maturity and plantable genotypes in the region.

The plant materials of this research were sixty foreign quinoa genotypes with the origin of Peru, Chile and Bolivia, obtained from the Genebank of Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Leibniz, Germany. The studied genotypes were planted in randomized complete block design with three replications in Koohdasht, Khorramabad province, Iran, in 2021 and were investigated in for important quantitative traits related to yield and yield components. The studied traits included number of days from seed sowing to growth stages of three leaves, inflorescence formation, inflorescence coloring, pollination and physiological maturity, as well as plant height, panicle length, number of panicles per plant, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, harvest index, grain saponin percentage and grain protein percentage. For data analysis, in addition to analysis of variance and comparison of means, the relationship between the studied traits was also evaluated by phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficients, the traits affecting grain yield were identified by stepwise regression analysis, and direct and indirect effects of each trait on grain yield were estimated using path analysis method. Also, factor analysis was used to identify the hidden and independent factors affecting the studied traits and the reasons of traits correlation, and cluster analysis was used to group the genotypes and select the superior genotypes of this experiment. All statistical analyzes of this experiment were performed using SAS ver. 9.2 and SPSS ver. 25 statistical softwares.

The results obtained from the various statistical indices indicated the existence of statistically significant differences and high diversity among the studied quinoa genotypes for most of the evaluated traits. Calculating phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficients showed significant correlations between grain yield and 1000-grain weight (0.938 and 0.934), harvest index (0.964 and 0.852), panicle length (0.762 and 0.750) and number of panicles per plant (0.677 and 0.651), respectively. The results of stepwise regression and path analyses of grain yield showed that 1000-grain weight and main panicle length with the highest positive and significant direct effects on grain yield, were the most important predictive variables for grain yield. Based on the results of factor analysis, three independent factors justified 81% (40%, 32% and 9%, respectively) of total variation in the studied population. Cluster analysis based on Ward’s minimum variance method grouped 60 quinoa genotypes into three clusters, which included 25, 19 and 16 genotypes, respectively. The grouping resulting from the cluster analysis corresponded to the geographical distribution of the genotypes, so that the genotypes of Bolivia, Peru and Chile were grouped in the first, second and third clusters, respectively. A number of genotypes in the first and second groups with the higher values for grain yield, 1000-grain weight and panicle length, as well as the lower values for grain saponin content and phenological characteristics related to growth period, can be selected and suggested for use in the multi-regional trials to introduce the variety programs or for use in the future breeding programs.

The results of the present study showed a significant and very high phenotypic diversity among the studied quinoa genotypes. The superior genotypes identified in this research, after confirming the results in repeating the experiment, can be directly introduced as the new varieties and/or used as the suitable genetic resources in different quinoa breeding programs.

Silver nanoparticles are widely used in manufacturing of different products considering their unique physical and chemical properties. Also they have been noticed in medical diagnosis and treatment because of their antibacterial properties. Physical and chemical methods of producing nanoparticles, are expensive and are not safe enough as toxic substances may remain in the final preparations. To solve this problem, biological production of nanoparticles is considered as an efficient alternative method. In present study, synthesis of silver nanoparticles via seeds, petals, roots, and hairy root extracts of Calendula officinalis were performed. These nanoparticles were characterized by means of spectrophotometer, particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscope. Nanoparticles which were synthesized by hairy root extract showed the highest absorption at 430 nm (1/6 a.u) and the smallest size (5/3 nm), in comparison to other examined particles. Results confirmed the better performance of hairy root extracts in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles.

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a very dangerous livestock disease which causes a serious loss in the production of milk and meat. Therefore, producing an effective recombinant subunit vaccine virus this disease is of great importance. Transient gene expression is a valuable tool to reach rapid and acceptable recombinant vaccine. An Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression assay was carried out in spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaves for expression of a chimeric gene encoding a part of capsid protein of Foot and Mouth Disease virus called VP1. The plant leaves were transformed via agroinfiltration procedure. The presence of foreign gene and its expression in transformed plants were confirmed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real time PCR, protein Dot blot and ELISA. The results obtained in this examination showed quite a high level of gene expression in spinach leaves, showing that transient gene expression can be applied as an effective and time-saving procedure for the production of recombinant proteins. The procedures for transformation, detection of recombinant protein and its application for molecular experiments are described in the study.

Amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) is a key enzyme in biochemical pathway of the antimalarial agent artemisinin. An Agrobacterium-mediated transformation was carried out to express a synthetic ADS gene in green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain 125C with bacterial strains GV3101 and LBA4404. The foreign gene was optimized based on codon usage bias of the microalga. Integration of the ADS in nuclear genome of C. reinhardtii was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction assay. The transgenic colonies cultured on selective medium turned yellow after three days and gradually died. Transformation procedure, growth habit of the transgenic microalgae together with probable causes of transformants loss is discussed. The present study is the first investigation for production of ADS enzyme in a microalgal system.

Pod borer is one of the main causes for yield loss of chickpea. Therefore، breeding of chickpea for resistance to this pest is important. The use of Cry toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis is an effective strategy for producing of transgenic resistant chickpea to this pest. These toxins are able to become active in the midgut of larvae and disrupt the insect''s digestive system. We studied the stability and expression of cry1Ac gene obtained as T2 transgenic chickpea with cry1Ac gene and nptII gene with binary T-DNA in T3 and T4 generations of transgenic plants and observed the transgenic lines with cry1Ac gene and no nptII gene suggesting that separation between cry1Ac and nptII genes was occurred by recombination between two T-DNAs. In T3، PCR results showed that 6 of 25 putative transgenic plants had cry1Ac gene but all of them showed the nptII gene. From six samples with positive PCR in cry1Ac gene، five of them had positive results in RT-PCR reaction، confirming the expression of cry1Ac gene in transgenic lines. PCR results in T4 plants showed that 73 of 94 plants had cry1Ac gene and 81 of 94 samples included the nptII gene. In 10 samples cry1Ac gene separated from nptII gene. According ELISA results، in all samples tested، Cry1Ac protein was expressed in different concentrations. Bioassay tests showed that all pod borer larvae fed by leaves of transgenic plants، were dead، but all survived when the larvae were fed with leaves of non-transgenic plants. So، expected phenotype was observed successfully.