m.a. behdani

Saffron (Crocus Sativus L.) is a medicinal plant with high nutritional, medicinal value, and anticancer properties that have great cytotoxic effects on cancer cells. To evaluate the anticancer effects of stamen and tepal extracts of saffron on human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized block design with three replications was conducted at the Agricultural Research Field of the University of Birjand, Iran. The treatments included field age (one-, two-, and three-year-old farm), as well as organic and conventional cultivation with different levels of manure and chemical fertilizer (low, medium, and high levels of chemical fertilizer and manure), respectively. The studied traits including Total Phenolic Content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and cytotoxicity were evaluated by using, respectively, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), and A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenylte- tetrazolium bromide (MTT) tests. The results showed a significant difference among the phytochemical, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties of the extracts obtained from organic and conventional conditions, the highest of which was obtained from organic cultivation. In addition, the content of antioxidants and therapeutic compounds in the extracts increased by increasing the level of manure. The result of the MTT test showed that both tepal and stamen extracts of saffron had an anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells, with stronger anti-cancer properties for stamen extract. Therefore, the use of stamen extract as an effective and inexpensive source for the pharmaceutical industry would open up new dimensions to prevent the therapeutic challenges of breast cancer.

Medicinal plants in the world are very important and currently the demand for medicinal herbs is on the rise due to higher requirement of products need in the pharmaceutical, health and food industry. Therefore, the assessment of various systems of plant nutrition is one of the important needs of agricultural planning in order to achieve high yield with high quality, especially in medicinal plants. Manure increase soil fertility and improves the growth and yield. This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of planting density and single or combined application of cow manure (CM) and chemical fertilizers (CF) on growth, yield and pigment content of Isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk).

In order to evaluate the effects of different levels of fertilizer on isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk) an experiment was arranged as factorial based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at Sarayan Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, during 2017. Experimental factors were included: Fertilization treatments consisted of single (40 ton.ha-1 CM and 40 kg.ha-1 CF from the source of NPK) and combined (40 ton.ha-1 CM + 20 kg.ha-1 CF and 20 ton. CM + 40 kg.ha-1 CF) application of organic and chemical fertilizers along with a control treatment (no-fertilizer) which were evaluated at three levels of density (20, 40 and 60 plants.m2). Measurements of chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid and SPAD: Firstly, 0.1g samples were taken from the collected leaves. Subsequently each sample was extracted by 80% acetone and put in the centrifuges with rotation speed of 6000 per minute for 10 minute. Absorbance using a spectrophotometer at wavelengths of 470, 647, 663 nm was measured. Also, chlorophyll index was measured by manual chlorophyll meter. Measurements of Yield and yield components: In the sampling stage (full flowering stage), 3 plants of cultivation lines were harvested with respect to the elimination of marginal effects. After measuring plant height, the plants were cut from above the soil, immediately weighed (fresh weight) and then the samples were placed in separate bags and after drying in an oven at 72°C for 48 hours, the leaf weight, total dry weight and grain yield of each sample were measured. Finally, Statistical analyses were carried out by ANOVA, with  least significant difference test (LSD) at 5% probability level for subsequent pairwise comparisons.

 The results indicated the significant effect of treatments on plant dry weight, biological yield, seed yield and chlorophyll b content. The highest biological and seed yields (2080 and 806.6 kg.ha-1, respectively), were obtained from planting density of 60 plants m2, while the highest leaf chlorophyll content was gained from 20 plants m2 treatment. The effect of fertilizer resources on all traits (except plant dry weight) and interaction effect of experimental factors on all studied indices were no-significant. The plant showed an appropriate adaptation to low nutritional and its maximum yield was obtained when at least 60 plants.m2 was used.

Based on the obtained results, it could be concluded that isabgol is a low-input medicinal plants in terms of nutrient requirements. Therefore, it seems that the application of fertilizer resources in crops which are located prior to isabgol in a rotation and availability of remaining nutrients can provide the nutritional requirements of this plant. Moreover, consider to open canopy of the plant even when the plant density was 60 plant.m-2, it seems that more densities must be considered in future studies.

Climate change by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, has led to increase attention to the carbon sequestration through the restoration and protection of vegetation cover. In this regards, ecosystems of arid regions have a special importance. In this study the effects of reconstruction and conservation, on soil carbon sequestration of the region of the International Carbon Sequestration Project in Hussein Abad, South Khorasan province of Iran was investigated by a simulation approach using RothC model. In addition, the effects of climate change (increasing temperature and decreasing rainfall) on soil carbon sequestration potential was studied. In the studied area, replanting was done in 2004 and then soil samples were taken every two months during 2010-2011. After collecting the required input data for RothC model (climate, soil and management input data), the model was evaluated and validated for the study area. Moreover, soil carbon sequestration was studied under climate change condition. The simulation results revealed that the RothC model is applicable in rangelands of dry and warm regions, because it estimated the soil carbon changes over the time with proper accuracy. The amounts of model performance index, R2 and RMSE were 0.98, 98% and 0.01, respectively. Simulation study indicated that soil carbon storage will increase from 2011 to 2050 and will be affected by climate change and protection programs. Based on model estimation the amounts of soil carbon in preotected areas will be higher than non-protected areas. Moreover, in non-climate change scenario the amounts of soil carbon will be higher than climate change scenario in 2050.

In order to perform each component of agricultural practices, its plan should be rationalized economically and technically. In a study for recognition patterns of energy inputs and outputs in saffron fields of Southern Khorasan, Iran, during a five years exploitation period, two questionnaires were prepared, one for the first cultivation year, and another for crop management and harvest during four subsequent years. In each questionnaire some questions were included to obtain direct and indirect inputs and outputs of energy flows in saffron fields. About seventy questionnaires were filled by direct interview with farmers. Results showed the highest energy input in the first year is supplied by farm manure which approach to 91.16% of total used energy. During four next years, however, nitrogen fertilizer (mainly as urea form) was the main energy input with 37.67% of total used energy. The daughter corms and crop shoots consist the main sources of energy outputs, as energy efficiency was 41% for a five exploitation period, which is similar to some annual crops such as tomato and lettuce in USA. Although energy efficiency of saffron production is very low in Southern Khorasan, but most of saffron fields is cultivated ecologically, with low external inputs, and this crop play an important role in rural livelihood, because of its high economic efficiency and employment than other local cultivated crops.