فهرست مطالب mokhtar ghobadi

Heavy metals are non-biodegradable and persistent in nature thereby disrupting the environment and causing huge health threats to humans. Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that enters the environment through various anthropogenic sources, and inhibits plant growth and development. Cadmium toxicity may result from disturbance in plant metabolism as a consequence of disturbance in the uptake and translocation of mineral nutrients. The use of plant hormones has been introduced as a simple and suitable strategy to reduce the effect of heavy metals in plants. A new method for reducing the effect of cadmium on plants is the use of growth regulators such as salicylic acid (SA). Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is an important vegetable that is rich in minerals, various vitamins and antioxidant compounds. Since the cultivation of tomatoe, as an important and highly productive crop, is very common in many parts of Iran, there is a possibility of contamination of the soil under cultivation with cadmium. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the the effects of foliar spraying of salicylic acid on reducing Cd-induced stress in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.).

A factorial experiment based on a complete randomized design with three replications was conducted in a greenhouse of Razi University. Factors included Cd at three levels (0, 15 and 30 mg kg-1 as Cd(NO3)2) and SA at three levels (0, 250, and 500 μM). The solutions containing Cd-(NO3)2 were sprayed uniformly on the sub-samples separated from the original soil sample according to the desired concentrations. The samples were kept moist for 30 days at moisture conditions close to field capacity. At the four-leaf stage, SA solutions were sprayed three times on the foliage of the plants, until the beginning of flowering. After harvesting, some characteristics including soluble sugars and proline contents, plant height, dry weights of shoots and roots, and root volume and length were determined. All plant parameters were then averaged for each pot. Also, Cd concentrations in extracts obtained from the digestion of leaf tissues, were measured by Varian AA220 atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and comparison of means (Duncan's multiple range test) were performed using SPSS-16 software.

The results revealed that Cd stress reduced all plant characteristics, such as plant height, root volume and root length, as well as, dry weights of shoots and roots, and elevated leaf Cd concentration, proline content and soluble sugars in tomato. However, the SA application resulted in improvements in growth parameters. Also, the results showed that the interaction effects of Cd and SA on the most growth characteristics such as plant length, shoot and root dry weights, stem diameter, leaf area, and proline content, soluble sugars and Cd concentration were significant (P <0.01). The highest amount of soluble sugars (0.48 mg kg-1), proline content (26.3 mmol g-1) and Cd concentration (0.685 mg) were obtained in 30 mg kg-1 of Cd and 0 μM SA. Also, the highest amount of soluble sugars (0.53 mg kg-1), plant length (44.6 cm), root length (19.6 cm), shoot dry weight (7.51 g), and leaf area (268.2 cm2) were found in the treatment of 500 μM SA and 0 mg kg-1 Cd.

The application of salicylic acid effectively increased the all measured growth parameters, including plant biomass, and total root volume. Cd stress reduced growth indices and, increased proline content and soluble sugars in tomato. Also, it seems that under Cd-induced stress, SA is an effective approach for improving crop growth by increasing plant resistance. In general, the application of appropriate concentration of salicylic acid (500 μM), as a plant hormone, is an effective, simple and low-cost strategy to reduce the adverse effects of Cd (30 mg kg-1 soil) stress in tomato.

Stevia is a plant belongs to composite family, and the sweet leaves of this plant contain steviol glycoside, which has no calories, and it can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. The stevia plant propagated by seeds, cuttings and tissue culture. The most success method is by tissue culture, in comparison with others. Cuttings may be prepared from stems, roots or leaves. However, the most common method for propagation is taken from stem and use rooting hormones. Auxin compounds such as indole butyric acid (IBA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) are among the most important plant growth regulators, which are widely used on stem cuttings to accelerate the formation of aberrant roots, increase the percentage of rooting and increase the number of roots. Each cutting is used so that some bases that have rooting problems can produce roots with the use of these compounds. The effect of growth regulators IBA and NAA and their combination on rooting and growth in different plants has been proven. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the best planting medium and the concentration of IBA and NAA on rooting characteristics in apical cuttings of Stevia.

This experiment was designed in the agronomy laboratory, Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran, as a factorial in the form of a completely randomized design (CRD) in three replications. Factors include: soil + perlite + sand, soil + cocopeat + sand, soil + sawdust + sand, soil + cocopeat + perlite, soil + perlite + sawdust, soil + cocopeat + sawdust and soil + sand + cocopeat + perlite + sawdust and concentration of plant growth regulator: control (distilled water), IBA250 mg lit-1, IBA500 mg lit-1, NAA250 mg lit-1, NAA500 mg lit-1, IBA250 mg lit-1 + NAA250 mg lit-1 and commercial rooting powder (containing 0.2% IBA). The cuttings were taken on July 25, 2016 from the apical part, 10 cm long without branches and flowers, with uniform thickness and 4-6 leaves. A number of 10 cuttings for each pot were dipped in plant growth regulators for five seconds and planted after 10 minutes. Planting in pots were placed inside the germinator under conditions of temperature (between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius), humidity (96%) and controlled light (16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness) to stimulate rooting. After four weeks, some characteristics of the cuttings including stem length, root number, rooting percentage, maximum root length, total root length per cutting, dry root weight per cutting, number of leaves and length of shoots were checked.

The results of variance analysis of the data showed that there was a simple and interaction effect between planting medium and growth regulators on all investigated traits, including shoot length, root number, maximum root length, root dry weight, total root length, number of leaves, and root percentage. were very significant (at the 1% level). The highest number of roots (55 roots per plant) was obtained in the IBA500 treatment and in the soil + cocopeat + sand substrate. However, the highest percentage of rooted cuttings (100%) was obtained in the NAA250 treatment and in the substrate of soil + sand + cocopeat + perlite + sawdust. The number of roots was obtained by counting the number of misplaced roots coming out of the cuttings, and their length and length were not considered. However, in the percentage of rooted cuttings, having even one root for a cutting and the survival of that cutting is meant in counting. Probably, the reason for the increase in the number of roots for each cutting in this treatment is due to the effect of IBA500 hormone in this substrate. In this condition, the level of IBA hormone was at its maximum level. IBA250 treatment and in soil + sand + cocopeat + perlite + sawdust substrate produced the highest root dry weight (74.7 mg per plant) and the highest total root length (145.8 cm). The highest root height (10.33 cm) was obtained using IBA250+NAA250 and in soil + sand + cocopeat + perlite + sawdust substrate. The traits of dry matter and the total length of the root are related, and it is obvious that the longer the length of the root, the greater the amount of dry matter. But the length or height of the root may not match with these two traits, which was the case in this experiment. The height of the root is the length of the longest root. The maximum shoot length or plant height was 12 cm in the IBA250 treatment and in soil + sand + cocopeat + perlite + sawdust. IBA250 treatment and soil + cocopit + sand had the highest number of leaves, 11.6 leaves per plant. These two traits (shoot length and number of leaves per plant) were at the highest value in two different planting beds in IBA250, which indicates the positive effect of IBA250.

In general, the result of this experiment showed that although the highest number of roots was obtained in the treatment of IBA500 and in soil + cocopeat + sand, but cuttings from the apical of the stevia stem were prepared in a mixture of substrates including soil + sand + cocopeat + perlite + sawdust and the use of NAA250 and IBA250 were successful. These results provide an opportunity to choose appropriate propagation methods for future studies.

The research aimed to investigate the effect of silicon foliar spraying in increasing drought tolerance in Camelina.

The experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a randomized complete blocks design with three replications in a pot experiment. The treatments included two Camelina genotypes (Sohail cultivar and line-84), drought treatments (at two levels: without and with drought stress) and foliar spraying of sodium silicate (at five levels: 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM).

The results showed that drought stress decreased grain yield, yield components, and morphological traits of both Camelina genotypes. Drought stress reduced the grain weight per plant of the Sohail cultivar and Line-84 by about 27 and 39%, respectively. Foliar application of silicon effectively increased yield and yield components. On average, foliar spraying of 6 mM silicon compared to the control treatment caused an increase in the traits of grain weight per plant (13.04%), harvest index (12.1%), and the number of siliques per plant (7%). In the correlation analysis, it was found that among the grain yield components, the highest positive correlation coefficient with the grain weight per plant belonged to the number of siliques per plant (0.941).

Overall, it seems that foliar application of 6 mM silicon can be effective in increasing drought tolerance in Camelina.

The use of modifiers can reduce the effects of environmental stress in plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of salicylic acid and zeolite in reducing alkalinity stress in black seed (Nigella sativa L.). A factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with three replications in 2022 in the greenhouse of Razi university, Kermanshah. The factors included alkalinity stress (at three levels of 0, 50 and 100 mM as NaHCO3), salicylic acid (at three levels of 0, 0.5 and 1 mM), and zeolite (at three levels of 0, 0.25 and 0.5 % by weight). The results showed that the effects of salicylic acid and zeolite on most of the plant growth characteristics under alkalinity stress were significant (P ≤ 0.01). The highest amount of proline (12.65 μmol/g) and soluble sugars (0.2 mg/g) were obtained under severe alkalinity stress without the use of salicylic acid and zeolite. Also, the highest shoot height (24.6 cm), root length (19.5 cm), shoot dry mass (0.78 g) and leaf area (22.47 cm2) were obtained without alkalinity and with application of 1 mM salicylic acid and 0.5 % zeolite. In general, the use of salicylic acid, as a plant hormone, and zeolite, as a soil amendment, is a suitable and cheap strategy to reduce the effects of alkalinity stress in black seed.

Camelina oilseed has a lot of ability to be placed in the cultivation pattern of Iran's drylands. The seed germination and seedling establishment in dryland agriculture are usually exposed to drought stress. The aim of this study is to investigate the application effect of silicon concentrations in improving the seed germination characteristics and seedling growth of camelina under drought-stress conditions. The experiment was conducted as a factorial based on CRD with three replications at the seed laboratory of Razi University. The factors include camelina genotypes (Sohail and Line-84), drought stress (0, -3, -6, -9 bar using PEG-6000) and silicon (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM using sodium silicate). According to the results, increasing the drought stress decreased the seed germination characteristics and the seedling growth. However, germination percentage, germination rate, seedling length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigor indices and allometric coefficient of plumule to radicle weight were increased by silicon. To increase the measured traits, silicon 6 and 8 mM were better than other concentrations. In general, silicon was effective in mitigating the effects of drought stress on the seedling growth of camelina by improving the seed germination characteristics and seedling growth. Therefore, it seems that the silicon is an effective factor in such studies and its usability in camelina seed technology and seed coating for dryland areas.

Plant growth regulators are the most important factors that regulate crop production. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of some plant growth regulators on physiological traits, gas exchange variables and grain yield quality and quantity of wheat in Razi university, Iran, in 2013-2014 crop year. A factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was used. In this study, the first factor included 10 bread wheat cultivars (Zare, Parsi, Sivand, Pishtaz, Bahar, Azar 2, Bezostaya, Gaspard, Sirvan, and Marvdasht) and also the second factor at four levels included foliar application of 50 μM concentration of cytokinin, auxin, gibberellin and lack of foliar application (control) at flowering and booting stages of the spike. The results showed that there were significant differences among cultivars in terms of agronomic and physiological traits. Sivand and Parsi cultivars had the highest grain yield, biological yield, harvest index, number of grains per spike, thousand grain weight, hectoliter weight, photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll a, but Azar 2 cultivar had the lowest of the above traits. The results showed that application of plant growth regulators increased grain yield, biological yield, harvest index, thousand grain weight, photosynthesis rate, soluble proteins content and crude protein. Among the investigated plant growth regulators, the application of 50 μM of cytokinin caused the highest increase in the rate of plant photosynthesis (18.4%).

Two separate experiments were conducted to investigate the performance of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) in different water deficit and salinity management in 2017 and 2018, a randomized complete block design factorial experiment with three replications was designed in a lysimeter station in the Department of Water Engineering, Campus Agriculture, and Natural Resources of Razi University, Iran. The experiment included three levels of irrigation: 100%, 80% and 60%, and four salinity levels: (control), 2, 3 and 4 dS/m. The results indicated that the water deficit stress effect on aerial characteristics (leaf fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, leaf area, shoot height) and underground organs (root dry weight, root volume, root area, and root length), was significant. The irrigation water salinity effect in two years of the experiment was significant on leaf wet and dry weight, shoot wet and dry weight, leaf area and root dry weight, root volume, root area and root length. The mean comparison test revealed that the effect of deficit irrigation on shoot wet and dry weight was not significant between the 80% and 60% water requirement treatments. For 100% and 60% of irrigation requirements, the maximum and minimum leaf dry weight was observed at 2.47 and 1.54 g/plant in 2017. The mean comparison test result for salinity on underground organs showed that the highest root length in two years was observed in the control treatment and the lowest value of this parameter was observed in the 4 dS/m treatment. In general, water deficit and salinity had a negative effect on peppermint yield during two years of experiments. Therefore, it is not recommended to apply water stress and use water with a salinity of more than 2 ds/m to achieve the maximum yield.

Wheat ranks first among crops regarding cultivated area and production worldwide and in Iran. Drought stress is the most common abiotic stress that decreases the grain yield of crops. Physiologic characteristics with some traits related to grain yield and its components are used as indices to evaluate wheat cultivars under drought stress conditions. This experiment aimed to study the grain yield components and some physiologic characteristics of the flag leaf and their relationship with grain yield in commercial wheat varieties under post-anthesis drought stress conditions.
This experiment was conducted at Razi University. The experiment was arranged as a split plot basis on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Two moisture treatments (no stress and post-anthesis drought stress) were placed in the main plots and 14 wheat cultivars were considered in the sub-plots. Traits related to grain yield (including biologic, grain and straw yields and harvest index), grain yield components (including number of spikes per square meter, number of grains per spike and 1000-grains weight) and some physiologic characteristics of flag leaf (including flag leaf area, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a/b ratio and proline content) were measured.
The effect of drought stress on biological yield, grain yield, harvest index, number of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight, flag leaf area, chlorophyll a/b ratio and flag leaf proline content was significant, but on straw yield, number of spikes per square meter, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll was not significant. Wheat cultivars significantly differed in the mentioned characteristics (except for chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll). The damage of post-anthesis drought stress on the grain yield reduction was more than straw yield (41 vs. 9% reduction). Among the grain yield components, 1000-grain weight had greater damage than the number of grains per spike (35 vs. 11% reduction) in response to drought stress. Drought stress decreased the amount of chlorophyll but increased the chlorophyll a/b ratio and proline content of the flag leaf. Correlation analysis showed that under normal moisture conditions, harvest index and chlorophyll content in flag leaf had the highest positive correlation with grain yield. While, under post-anthesis drought stress conditions, the highest positive correlation belonged to the proline content of flag leaf and 1000-grain weight.
Some physiologic characteristics of flag leaf (such as proline) with grain yield components (such as 1000-grain weight) could be used to evaluate wheat cultivars under post-anthesis drought stress conditions.Keywords: 1000-grain weight, flag leaf area, harvest index, proline.

Salinity stress reduces the yield of agricultural products. Water or soil salinity is caused by the increase in the concentration of soluble salts and minerals in water and soil, which leads to the accumulation of salt in the root area, to the extent that it prevents water absorption and optimal plant growth. In general, tolerance to salinity is important during all stages of plant growth. Seed germination is the first stage of plant growth. Salinity stress reduces the percentage and rate of seed germination and also seedling growth. Crop yield is quantitatively and qualitatively dependent on the percentage, rate and uniformity of seed germination and also seedling growth. In recent years, a lot of attention has been paid to silicon due to its effect in reducing plant damage against some environmental stresses (such as drought, heat, heavy metals, salinity etc.). The studies show that silicon protects the plant against environmental stresses by stimulating growth and increasing the antioxidant enzymes activity. It has also been reported that the silicon is effective in increasing the chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis rate and the resistance of plants under stressful conditions. Silicon increases the plant tolerance to the salinity by improving photosynthetic activity, increasing the relative selection of K+/Na+, increasing the soluble substances in the xylem, reducing sodium absorption, and mechanical protection against the toxicity of elements. Therefore, a research was carried out with the aim of investigating the effect of the silicon in increasing tolerance to salinity stress in camellia seedlings.

A laboratory experiment was carried out in 2021 at Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. The experiment laid out as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications. The factors were camelina genotypes (Sohail cultivar and Line-84), salinity (four levels 0, -3, -6 and -9 bar) and silicon (five levels of 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM). Salinity stress levels were prepared by different amounts of sodium chloride (NaCl) salt. Silicon factor levels were also prepared by different concentrations of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3). The experiment consisted of 120 petri dishes. Data analysis was done with MSTATC and SAS statistical softwares. Means were compared using Duncan's multiple range test (P≤0.05). Excel software was used to draw figures.

The results showed that with the increase in salinity intensity, the growth characteristics and the amount of soluble proteins of camellia seedlings decreased, but the activity of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase enzymes and the amount of malondialdehyde increased. The lowest activity of catalase was observed under non-salinity conditions (control). But the highest activity of catalase enzyme (104.4 µM/min. mg protein) belonged to the treatment of -9 bar salinity. The use of silicon increased the seedling growth, the amount of soluble proteins, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and the amount of malondialdehyde in camelina seedlings. The highest germination rate (23.97 seeds/day) was obtained in the treatment of 8 mM silicon. With the increase in silicon concentration, the amount of soluble proteins increased, so that in the 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM treatments, compared to the control treatment, the amount of soluble protein increased by 4, 8, 10.75 and 10.9%, respectively. By increasing the concentration of silicon, the activity rate of catalase enzyme increased. The highest activity rate of peroxidase enzyme (35.38 µM/min. mg protein) was observed in 8 mM silicon, which was significantly different from other treatments. The lowest activity of peroxidase was related to the control treatment. Line-84 had 8.65% higher activity rate of superoxide dismutase than the Sohail cultivar. With increasing salinity stress and silicon concentration, the activity rate of superoxide dismutase increased. On average, in the treatments of 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM silicon, the activity rate of superoxide dismutase was increased 11, 27, 44 and 57%, respectively, compared to the control (without silicon). The highest amount of malondialdehyde (44.42 µM/g fresh weight) was observed in the treatment of 8 mM silicon.

The results of this experiment showed that the application of silicon, by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, reduced the oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species and thus protected camellia seedlings against salt stress. In general, it seems that the use of silicon has been effective in reducing the adverse effects of salinity stress on growth and biochemical characteristics of camelina seedlings.

In agriculture, there has always been an attempt to increase the tolerance of crops to environmental stresses. Therefore, pot research was done to investigate the impacts of silicon foliar application on the mitigation of salinity stress in camelina. The study was done as a factorial based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran, during 2020-21. The experimental factors were two camelina genotypes (Soheil cultivar and Line-84), salinity (at three levels 6, 60 and 120 mM) and foliar spraying of sodium silicate (at four levels control, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM). The results illustrated that salinity stress reduced plant growth, grain production and its components. By increasing the salinity intensity, silicon foliar application led to reducing the impacts of salinity on total dry matter, grain weight and the number of siliques per plant. Under non-saline conditions, a silicon concentration of 6 mM increased the total dry matter, the grain weight and the number of siliques per plant by about 7.7 and 6%, respectively. Under mild and severe salinity conditions, 6 mM silicon increased the total dry matter 9 and 10%, the grain weight by 11 and 8%, and the siliques per plant by 9 and 9%, respectively. The maximum grain weight per plant was related to the silicon foliar spraying of 6 mM. Silicon foliar spraying 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM increased the grain weight per plant by 3, 7, 10 and 9%, respectively compared to the control. In general, it seems that the foliar application of silicon reduces the salinity of camelina plant growth, grain weight per plant and its components.

This study was carried out in a randomized complete block design with four treatments (120, 100, 80 and 60% of field capacity) in order to investigate the effects of deficit irrigation on growth, qualitative, qualitative and water use efficiency of grain maize in Kermanshah. Three replications were designed and conducted in the form of furrow irrigation. The results showed that deficit irrigation effects on grain yield, biomass, leaf area index, harvest index, crop canopy, grain fat productivity, weight of stems, weight of leaves, weight of ears, number of kernels per ear, length of kernels, water use efficiency in grain, water use efficiency in biomass and water use efficiency in fat were significant. The impacts of water stress on the characteristics of maize different in different stages of growth and were higher at the end of the growing season (grain filling stage) so that the application of 40 percent water stress in grain yield, biomass yield, 1000-seed weight and number of grain per ear to the values 3631(Kg), 12143(Kg), 211.66(g) and 288, respectively, reduced 69, 49, 11 and 21 percent compared to the control treatment. The maximum water use efficiency in grain yield ,biomass and fat in the treatment of excess Irrigation was obtained at 1.15, 2.74 and 0.0548 Kg / ha respectively. Therefore, deficit irrigation of maize (KSC 706) is not recommended in Kermanshah.

Dust creates fine particulate matter and industrial and urban pollutants including factories of cement, gypsum, stone crasher, flour, daily winnowing of grain storage silos, heavy and light machinery traffic on dirt roads, car smoke and burning oil derivatives, power plants, etc. The dust damages the plants in various forms. The first damage the photosynthetic system by entering through the pores, and then by deposition on the leaf surface, reducing the light reached to the leaf, reducing the amount of photosynthetic pigments, changing the leaf temperature, and reducing the quantum yield, reducing the assimilation and closing stomata, exacerbated fungal and bacterial activity, pests and diseases, and ultimately reduce growth and yield. The amount of damage to the plant depends on the type of plant, cultivar, leaf area characteristics, the growth stage of the dust on the leaf surface, the type of dust and wind speed, the amount of dust thickness on the leaf, and the irrigation regime. Accordingly, the simulation of the effect of dust deposition and the reduction of light intensity due to it and their interactions on the growth and yield of chickpea cultivar Bivanich was performed as the dominant cultivar in the region. 

This experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of dust and light intensity on yield and some physiological and agronomic characteristics of chickpea cv. Bivanich, at the Research Field, Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran in 2016-2017. Experiment was Factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Factors included light intensity (100, 75, 50, 25 and 0% light intensity) and dust deposition at flowering onset and no dust deposition. Sowing date was in late March 2016 in dryland with 25 cm line spacing and 13.5 cm inter-plant spacing in 6 lines with 3 m plots long. Shading was applied with plastic wrap fasteners that were 1 cm wide. The amount of chlorophylls a, b, total and carotenoides and soluble carbohydrates were investigated in mid grain filling. Yield traits and components of grain yield were studied at physiological maturity. The water requirement and water use efficiency were calculated for both total dry matter and grain yield. The data were analyzed by SAS software and the means were compared with LSD at 5% probability level. 

The results showed that from flowering stage, the interaction effects of dust deposition and different light intensities were significant on yield traits such as biomass yield, grain yield and number of seeds per plant. Both biomass and grain yields at 100 and 75% light intensities were not significantly different in non-dust treatments, but the number of seeds per plant decreased at 75% light intensity compared to 100%. In dust conditions, there was a significant difference between the light intensities of 75% and 100%, which was reduced significantly. This indicates that the deposition of the dust by increasing stress on the plant increased the sensitivity of chickpea to the amount of light intensity. In this experiment, the number of grains per plant was ranged between 13.6 to 16.9 for the light intensity levels and 9.3 and 14.3 between the dust conditions. The effects of dust deposition on the 100-grain weight were not significant but were significant due to light intensities and the light intensity of 0% decreased maximum of 8.4%. The effects of two treatments on photosynthetic pigments and soluble carbohydrates were significant. In general, the dust deposition reduced the amount of photosynthetic pigments and soluble carbohydrates. With decreasing light intensities decreased chlorophyll a and carotenoids, but increased chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll. Water requirement and water use efficiency were also affected by treatments. 

In general, the results showed that the deposition of dust from flowering stage caused damage to biomass yield, grain yield, grain number per plant, 100 seed weight, photosynthetic pigments and water use efficiency. Rate of this damage for biomass yield was 24.4%, grain yield 16.8%, grain number per plant 15.4%, chlorophyll a 13.5%, chlorophyll b 21.7%, carotenoids 10.7%, soluble carbohydrates 18.8% Water use efficiency was 24.6%. By reducing the light intensity up to 75% were not significantly decreased in no-dust conditions (control treatment), total dry matter yield, grain yield and grain number per plant. Effect of light intensity reduction from 50% (at no dust treatment) until 0% (without direct light) reduced the most important traits such as biomass yield, grain yield and grain number per plant, but in dust treatment with decrease in light intensity from 100% decreased significant. Both the deposition of dust and the reduction in light intensity had severe effects on the water use efficiency of chickpea. Accordingly, the ranges of changes were for water use efficiency between 0.61 and 1.23 (based on total dry matter).

Chickpea is one of the valuable pulses and rich source of protein. In most years, in west of Iran, the amount of rainfall is low and the distribution of rainfall is not suitable. In many cases, rainfed lands are affected by drought stress. On the other hand, most rainfed lands have low fertility, especially in nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients. In higher plants, salicylic acid applied to reduce the dangerous effects of drought stress. Different varieties of chickpeas show different responses to environmental changes. This experiment was carried out in order to investigate the effect of salicylic acid and biofertilizers on the physiological characteristics of two chickpea cultivars. 

This experiment was done in factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications in Kermanshah under rainfed conditions in the 2016. Kermanshah is located at an altitude of 1319 m of sea level (Latitude: 34°21′ N and Longitude: 47°9′ E). Experimental treatments included two chickpea cultivars (Bivanij and Azad), foliar spraying of salicylic acid (non-application, 0.5 and 1 mill molar concentrations) and biological fertilizer (non-application of biofertilizers, bio-superphosphate bacteria (Pseudomonas+Enterobacter), biosulfur bacteria (Thiobacillus spp.), a rhizobium bacterium (Mesorhizobium ciceri), and mycorrhiza fungus (Rhizophagus irregularis). Each plot was six m2 (four meters long and 1.5 meters wide) with 6 lines (density= 40 plants per m2, sowing line spacing= 25 cm, sowing distance on each line= 10 cm and sowing depth= 7 cm). The sowing date was March 19. The studied traits were relative water content, relative water loss, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a/b ratio, carotenoids, hydrogen peroxide, catalase and peroxidase enzyme activity and grain yield.

Foliar spraying of salicylic acid and the application of biofertilizers increased the production of hydrogen peroxide and decreased the activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes. The highest catalase activity were obtained in Bivanij cultivar×non-application of salicylic acid, Bivanij cultivar×non-use of biofertilizer, non-application of salicylic acid and the lowest catalase activity were obtained in Azad cultivar×one mM salicylic acid, Bivanij cultivar×bio-superphosphate and one mM salicylic acid×biosulfur application. The highest and lowest peroxidase activity were obtained under non-application of salicylic acid×non-application of biofertilizer and one mM salicylic acid×rhizobium application, respectively. The highest relative water loss (RWL) was obtained in Bivanij cultivar×non-application of biofertilizer, while the lowest RWL was observed in Azad cultivar×biosulfur application biofertilizer. Relatively, the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll a/b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids increased with the application of biofertilizers. Bivanij cultivar had a higher grain yield than Azad cultivar. In both Bivanij and Azad varieties, the highest grain yield was obtained from the use of rhizobium and mycorrhiza biofertilizers. The highest grain yield (1626 kg.ha-1) was observed from the application of the concentration of 0.5 mM of salicylic acid and rhizobium biofertilizer. In both Bivanij and Azad varieties, the highest catalase activity was observed due to non-use of salicylic acid and non-application of biofertilizer. 

In general, at all three levels of salicylic acid, the highest peroxidase activity was observed in the absence of biofertilizer application. It is possible that biofertilizers reduce both nutrient deficiencies and drought stress, thus reducing peroxidase activity. In general, in this experiment, in terms of grain yield and physiological traits affecting grain yield, between the cultivars, native Bivanij cultivar, among the salicylic acid levels, the concentration of 0.5 mmol and among the biofertilizers, rhizobium biofertilizer were superior treatments.

In order to evaluate the effect of foliar application of some chemicals on antioxidant enzymes activity and chlorophyll fluorescence of sunflower in different irrigation conditions as well as identifying compounds’ effectiveness in reducing the adverse effects of drought stress, this experiment has been conducted at the Agricultural Research Center of Hamedan, Iran, between 2015 and 2016. Three irrigation and six foliar application treatments are evaluated in a split plot experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Irrigation treatments consist of 60%, 80%, and 100% plant water requirement and foliar application treatments include abscisic acid 40 μM, Selenium 20 mg/L, Salicylic acid 500 μM, SNP 100 μM, Glycine betaine 100 mM, and the control. Results show that by decreasing the irrigation water, the activity of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase enzymes rise sharply, while the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and grain yield decline. The interaction effect of irrigation × foliar application on the activity of antioxidant enzymes and grain yield is significant, but not so on chlorophyll fluorescence. In deficit irrigation treatments, foliar application of all chemical compounds significantly boost the activity of antioxidant enzymes, compared to the control. Application of salicylic acid raises the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and grain yield, at all irrigation conditions. Under 60%, 80%, and 100% irrigation conditions, salicylic acid application increases grain yield by 24.3%, 10.1%, and 4.9%, respectively.

Oat is one of the most important plants in the cereals family. Oat grain is used for humans and livestock, and its forage is used for livestock. Iran is located in an arid and semi-arid region. The average annual rainfall in Iran is about one-third of the world average. Therefore, drought stress in Iran is the most critical environmental stress that limits the growth and yield of crops. Nitrogen is one of the essential nutrients for crops. In the world and Iran, nitrogen is used more than other fertilizers. Nitrogen uptake by the plants from the soil is accompanied by water. Therefore, drought stress interferes with nitrogen uptake. Accordingly, the present experiment aimed to investigate the effect of drought stress after anthesis and nitrogen amounts on the physiological characteristics of three oat cultivars.

The experiment was conducted as a split-plot factorial based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications at Research Farm of Razi University during 2013-14 cropping year. Post-anthesis moisture conditions (normal and stress) were considered as the main factor and the combination of two factors including oat cultivar (Potoroo, Quoll, and Brusher) and nitrogen supply (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% nitrogen requirement for oat) as the sub-factor. Nitrogen levels were selected based on the soil test results and the nitrogen requirements of oat in the irrigated farm without drought stress. The source of nitrogen was urea fertilizer (containing 46% nitrogen).

The results showed that the moisture and nitrogen treatments significantly affected the studied physiological traits. According to the results, the post-anthesis drought stress led to a decrease in SPAD at anthesis and grain filling stages (12.5 and 30.6%, respectively), a decrease in FV/FM at anthesis (5.3%), an increase in stomatal resistance at anthesis and grain filling stages (94 and 77%, respectively), and an increase in grain protein content (2.3%). Supply 100% of the plant nitrogen requirement compared to 0% led to improvement of SPAD at anthesis and grain filling stages (63 and 64%, respectively), an increase in FV/FM at anthesis and grain filling stages (13.2 and 13.4%, respectively), an increase in stomatal resistance at anthesis and grain filling stages (163 and 148%, respectively), an increase in chlorophyll a and b (16 and 29%, respectively), reduction of chlorophyll a/b ratio (10%), and finally an increase in grain protein content (1.5%).

The physiological traits associated with the photosynthesis of oat plants can be improved by the proper supply of moisture and nitrogen.

AbstractWe studied the effects of foliar application of iron chelate on relative leaf water content, electrolyte leakage, leaf chlorophyll content, carotenoids content, leaf soluble sugars content and proline for saffron in Kermanshah (Iran). A two-year trial (2013–2015) was conducted in the factorial experiment based on complete randomized design (CRD) in triplicates at the research farm of Razi University; Iran. The traits were studied in the second year of experiment. The foliar iron chelated was applied at the three considered times namely early vegetative (November), mid-vegetative (January), and the end of vegetative growth (March). The seven concentrations of iron chelate were considered i.e. zero (control), 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 ppm. The results showed that chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll and electrolyte leakage were not influenced by the time of foliar application. However, carotenoids have been affected significantly by the time (p≤0.05) and the other traits were affected very significantly (p≤0.01). The concentration of iron solution and the interaction between two factors affected all the traits highly significant (p≤0.01) apart from the electrolyte leakage which was significantly influenced (p≤0.05). The foliar application of iron chelate with the concentration of 2000 ppm leads to increase for chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids in comparison with control for 45.4%, 42.4%, and 63.6% at the mid-vegetative, respectively. Soluble sugar content also has been raised for the foliar application at the end of vegetative growth for 2000 ppm for 63.5% compare with control. Also, generally can be claimed that the foliar application of iron chelate at the mid-vegetative was more effective than others.

Seeds of crops deteriorate during storage. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of selenium on the improvement of deteriorated seeds in two lentil cultivars. The research was conducted as a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design. The seeds of two lentil cultivars (Kimia and Bilehsavar) were exposed to different deterioration conditions (no deterioration, mild and severe deterioration). Then, these deteriorated seeds were primed by different concentrations of selenium (0, 250, 500 and 750 µM). After the priming, the seeds were evaluated in a standard germination test and related traits were measured. In non-deteriorated seeds, priming with selenium did not have significant effects on the seed germination and seedling vigor characteristics. Under mild and severe deterioration conditions, seed priming with selenium at 0, 250, and 500 μM had not significant differences in most seed and seedling vigor characteristics, but priming at 750 μM improved this traits. For example, under mild and severe seed deterioration conditions, seed priming at 750 μM selenium increased the germination rate by 30 and 62 %, respectively, and decreased the mean germination time by 13 and 17 %, respectively. In terms of the activity of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase enzymes, it was found that in non-deteriorated seeds, the activity of these enzymes were increased 81, 19 and 43% respectively; by seed priming with selenium 750 μM. The effect of seed priming at 750 μM selenium on activity of these three enzymes was 221, 92 and 86% for mild seed deterioration and 376, 143 and 141% for severe seed deterioration conditions, respectively. Also, the effect of seed priming with selenium on the studied traits was similar for the two lentil cultivars Kimia and Bilehsavar. Therefore, it seems that seed priming with selenium 750 μM had the ability of improvement the deteriorated lentil seeds Kimia and Bilehsavar.

In order to investigate the effect of nitrogen and cytokinin on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of thyme, a three-year factorial experiment was conducted at Razi University based on a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Factors included nitrogen levels (0, 50 and 100 kg N/ha) and cytokinin concentrations (0, 100, 200 and 400 μM). The results of analysis of variance showed that the interaction effect of nitrogen × cytokinin on plant height, number of branches, leaf, stem and whole plant dry weights, essential oil percentage and yield was significant (p ≤0.01). With increasing the amount of nitrogen and cytokinin, all the studied traits (except harvest index) increased significantly compared to the control. The highest plant height and number of branches were obtained in the treatment of 100 kg N/ha × 400 μM cytokinin. The treatment of 100 kg N/ha × 100 μM cytokinin resulted the highest production of dry weights of leaf (3287 kg/ha), stem (3110 kg/ha) and whole plant (6398 kg/ha); aproximately 60.5, 59.8 and 60.9% more than the control treatment, respectively. Also, the highest percentage of essential oil (2.45 %) was obtained by applying 50 kg N/ha × 400 μM cytokinin. Application of 100 kg N/ha and foliar application of 200 μM resulted in the highest essential oil yield (77.60 kg/ha). In general, the results of this experiment showed that the quantitative and qualitative yield of thyme can be increased by consuming the appropriate amount of nitrogen and cytokinin.

In this research, the interaction of Pb stress, salicylic acid (SA) and biochar (BC) on growth parameters of basil crop (Ocimum basilicum L.) were investigated. This experiment was conducted as a factorial, based on a complete randomized design with three replications in greenhouse of Razi University. Treatments included canola biochar at three levels (0, 1 and 3% by weight), SA at three levels (0, 100 and 200 μM) and Pb at three levels (0, 100 and 200 mg/kg Pb(NO3)2). Results showed that the highest plant height, stem diameter, fresh and dry plant weight, leaf area, fresh and dry root weight, and root volume were observed in the treatment of 200 μM SA, 3% BC and Pb control. Also, the simultaneous application of SA and BC reduced Pb concentration in basil, so that the lowest one (0.67 mg/kg) was found in the treatment of 200 μM SA, 3% BC and Pb control. In contrast, the highest proline content (44.4 mmol/g) was obtained in 200 mg/kg of Pb and control of SA and BC. In general, the application of SA and BC could significantly reduce Pb-induced stress on growth characteristics in basil.

Biofertilizers play a fundamental role in sustainable agriculture and salicylic acid reduces the harmful effects of stress. Rainfed farming of chickpeas in western Iran is often under drought stress. In order to investigate the effect of foliar application of salicylic acid (non-application, 0.5 and 1 millimolar) and biofertilizers (non-application of biofertilizers, biosuperphosphate bacteria, biosulfur bacteria, Rhizobium bacterium, and mycorrhizal fungus) on yield of two chickpea cultivars (Bivanij and Azad) a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replication was conducted in two years (2016-2017) in Kermanshah under rainfed conditions. The studied traits were number of pods per plant, number of empty pod per plant, number of seeds per plant, 100 seed weight, fertile pod, grain yield, dry matter yield, and harvest index. The results showed that triple interaction of cultivars × salicylic acid × biofertilizers had a significant effect on all traits except number of seeds per pod. Bivanij cultivar had the highest grain yield (in the first and second year were 1821 and 1875 kg.ha-1, respectively), dry matter yield (in the first and second year were 4076 and 4414 kg.ha-1, respectively) and number of seeds per plant (18.8) in 0.5 mM Salicylic acid and Rhizobium bacterium. Application of Salicylic acid and biofertilizer could be recommended in rainfed farming of chickpea to increase drought tolerance, yield, and reduce chemical fertilizer application resulting in sustainable agriculture.

In the present experiment the effect of biofertilizers(non-application of biofertilizers, biosuperphosphate bacteria, biosulfur bacteria, rhizobium bacterium, and mycorrhizal fungus) and foliar application of salicylic acid (non-application, consumption of half and a millimolar)on biochemical chractristics and seed elements in two chickpea cultivars (Bivanij and Azad)was conducted as a factorial form based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications under rainfed conditions in Kermanshah during the cropping year 2016-17. The highest amount of proline was obtained in Bivanij and Azad cultivars in 0.5 millimolar salicylic acid treatment with   biosuperphosphate (0.049 and 0.048 miligram per gram fresh leaf weight, respectively), the highest soluble sugar content of one millimolar salicylic acid treatment in Bivanij cultivars with mycorrhiza and Azad cultivars with rhizobium (2.49 and 2.48 milligram per gram fresh leaf weight, respectively) and the highest amount of soluble protein in one millimolar  treatment of salicylic acid with mycorrhiza and biosulfur (0.172 and 0.167 milligram per gram fresh leaf weight, respectively) was obtained. The highest amount of grain protein in Azad cultivar with application of biosulfur and mycorrhiza (24.83 percent), highest grain raffinose (0.853 percent) in Azad cultivar and with non-application treatment of biofertilizers, highest amount of grain potassium (971.65 milligram per 100 gram) in the treatment of one millimolar salicylic acid with mycorrhizal fungus, the highest grain yield (1821 kilogram per hectare ) was obtained by spraying half a millimolar salicylic acid with rhizobium in Bivnij cultivar. Foliar application of 0.5 millimolar salicylic acid with rhizobium bacteria and mycorrhizal fungus, in addition to improving the biochemical properties and content of elements, led to a 31 percent increase in grain yield compared to the control treatment, which was very economically significant.

The shortage of water during the growth period of the maize plant causes damage to the growth stage that depends on type of hybrid, the geographical location, the weather conditions and the soil. Because at different growth stages, maize is in different condition in terms of development and root growth, electrical conductivity, drought tolerance and shoot growth. Therefore, water shortages at each stage of growth may lead to changes in the absorption of mineral elements, the production of materials or transfer to a reservoir, which ultimately affects the quality of the grain.

In order to evaluate the effect not irrigation at different times of growth on the amount of elements in the grain of corn (SC704) carried out a research in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications in the village of Ciahgol, Gilangharb (tropical region), Kermanshah, Iran, in summer 2015. Treatments including control (irrigation each week) and not irrigation (NI) for two weeks (from 7, 21, 35, 49, 63, 77 and 91 days after planting) and not irrigation (NI) for three weeks (from 7 , 28, 49, 70 and 91 days after planting). In all treatments was delayed only once irrigation for two or three weeks and before and after the no irrigation treatments was done each week. Sowing date was 27 June, 2015. Soil text was clay-loam. Each plot including 5 rows × 6 meter length. Plant density was 85000 plants ha-1. In this experiment, the traits of concentration and yield of the elements in the grain were measured including iron, zinc, copper, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and sodium. Finally, data analyzed by SAS software and means compared with LSD test.

The results of analysis of variance showed that not irrigation had a significant effect on grain yield, concentration and yield of studied elements in grain. The highest grain yield (13600 kg ha-1) was obtained in control treatment. In two weeks not irrigation treatment after 49, 63 and 77 days after sowing was decreased by 74.2%, 57.3% and 52.2% to control, respectively. In the three week treatment not irrigation was reduced by 97.4% and 95.2% after 49 and 70 days after sowing. The concentration of the elements in the two and three weeks no irrigation was increased compared to the control. The lowest concentration was observed in the control treatment and the highest in two weeks of irrigation treatment at 77 days after planting (grain filling period) and three weeks no irrigation in 49 days after planting (inflorescence emergence). In not-irrigation treatment for two weeks after 77 days after planting, the concentrations of iron, zinc, copper, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and sodium were increased to control 15.5, 11.5, 45.2, 18.8, 12.0 , 38.2 and 33.8% respectively. In the 3-week no irrigation treatment, on 49 days after planting was increased the concentration of these elements to control 10.9, 20.7, 46.1, 25.1, 26.8, 48.2 and 58.3%, respectively. However, the yield elements in the control treatment was the highest and in the two and three weeks irrigation treatment was less than the control, and in the treatment 49 days after planting was the lowest, which was affected by the severe decrease in grain yield at this stage of growth.

In general, the results showed that in each stage of growth and development of maize that faced with drought stress, although the concentration of the elements studied in the grain increased from 10 to 58 percent compared to the control treatment, but due to a significant decrease in grain yield, yield elements were reduced to 96% to control treatments. The most sensitive stage of plant growth to drought stress in this experiment was 49 days after planting or inflorescence emergence stage.

In order to study the effects of deficit and salinity water stresses on aerial and underground organs of Mentha piperita L. two separate experiments were conducted. A randomized complete block design factorial experiment with three replications was designed at 2017-2018 year in a research farm of department of water engineering, campus agriculture and natural resources of Razi University. Water deficit experiment included three levels (100 (Control), 80 and 60% irrigation requirement) and salinity experiment included four levels control (0.9, 2, 3 and 4) dS/m. The results showed that the effect of water deficit stress on aerial characteristics (shoot fresh and dry weight, leaf fresh and dry weight, leaf area and shoot height) and underground organs (root dry weight, root length, root area, volume and density) were significant. The maximum and minimum of leaf dry weight for 100 and 60% of irrigation requirement observed 2.47 and 1.54 grams per plant. With application of 20 and 40% irrigation deficit leaf area in comparison with control 22 and 31% decreased. With application of water irrigation salinity for 2, 3 and 4 dS/m leaf area 15, 20 and 47% decreased. The highest tolerance salinity of Mentha piperita L. was obtained as 3dS/m.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of ultraviolet radiation (UV) and abscisic acid (ABA) on the activity of antioxidant enzymes, physiological and morphological characteristics of the tomato under drought stress conditions. Experiment was conducted as a factorial based on randomized complete block design with four replications during two years. Experimental factors included radiation of ultraviolet radiation on three levels (control (non-radiation), UV-AB and UV-C), application of abscisic acid on two levels (non-application and application of abscisic acid with dose of 10 mg/L), and drought stress on two levels of without drought stress (complete irrigation during all growth period) and drought stress in vegetative stage (from 20 days after transplantation to flowering). The results showed that UV-AB radiation increased leaf relative water content and shoot dry weight while UV-C radiation reduced leaf relative water content and shoot dry weight compared to control (without ultraviolet radiation). By applying drought stress increased the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase enzymes as well as soluble carbohydrate concentrations, while the relative water content of leaves and shoot dry weight decreased significantly. The amount of peroxidase enzyme activity, relative water content, soluble carbohydrates and shoot dry weight increased due to the application of abscisic acid. Based on the results of this study, it can be stated that drought and ultraviolet stresses had harmful effects on the tomato plants, and the interaction of these two above-mentioned environmental tensions was synergistic to induce protective mechanisms and defense systems.

Several tests have been introduced to determine the seed vigor, that one or some of them are suitable for each plant species. This study was conducted to compare electrical conductivity, imbibition and hiltner tests to determine the seed vigor in lentil. The research was done in two sections of laboratory and field at Razi University during 2015-16. In the field, eight lentil seed lots, which were different in terms of cultivar and age, were planted. In the laboratory, this eight lentil seed lots were compared by electrical conductivity, imbibition and hiltner tests. The results of the field experiment showed that the lentil seed lots were significantly different in percentage and rate of seedling emergence, mean daily emergence and mean time to emergence. The laboratory experiment showed that there were significant differences among seed lots in conductivity and hiltner tests, but were not in imbibition test. Orthogonal analysis in the conductivity and hiltner tests demonstrated that the new seed lots had higher vigor. Based on the correlation analysis, the conductivity and imbibition tests had no correlation with the seedling emergence characteristics in the field, but the normal seedling percentage in hiltner test had significant positive correlation with the percentage (r=0.630) and rate (r=0.498) of seedling emergence in the field. So, it seems that to predict seedling emergence in the field, conductivity and imbibition tests have inappropriate ability, but hiltner test has appropriate ability.