sahebali boland nazar

Cultivating salt-tolerant species and inoculating them with beneficial soil microorganisms can be an effective solution to alleviate the salinity problems. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the physiological responses and nutrient uptake of the almond cultivar 'Supernova' grafted on GN15 rootstock when inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi at different salinity levels.

The current study followed a factorial design in the form of a randomized complete block design with two factors: (1) inoculation with fungi at two levels (non-inoculated and inoculated with Rhizophagus intraradices) and (2) salinity at three levels (0, 60 and 120 mM) with three replicates under greenhouse conditions.

The results showed that inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi improved growth indices, Fv/Fm and chlorophyll content under high salt stress. Inoculation with R. intraradices significantly reduced H2O2 and MDA content, while antioxidant capacity and proline content increased compared to non-inoculated plants under high salinity conditions. Inoculated plants showed significantly higher phosphorus and potassium content in the leaves at all salinity levels and in the roots at medium salinity compared to non-inoculated plants. Under salt stress, the sodium content of leaves in inoculated plants was significantly lower than in non-inoculated plants, while the opposite was observed for root sodium content.

The use of mycorrhizal fungi in combination with a tolerant rootstock can be an effective and environment-friendly approach to mprove the salt tolerance of almond trees. In this regard, it seems necessary to conduct more experiments with different almonds genotypes under garden conditions.

Taking into account Iran's unique meteorological and biological characteristics due to its geographic position. This has contributed to the variety and abundance of plant species cultivated there. The Artemisia species, which are among Iran's most valuable plants, are members of the Asteraceae family and are found across the country in reasonably large numbers. Antioxidants now play an indisputable role in the food, pharmaceutical, and healthcare industries. Given that the antioxidant capability is greatly influenced by the kind of solvent used, the technique used to extract the plants that were harvested from each location, as well as other factors like the weather, altitude, and light. The substantial antioxidant activity of phenolic and flavonoid compounds and their protective significance in cancer illnesses are caused by these compounds' regenerative properties.

In this work, Artemisia aucheri, a medicinal plant, was gathered from Semnan, Mazandaran, and Isfahan in Iran, and the antioxidant activity of these ecotypes was assessed. In this study, the quantity of total phenol and flavonoids in polar (ethanol) and non-polar (ethyl acetate) extracts, as well as the proportion and diversity of essential oil components, were assessed. Antioxidant content was also determined using the DPPH and FRAP techniques.

The most active antioxidant is found in the Semnan ecotype. The polar solvent of ethanol showed the strongest inhibition whereas the non-polar solvent of ethyl acetate shown stronger reducing activity, proving the importance of the extraction solvent on antioxidant activity in various processes. The non-polar extract (ethyl acetate) from the Mazandaran ecotype had the greatest flavonoid concentration, while the polar extract (ethanol) from the Isfahan ecotype had the highest phenolic content. The ethanolic extract performed the best when assessing total phenol. The most crucial elements of essential oils are oxidized monoterpenes. Oxygenated monoterpenes are present in 54.82% of the Semnan ecotype, 38.81% of the Mazandaran ecotype, and 24.41% of the Isfahan ecotype. In comparison to other ecotypes, the Semnan ecotype exhibited the most oxygenated monoterpene compounds and the greatest number of essential oil-containing compounds.

These findings suggest that A. aucheri possesses abundant natural antioxidant sources and is useful in both the food and pharmaceutical industries. A key aspect is the act of extraction, which is focused on the extraction's goal. The solvent used during extraction significantly affects the outcomes. Regarding the chemical makeup of the compounds, the solvent's polarity directly affects the solutes that are extracted. Since phenolic chemicals are more attracted to polar solvents, they are found in plant samples. The kind of flavonoids found in plants and their degree of polarity determine the variation in the quantity of flavonoid content between polar and non-polar extracts. On the other hand, a variety of ecological, genetic, regional, and dietary variables may have contributed to the variation in phenolic contents, essential oils, and antioxidant chemicals found in the three analyzed ecotypes.

Artemisia L., the largest genus from the Anthemideae tribe and Asteraceae family, comprises almost 500 species, which is one so important in traditional Persian medicine. Of these species, A. absinthium and A. aucheri have numerous uses in various fields such as pharmaceutical, agricultural, cosmetics, sanitary, perfumes, and food industries. Due to their characteristic features in terms of chemical composition and usefulness, this paper aims to present the results of the chemical composition of essential oils extracted by the hydrodistillation from A. absinthium and A. aucheri. The plant material was collected from different geographical areas of Iran. The qualitative and quantitative essential oil analysis was performed by the GC/MS. The percentages show the presence of chemical compounds represented in the majority by camphor, sabinen, linalool, hydroxy dihydro- lavandulyl acetate, and Geraniol. Hydrocarbon and oxygen monoterpenes, especially ketones, were the essential chemical groups in the Artemisia essential oil from different parts of Iran.

Among the valuable plants of Iran, the Artemisia species belongs to the Asteraceae family, which is relatively widely distributed in different parts of Iran. Considering that the antioxidant potential is significantly dependent on the nature of the solvent, the extraction method of the plant collected from each region also depends on many parameters such as weather, altitude, and light. In this study, wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) was collected from three different regions of Iran and the antioxidant potential of these ecotypes was evaluated. In this research, the medicinal properties, including the antioxidant content (by DPPH and FRAP assays), flavonoid content (TFC), and total phenol (TPC) were evaluated in polar (ethanol) and semi polar (ethyl acetate) extracts, and the percentage and variety of essential oil compounds were evaluated. The Gilan ecotype has the most antioxidants, The Semnan ecotype showed the least antioxidant inhibition, and the non-polar solvent ethyl acetate showed a higher regenerating activity, which indicates that the type of solvent used in extraction is very effective for antioxidant activity. The AC values of the ecotypes ranged from 78.65 to 92.58 % extract (by DPPH assay) and from 11.76 to 18.88 Mmol Fe (by FRAP assay) respectively. Gilan ecotype has the highest phenolic content in polar extract, and the Golestan ecotype showed the highest flavonoid content in non-polar extract. Semnan ecotype had the most oxygenated monoterpene compounds, and the most composition in essential oil among other ecotypes. Golestan ecotype had the highest percentage of essential oil among other ecotypes. The diversity of phenolic contents, essential oil, and antioxidant compounds observed in the three studied ecotypes can be due to various ecological, genetic, geographical, and nutritional factors.

One of the new ways to save water and reduce irrigation costs is the use of superabsorbents. Since the zeolite nanoparticle has a larger specific surface area, it can absorb water and nutrients and release them when the plant needs them. A two-year greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of irrigation and nanozeolite on growth indicators, relative water content and ion leakage in basil plants. The experiment was done as chopped plots in the form of randomized complete blocks with three replications. The experimental treatments included irrigation levels at three levels (I1 = 0.75 FC or underwatering, FC = I2 or normal irrigation and I3 = 1.25 FC or overwatering) and nanozeolite superabsorbent levels in four levels (Z0 without superabsorbent, Z5 five grams of superabsorbent per kilogram of soil, Z10, 10 grams of superabsorbent per kilogram of soil and Z15 was 15 grams of superabsorbent per kilogram of soil). The results showed that with the increase in drought severity, diameter and height growth and other traits such as the number of leaves, leaf surface, weight of dry matter (biomass) of basil, the irrigation level decreased significantly by 75Percent, leading to a decrease in vegetative traits, a decrease in the relative water content of the leaves. and increased ionic leakage, also the results showed that the use of nanozeolite has a significant effect at the level of 1Percent on the investigated parameters, so that the use of this superabsorbent in the amount of 5 and 10 grams per kilogram of soil in all irrigation treatments (I1, I2, I3) ) by increasing the height of the plant stem by 22 and 30Percent in two consecutive years, as well as increasing the diameter of the basil stem by 33 and 29Percent respectively, increasing the number of lateral branches of basil in two years by 90 and 89Percent, respectively. The increase in the number of basil leaves was 49 and 76Percent, respectively, and the growth of the leaf surface was also increased by 25 and 19Percent, respectively. The dry weight of the plant increased by 40Percent and 30Percent, respectively, and the relative water content of the leaves increased by 14Percent and 7Percent in two consecutive years. In electrolyte leakage, contrary to the previous parameters, the application of superabsorbent reduced the ionic leakage of basil, but with the application of low irrigation, we saw an increase in this parameter. This study showed that there is a statistically significant difference (P>0.5) in the yield of the crop among treatments Z5, There is no Z10.

Today, the use of biological fertilizers in sustainable agriculture is an appropriate alternative to chemical fertilizers because the former can improve the quantitative and qualitative performance of plants, especially under stressful conditions. Therefore, this study aims in greenhouse conditions to investigate the effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on antioxidant enzyme activities and some physiological traits of sweet basil under water limitation. For this purpose, a factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized block design with three replications. Three levels of water deficit stress factor involved W0= 100% of field capacity, W1= 60% of the field capacity, and W2= 40% of the field capacity. Also, biofertilizers factor included nine levels of F1: Pota Barvar-2, F2: Phosphate Barvar-2, F3: Azeto Barvar 1, F4 (the combination of F1 and F2), F5 (the combination of F1 and F3), F6 (the combination of F2 and F3), F7 (the combination of F1, F2, and F3); F8 (100% chemical fertilizer as a positive control) and F9 (without any fertilizer as a negative control). Results showed that water limitation increased the activity of ascorbate peroxidase (193.55%), peroxidase (416.258%), polyphenol oxidase (48.21%) enzymes, and essential oil yield (135.48%). Meanwhile, the chlorophyll index, carotenoid, and yield decreased under water deficit stress. The use of biofertilizers improved these traits under water limitation conditions and normal irrigation. Also, applying a combination of 3 biofertilizers (F7) led to an increase 29.88% in the yield compared with negative control under severe water limitation. Therefore, the use of biofertilizer can be recommended for profitable basil production under water limitation conditions.Abbreviations: Catalase: (CAT), Peroxidase: (PROX), Ascorbate peroxidase: (ASP)

In recent decades, agricultural production has relied heavily on the use of chemical inputs, which has led to major environmental problems. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has led to the destruction of water and soil resources, reducing the population and diversity of soil microbes, water and air pollution, increasing the resistance of pests and pathogenes to various chemical pesticides, etc. One of the solutions to this problem is to use the principles of sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is an integrated system based on ecological principles and in this system, plant residues, animal manures, organic and bio-fertilizers are used instead of chemical compounds such as fertilizers and pesticides. In addition to supplying nutrients in the soil, it leads to weed and pest controlling and increases the microbe’s biodiversity in soil. Useful soil microorganisms such as mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi play an important role in the nutrients cycling, especially phosphorus and some other trace elements in ecosystems and plant protection against environmental and agricultural stresses. The fungal hyphae often extend into the portion of the soil that is not penetrated by roots or root hairs, and led to increase the absorption of water and nutrients for the plant. Endophyte fungus Piriformospora indica also has a wide range of host plants by colonizing their roots and stimulates the growth of its host plants and increases their yield. The use of these fungi in nutrient-poor soils increases the growth and yield of agricultural products along with reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is an annual herb of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae families, native to the Mediterranean region that has been cultivated since human antiquity. In addition to its oral application, this plant also has healing properties and is also considered as a medicinal plant. Coriander consumption is recommended in the treatment of various infectious diseases such as typhoid fever and various diseases in general. The shoots of this plant contain essential oils and active ingredients, and decanol is the main components of its essential oil. Whereas global approaches to the production of medicinal plants are aimed at improving the quantity and quality of the active ingredient of medicinal plants, healthy nutrition of these plants through eco-friendly approaches such as the use of biological fertilizers, is the most consistent with the goals of sustainable agriculture and leads to improved quantitative and qualitative yield of these plants. Accordingly, the study of the effect of beneficial soil fungi (mycorrhizal and endophytic) on vegetables such as coriander due to their high consumption by humans seems necessary. Therefore, in this study the effect of inoculation of two species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Diversispora versiformis ‌ and Rhizophagus irregularis) and one species of endophytic fungus (Piriformospora indica) individually and/or in combinations on the chemical composition and production of coriander essential oil was investigated.

The treatments were included single fungus inoculation (RI: R. irregularis, DV: D. versiformis, PI: P. indica), integrated fungal inoculations (PI+DV, PI+RI, RI+DV and PI+RI+DV), positive control treatment (with urea fertilizer and triple superphosphate, without fungus), and the negative control (no chemical fertilizer, no fungus). The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four replications in greenhouse conditions. Fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots, percentage of root colonization, leaf phenol, antioxidant compounds, carotenoids, total chlorophyll and essential oil were measured in coriander plant.

The results showed that the effect of all three fungal species (mycorrhiza and endophyte) both separately and in combination on the measured parameters was significant (p <0.01). Combined treatment of three fungi (PI + RI + DV) showed the highest yield in fresh and dry weight of shoot part by 8.62% and 17.94%, respectively. In the case of fresh and dry weight of root part, DV treatment had the best performance by 22.66% and 48.04%, respectively. The root colonization increase (91.75%) in PI + RI, phenol (72.5%) in RI + DV, antioxidant componds (11.81%), total chlorophyll (7.81%) and carotenoids (5.87%) in PI, and essential oil yield (107.2%) in PI + DV were recorded. All increases reported above are in comparison with negative control treatment.

According to the results of this study, in order to achieve higher yield in coriander, it is better to use single treatments of mycorrhizal fungi. Also, based on the results of this experiment, to enhance the performance of mycorrhizal fungi to improve the growth and development of coriander, especially to improve the yield of essential oil, it is better to use a combination of mycorrhizal fungi and endophyte. It should be noted that the results of this experiment were obtained in greenhouse conditions and to finally confirm the effectiveness of the fungi used in this experiment, therefore further studies should be performed at the field conditions along with measuring more traits to provide clearer and applied results.

Salicylic acid is a phenolic compound that plays an important role in inducing drought resistance in various plant species as a growth regulator.

Methods & Materials: 

In this study, the effect of foliar application of salicylic acid on chlorophyll content, relative water content, accumulation of osmotic compounds and fruit and seeds yield of medicine pumpkin under different levels of drought stress was investigated. Experimental treatments were included the foliar application of salicylic acid at 4 levels (control (spray with distilled water), 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mg L-1) and drought stress at 4 levels (100% field capacity, 85% field capacity, 70% field capacity and 55% field capacity).

According to the present results, with increasing drought stress, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, photosynthesis rate and leaf water content significantly decreased, however drought stress increased the amount of proline and soluble carbohydrates. These changes were accompanied by a reduction of fruit and seed yield of medicine pumpkin, so that the lowest yield was achieved under severe drought stress (55% of field capacity). Foliar application of salicylic acid by enhancing the accumulation of osmotic and protein compounds led to the mitigation of the drought stress and improved plant water status, photosynthesis and fruit and seed yield.

Based on the present results, the use of 1 mg L-1 salicylic acid is recommended to improve the yield of medicine pumpkin especially under drought stress condition.

In the production of fruit vegetables in the greenhouse, grafting on resistant rootstocks is one of the most important methods to deal with problems such as low root temperatures and soil diseases. In order to evaluate the effect of commercial cucurbita rootstocks (Shintoza, Rootpower, Cobalt) on qualitative and quantitative three cultivars of greenhouse cucumber (Shahin, Nogin, Katrina), an experiment was carried out in a factorial completely randomized block design (The first factor consists of three cultivars of cucumber and the second factor consists of three base cultivars with the control (no grafting) under hydroponic with four replicates in the Agricultural Research Station, University of Tabriz in field Conditions at 2016. In this experiment, in addition to evaluating root and scion compatibility, fruit quality indices including acidity, TSS, pH, EC and growth indices including leaf area, stem and leaf dry weight, stem length, yield, mineral uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) was examined in fruits, leaves and roots. The results showed that rootstocks caused an increase in fresh and dry weight of shoots, yield, leaf area, number of fruits and soluble solids. The graft reduced the length of the cucumbers and had no effect on the diameter. The highest percentages of fruit dry matter were 5.46% and 5.40%, respectively, for Shahin/ Shintoza and Nogin/ Shintoza. The highest soluble solids of fruit 4.41 were related to Shahin/ Rootpower bonding compound. Transplantation increased the uptake of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus nutrients. In general, grafting on these rootstocks had a positive effect on most traits especially on fruit yield and had no negative effect on the taste of greenhouse cucumbers.

Strawberry is one of the most important commercial fruits. This research aimed to ameliorate the negative effects of water deficit stress using silicon application on strawberry. The experiment was conducted as a factorial in a completely randomized design with three factors including cultivar (‘Selva’ and ‘Gavioita’), Na2SiO3 (Sodium silicate) concentrations [0, 3, and 6 mM), as the source of silicon, and water deficit stress (40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of field capacity (FC)], in three replications. ‘Gavioita’ cultivar showed the highest superoxide dismutase enzyme activity in leaves under sever water deficit stress (40% of FC) following Na2SiO3 (3 and 6 mM concentrations) application. Application of Na2SiO3 at concentration of 6 mM increased the catalase enzyme activity significantly in the leaves of ‘Gavioita’cultivar under severe water deficit stress (40% of FC). The activity of peroxidase enzyme was enhanced considerably under 80% of FC and lower water deficit in the fruits of both cultivars. The fruit total anthocyanin level was increased significantly by application of Na2SiO3 at 3 and 6 mM concentrations under water deficit stress (60% of FC). Also, Na2SiO3 (at concentrations of 3 and 6 mM) enhanced the proline level significantly in ‘Gavioita’ cultivar compared to the control treatment under normal conditions (100% of FC). In conclusion, the results of present study indicated that application of Na2SiO3 at 6 mM concentration is useful treatment to cope with sever water deficit stress (40% of FC) especially in ‘Gavioita’ cultivar of strawbery

In order to study the effect of two commercial rootstocks and two mycorrhizal fungi species colonization on absorb some elements and fruit quality of greenhouse cucumber, present study was conducted in greenhouse.   a factorial experiment in a completely randomized block design with three replications was carried out, in the greenhouse of science and horticulture engineering department, University of Tabriz. The first factor was the grafting of cucumber cv. Nagin on the two rootstocks of Shintoza, and Routpower and symbiosis with two species of mycorrhizal fungi (Diversispora versiformis and Rhizophagus intraradices) considered as the second factor.     The results showed that there was a significant difference between the rootstock and species of mycorrhizal fungi in terms of qualitive traits. Inoculation of Shintoza with D. mycorrhizal fungi produced the most yield per square meter and increased the concentration of phosphorus and potassium in leaves. Also, in these treatments, qualitative traits such as total antioxidant capacity and total phenol content, fruit firmness, soluble solids content (TSS) were increased. In addition, other fruit quality charachteristics including pH and EC of fruit extract and titrable acidity of fruit were similar among all treatments.   the results showed that grafting of greenhouse cucumber on squash rootstock and using of mycorrhizal fungi to increase of fruit yield with minimal consumption of agricultural inputs, and quality characteristics and absorption of nutrients, for sustainable cucumber fruit production in greenhouse condition.

 Using the potential of soil microbes such as mycorrhizal fungi in the form of biofertilizers is an environmental friendly way to help reduce the use of chemical inputs and reduce the damage to the environment and humans. In this study, the effect of inoculation of coriander with two species of mycorrhizal fungi (Diversispora versiformis and Rhizophagus irregularis) and one species of mycorrhiza-like fungus (Piriformospora indica) on the yield and phosphorus uptake was investigated in a pot culture experiment.

 The results showed that the application of all three species of fungi were significant in terms of the effect on growth indices (shoot and root dry weight) and phosphorus concentration compared to the control treatment (p <0.01). Compared to the negative control, the enhancement of shoot dry weight in PC was 36.13%. Accordingly, the root dry weight in R. irregularis, PC and D. versiformis treatments (48.04%, 45.65% and 42.94%, respectively), the chlorophyll index in P. indica (32.18%), the root colonization in P. indica + R. irregularis (91.75%), the shoot phosphorus concentration in P. indica (34.50%) and root phosphorus concentration in P. indica + R. irregularis (25.88%) were higher compared to the negative control treatment.

 According to the results of this study, mycorrhizal fungi can be used in vegetable cultivation to reduce the use of phosphate fertilizers to increase plant yield.

In order to study the effect of two commercial rootstocks and two mycorrhizal fungi species colonization on growth and yield of greenhouse cucumber,and the introduction of a suitable rootstock treatment with mycorrhizal fungi for cucumber greenhouse soil killings was performed.

a factorial experiment in a completely randomized block design with three replications, in the greenhouse, University of Tabriz was carried out. The first factor was the grafting of cucumber on the two rootstocks of Shintoza, and Routpower and symbiosis with two species of mycorrhizal fungi (Diversispora versiformis and Rhizophagus intraradices) considered as the second factor.

The results showed that there were significant differences between the rootstocks and the species of mycorrhizal fungi in aspect of growth, yield and qualitative traits. Plants inoculated with D. versiformis and grafted on Shintoza showed better growth parameter, concentration and fruit number and yield than other treatments. This treatment with 2086.76 g per plant had the highest fruit yield and non-grafted and non-mycorrhizal control plants with 787.94 g per plant had the lowest fruit yield. So about 164% fruit yield was increased in comparison with control.

simultaneous mycorrhizal fungi using of rootstock is one of the best ways to achieve optimal performance with minimal consumption of foreign inputs and Plants inoculated with D. versiformis and grafted on Shintoza showed better growth parameter. Therefore, the application of mycorrhizal fungi using of Shintoza rootstock is recommended for producing greenhouse cucumbers in soil conditions.

In order to investigate the effect of using wild species as a rootstock in grafting plants on salinity tolerance in tomato, a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design were conducted. The first factor was grafting including Money maker non- grafted (M), Money maker self-grafted (M+M), Money maker grafted on S. pimpinellifolium LA0722 (M+P1) and Money maker grafted on S. pimpinellifolium LA 2184 and the second factor was three concentration of NaCl including the 0, 40 and 80 mM along with Hogland nutrient solution that were applied to tomato in the hydroponics greenhouse, Department of Horticulture, University of Tabriz. The results showed that the increasing salinity had a negative effect on leaf area and yield, and total fruit number in tomato cv. Money maker, the use of S. pimpinellifolium as rootstock showed the best performance under different salinity conditions. Also, in the highest salinity concentration, the lowest sodium content was observed in the plants grafted on S. pimpinellifolium LA0722. The results indicate that, use of pimpinellifolium as rootstock in 80mM NaCl level had 69% higher fruit yields than the non and self- grafted Money maker plants.

Phosphate solubilizing and nitrogen-fixing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in the supply of nutrients in plants. To evaluate the efficacy of plant growth promoting bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on physiology traits of Tareh Irani a field experiment in a randomized complete block design with 10 treatments and 3 replications was conducted. In this experiment tareh Irani seeds, (Tabriz landrace) inoculated with bacteria 1) P. putida P13, Pantoea agglomerans P5 (the biofertilizer Barvar2), 2) Azotobacter sp. (in biofertilizer Nitroxin), 3) bacteria Azospirillum sp. AC46 I, Azospirillum sp. AC49VП, 4) bacteria P. fluorescens Chao, P. putida Tabriz 5) two species of AMF, Glomus versiforme, G. intraradices. Results indicated that the colonization percent, percentage of chlorophyll, vitamin C content, total poly phenoles, phosphorus and nitrogen (p ≤ 0.01) and pyruvic acid, soluble proteins, (p ≤ 0.05) were affected by biofertilizers. Combination of mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter sp.) was better than other biofertilizer treatments in aspect of improving of quantity and quality traits in Tareh Irani. So that the bacteria can increase the efficiency of mycorrhizal fungi treatments were combined because of better nutrition and more food is especially phosphorus and nitrogen.

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and mucorrhizal fungi play an important role in the supply of nutrients in plants. These microorganisms are usually spread around rizosphere and facilitate absorbtion of nutrients In order to evaluate the effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on growth, yield, and quality traits of onion. a feild experiment in a completely randomized block design with 8 treatments and 3 replications was conducted. In this experiment onion seed (Horand landrace) was inoculated with bacteria including Azospirillum AC46I, Pseudomonas fluorescens Chao, and species Glomus intraradices of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Then inoculation onion seed cultivated. The effect of treatment on TSS and potassium concentration was not significant. But leaf number, fresh weight, dry weight of onion, bulb neck diameter, harvest index, dry matter percentage, yield, phosphorous concentration, bulbing ratio and chlorophyll content were significant ( p≤1%) and dry weight shoot, bulb diameter at 5% probability level. Inoculation including the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and mycorrhizal fungi had a higher dry matter content (10-16/24%) and phosphorus concentration (53/57%). And also the highest yield per square meter (10.33) was obtained by the combined of bacteria and fungi. Generally application of AMF with two PGPR (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Azospirillum) led to better bulb yield and quality traits of bulb in comparison with control plants and plants inoculated with individual AMF and PGPR bacteria.

Water deficit stress limits agriculture crop production. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play an important role in control of water deficit stress. Today, for improving of plant tolerance to stress and the production of healthy crops, the application of biofertilizers, including growth-promoting bacteria, is interest. The present study investigates the effects of two different PGPRs (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Sinorhizobium meliloti) on some physiological and morphological characteristics in fenugreek under water deficit stress. For this purpose, a factorial design based on randomized complete block design with four water deficit levels (100%, 80%, 60% and 40% FC) and four PGPR condition as control, Sinorhizobium meliloti, Pseudomonas fluorescens and combination of S. meliloti. and P. fluorescens with three replications were carried out. Irrigation treatments were applied after flowering of plants until harvesting. The results showed that leaf area, shoot and root fresh and dry weight, phosphorus and potassium content, and water use efficiency (WUE) were significantly improved by PGPR inoculation and individual use of PGPR was more effective, whereas seed yield was decreased in PGPR treated plants.

Salinity is considered as one of the major abiotic stress limiting growth and productivity of plants. Identification of physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved in the resistance to salinity can be useful to select salt tolerant rootstocks. For this purpose, an experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rootstock (three cucurbit rootstock, Shintoza, Cobalt, Rootpower) and salinity stress (0, 40, 60 and 80 mM NaCl) on growth, yield, leaf area, antioxidant enzymes activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and Photosynthetic parameters in cucumber (cv. Khasib) leaves were determined, 35 days after salt treatments. Plant Growth parameters in all salinity treatments were significantly higher in grafted plants than non-grafted plants. Grafted plants had 14-21% higher yield than non-grafted plants. The catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activity increased as a result of salinity stress, but this increase in grafted plant was 0.1-2 times of ungrafted plant. Reductions in stomatal conductance at the three salt treatments were significantly lower in the grafted plants in comparison to ungrafted plants. Moreover, lipid peroxidation (MDA content) in grafted plants was 7-12% less than ungrafted plants by salt stress. Maximal quantum yield of PS II (Fv/Fm) of cucumber leaves showed significant difference between grafted and ungrafted plant and this amount was 3-6 percent more than ungrafted plants. Results suggested that increase in activity of antioxidant enzymes, ratio of Fv/Fm and stomatal conductance in grafted plant could be associated with their greater tolerance to salinity stress.

Nowadays, the use of soil-born microorganisms as biological fertilizers is considered to be a natural and most desirable solution used to maintain sustainability of agricultural soil system. Potassium releasing, nitrogen fixing and phosphate solubilizing bacteria play role in providing K, N and P to plants. In order to evaluate the effects of biofertilizers Potabarvar2 and Sinorhizobium meliloti, on physiological properties and yield of Fenugreek, a complete randomized block experiment was conducted with five treatments and three replications. Treatments included biofertilizer Potabarvar2, Sinorhizobium meliloti, inoculation with a mixture of Sinorhizobium㺋婭ꫯ檽, positive control (based on soil analysis) and negative control (no fertilization and inoculation). Physiological and morphological characteristics and concentrations of N, P and K were measured after harvest. The results showed significant effect of Sinorhizobium on morphological characteristics except internode length. Symbiotic relationship of Sinorhizobium with Fenugreek increased the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus, however the highest potassium uptake observed with a mixture of Sinorhizobium㺋婭ꫯ檽.

In order to evaluate the effect of grafting of cucumber on commercial cucurbits rootstocks, an experiment was carried out in a completely randomized block design including eight treatments with three replicates in the field of Agricultural Research Station, University of Tabriz infield Conditions at 2015. Two populations of Azerbaijan cucumber (Basmenj andGouney, respectively) and a commercial cultivar of cucumber (Mahan) were grafted on two commercial cucurbits rootstocks (Shintozwa and Routpower, respectively).Treatments of experiment were including grafted combination of Basmenj/ Shintozwa, Basmenj/ Routpower, Gouney / Shintozwa, Gouney / Routpower, Mahan / Routpower, non grafted Basmenj, Gouney and Mahan cucumbers. Plants were grafted by single cotyledon splice grafting techniques. Results showed that rootstocks had a significant effect on growth and yield index including leaf area, cholorophyll index, stem length, shoot dry weight, fruits number per plant and yield per plant.The highest N concentrations in leaf wasobserved in grafted combination Mahan/ Routpower and thelowest inBasmenj.The highest K and P concentration inshootwere observed in grafted combination Mahan/ Routpower while the lowestK and P concentrations in shoot were observedinBasmenj. The highest nitrate concentration in leaf was observed inBasmenj and the lowest in grafted combination. Mahan/ Routpower. The highest concentration of sucrose and total soluble sugar in leaf were observed in grafted combination of Mahan/Routpower. In grafted combinations, the effect of rootstocks onN, P and Kconcentrations in shoot and yield indexin most traits were similar andShintowza and Routpower improved yield and growth index,because of increasing concentrations of N, P and K in shoots.

Oxidative stress is one of the most important consequences of drought stress. Salicylic acid is a phenolic compound which serves as a growth regulator in the induction of resistance to drought. In order to investigate the role of salicylic acid on some Anti-oxidant Enzymes and some biochemical attributes of medicinal pumpkin under drought stress, an experiment was designed 2014 in Zanjan University’s Research Farm. The study was arranged as factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications including drought stress at four level; control, mild stress, moderate stress, and severe stress have been arranged in four levels including (100, 85,70 and 55%FC). Salicylic acid treatments included Salicylic acid were applied as foliar application spray in 4 levels: zero mg/l (solution spray with distilled water), 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mg/l. Measured traits that included peroxidase, catalase, Beta-sitosterol and oil yield proline, electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (membrane peroxidation index) content. The results showed that increasing drought stress levels reduced the oil yield, but in contrast, increased the Beta-sitosterol, membrane peroxidation, electrolyte leakage, anti-oxidant enzymes such as catalase and peroxidase, while application of salicylic acid at 0.5 and 1 mg/l decreased oxidative stress, membrane peroxidation and Electrolyte leakage through increasing the anti-oxidant enzymes activities such as catalase and peroxidase and proline which led to a balanced rise in oil yield and Beta-sitosterol in mild and moderated stress. These results shows an increase in plant resistance to drought as a result of salicylic acid application.

Nowadays, the use of soil-born microorganisms as biological fertilizers is considered to be a natural and most desirable solution to maintain sustainability of agricultural soil system. Potassium releasing bacteria, nitrogen fixing and phosphorus dissolving bacteria make mentioned elements available to plants. In order to evaluate the effects of bio-fertilizers Potabarvar 2, Sinorhizobium meliloti, as well as urea fertilizer on physiological properties and yield of Fenugreek, an experiment as complete randomized block design was conducted with five treatments and three replications. Treatments included biofertilizer Potabarvar 2, S. meliloti, inoculation with a mixture of Sinorhizobium㺋婭ꫯ 2, positive control (based on soil analysis) and negative control (no fertilization and inoculation).The results showed that all morphological traits were significant at 1%. Most physiological traits except for carotenoid were significantly affected by S. meliloti, and a mixture of Sinorhizobium㺋婭ꫯ 2. Seed inoculation with biofertilizer Sinorhizobium meliloti and Potabarvar 2 lead to increase in growth and eventually shoot yield. Separate application of these biofertilizers led to better results than the integrated application. Symbiotic relationship of Sinorhizobium with Fenugreek increased physiological indices data, especially the absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as the amount of phenolic antioxidant have been significantly affected. In general, application of S. meliloti resulted in better and more effective increase in yield, quality and plant growth than fertilizer Potabarvar 2 and a mixture of Sinorhizobium㺋婭ꫯ 2.

In order to investigate the of effect intercropping on yield and yield components of onion (Allium cepa L.) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), a factorial experiment was carried out based on completely randomized block design with three replications at the research field located in south of Kerman, Iran. The first factor was onion density (20- 25 and 30 plant.m-2) and the second factor was fenugreek plant density (12- 15 and 25 plant.m-2) and sole culture of plants with aforementioned densities were considered. After harvesting the number leaves and length of plants, fresh and dry weight, bulb diameter, fresh and dry weight of bulb, Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) and Relative Value Total (RVT) was measured. The results showed that the highest yield of onion (43.2 t.h-1) was obtained from 20 plant m-2. In intercropping treatment number of leaves, plant length, bulb fresh and dry weight was increased by decreasing plant density from 20 to 30 plant m-2. The highest fresh and dry weigh of onion bulb (167.2 and 11.64 g) was produced in 20 plant.m-2. Number leaf and length of the plant and fresh and dry weigh of onion was increased in intercropping. However intercropping fenugreek with onion had no significant effect on its yield in comparison with mono culture. The highest Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) (1.65) and Relative Value Total (RVT) (1.72 (was recorded in 30 plant.m-2 onion and 12 plant.m-2 fenugreek and 30 plant.m-2 onion and 25 plant.m-2 fenugreek combination culture respectively.

Soil and water salinity is one of the stresses that have limited cucumber production in Iran. The use of cucurbit rootstocks is a valid strategy in increasing cucumber salt tolerance. In order to investigate the effect of the grafting on Shintoza, Cobalt, and Root power rootstocks in salinity condition (40, 60 and 80 mM NaCl) on yield, growth, fruit quality, electrolyte leakage, leaf area, specific leaf area (SLA), SPAD index, leaf relative water content (LRWC), mineral composition, and proline of cucumber plants (cv. Khasib), an factorial experiment was carried out based on completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Salinity improved fruit quality in both grafted and ungrafted plants by increasing fruit dry matter and total soluble solids content. Moreover, at the three salt treatments the percentage of yield and biomass reduction was significantly lower in the grafted plants in comparison to ungrafted plants. Grafted cucumber plants exposed to NaCl were capable of maintaining higher fruit yield, plant growth, leaf area, leaf relative water content (LRWC), higher chlorophyll content (SPAD index), a better nutritional status in the root and leaf tissues and higher proline concentration and less electrolytic leakage in comparison with ungrafted ones. These results suggest that rootstocks have a higher capacity for Na exclusion and retention, which resulted in reduced Na transport to the shoot and increased the salt tolerance of cucumber.

In order to investigate the effect of cadmium and zeolite on vegetative growth of cress and radish a factorial experiment carried out in a completely randomized design with 3 replications at Research Station of Tabriz University. Cadmium as the first factor at 5 concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg soil) from cadmium sulfate and zeolite (Klinoptiolite, Sabzevar) as the second factor with two levels (0 and 1% w/w soil) were studied. The result showed that cadmium significantly affected dry and fresh weight and leaf area of cress and root weight, length and diameter and leaf fresh and dry weight of radish. Zeolite only affected cress leaf area and fresh weight significantly. Treatment with 40 mg/kg Cd led to decreasing of radish root fresh and dry weight about 38 and 36% respectively. Application of zeolite in the soil improved growth characteristics of radish, whereas this amendment positive effect on cress was not observed. Cress leaf area was increased 2-fold by the addition of zeolite in 20 mg/kg Cd treatment. Cadmium had negative effect on growth characteristics of both plant and its negative effects on some traits was reduced by application of zeolite.