sepideh kalateh jari

The drying process can preserve herbal products against pathogens and improve their shelf life and quality; however, drying techniques have different effects on the appearance and quality of final products. Accordingly, the present study assessed various drying techniques viz. sunlight, shade, oven (45, 55, and 65 °C), vacuum (45, 55, and 65 °C), and microwave (20, 400, and 600 W) on color and phytochemicals characteristics of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) plants with respect to total phenolic content (TPC), cannabidiol (CBD), and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), chlorophyll (Chl) content, and color properties using multivariate analysis. The results revealed that the highest CBD and THC were observed in plants dried in a microwave at 400 and 600 W, respectively. The TPC reached the highest amount in shade drying conditions and was followed by microwave at 400 W, and oven at 45 °C. Although Chl b mainly remained unchanged, Chl a represented the lower amount by increasing the temperature of drying methods, especially over 65 °C. The lightness (L*) and brightness (b*) of fresh leaves were higher than dried samples, while over 65 °C possessed their minimum amount of L*. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) showed three different clusters were determined as microwaves at 200, 400, and 600 W were placed in a distinguished cluster. Finally, this experiment suggested shade drying or minimum temperatures of the oven and vacuum techniques to reach constant color and phytochemicals, while microwaves can be recommended for CBD and THC, which can be useful in food and pharmacological industries.

This study systematically investigates the physiological responses of Physalis alkekengi to diverse conditions of salinity stress (0, 50, 100, and 200 mM NaCl), coupled with the application of selenium (Se) nanoparticles at concentrations of 25 and 50 mgl-1, as well as silicon (Si) nanoparticles at concentrations of 100 and 200 mg.l-1. The experiment involved a thorough examination of many characteristics connected to biomass, such as antioxidant enzyme activity, fatty acid composition, and elemental content. This analysis was conducted at varying levels of salinity and with the addition of nanoparticles. The findings revealed that exposure to salt stress has a detrimental effect on both plant development and fruit output, leading to changes in vegetative and morphological characteristics. The utilization of Se and Si nanoparticles had a significant alleviating impact on stress caused by salinity. The correlation matrix analysis revealed complex correlations among the examined parameters, emphasizing the interrelated responses of P. alkekengi to environmental stressors and nanoparticle interventions. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed the hidden patterns and connections between variables, highlighting the significant influence of biomass-related features, antioxidant enzymes, and fatty acid content on the observed variability. The results of this study enhance our knowledge of the physiological processes that regulate P. alkekengi's reaction to high salt levels. Additionally, it offers valuable information on the possible beneficial impacts of Se and Si nanoparticles in reducing the negative consequences of salinity stress. The study's comprehensive breadth increases its relevance to future research focused on optimizing growth circumstances and strengthening the resistance of P. alkekengi in demanding situations.

The influence of storing almond kernel genotypes derived from reciprocal crosses of ‘Mamaei’ and ‘Marcona’ cultivars (referred to as ‘G1’, ‘G2’, ‘G3’, ‘G4’, ‘G5’ and ‘G6’) on diverse quality parameters, encompassing moisture, ash, protein, oil, carbohydrates, fiber, and total vitamin E was investigated. The kernels were stored for 0, 6, and 12 months at room temperature. The results showed that the highest fresh kernel weight was observed in the ‘Marcona’ parent and two progenies, ‘G5’ and ‘G3’, at harvest time. The highest amounts of soluble carbohydrates were found in the ‘G4’ genotype, while the highest amounts of insoluble carbohydrates were observed in the ‘Mamaei’ parent and ‘G5’ genotype. The highest protein content was found in the ‘Mamaei’ parent and ‘G4’ genotype, while the maximum oil content was observed in the ‘G5’ genotype. The ‘G6’ genotype had the highest amount of total vitamin E. All studied traits showed a decreasing trend during the storage period, with the lowest amounts observed in all selected offspring after one year of storage. The results highlighted variations in traits such as fresh kernel weight, soluble and insoluble carbohydrates, protein, oil, and total vitamin E among different genotypes. Moreover, all traits exhibited a decline in values during storage, emphasizing the importance of selecting high-quality genotypes like ‘G5’ for almond breeding programs.

The use of natural and compatible compounds with nature and humans in order to produce products free of chemicals and harmful substances with higher nutritional and medicinal value, which is accompanied by a reduction in food waste, seems necessary. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different treatments jasmonic acid (20, 10, 5 µg/l), epibrasinolide (10, 7, 4, 1 µm/l), cinnamon essential oil (750,1000, 500, 250 ppm), and chitosan (10, 7.5, 5, 2.5 g/ l) on physicochemical sensory properties and shelf life of Thomson Navel oranges. Evaluation of physicochemical and sensory properties and shelf life of treated fruits during 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days after harvest was performed. The results of this study showed that in general, the most effective treatment to maintain fruit quality characteristics such as (total acidity: 3.24, soluble solids: 16.39ºBrix, vitamin C: 48.94 mg/100 g FW, carotenoids: 61.10 mg/100 g FW) was obtained with Jasmonic acid treatment at a concentration of 40 μl / l. Chitosan at concentration of 10 g/ l with of 57.6 days had the highest fruit shelf life. According to the obtained results, 40 μl / l of jasmonic acid seems to be effective in order to maintain valuable nutritional properties and 10 g / l of chitosan to increase storage life.

Water shortage is an integral part of our current agriculture, and water stress is one of the most destructive environmental factors which adversely affects agricultural production worldwide. According to several studies, water deficit causes reduction of vegetative growth, leaf area, plant height, dry weight, photosynthesis rate, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, enzymatic activities, protein biosynthesis and amino acids accumulation in horticultural plants. Increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) rate and activity is the one of most damaging effects of drought stress. Cucumber is a tropical crop with high water requirement. Wide leaves and shallow roots have made it a drought-sensitive crop. Based on reports, water deficit and drought stress can seriously affect yield performance and qualitative characteristics of cucumber. Measurements are needed in different aspects to overcome challenges associated with water deficit and water stress in cropping systems. So, in this study glycine amino acid were applied for its possible role under mild water shortage effects on cucumber growth characteristics.

In order to investigate the influence of glycine amino acid application on alleviation of negative effects of deficit irrigation, a greenhouse experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with four replications. Treatments were assessed at six levels including 60 % FC, 70 % FC, 80 % FC, 60 % FC + glycine 500 mg plant-1, 70 % FC + glycine 500 mg plant-1 and 80 % FC + glycine 500 mg plant-1. Some of most important morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of cucumber plants such as stem length, stem dry weight, leaf number, leaf area, internode length, growth period duration, fruit number, fruit set, vitamin C, chlorophyll index, total antioxidant, proline, catalase, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes content were evaluated.

Result showed that deficit irrigation and glycine amino acid application significantly influenced morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of cucumber plant. It was observed that vegetative traits including leaf number, leaf area index, stem length and dry weight, length of internode, growth period duration, chlorophyll index, and fruit characteristics including vitamin C content and fruit set were significantly reduced by deficit irrigation levels particularly at 60 % FC. The highest fruit number (86.5) was recorded under 70 % FC and application of glycine. In contrast, antioxidant capacity, proline, catalase, polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase enzymes content increased under 60 % FC. Glycine application could properly alleviate the negative effects of deficit irrigation on plant growth and yield. Studies have shown that glycine application maintains chlorophyll content and photosynthesis rate of plants under stress condition, which is mostly related to increasing stomatal conductance and carboxylation efficiency. Generally, water deficit reduces the yield performance of crops. And, this reduction could be correlated with decreasing leaf area and disruption of nutrients absorption. According to results of this study, maintaining the photosynthetic pigments caused by glycine application resulted in enhanced photosynthesis rate leading to higher yield comparing to control under deficit irrigation conditions.

Generally, the results of the current study demonstrated that deficit irrigation at level of 60 % FC caused induction of drought stress conditions. Induction of water deficit and drought stress higher than 70 % FC led to sever physiological and biochemical changes in cucumber plants resulting in considerable reduction of yield performance and qualitative characteristics. Water deficit increased proline content and antioxidant capacity (increasing the activity rate of antioxidant enzymes including catalase and peroxidase) of cucumber plants. Soil application of glycine amino acid alleviated the adverse effects of deficit irrigation. Because the highest fruit number was counted in 70 % FC + glycine 500 mg plant-1 treatment (with no significant difference with the control (80 % FC)), this treatment could be recommended to growers to save water consumption with no significant changes in yield performance comparing to control level.

To study the effects of 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BAP) and methyl jasmonate (MJ) on various quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the Albion strawberry, a factorial experiment based on randomized complete blocks design was carried out with three replications in a greenhouse located in Damavand county. The first factor was 6-BAP at two levels (control and 100 mg/L) and the second factor was MJ at three levels (control, 100 and 200 µM). Plants were sprayed twice with 6-BAP and thrice with MJ, during the vegetative and the reproductive growth phases, respectively. Application of 6-BAP during the vegetative stage, resulted in production of plants with more and larger leaves and increased crown diameter. The highest fruit count and weight, SPAD, flavor index, total anthocyanin and fruit shelf-life, was related to the 100 mg/L 6-BAP + 200 µM MJ treatment. Using cytokinin combined with each of the MJ concentrations, resulted in significant improvement of the plant yield and fruit firmness compared to the control. Therefore, pre-harvest application of these plant growth regulators can be suggested for increasing production rates, improving the quality, and the shelf-life of this vulnerable fruit and also reducing its waste.

The present experiment was aimed to investigate the improvement of salt tolerance in narcissus by exogenous application of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in a factorial complete randomized block design with three replications at the Research Greenhouse, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch during 2019-2020. Experimental treatments included irrigation by saline water at two levels 4 and 8 dS m-1 and control (without saline), as well as SNP (0, 100, 200, and 400 µM). The results indicated that elevated salt stress levels induce oxidative stress, including an increase in the hydrogen peroxide by 82% and malondialdehyde by 118% in plants. Severe salt stress reduced morphological traits, including a 40% decrease in flower longevity on the plant and a 49% decrease in the flowering duration of narcissus compared to non-stress conditions. The salt stress led to the change of antioxidant enzymes activities at different concentrations. The activity of superoxide dismutase enzyme positively correlated with salt treatment and increased up to 23%. While catalase enzyme increased up to 4 dS m-1 treatment by 87% and then decreased at a higher concentration in the leaves. However, SNP reduced oxidative damage in plants by improving antioxidant enzymes, proline and flavonoid content, ultimately, preventing the reduction of plant biomass. Finally, the present study showed that the exogenous application of SNP, especially at a concentration of 200 µM, improved narcissus tolerance to salinity stress by reducing the uptake of Na by 16%, as well as decreasing membrane lipid peroxides by 17%.

Drought stress is one of the most prevalent problems that limit the growth and lifespan of plants. Knowing the specifics of plant response to drought stress can be useful in the management and development of plant cultivation. The feverfew plant (Tanacetum parthenium L.) is ornamental and medicinal plant native to Iran and its cultivation in the landscape seems valuable as a wildflower due to its beauty. The factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of biochar and vermicompost on feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.) in loamy soils under drought stress conditions based on a completely randomized design (CRD) in three replicates. The results showed that drought stress caused a decrease in shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root fresh weight, root dry weight, and leaf relative water content (RWC), compared to the control treatment. On the other hand, there was an increase in catalase enzyme because of the drought stress. By improving the soil condition, vermicompost and biochar caused an increase in fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots, chlorophyll content, and leaf RWC. However, it decreased the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase enzyames. In general, the combination of vermicompost and biochar was the best treatment for enhancing the soil condition and increasing the growth characteristics of feverfew plants under drought stress.

In recent years, in the world and in Iran as well, attention to Lisianthus flowers has been such that its production has increased significantly. With the increase in the production of Lisianthus cut flowers, attention to nutrition and application of treatments to improve the growth and storability of this flower is felt more than ever. For this purpose, the effect of karrikin, salicylic acid and humic acid on the morphological and biochemical characteristics of Lisianthus was investigated in a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications. The studied treatments included application of karrikin (0, 1 and 2 mg.l-1) as irrigation, salicylic acid (0, 100 and 200 mg.l-1) and humic acid (0, 50 and 100 mg.l-1) as foliar application. The results showed that the application of salicylic acid 100 mg.l-1 had the greatest effect on morphological and biochemical parameters, meanwhile, in some traits such as shoot dry weight and leaf area, a concentration of 200 mg.l-1 was more effective. Also, the use of humic acid increased the leaves and roots fresh and dry weight by increasing root expansion. karrikin treatment 1 mg.l-1 increased the number of leaves, stem length and diameter and number of flowering stems, fresh and dry weight of roots, number of seed capsules and number of buds per branch. karrikin in combination with humic acid and especially salicylic acid with synergistic effect improved some parameters such as number of roots and leaves and flowering stems and the activity of phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL). Concomitant use of salicylic acid 100 mg.l-1 with humic acid 50 mg.l-1 as foliar application and application of Karrikin 1 mg.l-1 as a plant solution is recommended to improve growth parameters and the quality of lisianthus flowers.

The properties of different materials used as planting substrate exert direct and indirect effects on crop growth and production. Hence, the selection of a suitable substrate is one of the most important factors in the success of production in soilless cultivation. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of physical and chemical properties of different cultivation substrates on the growth and development of Crassula capitella. Thus, different organic and inorganic cultivation substrates such as sand, coco peat, charcoal, pumice, peat moss and zeolite were combined with each other in different ratios and tested. The measured traits were phytochemical compounds (chlorophyll a, b and total, carotenoid, SOD activity level and MDA content), fresh weight and dry weight of root and shoot, and element uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). Based on the results of the present research, there was a significant difference in terms of plant height, wet and dry weight, nutrient uptake rate and enzyme activity between different cultivation substrates. The plants grown in substrate No. 10 (35 cc of fine pumice + 5 cc of coco peat + 5 cc of peat moss + 5 cc of charcoal) and substrate No. 1 (35 cc of 3-5-mm fine sand + 5 cc of coco peat + 5 cc of charcoal) showed the highest and lowest numerical values of the evaluated traits, respectively. The use of combinations containing pumice, coco peat and zeolites seems to prevent the wastage of nutrients and preserves nutrient ions, and therefore results in increasing the fertilizer efficiency and improving the nutrient uptake and maintaining moisture, and ultimately improves the plant growth.

In recent decades, agriculture based on the use of biological fertilizers has been considered with the aim of eliminating or significantly reducing the consumption of chemical inputs. In sustainable agricultural systems, the use of biological fertilizers is of particular importance in increasing the quality yield. It has a small yield and maintaining the stable fertility of the soil. Biofertilizers make the plant have a favorable access to water and nutrients and ultimately increase the yield of the plant.Considering the importance of the potato product in nutrition and the importance of producing and cultivating disease-free seed tubers, and on the other hand, the concerns raised in terms of the use of chemical fertilizers in the production of this strategic product, the present study is in line with The effect of biofertilizers on agronomic, physiological traits and yield of mini tuber potato seedlings of Jelly and Agria cultivars in Ardabil province was planned. So that by using the results of this research, an effective step can be taken in reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and increasing the production of healthy mini-tubers.

A greenhouse test was conducted as a completely randomized factorial design with three replications and three treatments including three species of growth-promoting bacteria (Pseudomonas p169, Pseudomonas p168, and Azotobacter 106) at three levels (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 liters), and Jelly and Agria cultivars in ZarGostarArta Greenhouse to study the effect of using growth-promoting bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi on morpho-physiological characteristics and tuber yield of the obtained plantlets from potato tissue culture of Jelly and Agria cultivars. After applying the treatments, the tuber of plantlets was planted in the vase and kept for 3 monthsIn order to measure the total dissolved solids in the mini-tube, the cheap and efficient Saba method was used.Finally, the obtained data were analyzed using SAS 9.1 statistical software, comparison of means was done using LSD test at 5% probability level and simple correlation of traits.

The obtained results from this research showed that the simple, two-way, and three-way effects of treatments (growth-promoting bacteriaand cultivar) were significant in a 1% p-value on all the morpho-physiological characteristics. The growth and yield and dry matter of many crops such as potato, corn and wheat using growth promoting bacteria have been reported all over the world. Researchers reported that photohormonal changes due to the use of growth promoting bacteria caused an increase in length. Root and root dry weight. The results show that the use of growth stimulating bacteria showed better results. So that the highest number of leaves in the plant was related to the treatment of 0.2 liters of Pseudomonas p169 bacteria of the Agria variety, in other words, the combination of Agria in the treatment of growthstimulating bacteria with 0.2 liters of Pseudomonas p169 with an average of 42.5 and the combination Jelly cultivar had the least number of leaves in the control with 15 leaves. The researchers reported that the bacterial and fungal treatments led to a significant increase in the number of leaves per plant These results confirm the existence of a synergistic relationship between rhizospheric bacteria that stimulate plant growth and show that this beneficial cooperation between these microorganisms improves plant growth and the amount of product production per unit area. In treatments inoculated with biofertilizers, the increase in the dry weight of the plant can be due to the increase in the absorption of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as a result of root expansion. The comparison of the average effect of simple bacteria on potato plant phosphorus is shown in figure 1, the control treatment had the highest amount of phosphorus with an average of 47.05 and the treatment using 0.1 liter of Pseudomonas p169 with an average of 44.55 had the lowest amount of phosphorus appropriated the comparison table of average elements showed that the highest amount of nitrogen (14.23 mg/g dry weight) was obtained from the Agria cultivar with the use of 0.2 liters of Aztobacter 106 bacteria. Also, the results of comparing the average potassium element showed an increase of this element with the use of 0.1 liter of Azotobacter 106 bacteria in Jelly variety and the use of Az-0.2 in Jelly variety. The average comparison of zinc element also showed that the highest amount (0.043mg/g dry weight) was obtained from Agria variety and 0.1 liter of Pseudomonas p168. The highest amount of iron (0.33 mg/g dry weight) was obtained from the application of 0.2 liters of Pseudomonas p169 in Agria variety.

The result of this research showed the increasing effect of biological fertilizers on the morpho-physiological traits of potato. Biofertilizers improved the measuring characteristics and qualitative characteristics of potato, and the highest amount of investigated traits for most of the traits was observed in the combination of 0.1 and 0.2 liters of Pseudomonas bacteria.

In the present study, the effect of altitude on the morphological characteristics and also essential oil content and composition of Inula helenium L. was studied. This plant was collected in the flowering stage in the first half of July 2017 and 2018 in different altitudes of the Zanjan region (from 1200 to 2400 meters above sea level) and the growth traits of plant organs including leaves, stems, flowers, and roots were measured. In autumn, at the end of the annual growth period of the plants, plant rhizomes were harvested to evaluate essential oil content and composition. The Clevenger device was used for 3 hours for essential oil extraction and the GS-MS device was used to identify the constituents of Inula helenium essential oil. The results showed that there were significant differences in all growth traits and essential oil depending on the altitude of the region. Although, the growth traits of Inula helenium such as leaf and stem dry weight, leaf width and length, leaf number, and plant height decreased with increasing altitude, but the rhizome dry weight and diameter, and essential oil content increased with increasing altitude. The essential oil components of I. helenium were changed with increasing altitude so that the content of geranyl acetone, verbanol, α-pinene, isoalantolactone and valencene increased with increasing altitude. Also, the content of α-selinene decreased and no changes were observed in the content of caryophyllene oxide and β-elemene with increasing altitude. In general, the results showed that altitude is an important and influential factor affecting Inula helium's quantitative and qualitative yield.

Indoor air pollution is one of the most important environmental subjects in the world with serious side effects on human health. We report the result of three replications and a factorial design experiment that assesses the effect of plants (Epipremnum aureum and Dracaena trifasciata ) on the removal of indoor air pollution. To gain the objects, potted plants were placed individually in 125 liters airtight glass containers (chamber) which had a small valve to inject and sucking airs. Each plant was exposure to, benzene 25 and 50 µl/l, acetone 25 and 50 µl/l, ethanol 50 µl/l and methanol 50 µl/l during a day (24 hours). According to the biochemical examination electrolyte leakage (%) of pothos was decreased especially in acetone 25 µl/l versus on treated sansevieria increased. Total chlorophyll content of sansevieria in all treatments was increased, while it was decreased when pothos exposure to benzene 25, benzene 50 µl/l and methanol 50 µl/l catalase activity and superoxide dismutase showed converse results. In both plant species catalase activity was decreased especially in acetone 50, however superoxide dismutase activity was increased in all treatments and in sansevieria exposure to benzene 50 µl/l more than others. There was no significant change in proline content of pothos, although there was significant increase in acetone 50 µl/l and ethanol 50 µl/l of sansevieria. The results indicate when plants exposure to the benzene, tissue cells damaged more than other treatments while, acetone had least amount of tissue cell damage. According to this paper results, both plant species have the potential of indoor air pollution phytoremediation but, pothos had higher adaptability in pollutant indoor area.

The post-harvest techniques of medicinal plants such as drying, is very important in their production cycle. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of different drying methods on some phytochemical traits of Chuchak in the spring of 2020 based on the completely randomized design with three replications. The chuchak samples were collected in the vegetative stage from the gardens of Noor city, Iran. The drying treatments were shade-drying at room temperature (25±3 °C), sun-drying, oven-drying (45, 55 and 65 °C), vacuum oven-drying (45, 55 and 65 °C), microwave-drying (200, 500 and 800 watts), and fresh samples. The studied traits were moisture content based on fresh and dry weight, drying time and speed, ascorbic acid content, protein content, total carbohydrate content, total phenol and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity. The results of the variance analysis showed the significant effect of drying methods on all studied properties of the samples (P≤0.01). The mean comparison showed that the minimum drying time and the maximum speed drying were related to the microwave (800 watts). The highest amount of ascorbic acid (385.72 µg/mg), protein (19.72%), total phenol (47.19 mg GA per 1 g dry matter), total flavonoids (50.96 mg quercetin per 1 g dry matter) as well as antioxidant activity (76.02%) was observed in the fresh plant and then in the oven-drying (55 °C).

The present study was conducted to investigate the influence of drying methods on the amount of some effective compounds in fruit Ecballium elaterium M. Bieb extract based on a completely randomized statistical design with 15 treatments and 3 replications. The treatments included different drying methods (1- Shade drying at room temperature (25±3°C) with suitable ventilation, 2- Sun drying, 3- Oven drying at 35°C, 4- Oven drying at 45°C, 5- Oven drying at 55°C, 6- Vacuum oven drying at 35°C, 7- Vacuum oven drying at 45°C, 8- Vacuum oven drying at 55°C, 9- Infrared drying at 0.2w, 10- Infrared drying at 0.3w, 11- Infrared drying at 0.4w, 12- Microwave drying at 200w, 13- Microwave drying at 500w, 14- Microwave drying at 800w) which were compared with the fresh fruit of the plant (as a control). The studied traits were total phenols content, total flavonoids content, radical scavenging activity assay, soluble tannin, total amino acids, total soluble protein, total alkaloids, and total cucurbitacin. The results showed that different drying methods had a significant effect on soluble tannin and cucurbitacin content (P≤0.05) and also on other traits (P≤0.01). The highest amount of total phenol and flavonoids was related to fresh plants and then vacuum oven drying at 45 °C, and the highest amount of antioxidant activity and soluble tannin was found in fresh plants and then the vacuum oven drying at 55°C. The highest amount of amino acids was related to fresh plant and then 200 watt microwave treatment and the highest amount of total protein, alkaloids and cucurbitacin was related to fresh plant and then shade treatment.

In this study, in order to study and compare the morphological and phytochemical traits of Artemisia sieberi Besser., aerial parts of the plant at the full flowering stage were collected randomly from 20 different regions of Qom province. Morph physiological and phytochemical traits including plant height, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, leaf ash percentage, leaf and width length, shoot dry weight, as well as chlorophyll content, soluble sugars, proline, phenol, flavonoid, and essential oil percentage of different populations, were measured. In addition, ecological conditions and soil composition in each area were assessed. Due to the ecological diversity of habitats in Qom province and based on the analysis of the main components for ecomorphological and phytochemical traits of Artemisia sieberi populations, the highest diversity of characteristics and factor load was observed in chlorophyll a, b and aerial dry weight as the most important distinguishing feature of A. sieberi populations, respectively. The results of cluster analysis showed the separation of A. sieberi populations in two main groups with 13 and 7 populations in a hierarchical dendrogram, respectively. The results of correlation of traits showed that aerial dry weight had a significant positive relationship with chlorophyll and essential oil content. In general, the amount of proline, soluble sugars, phenols and flavonoids had a significant relationship with ecological traits, temperature and rainfall in each region. In addition, the altitude of each region was negatively correlated with the amount of proline and positively correlated with the percentage of essential oil, so that the population of Vanan with the highest altitude had the highest percentage of essential oil. In general, the amount of rainfall and the height of the environment affect the appearance and amount of plant compounds.

Lilium ledebourii is a native and endangered rare species in Iran. It requires a cold period for proper growth and flowering. This experiment was performed to investigate the effects of cold storage on changes of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA3), sucrose, fructose, glucose, and total saponin during dormancy of Lilium ledebourii bulbs. The bulbs of lily were stored at 1 or 7 ºC, for 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days, and after each period removed from storage and analyzed using HPLC system. The results indicated that, cold storage at 1 ºC for 120 days decreased the levels of ABA while, 7 ºC in the same duration increased its content, slightly. The levels of IAA increased at 1 ºC storage, while remained almost constant at 7 ºC. Cold treatment at 1 ºC increased the levels of GA3, while storage at 7 ºC caused slight decrease in its content. Sucrose and fructose concentrations increased in both temperatures during the storage, while minor reduction in glucose content was observed. Storage at 7 ºC for 120 days induced the highest content of total saponin. The magnitude of changes in hormones and soluble sugars measured at 1 ºC was greater than that at 7 ºC.

Drought is one of the major environmental constraints that limits plant growth and productivity more than any other environmental factors. Recent Mycorrhizal arbescular application to affeviate drought stress in many plants has been reported. Vermiwash can be used in two forms of foliar application or drench. It contains several enzymes, plant growth hormones, vitamins and macro and micro nutrients which can enhance plants tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress, as well as crop yield efficiency.

In order to investigate Mycorrhizal arbuscular fungi and Vermiwash foliar application on Gazania (Gazania rigens L.) growth and flowering characteristics under drought stress a greenhouse experiment with factorial design was conducted based on complete randomized blocks by considering three factors including MA fungi in two levels (incubation with MA and non- incubated plants), Vermiwash foliar application in four levels (0, 50, 100 and 200 ppm) and imposing drought stress in three levels (irrigation based on 40, 70 and 100% field capacity) with three replications in the greenhouse and laboratory of the Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Tehran University in 2018. Studied traits involved plant height, number and leaf area, flower diameter and number, aerial fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll and carotenoid amount, N, P and K quantity of leaves. Analysis of variance’s results indicated that the influence of main effect of droughtt stress, MA and Vermiwash on the measured traits were considerably functional.

The maximum value of leaf’s carbohydrate was achieved in drought stress with the high severity in 40% of FC witch was 32.46 mg/gr. MA caused elevation in macro elements amount of the leaves. Foliar application of Vermiwash increased flower number and dimention and macro elements amounts as well. Among the Vermiwash treatments, foliat application of 200 ppm treatment reduced the negative effects of drought stress on plants. Comparison of the mean of dual effect of vermicompost in drought stress showed that the highest plant height in 200 ppm Vermiwash was 100% irrigation and the lowest value was in 50 ppm Vermiwash in irrigation 40% of field capacity. The lowest amount of chlorophyll a was observed in 40% water capacity and no Mycorrhizal fungi application. The highest leaf carbohydrate content was observed in irrigation treatments with 40% and 200 ppm Vermiwash.

vegetative growth decreased with increasig drought stress intensity from optimal irrigation level to severe stress. The use of Mycorrhiza and Vermiwash was positive compared to the control (Non-use), consumption of 100 and 200 ppm Vermiwash has better performance than other levels. Gazania responds to intense stress with more intensity than mild stress. It is recommended to prevent severe stress during the plant growth period. In this regard, the use of symbiotic fungi as well as Vermiwash foliar application (100 and 200 ppm) can help maintain plant growth by increasing plant tolerance to increasing stress intensity.

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is a woody and perennial plant belonging to the Theaceace family. In this study, we evaluated the diversity of tea plant ecotypes from Langroud, Lahijan and Siahkal regions (ten ecotypes in each region) as three major tea growing regions in Iran during 2019. Traits such as fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll a, b and total, caffeine, polyphenols, percentage of total ash and water soluble and insoluble ash were measured. The analysis of variance showed a significant difference (P≤0.01) between tea ecotypes for all traits. The highest dry and fresh leaf weight was obtained in Siahkal ecotype (code 11). Siahkal ecotype (code 13) had the highest percentage of caffeine (7.63%), whereas Lahijan ecotype (code 21) represented the maximum amount. The highest amount of chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll was observed in Siahkol ecotype (code 18) and the highest amount of chlorophyll b was observed in Lahijan ecotype (code 30). The maximum (9.45%) and minimum (3.1%) polyphenols (9.45%) were obtained in Siahkal (code 16) and Lahijan (code 21), respectively. Siahkal (code 18), Siahkal (code 12) and Lahijan (code 21) represented the optimum total ash, soluble and insoluble ash in water, respectively. In general, ecotypes belonging to Siahkal region (codes 11, 13, 16 and 18) can be used in planning breeding projects and deciding to select suitable parents in hybridization to increase tea yield and phytochemical properties.

Soil salinity is a major abiotic constraint affecting crop yield and quality of ornamental plants. The current study aimed to investigate the melatonin and ascorbic acid regulator on the morphological and physiological characteristics of miniature roses under salinity stress, in the research greenhouse of Agriculture and Natural Resources Campus, University of Tehran, located in Karaj, on biennial cuttings of miniature roses, in plastic pots with a diameter of 14 cm containing cocopeat and perlite (1: 1), in the randomized complete block design with four replications, in the spring of 2018. The studied factors included foliar application of melatonin (at four concentrations of 0, 1, 10, and 100 μM) and ascorbic acid (at three concentrations of 0.5, 1.5, and 3 mM) and combined treatment containing two levels of melatonin 1 μM × ascorbic acid 0.5 mM and melatonin 1 μM × ascorbic acid 1.5 mM and salinity stress at three levels of zero, four and eight dS/m. The results showed that the salinity stress generally reduced morphological characteristics; in this study, the most effective treatment in the foliar application was observed with 3 mM ascorbic acid treatment, which increased the number of flowers and branch height by 36% and 86%, respectively, compared to the control. Foliar application of melatonin 100 μM showed the highest effect on the concentration of nitrogen and potassium equal to 43% and 11% as compared to the control, respectively. Accumulation of soluble sugars during salinity stress conserving osmotic potential and reducing dehydration, and the leaf soluble sugar increased by 11% as compared to the control and proline was observed in foliar application with 1 μM melatonin treatment. The results of this study showed that the ability of this antioxidant (Ascorbic acid 3 mM) can be used to improve the growth and development of miniature roses under salinity stress.

This study was carried out to investigate the morpho-physiological and biochemical responses of Japanese raisin (Hovenia dulcis L.) seedlings to stress conditions of salinity (Electrical conductivity), nitrate and Pb. The experiment was conducted in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three stress factors including nitrate (0, 30 and 60 mg L-1), salinity (0, 3 and 6 dSm-1) and Pb (0, 300 and 600 mg L-1) and three replications. Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions for four months. The highest shoot fresh weight was observed in treatments of 300 and 600 mg/kg Pb with zero salinity and nitrate level and the lowest fresh weight was belonged to the treatment of 6 dS/m salinity, 600 mg/kg Pb and 30 mg/L nitrate. The highest Pb concentration of shoot (72 mg kg-1 dry matter) was reported in treatment of 600 mg kg-1 Pb and with zero salinity and nitrate level. The highest value of lipids peroxidation occurred at treatment of 600 mg kg-1 Pb, indicating the plant defense mechanisms activity under these conditions. Furthermore, the synthesis of proline as a plant response to stress conditions significantly increased at 600 mg kg-1 Pb; whereas, nitrate application led to reduce malondialdehyde production in plant.

Thymoquinone (TQ) is a monoterpene ketone which is an important bioactive substance in Nigella sativa L. seed. This important natural compound has many potential medical applications for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases and different types of cancer. To date, no studies have focused on development of a reliable industrial method for purification of TQ from this plant as a major challenge. In this study, an efficient extraction and purification method was developed for preparation of TQ from Nigella sativa L. seeds using preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To this end, a two-step procedure was applied for the first time for extraction of TQ: first, maceration using methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was performed; then, liquid-liquid extraction using methanol successfully removed the majority of the impurities. Next, preparative HPLC was carried out for separation and purification of TQ using a C18 column and the mobile phase of methanol and water containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA).The collected peak from preparative HPLC was analyzed by the analytical HPLC as well as GC-MS instrument. Results of HPLC analysis proved the purity of the collected TQ by 97%, while the results of GC-MS identified the main peak appeared at around 15.6 min as TQ by library searching, and determined its purity by 97% based on peak heights. Overall, this method has a potential for industrialization to prepare purified TQ for medicinal applications.

Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria hybrida) is one of the most important cut flowers in the world. The aim of this study is investigating on the effect of dill and cumin essential oils on physiological and microbiological traits of alstroemeria cut flowers. Hydro-distillation method and GC isolated the essential oils of seed and GC/MS examined the chemical compositions of the samples. This experiment carried out as factorial based on completely randomized design with two factors of essential oils of dill and cumin (50 and 100 ppm). The second factor was used of methods (pre-harvest, post-harvest). The results showed that the dill essential oil treatment (100 ppm) in pre-harvest was the best treatment for all known traits. 11 colonies of bacteria were identified in stem end of cut alstroemeria flowers; which are E-coli, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus, Serratia, Citrobacter, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Bacillus cereus and Actinomycetes. Due to the positive impact of dill essential oil (100 ppm) in the pre-harvest method in improving traits associated with vase life of cut alstroemeria flowers, these treatments are recommended.

In this study, the effects of coatings made of chitosan (Chi) incorporating thyme essential oil (TEO) on lipid oxidation and changing color indexes of walnut kernels were investigated. Chi: pure, in accompany with TEO at concentrations of 500 and 1000 microliter per liter, in an aqueous coating solution, with different packaging Gunny sack, polypropylene and active packaging, compared with control walnut, were used and stored at 4ºC and 25ºC. The study was performed as factorial experiment based on a complete randomized design. The results showed that amounts of color indexes in treated samples decreased. The samples stored at 4°C contained minimum moisture fluctuations in all packaging methods. The peroxide values and conjugated diene values at 4°C were lower than those at 25°C. Treatments did not have positive effect on free fatty acids of walnut kernels. During the storage, shelf life of walnut kernels prolonged with active packaging and chitosan coating at 4ºC.

Human was and is discoverer of nature and agent of continuance installing and survival stability. This pointer can be found from poem and literature and Iranian decorative arts in different periods of history, which is marker of respect and interest of Iranians to nature. Contrary to current imagination in opinions, based on similarity of identity and structure of paradise in passing history can be said that gardening in different periods of history (pre-Islam either or post-Islam) had been including changes and differences that it seems it is follower of change in religious and cultural manners in each period. In this study, it has been tried to evaluate a generalities of paradise structure in pre-Islam period (Achaemenid and Sassanid periods), which with patterning from remainder effects and gardens of both periods, it is designed the parts (2410 m2) of civil model garden for university of Tehran and in a land with 40 hectare extent and hereby it is helped to correct concept of the subject for users (mainly students).