zohreh jabbarzadeh

Alstroemeria is considered one of the most important and popular ornamental cut flowers in the global flower and plant markets due to its beautiful flowers and wide variety of colors The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of fulvic acid application on the morphological characteristics of Alstroemeria and to determine its appropriate concentration to improve growth and flowering characteristics as well as absorption of leaf elements. Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria aurea 'Orange Queen') was used for this research. The experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design using fulvic acid at concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 200 mg/L at intervals of two weeks for four months with three replications and each replication including two pots. The growth medium of the plants in the greenhouse was a mixture of perlite and cocopeat in a ratio of 1:3. During the period of growth and flowering of plants, a nutrient solution was used in the culture medium. It should be mentioned that in different stages of growth, the temperature of the greenhouse was 10-13/16-18ºC (day/night). At the end of the research, morphological indicators such as leaf number, leaf area, length of flowering stem, number of florets, length, and diameter of florets, and the amount of some elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, and zinc were measured. The results showed that the concentration of 100 mg/L of fulvic acid was able to create a significant difference in increasing the number and surface of leaves compared to the control and other concentrations of fulvic acid. Application of all concentrations of fulvic acid caused a significant increase in the number of florets compared to the control. In this study, the concentration of 100 mg/L of fulvic acid increased the flower diameter of Alstroemeria by 1.4 times compared to the control. The maximum floret length was observed in the concentration of 100 mg/L of fulvic acid and the lowest floret length was observed in the control. The concentration of 100 mg/L of fulvic acid could increase the length of the flowering stem by 1.6 times compared to the control. The lowest amount of phosphorus in Alstroemeria leaves was observed in the control and the highest amount of phosphorus was observed in the concentration of 100 mg/L of fulvic acid. In general, using fulvic acid had a positive effect on the measured characteristics. In this research, concentration of 100 mg/L of fulvic acid was more effective than the other concentrations.

Microbial inoculation is effective in improving plant growth and tolerance to environmental stresses, and green refinement of contaminated soils with heavy metals. This study was carried out in order to evaluate the effect of Piriformospora indica inoculation on phytoremediation of lead by tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea cv. Tomahawk) at different levels of Pb contamination. It was performed in pot experiment as factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications which the experimental factors included inoculation, and non-inoculation with P. indica, and Pb contamination (0, 500, and 800 mg kg-1 of soil). Pb contamination at levels of 500 and 800 mg kg-1 of soil caused a decrease of 31.46% and 43.98% of shoot dry weight, 31.2% and 44.32% of relative yield, 10.89%, and 15.74% of leaf relative water content, 47.8%, and 47.55% of chlorophyll a, 47.41%, and 50.22% of chlorophyll b, 5.22%, and 11.64% of root phosphorus content, 11.44%, and 14.47% leaf nitrogen content, and increase of 27.49% and 20.89% of leaf proline and 6.13% and 14.71% of leaf soluble sugars respectively. P. indica inoculation in compared with non- inoculation in Pb contamination at both 500 and 800 mg kg-1 of soil by increasing the accumulation of 26.34% and 18.67% Pb in roots as well as increasing the 64.13% and 59.83% root metal extraction caused an increase of 40.22% and 18.12% of root fresh and 51.22% and 50.59% dry weight, 44.32% and 40.72% of chlorophyll a and 16.98% and 33.95% of chlorophyll b content, 15.71% and 17.6% of root phosphorus concentration and 16.21% and 13.92% of shoot phosphorus concentration, respectively. It is inferred that microbial inoculation with P. indica increases the accumulation of Pb in the roots of Festuca arundinacea and it is suggested that P. indica-inoculated Festuca arundinacea cv. Tomahawk can be used as biologically useful approach in phytoremediation of Pb-contaminated soils.

Gerbera is one of the most beautiful and popular commercial cut flowers in the world and has taken the fourth place among this group of flowers. Considering the importance of flowers and ornamental plants, it seems necessary to improve the quantity and quality of these plants. A factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different concentrations of fulvic acid and iron nano-chelate on the morphological characteristics and the amount of leaf elements of Gerbera jamesonii ‘Dune’, based on a completely randomized design with two factors and three replications. The treatments included fulvic acid in 4 concentrations of 0, 50, 100 and 250 mg L-1 as drench and iron nano-chelate in 4 concentrations of 0, 1, 2 and 4 g L-1 as foliar application that applied in pot and in hydroponic conditions. The characteristics measured in this research were: the number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of leaves and roots, root volume, vase life and absorption rate of some nutrients. The results of the research showed that with the increase in the concentration of iron nano-chelate and fulvic acid, the number of leaves increased, so that the maximum number of leaves was obtained at the concentration of 250 mg L-1 of fulvic acid and 4 g L-1 of iron nano-chelate. Iron nano-chelate treatment alone caused an increase in leaf fresh weight, but this increase was significant only at a concentration of 4 g L-1 compared to the control. Root fresh weight was significantly increased in all fulvic acid and iron nano-chelate treatments. The root volume also increased with the application of different concentrations of fulvic acid, but its increase was significant only at the concentration of 100 mg L-1 of fulvic acid compared to the control. The amount of potassium absorption decreased with the increase in the concentration of iron nano-chelate and fulvic acid. Phosphorus absorption at a concentration of 250 mg L-1 of fulvic acid and iron and zinc absorption at a concentration of 2 g L-1 of iron nano-chelate with 50 and 250 mg L-1 of fulvic acid reached their maximum, respectively. The results of this research showed that fulvic acid and iron nano-chelate improve the growth characteristics of gerbera by affecting the optimal absorption of elements.

Internal production of ethylene gas and increasing in respiration are among the factors that reduce the vase life of Alstroemeria cut flowers and the use of ethylene adsorbents can be effective in this regard. In order to evaluate the effect of potassium permanganate on the quality and vase life of cut flowers of Alstroemeria cultivar Orange Queen, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with two factors and 3 replications. The first factor was potassium permanganate at concentrations of 0, 1, 2 and 4% (w / v) as a treatment in the solution and the second factor was the sampling time (days 0, 6 and 12). The parameters of vase life, relative fresh weight of flowering stem, chlorophyll index, ion leakage rate, malondialdehyde content, total phenol content and activity of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase enzymes were measured. The results showed that the maintenance of cut flowers in post-harvest conditions led to a decrease in chlorophyll index and relative fresh weight, while the activity of antioxidant enzymes increased over time. Application of potassium permanganate led to maintenance of chlorophyll index and total phenol content, reduction of ion leakage rate and reduction of malondialdehyde content, as well as increasing the activity of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase enzymes. The relative fresh weight of flowering stem showed an increasing trend due to the application of potassium permanganate and the concentration of 2% potassium permanganate led to a 66% increase in the relative fresh weight of the stem. Application of 2% potassium permanganate increased significantly (48%) compared to the control and other concentrations of potassium permanganate while vase life was increased 5 days compared to the control. In general, it can be concluded that the application of potassium permanganate at a concentration of 2% increased the vase life and maintained the quality of Alstroemeria cut flowers.

In order to evaluate the foliar application of sodium nitroprusside on some morphological and biochemical properties of Alstroemeria cultivar Orange Queen, a research was conducted in a completely randomized design with 3 replications under hydroponic cultivation in the research greenhouse of Urmia University. Sodium nitroprusside was sprayed at concentrations of 0, 50, 100 and 200 μM. At the end of the study, indicators such as fresh and dry weight of florets and flowering stems, diameter of buds and flowering stems, bud length and some biochemical parameters including photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b and total), chlorophyll index, carotenoid content, soluble sugars and anthocyanin of leaves and petals were measured. The results showed that the application of sodium nitroprusside at concentrations of 100 and 200 μM, led to an increase in morphological parameters including fresh and dry weight of florets (75% increase compared to the control) as well as flowering stem, bud diameter and length and increasing of photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll a, b and total (33% increasing compared to the control. Also, sodium nitroprusside increased the amount of soluble sugar in the petals (38% increasing compared to the control and other treatments) and also the amount of leaf and petal anthocyanin compared to the control. In this study, 100 and 200 were more effective compare to the other treats. In general, the results showed that the application of sodium nitroprusside could have a significant effect on improving some biochemical properties in Alstroemeria due to its important role in cell division, development and growth.

Rose with scientific name Rosa hybrida is one of the important ornamental plants and one of the 10 top cut flowers in the world. To investigate the effects of foliar application of sodium nitroprusside (as nitric oxide source) and putrescine on some growth and flowering characteristics of Rose ‘Avalanche’, an experiment was conducted  as a factorial trial in a completely randomized design with two factors including: sodium nitroprusside in four concentrations of control, 50, 100 and 200 μM and putrescine in four concentrations of control, 1, 2 and 4 Mm with 3 replications under soilless conditions in the greenhouse as well as in pots for 4 months. The results showed that 50 μM sodium nitroprusside ramped up chlorophyll index and guaiacol peroxidase activity (to 2 times). Also, with concomitant use of 50 μM sodium nitroprusside together with 4 mM putrescine, it increased the flowering stem length and vase life up to 20%. Also, application of 100 μM sodium nitroprusside together with 1 mM putrescine caused an increase in hydrogen peroxide activity and diameter of flowering scape. Among different concentrations of putrescine, a concentration of 1 mM caused an increase in anthocyanin content of leaf and flower. Also, 200 μM sodium nitroprusside along with 1 and/or 2 mM putrescine decreased ion leakage and hydrogen peroxide content in all of the sampling days. In general, it was found that sodium nitroprusside and putrescine had a positive and favorable effect on the improvement of growth and post-harvest indices, but the effective concentration varied depending on the type of index.

In order to investigate the effects of humic acid and mycorrhiza on gerbera cv. Dune, an experiment was performed as a completely randomized design with two factors and three replications in hydroponic conditions. First factor included humic acid at 4 concentrations (0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg L-1 as media drench). The second factor contained two levels of mycorrhizal fungi (with and without mycorrhiza at root zone). Attributes such as leaf number, rosette diameter, root fresh and dry weight, flower diameter, flower stalk diameter and number, time from bud emergence to anthesis, total phenol content, colonization percent and the activity of ascorbate peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide were measured. The results showed that humic acid and mycorrhizal fungi treatments led to increase in the leaf number, rosette diameter, fresh and dry weight of roots and antioxidant enzymes activity and decreased the time from bud emergence to anthesis comparing untreated plants. Phenol content was significantly increased compared to control plants by application of 1000 and 2000 mg L-1 of humic acid plus mycorrhizal fungi. The combined use of humic acid and mycorrhiza was effective to improve some morphological and physiological properties of gerbera and the concentration of 1000 mg L-1 humic acid plus mycorrhiza application were the most effective treatment.

In order to investigate the effect of humic acid and mycorrhiza on cut flower of Gerbera cv. Dune, an experiment was performed as a completely randomized design with two factors and three replications in hydroponic conditions. First factor was included: humic acid in 4 concentrations of 0 (control), 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/l as drench and the second factor: two levels of mycorrhizal fungi (without mycorrhiza and with mycorrhiza) were applied by root inoculation. Indicators such as leaf number and leaf area, root volume, fresh and dry weight of flowers, vase life, chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll, total soluble sugar and some postharvest traits such as petal ion leakage and petal malondialdehyde were measured. The results showed that humic acid and mycorrhizal fungus improved the morphological and biochemical properties of gerbera. Concomitant use of humic acid at a concentration of 1000 mg/l and mycorrhizal fungus on the difference between leaf length and root volume, fresh and dry weight of flowers and vase life almost doubled compared to the control. Application of humic acid and mycorrhizal fungus significantly increased total chlorophyll content and soluble sugar content. Application of humic acid and mycorrhizal fungus reduced ion leakage and malondialdehyde. IntroductionGerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) is a rosette, herbaceous, perennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. The leaves have long petioles up to 15 cm long. The flower diameter in wild gerbera is 7-10 cm and in hybrid plants is 15-25 cm. Gerbera is a day-neutral plant and flowers better in more light intensity. This plant flowers from late spring to late autumn and even early winter (Rashidi, 2009). Humic substances are obtained from the decomposition of soil organic matter, peat, lignin, etc., and their actions are similar to auxin and cytokinin. These substances improve the absorption of some elements by being placed in the cell membrane, which can to maintain the stability of the membrane (Balazadeh and Hassanpour Asil, 2014). Humic acid increases the length and weight of roots and the number of lateral roots (Ambreen and Khetran, 2014). Due to its cytokinin-like properties, humic acid delays the decomposition of chlorophyll and protein in leaves and senescence in flowers. These compounds play an essential role in the metabolism of carbohydrates and their transfer to the growing buds, thereby increasing the dry matter in flowers and their longevity (Hosseini Darvishani and Chamani, 2013). In many plants, the root system of the plant is symbiotically connected with different species of fungi, and they form a complex association called mycorrhizae (Alizadeh, 2011). Mycorrhizal fungi in the hydroponic system lead to the expansion and development of the roots, which increase the yield of the product. Three main groups of ornamental plants that are suitable for symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi have been identified, including pot plants, biennial and perennial plants, and ornamental plants grown under hydroponic conditions (Crisan et al., 2017).Considering the positive effects of mycorrhizal fungi and humic acid on the quantitative and qualitative traits of plants, this study investigated the effects of different concentrations of humic acid were investigated on some growth, flowering, and post-harvest characteristics of gerbera flowers in symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi in hydroponic conditions. Materials and MethodsTo perform this experiment, tissue-cultured plantlets of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii ‘Dune’) were used. These plants were grown in pots of size 20 (volume 7 liters, height and diameter of pots 19 and 24 cm, respectively) under soilless conditions (a mixture of 65% peat moss, 30% perlite, and 5% cocopeat). The daily temperature of the greenhouse was 20-25/13-16ºC (day/night), and the light intensity was 400-500 µmol.m-2s-1. This research was carried out in a factorial trial based on a completely randomized design with three replications. Each replication contained three pots with one plant in each pot. The experimental factors included: four concentrations of humic acid (0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/l) as a drench, two-week intervals for three months, and the second factor: two levels of mycorrhizal fungi (with or without mycorrhizal inoculation). The culture medium was inoculated with a mixture of three types of mycorrhizal fungi, including Rhizophagus fasciculatus, Diversispora versiformis, and Funneliformis mosseae. Inoculation was done at the time of planting plants in pots and in the root zone. Sixty grams of inoculum (including soil, fungal spores, hyphae, and mycorrhizal roots) were added to half of the pots (plants inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi). The same amount of autoclaved inoculum was added to the rest of the pots (plants without mycorrhizal inoculation). At the end of the experiment, parameters were measured, such as leaf number and leaf area, root volume, fresh and dry weight of flowers, vase life, chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll, total soluble sugar, and some postharvest traits such as petal ion leakage and petal malondialdehyde. Statistical analysis of data was done with SAS Ver. 9.2, and the comparison of means was done with Tukey's multiple range test. Results and DiscussionThe results showed that humic acid and mycorrhizal fungus improved the morphological and biochemical properties of gerbera. A comparison of means showed that the length of leaves and leaf area increased with the increase of humic acid in plants inoculated with a mycorrhizal fungus. The highest root volume was observed in the concentrations of 1000 and 2000 mg/l of humic acid in inoculated plants. Increasing the concentration of humic acid led to a significant increase in the flower fresh and dry weight of inoculated plants so that the highest flower fresh and dry weight was observed at a concentration of 2000 mg/l of humic acid in inoculated plants. The results showed that by increasing the concentration of humic acid up to 1000 mg/l, the vase life of gerbera flowers increases, but at higher concentrations, a decreasing trend was observed. The use of mycorrhizal fungi also increased the vase life of the flowers. The application of humic acid (up to 1000 mg/l) and inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi led to an increase in the amount of total chlorophyll. In non-inoculated plants, the concentrations of 1000 and 2000 mg/l of humic acid caused a significant increase in total soluble sugar compared to the control. Also, the application of humic acid and mycorrhizal inoculation reduced ion leakage and malondialdehyde of flowers during the vase life period. Due to the formation of complexes with mineral ions, humic substances cause the absorption of more elements and, as a result, increase the amount of photosynthesis in the plant, thus increasing the growth of the aerial parts of the plant (Abbas and Hammad, 2017). It should be noted that the hormone-like property of humic acid in plants accelerates the growth of roots leading to the growth of aerial parts and the improvement of the flowering characteristics of the plant (Youssef et al., 2004). ConclusionFrom the results obtained, it can be concluded that the use of treatments with humic acid and mycorrhizal fungi improves some parameters of the plants, including the morphological, physiological, biochemical, and post-harvest characteristics. According to the results, among different concentrations of humic acid, the concentration of 1000 mg/l of humic acid with mycorrhizal fungi inoculation had the highest effect on improving the measured traits.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different concentrations of humic acid (0, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg L-1) as drench and nano-calcium chelate (0, 1, 2 and 3 g L-1) as foliar application on nutrient absorption and photosynthetic pigments of gerbera cv. Dune. This experiment was performed as a factorial   in a completely randomized design with two factors and three replications in Urmia University at 2018. Indices including fresh and dry weight of inflorescence and flowering stem, volume and fresh and dry weight of root, photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll and leaf elements were measured. The results of means comparison showed that nitrate, phosphorus, potassium and calcium were more adsorbed than control. The fresh and dry weight of flowering stem and inflorescence showed a significant increase due to the application of humic acid and nano-calcium chelate. The amount of photosynthetic pigments was also affected by the use of humic acid and nano-calcium chelate. The highest amounts of chlorophyll a, b and total were obtained in the treatment of humic acid 500 mg L-1 and 2 g L-1 nano-calcium chelate. Root volume was increased by the use of humic acid and calcium nano-calcium, and in 2000 mg L-1 humic acid and 1 g L-1 of nano- calcium chelate was seen the highest root volume. Also humic acid at 500 mg L-1 increased root dry and fresh weight. In general the results of the present study show that the application of humic acid and nano- calcium chelate lead to improved quality and increased nutrient uptake in gerbera.

In order to investigate the postharvest effect of sodium nitroprusside on vase life of cut rose, Utopia and Dolce Vita cultivars, an experiment was conducted as factorial in a completely randomized design with three factors and six replications. The first factor was included two cultivars of cut flowers of rose.  The second factor was four concentrations of sodium nitroprusside 0 (control) 20, 40 and 60 μM, which was applied by pulse treatment. The third factor was the time of application at 24 and 48 hours. The results of this research showed that sodium nitroprusside treatment had a significant effect on vase life, catalase activity, ion leakage and flower diameter at 1% probability level and for fresh and dry weight of flower and stem, Ascorbate peroxidase activity and water absorption rate had a significant effect at 5% probability level. The highest vase life of Utopia cultivar was in 40 μM sodium nitroprusside in 48 hours and in Dolce Vita, it was related to sodium nitroprusside concentration of 60 μM in 48 hours. The most antioxidant enzymes activity such as catalase and ascorbate peroxidase were obtained at concentrations of 40 and 60 μM sodium nitroprusside. In general, the results of this study showed that in Utopia using 40 μM sodium nitroprusside for 48 hours and in Dolce Vita 60 μM sodium nitroprusside for 48 hours were the best treatments that could improve the traits studied.

In order to the beneficial effects of fulvic acid and iron in the improvement of growth and flowering characteristics of plants, in this research, the effect of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate was investigated on morphological and physiological characteristics of Gerbera cv. Dune. This experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with two factors fulvic acid with 4 concentrations of 0 (control), 50, 100 and 250 mg/L as drench and iron nano chelate at 4 concentrations of 0 (control), 1, 2 and 4 gr/L as foliar application, with three replications in greenhouse conditions in pot and in hydroponic conditions. The treatments and interaction effects of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate increased measured indices compared to control. All of the treatments caused to increase leaf length significantly and petal anthocyanin compared to control. The highest leaf number (40 leaves) and leaf anthocyanin (8.37 µM/g F.W.) was observed in treatment of 250 mg/L fulvic acid and 4 g/L iron nano chelate. The highest rosette diameter (93.66 cm) was obtained in the treatment of 100 mg/L fulvic acid and 2 g/L iron nano chelate. The highest soluble sugar and guaiacol peroxidase enzyme activity were observed in the concentration of 250 mg/L fulvic acid or the concentration of 2 g/L iron nano chelate. For increasing catalase and ascorbate enzyme activity, 50 mg/L fulvic acid and 4 g/L iron nano chelate were the best treatments. In general application of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate in ornamental plants can have a positive effect on the plant.

In order to investigate the effect of humic acid (HA) and nano-calcium chelate on the cut flowers of gerbera cv. Dune, an experiment was performed as a completely randomized design with two factors and three replications in hydroponic conditions. The first factor included humic acid at 4 concentrations of 0 (control), 500, 1000, and 2000 mg L-1 as drench and the second factor was assigned to nano-calcium chelate at 4 concentrations of 0 (control), 1, 2 and 3 g L-1 as foliar application. The recorded growth traits included the flower and flowering stem diameter of gerbera cv. Dune, leaf and flowering stem length, and leaf fresh and dry weight. The biochemical traits were anthocyanins, carotenoids, total soluble sugars, and phenolic compounds. The results showed that leaf length and fresh and dry weight were influenced by HA so that with the increase in HA concentration, an increase was observed in leaf length and dry weight. The highest flowering stem diameter was observed in the plants exposed to 2000 mg L-1 HA and 0 g L-1 nano calcium chelate. Flower and flowering stem diameter were increased at higher HA rates. Total soluble sugars and phenolic compounds were affected by the application of HA. Overall, the concurrent application of HA and nano calcium chelate improved the growth and biochemical traits of Gerbera, and approximately 2000 mg/l humic acid and 2 g/l nano-calcium chelate were the most effective.

Mycorrhizal fungi cause plants to withstand environmental stresses. This research was carried out in order to investigate the effects of mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus versiforme) on tomato plants to ameliorate the salinity stress. This completely randomized experiment includes salinity (0, 4 and 8 dS m-1) and mycorrhizal (0 and 5% w/w) treatments in the research greenhouse of Urmia University in 2017. Morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics such as plant height, root volume, proline and malone dialdehyde content, catalase activity, electrolytes leakage and content of soluble sugars were evaluated. Plant height and root volume in symbiont plants were more than the control, significantly. Increased catalase activity and content of proline and soluble sugars in inoculated plants indicates reduction in stress damage due to salinity. Also, electrolytes leakage and malone dialdehyde content in symbiont plants under salinity stress was less than the control. These positive effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis could be due to physiological impacts such as cell turgor control and osmolytes production and also due to morphological characteristics including root development and following ameliorating effects against salinity stress.

In order to investigate the interaction effects of humic acid and nano-calcium chelate on Gerbera jamesonii cv. Dune, an experiment was performed as factorial based on a completely randomized design with two factors and three replications in hydroponic conditions. First factor was included: humic acid in 4 concentrations of 0 (control), 500, 1000, and 2000 mg L-1 as drench and the second factor: nano-calcium chelate at 4 concentrations of 0 (control), 1, 2, and 3 g L-1 as foliar application. Indices such as number of leaves and leaf area, fresh and dry weight of inflorescence, vase life, time of bud to floral anthesis, flower longevity, and antioxidant enzymes activity were measured. Results showed that humic acid and nano-calcium chelate in comparison with the control increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guayacol peroxidase about 7, 6, and 7 times, respectively. Vase life and flower longevity were affected by application of humic acid and nano-calcium chelate compared to the control as showed a 57 and 31% increasing, respectively. Flower diameter and flower stem diameter showed 20% increasing compared to control. With increasing the concentration of nano-calcium chelate, leaf area increased. The number of leaf was increased only with increasing the concentration of humic acid. Generally, application of both humic acid and nano-calcium chelate was effective on improving some characteristics of gerbera and approximately 2000 mg L-1 humic acid and 2 g L-1 nano-calcium chelate were more effective.

In recent years, excessive use of chemical fertilizers and lack of organic fertilizers caused to reduce the rate of soil organic matter in Iran. The increased use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture causes environmental problems such as soil physical degradation and soil nutrient imbalances. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of foliar and soil applications of humic acid on some morphological and physiological characteristics of Rosa chinensis ‘Baby Masquerade’ in the completely randomized design with two factors; four concentrations of humic acid (0, 500, 1,000 and 2000 mg/L) and two application methods (soil and foliar application) for 8 times (every 15 days) with three replications and two observations per replication under controlled greenhouse conditions. The results showed that humic acid had additive effects on anthocyanin and total soluble solids content. It should be noted that increasing of the content of total soluble solids cause to increase anthocyanin. Foliar application of 500 mg/Lhumic acid significantly increased chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate. Also, foliar application of 1000 mg/Lhumic acid increased the total soluble solid content more than the other treatments. Humic acid had significant effects on leaf area index and shoot and root fresh and dry weight. Generally, it seems that humic acid can improve morphological and physiological characteristics of Rosa chinensis var. ‘Minima’.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the positive effects of foliar and soil application of humic acid on chlorophyll content, flower longevity, antioxidant enzymes activity, proline, malondialdehyde and protein content in a completely randomized design with two factors: humic acid at 4 concentrations (0, 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm) and 2 application method of humic acid (foliar spray and drench) with 3 replications and 2 observations in Rosa chinensis ‘Baby Masqurade’. The results showed that both soil and foliar applications of humic acid caused to increase chlorophyll and protein content, antioxidant enzymes activities and flower longevity respectively about to 2, 5, 3 and 1.75 fold compared to control. MDA levels were increased in soil treatments with increasing concentrations of humic acid but inversely were decreased in foliar treatments. This process is repeated in the activity of APX enzyme. Catalase activity was increased in low concentrations of humic acid but with increasing concentration, its activity was declined. The total protein was increased in all of the humic acid concentrations (except in 500mg/l HA as soil application) compared to control. The results of this experiment showed that foliar and soil application of humic acid with increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and chlorophyll and protein content of plant cause to increase the longevity of flowers.

Matthiola incana is one of the most important cut flowers in Iran. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of light intensities on the morphological and physiological characteristics of Matthiola incana, cv. Miracle White. The experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with 5 treatments, 5 replications and 2 observations. The light intensities of this study were 150 (as control), 225, 300, 375 and 450 μmolm-2s-1. Parameters measured were included plant height, area and number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of leaves and stems, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, anthocyanins and total soluble sugars. The results showed that the area and number of leaves were increased significantly with increasing light intensity to 300 μmolm-2s-1 (30 and 19% respectively) and then were reduced with increasing more light intensity. Also fresh and dry weight of leaves and stems were increased significantly (up to 25%) by increasing the intensity of light to 300 μmolm-2s-1. In this research, the plant height was decreased with increasing light intensity and this reduction was significant in 450μmolm-2s-1. The amount of anthocyanin was significantly increased by addition of light intensity. The study also showed that the increasing of light intensity to plant tolerance level caused to increase photosynthetic pigments and total soluble sugars more than control. In general, the results of this research showed that light intensity can induce positive and favorable effects on growth and flowering of Matthiola.

Silicon is a chemical element that has many positive effects on some qualitative and quantitative characteristics of many plant species such as ornamental plants. The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of silicon spray on growth and photosynthetic characteristics of chrysanthemum. This study was performed as a factorial completely randomized design with 2 factors: silicon source in 2 forms (sodium and calcium silicate) and the concentration of silicate in five levels (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM) in perlite: coco-peat medium with 3 replications and 2 observations. Traits such as leaf area, leaf number, leaf temperature, fresh and dry weight of leaves, chlorophyll index, chlorophyll a and b, net photosynthesis, transpiration and stomata conductivity were measured. The results showed that sodium and calcium silicate reduced leaf temperature but, increased other measured indices compared to control. The effect of silicon on these indices may be because of its effect on plant metabolism and photosynthetic system such as the concentration of Rubisco enzyme, increasing the transmission of photoassimilates from source to sink, increasing photosynthesis efficiency, changing the distribution of photosynthetic products, reducing oxidative substances, increasing carbohydrates and changing the concentrations of internal hormones.

This research was conducted to study the effects of soil and foliar applications of humic acid on the growth and flowering characteristics and nutrient uptake of Rosa chinensis var. minima ‘Baby Masquerade’ as a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with two factors: four concentrations of humic acid (0, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg.l-1) and two application methods (drench and spray) with three replications and two observations in the research greenhouse of Urmia University in 2014-2015. The results indicated a significant effect of humic acid on the growth traits (such as fresh and dry weight of leaf and stem diameter), flowering characteristics (such as the number and diameter of buds and flower diameter) and nutrient uptake of Rosa chinensis var. minima ‘Baby Masquerade’. The results showed that soil application of 2000 mg l-1 humic acid caused to high absorption of nitrogen (8.425 µg/per pot) and iron (8.12476 µg/per pot) in the plant, but the absorption of Zn was not affected by the concentrations of humic acid. High Cu absorption was observed in 1000 mg l-1humic acid (46.342 µg/ pots). The absorption of Mn and K was high in 1000 mg l-1 HA. As a result, application of humic acid in plants caused to enhance some essential elements absorption and plants growth.

In vitro budinduction and shoot regeneration of Lantana camara L. was investigated using axillary nodal explants. Multiple shoot buds were induced on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0, 2, 4 and 8 mg/l of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) or thidiazuron (TDZ) for proliferation and 0, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/l indole-3 butyric acid (IBA) for rooting. After 4 weeks, a maximum number of shoot buds was achieved on MS media containing 8 mg/l BAP and most buds were resulted in 8 mg/l TDZ. The results showed that the maximum length of shoots, internode length and weight were observed in MS media without any growth regulators. Suitable concentrations of cytokinins significantly increased RNA, DNA and protein synthesis and shoot induction. Difference in concentrations of BAP can be under the influence of genetic factors and experimental condition. Very low concentrations of TDZ stimulated the proliferation of lateral shoots in woody plants. Receptor molecules of TDZ had high affinity with this growth regulator. In this research, the highest number of roots was induced in MS media with 0.25 mg/l IBA. IBA is one of the strong PGRs in culture medium for stimulating and increasing the number of roots. IBA increases internal IAA, which is necessary for normal growth of root meristems and final development of roots. One of the effects of auxins is elongation of cells, but root cells need lower auxin for growth because auxin induces ethylene which is a root growth inhibitory.

To evaluate the physiological responses of chrysanthemum to silicon spray in non-stress conditions, this study was performed in two separate experiments (at 4 to 5 and 8 to 12-leaf stages) as a factorial randomized completely design with two factors: silicon source (in two levels: sodium silicate and calcium silicate) and the concentration of silicate at five levels (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg L-1) in cocopeat- perlite (1:1 v/v) medium in four replications and two observations. Physiological traits such as catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activity, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content were measured. The results showed that the foliar spray of sodium and calcium silicate increased the activity of CAT, APX and GPX enzymes and MDA, but proline and H2O2 were decreased. Generally, in the stage of 8-12 leaves, sodium silicate at high concentrations (150 and 200 mg L-1) was the most effective in increasing antioxidant enzymes activity and reducing proline, MDA and H2O2. At 4-5 leaf stage sodium silicate at 100 mg L-1 increased antioxidant enzymes activity and calcium silicate at 150 mg L-1 reduced proline, MDA and H2O2.