جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « کاروتنوئید » در نشریات گروه « باغبانی »

Increasing the tolerance to drought and nitrogen stress in tomato cultivars is essential for the sustainable and environmentally friendly production of this product. Also, knowing the morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular responses to drought and nitrogen stress is important for a comprehensive understanding of plant water tolerance mechanisms and nitrogen limitation conditions in higher plants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different levels of irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of tomatoes in different Cluster rows under greenhouse conditions.

The experiment was conducted at the research greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, in two years, 2021-02 and 2022-03. The experiment was set up as split-plot layout based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Irrigation levels were considered as the main plot at three levels: 75% (I75), 100% (I100), and 125% (I125) of the crop water requirement. Nitrogen fertilizer was considered as the subplot at four levels: control (no nitrogen), 75 kg ha-1 (7.5 g m-²), 150 kg ha-1 (15 g m-²), and 225 kg ha-1 (22.5 g m-²) from urea as the nitrogen source. Tomato seeds (Newton cultivar) were sown in polyethylene seedling trays with a coco peat and perlite mixture as the substrate. The seedlings were transplanted to the main field at 15 cm height with 3-4 true leaves. In all stages of growth, consistent agricultural practices were applied, including weed control, pest and disease management. Fertilization for tomato plants was based on soil analysis. Initially, after transplanting the seedlings, a complete fertilizer with high phosphorus (NPK 10-52-10) was applied at a ratio of 1.5 kg per thousand plants. In the subsequent stages, complete fertilizers (NPK 20-20-20) and high-potassium fertilizers (NPK 20-20-36) were applied through irrigation. Throughout the plant's growth stages, to prevent potential deficiencies and harm to growth and fruit development, micronutrients were applied as foliar sprays.

 The results for all three Clusters showed that although nitrate accumulation was higher in the first year compared to the second year, in both years, nitrate accumulation was higher at I75 and 225 kg ha-1 nitrogen compared to the other treatments. The highest nitrate accumulation in the sixth (6.12 mg.kg-1) and seventh (6.29 mg.kg-1) Clusters was observed in I75 and 225 kg ha-1 nitrogen treatment in the first year. In the eighth Cluster, contrary to the sixth and seventh Clusters, the highest nitrate accumulation was obtained in I100 and 225 kg/ha nitrogen (6.43 mg.kg-1) in the first year. Chlorophyll decreased with stress but increased with nitrogen levels. In all four Clusters, the highest chlorophyll a content was obtained in I100 and 225 kg ha-1 nitrogen, with values of 3.75, 3.70, 3.30, and 3.85 mg g-1 fresh weight, respectively. The highest fruit number per square meter was obtained in I125 and 225 kg ha-1 nitrogen treatment in the second year (260 fruits), although there was no significant difference compared to the first year. Furthermore, this treatment produced 11% more fruits than the highest fruit number at 100% moisture. The highest single fruit weight was obtained in I125 and 225 kg ha-1 nitrogen treatment in the first year of the experiment (254 g), although there was no significant difference compared to the second year. Additionally, this treatment showed no significant difference in fruit weight compared to the 225 kg ha-1 nitrogen and I100 treatment in the first year but was 11% higher in the second year. The highest yield (65.1 kg m-²) was obtained at I125 and 225 kg ha-1 nitrogen. However, in the control treatment without fertilizer, there was no significant difference in yield at I100 and I125. Furthermore, the highest water use efficiency was observed at I100, followed by I75. In all fertilizer treatments, I125 treatment had the lowest water use efficiency. The highest water use efficiency (285 kg m-³) was obtained at I100 and 225 kg ha-1 nitrogen.

 In general, the results demonstrated that while excessive nitrogen fertilizer increased nitrate accumulation at different irrigation levels, the increased use of irrigation water reduced nitrate accumulation in tomato fruits while improved yield. Moreover, no significant difference in fruit yield was observed between I125 and I100, but optimum yield and favorable water use efficiency were obtained with less water consumption. Based on the results of this experiment, the recommended treatment under greenhouse conditions is irrigation at 100% of the FC and the use of 250 kg ha-1 nitrogen.

Light is one of the environmental factors influencing the growth and development of plants. In recent years, the attention of agricultural experts has been directed to plant growth regulators in order to improve the quality and stability of the cultivation system. The current research was carried out in the year 2021 in the greenhouse of Shahid Fozveh Biological Research Center in a factorial format in the form of a completely randomized design in 5 replications. For this purpose, the effect of test factors including four concentrations of abscisic acid (0, 5, 10 and 20 mg/liter) and 5 day lengths (16, 14, 12, 10 and 8 hours of light) on the growth characteristics and content of photosynthetic pigments. The cannabis plant was evaluated. The results showed that the highest plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, root length, fresh and dry weight of roots, fresh and dry weight of aerial parts and fresh and dry weight of leaves were obtained under the lighting duration of 14 hours, while the lowest amount of this the traits were observed during the lighting period of 16 hours. Also, the highest amounts of chlorophyll a, b, total and carotenoid were obtained in the treatment of 16 hours of light duration without the use of abscisic acid hormone. While the highest amount of anthocyanin was observed in the treatment of 16 hours of light duration under the treatment of abscisic acid hormone with concentrations of 10 and 20 ppm. Also, the highest amount of total phenol was obtained during the lighting period of 16 hours under the treatment of abscisic acid with a concentration of 20 ppm. Considering the importance and many uses of secondary metabolites in today's human life, investigating the existence of a relationship between environmental conditions and the production and accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants can be very useful. Therefore, it is recommended to use LED light with lighting durations of 14 and 16 hours to increase the growth characteristics and content of photosynthetic pigments of hemp plant.

Nannochloropsis salina is a promising species for lipid production, which is used in aquaculture and biofuel production. On the other hand, plant phytohormones also have different effects on the metabolism of protozoan algae. Therefore, an experiment was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations on growth and doubling time, chlorophyll, carotenoid, dry biomass, endogenous ABA and total lipid of N. salina microalgae in Gaillard (f/2) medium. The experimental treatments included 0 (control), 0.5, 10 and 20 mg L-1  ABA concentrations. This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications during 2019-2020. The analysis of variance showed that ABA treatment was significant on all studied characteristics at the 5% level. The treatment of 20 mg L-1 ‌‌ABA increased the growth rate, chlorophyll, endogenous ABA and total lipid in N.‌‌salina microalgae. The highest carotenoids and dry biomass were observed in 0.5 mg L-1 and control treatments, respectively. The findings of this study show that the concentration of 0.5 mg L-1 ABA is effective on lipid and carotenoid production of microalgae, but to increase total lipid production, the concentration of mg L-1 ABA is more suitable.

 Lilium flower is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant, belonging to the Liliaceae family. Position of lilies as the fourth best-seller cut flower in the world, as well as the increasing trend of demand for this flower in the global market, indicates the importance of improving the quality and solving the sustainability issues of this flower. Gibberellins are one of the most important endogenous plant hormones involved in controlling plant dormancy. Gibberellin is a plant growth regulator that stimulates physiological responses in plants by affecting photosynthesis. Polyamines, including putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, are a group of plant growth regulators that have effects such as increasing cell division, biosynthesis of enzymes, regulating various developmental stages such as differentiation.
 This study was performed to investigate the effect of gibberellic acid and putrescine on growth, flowering and vase life of Lilium cut flowers. Experiment was performed as factorial based on completely randomized design, included 16 treatments with 3 replications and 2 pots in each replication. The culture medium containing mold leaf soil, sand and perlite (1:1:1) and was prepared by disinfection with fungicide. The first treatment consisted of concentrations of 150, 300 and 450 mg/L gibberellic acid and onions were pre-treated by immersing for 24 hours. The second treatment consisted of concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 2 mM putrescine which was sprayed at the beginning of budding and continued every two weeks until the first bud flower coloring. Growth period conditions in green house were controlled. In this study, different parameters such as bud number, flowering stem length, fresh weight of cut flowers, relative fresh weight of cut flowers, water uptake of cut flowers, vase life, leaf chlorophylls a, b and total, petal carotenoid, percentage of petal cell membrane stability and total soluble solids of petals were examined.
 The results showed that the application of gibberellic acid and putrescine improved the number of buds and increased cell membrane stability. Actually, gibberellic acid preserves the cell membrane by preventing the breakdown of proteins and increasing the pH, thus increasing the vase life. Also Putrescine protects cell membranes by removing free radicals. It is also known that gibberellic acid used at all levels in the experiment increased the height of the flower stem due to its role in cell division and elongation. Study of the flower stem water content and cut flower fresh weight, which are factors for longer vase life, showed that gibberellic acid increases the plant's ability to absorb water and increases these two traits. So that the highest cut flower fresh weight with 13 g difference compared to the control level belonged to the treatment level of 450 mg/L gibberellic acid. Also putrescine reduces plant water loss by increasing membrane permeability to calcium and increases the flower stem water content and cut flower fresh weight, which increases vase life. Also, gibberellic acid by creating water potential in the cell and putrescine by strengthening water relations and preventing blockage of water vessels increased the relative water uptake of cut flower. Thus, the greatest effect was observed on the third day post-harvest and the highest amount (2.47 ml. g-1 FW) on the third day belonged to the highest level of both treatments. Results also showed that all the levels of putrescine increased TSS due to its effect on the synthesis of sugars and carbohydrates in compared to control. The results showed that application of gibberellic acid and putrescine respectively at 300 mg/L and 2 mM, significantly increased the vase life compared to the control. The best vase life (15 days) occurred at 300 mg/L gibberellic acid and 2 mM putrescine. Although gibberellic acid increased growth and flowering of Lilium, but putrescine effectiveness on vase life of cut flower was more evident. The highest amount of leaf total chlorophyll (0.514 mg. g-1 FW) belonged to the treatment of 450 mg/L gibberellic acid and 2 mM putrescine and the lowest amount of leaf total chlorophyll (0.085 mg. g-1 FW) belonged to both treatments were at the control level. Also, in the study of petal carotenoid content, the highest amount ​​belonged to the treatment of 450 mg/L gibberellic acid and 2 mM putrescine.
 According to the results obtained from the present research, it can be concluded that use of gibberellic acid and putrescine had great effects on most of traits in compared to control treatment. The use of putrescine and gibberellic acid improves the flowering and vase life conditions by increasing water uptake and consequently increasing the relative fresh weight.

Lily is one of the most important cut flowers, which is also widely used as a potted flower. In order to study the effects of gibberellic acid and humic acid on growth, flowering and vase life of Lilium LA Hybrid ‘Original Love’, an experiment was conducted as factorial in a completely randomized design with 2 factors, 16 treatments and 3 replications. The first factor was gibberellic acid at 0, 150, 300 and 450 mg L-1 which was carried out by immersing bulbs gibberellic acid for 24 hours. The second factor was humic acid, at 0, 200, 400 and 600 mg L-1 as foliar application at the beginning of sprouting every two weeks. The results showed that the effect of gibberellic acid treatment on bud number and flowering stem height was significantly different from control. The highest bud number (5.04) and flowering stem height (79.08 cm) were obtained by treating gibberellic acid at 450 and 300 mg L-1, respectively. Gibberellic acid and humic acid treatments effects separately showed significant differences on fresh weight of cut flower, total soluble solids and percentage of cell membrane stability index. Also, the interaction effect of gibberellic acid and humic acid treatments caused a significant increase in chlorophyll index (67.70 spad value), vase life (13.66 day), total chlorophyll (0.370 mg g-1 FW), chlorophyll a (0.266 mg g-1 FW), chlorophyll b (0.103 mg g-1 FW) and petal carotenoids (0.026 mg g-1 FW). The highest relative fresh weight was related to the interaction of gibberellic acid at 450 mg L-1 and humic acid at 400 mg L-1, with 113.47 and 103.75% increase on third, and fifth days, respectively. Also, the highest relative fresh weight at seventh day was observed in the treatment of gibberellic acid 450 mg L-1 and humic acid 600 mg L-1 with an average of 97.01%. Also, the highest water uptake was related to the interaction of gibberellic acid at 300 mg L-1 and humic acid at 600 mg L-1, with 1.99, 1.81-, and 1.48-ml g-1 FW at third, fifth and seventh days, respectively. In general, gibberellic acid 450 mg L-1 and humic acid 400 mg L-1 were the best treatments to improve the growth, flowering and vase life features of lily.

To evaluate the effect of different levels of nitrogen and phosphorous on some physiological and morphological traits of golden rod (Solidago canadensis L.) a split plot experiment carried out based on randomized complete block design with three replications in Research Farm of Shahrekord University. Nitrogen fertilizer at four levels of (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha) as main factor and phosphorous fertilizer at three levels (0, 50 and 100 kg/ha) were used as subsidiary factor. Results showed that different levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and their interactions had a significant effect on growth indices such as shoot fresh and dry matter, leaf area and flower flavonoid content. Also, nitrogen and phosphorous application showed a significant effect on flowering time and flowering duration. Increasing in nitrogen and phosphorous levels, caused early flowering and increased flowering period in treatments as the best results observed in 150 kg/ha accompanied with 100 kg/ha of nitrogen. Generally, in order to obtain the maximum growth indices in same conditions, application of nitrogen in 150 kg/ha with phosphorous in 100 kg/ha can be suggested for golden rod cultivation as an ornamental and medicinal plant.

Oranges are the second most widely consumed fruit in the world after apples. The quality of citrus fruits depends not only on the appearance of the fruit size, shape, color and absence of disease and any surface damage, but also on the flavor, richness of food, vitamins, seedlessness and fruit aroma. The present study investigated the fruit qualitative differences between the ten orange varieties (Thomson Navel, Tarocco, Mars Early, Frost Novel, Local, Italian, Khorram Abadian, Hamlin, Morbeld and Moro Valencia) that grafted on sour orange rootstock, in the Jiroft region. The aim of this study was introducing the fruit qualitative characteristics and nutritional value of ten orange cultivars on the sour orange rootstock in climate conditions of Jiroft region, for fresh uses and processing. Also, determine the capabilities of each cultivar in antioxidant content and antioxidant capacity to introduce the properties of these cultivars to researchers in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Fruit weight was determined by digital scales. The volume of the fruit was obtained by moving the water. The 0.1 mm caliber device was used to measure skin thickness, length and fruit diameter. To measure the thickness of the fruit skin, a cut was first separated from the middle part of the fruit and its thickness was recorded in mm. The total number of hollow and healthy seeds was counted and was recorded as seed number. The juice percentage was calculated by calculating the percentage of juice mass to fruit mass. A manual refractometer was used to measure the total soluble solids, and thesodium hydroxide titration method was used to measure the titration acidity. The flavor index or maturity index was obtained from the TSS/TA ratio and technology index was calculated by multiplying the percentage of TSS in the percentage of juice. Vitamin C measured by the iodometric method. The antioxidant activity of juice was determined based on the DPPH method. Carotenoid and chlorophyll pigments in juices and skins, were calculated using the Liechtensteiner pigmentation method. The experiment was done as a randomized complete block design in three replications. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SAS software and means were compared using Duncan's multiple range test at 5% of probability level.

The results showed that Thomson Novell, Frost Novell and Italian cultivars had the highest freshness quality in terms of appearance characteristics (fruit weight, volume, and length, number of seeds, and fruit shape index) among the ten cultivars evaluated. All cultivars were in the physiological maturity stage and were suitable for the juice industry due to their high technology index. The range of vitamin C varied 57 - 109 mg per 100 ml juice and the range of antioxidant capacity varied 65 - 94%. Morbeld, Valencia Morocco, Frost Novell and Mars Early cultivars had higher nutritional value due to higher vitamin C, and Hamlin, local, Tarocco and Frost Navel had higher antioxidant capacity. Khorramabadian cultivar had higher carotenoid pigments in juice and skin.

Therefore, most of the studied cultivars had high freshness and nutritional value, but among them, Frost Novell cultivar, considering the amount of vitamin C, antioxidant capacity, technology index and appearance characteristics in the higher statistically groups  and was in the lower statistical group in terms of number of seeds, therefore was selected as the best cultivar.

To investigate the effects of rice husk biochar application on the various physiological and biochemical characteristics (fresh and aerial parts dry weight, plant height, percentage and essential oil yield,and  content of chlorophylls, carotenoids, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) under different irrigation regimes, a factorial pot experiment with different levels of biochar (0, 3, and 6 t.ha-1) and irrigation (100% of full irrigation (control), 60, 80, and 120% of full irrigation) was conducted in a completely randomized design with four replications in the research greenhouse of Lorestan University in 2019. The results showed that the highest and lowest of aerial parts fresh weight were obtained in the 3 t.ha-1 biochar + 120% of full irrigation (24.2 g.pot-1) and 3 t.ha-1 biochar + 60% of full irrigation (13.3 g.pot-1) treatments, respectively. At the 60% of full irrigation level, the dry weight, height, essential oil yield, and N and P concentration of the plant aerial parts significantly decreased by 39.8, 33.3, 26.2, 17.2, and 8.7%, respectively compared to the control; while the essential oil percentage and K concentration of aerial parts had an increasing trend. The amount of a, b, and total chlorophyll, and carotenoids decreased under the water stress conditions. The highest amount of total chlorophyll was observed in the 6 t.ha-1 biochar + 100% of full irrigation treatment. The application of 6 t.ha-1 biochar increased the fresh and aerial parts dry weight, plant height, percentage and essential oil yield, photosynthetic pigments, and N, P, and K concentration of aerial parts compared to the no biochar application, significantly. The results showed that the 6 t.ha-1 biochar + 120% of full irrigation treatment increased most of the traits studied. However, due to the importance of peppermint in terms of essential oil production, the highest essential oil percentage was obtained at the highest level of water stress.

 the lack of water resources in arid and semi-arid regions is one of the most important limiting factors of the growth of plants, especially fruit trees. Grapevines are one of the most important horticultural products in the world as well as in Iran. The water content of plant tissues, their growth, and the availability of different nutrients in the soil are significantly reduced under water stress conditions. Therefore, the successful production of the plant under water stress conditions depends on the management of plant nutrition. By application of organic and chemical fertilizers, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil can be improved. Besides, it can reduce the adverse effects of drought stress conditions.    

 To evaluate the effect of compost, biochar, and potassium sulfate application on dry matter, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoid contents, as well as the concentration of macro-and micronutrients of leaves of grapevines ‘Bidane-Ghermez’ under two drought stress conditions, this experiment, was conducted in the research greenhouse during 2017-2018. The experiment was carried out as a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two factors and four replications. The first factor, without drought stress conditions (80% field capacity (FC)), and drought stress conditions (40% FC), and fertilizer treatments included potassium sulfate (1.25 g.kg-1), compost (5 % w/w), and biochar (10% w/w).
  

 The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the interaction effect of drought stress ×fertilizers application was not significant for dry matter, and RWC (P>0.05). Also, the results of ANOVA indicated that the simple effect of drought stress conditions was not significant for dry matter but the simple effect of fertilizer application was significant for leaf dry matter (P<0.01). Without drought stress conditions, there were no significant differences in leaf dry matter between different fertilizer treatments. However, under drought stress conditions, the highest dry matter of grapevine leaves was observed in biochar, compost, and potassium sulfate, respectively. Also, there were no significant differences in leaf dry matter of grapevine between biochar treatment under drought stress conditions and all fertilizer treatments without drought stress conditions. The simple effect of drought stress conditions was significant for leaf dry matter (P<0.05). The results of ANOVA revealed that the interaction effect of drought stress ×fertilizer application was not significant for chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoid contents of grapevine leaves. However, the simple effects of drought stress conditions and fertilizer application were significant for chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoid contents of grapevine leaves (P<0.01). Relative water, chlorophyll a and carotenoid contents of grapevine leaves were not significantly different among fertilizers treatments. The increase of chlorophyll a/b ratio compared with control was changed in order biochar>potassium sulfate>compost. Moreover, the interaction effect of drought stress ×fertilizer application was significant for nitrogen (N), magnesium (Mg), ferrous (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) concentrations of grapevine leaves (P<0.01). The ANOVA indicated that the simple effects of drought stress conditions and fertilizer application had a significant effect (P<0.01) on macro- and micro-elements concentrations of grapevine leaves. By application of biochar, the concentration of P, K, Mg, and Cu of grapevine leaves significantly were higher than compost and potassium sulfate applications. This consequently resulted in higher chlorophyll a/b ratio and dry matter of grapevine leaves in biochar treatment for control under drought stress conditions.

 Based on the results of this research, it can be concluded that the application of fertilizers reduced drought stress effects on biochemical characteristics and dry matter of grapevine leaves. According to the results, at first the application of biochar is recommended, then potassium sulfate and compost. Our previous results indicated that by application of compost, the available sodium (Na) of soil was increased 8.53 and 60.52 % for potassium sulfate and compost treatments compared to control, respectively. While, by application of biochar, the available Na of soil reduced 3.73 % in comparison with control. This finding is so important regarding the Na effects on soil structure, the toxicity of Na for plants as well as the interaction between Na and K. Considering K is a critical element to regulate the water content of plant tissue and reduces the hazards of water stress conditions, the higher concentration of Na prevents K uptake from the soil solution by plant.

In order to evaluate the effect of γ-aminobutyric acid and spermine on some morphological and physiological traits of Damask rose plant, a completely randomized design was carried out in spring and summer 2017 and in Zanjan University in three replications. Experimental treatments consisted of three levels of gamma aminobutyric acid (1, 5, 10 mM) and three levels of spermine (0.5, 1, 1.5 mM). The evaluated traits included morphological traits (plant height, number of flowers, number of flowering branches, plant shadow diameter, average number of flowers per branch and petal dry weight) and physiological traits (total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, leaf flavonoids, petal flavonoids and peroxidase enzyme activity). The results showed that there was a significant difference in all the traits, except plant height, plant shadow diameter and number of flowering branches, compared to the control. Based on the results the concentration of 5 mM gamma aminobutyric acid and 1 mM spermine improved the morphophysiological traits in reproductive stage.

Salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate(MJ) are abiotic elicitors which can increase production of secondary metabolites in plants. Effects of SA and MJ on fresh weight, flavonoids, total phenol and pigments of Madagascar periwinkle callus were investigated in two factorial experiments, in a completely randomized design. The first factor was the concentration of a different abiotic elicitor, SA or MJ in 4 levels of 0, 50, 100 and 200 μM, and the second factor was time of using different concentrations of elicitors at 2 levels of 5 and 10 days, with three replications. Based on results, the interaction between time and SA in all traits, unless fresh weigh of callus and production of anthocyanin, was significant and the interaction between time and MJ on total phenol, chlorophyll and carotenoids production was significant (P<0.01). The highest total phenol content (55.123 mg/g F.W.) was obtained from 100 μM MJ treatment for 5 days and the highest amount of flavonoid (21.467 mg/g F.W.) was obtained in 50 μM SA treatment for 5 days. Therefore, 50 and 100 μM concentrations of SA and MJ abiotic elicitors in 5 days can be used for increase the production of flavonoid and total phenol in catharanthus roseus L. callus.

To determine the effects of Myco-Root biofertilizer and different irrigation levels on the content and essential oil compounds of thyme (Thymus daenensis Celak.), a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with eight treatments and three replications in the greenhouse of Plant Production and Genetics department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Iran, in 2020. The factors included drought stress at four levels of without stress (irrigation at field capacity (FC) as a control), mild (irrigation at 75% FC), moderate (irrigation at 55% FC), and severe (irrigation at 35% FC) stresses and biofertilizer at two levels of inoculation and non-inoculation with Myco-Root. The results demonstrated that the fresh and dry weight of leaves, stem dry weight, total dry weight, leaf relative water content, chlorophylls a and b and total chlorophyll content, and root colonization percentage decreased significantly with increasing the water deficit level. However, the carotenoid content and essential oil percentage showed an increasing trend with increasing drought stress. The highest carotenoid content and essential oil percentage was obtained by using Myco-Root under moderate drought stress. Thymol, carvacrol, p < /em>-cymene, 1,8-cineole, (E)-caryophyllene, borneol, γ-terpinene, and α-pinene were identified as the major constituents of essential oil in the all treatments. The highest content of thymol was obtained under mild drought stress with the Myco-Root application. Furthermore, the highest content of carvacrol was recorded under mild, moderate, and severe drought stresses, respectively with the Myco-Root application. On average, the application of Myco-Root biofertilizer increased the content of thymol, carvacrol, 1,8-cineole, E-caryophyllene, borneol, and α-pinene by 4.19, 48.28, 15.93, 16.33, 14.15, and 3.78%, respectively compared to not using this biofertilizer. Overall, the results showed that some morphological and physiological traits of thyme decreased significantly with increasing the water deficit levels, but the application of Myco-Root biofertilizer could amend drought stress and improve the growth, percentage and essential oil quality of the plant. Thus, the use of Myco-Root biofertilizer instead of chemical fertilizers could be recommended to achieve the sustainable agriculture in the thyme cultivation.

Spinacia olerace is the most important leaf vegetable of the Chenopodiacea family, which has a special place in human nutrition because of its variety of minerals and vitamins. Cultivation of this plant in Iran is several thousand years old and accordingly Iran is considered as the main place and a source of spinach in the world. Growth of plants is affected by genetics, environmental conditions, growing season, nutrients, and soil, harvesting method, temperature, intensity and quality of light. Among these factors, soil nutrients have a significant influence on plant growth and yield. Nowadays, the consumption of organic matter as fertilizer due to its high cost and limited availability is not sufficient and the major nutritional needs of plants are met by chemical fertilizers, which can lead to environmental problems and, over time, reduced yields. In this connection humic acid is a naturally occurring organic compound and contains 2% to 5% organic matter. Humic acid can be used to seedling nutrition and improve its quality and quantity. Given the recent use of organic acids such as humic acid to improve crops and horticulture, but little research has been done on transplant birth, this experiment was conducted to investigate the application of different levels of humic acid in irrigation water at the time of irrigation. Different effects and their effects on growth indices and spinach production were investigated.
The present experiment was conducted to investigate the application of different concentrations of humic acid at different times and its effects on quantitative and qualitative indices of spinach in a factorial completely randomized design with three replications in research greenhouse at Torbat Heydariyeh University. Treatments consisted of three concentrations of humic acid (0, 3 and 6 ml/L) at two application times (one-week and two-week). The mean daily greenhouse temperature at the time of plant growth was 25°C and the mean nighttime temperature was 18°C, the average relative humidity was 60%. After seedlings were planted in the main pots at four-leaf stage, they were irrigated with humic acid (0, 3 and 6 ml/L) at different intervals once a week, twice weekly. The humic fertilizer used belonged to Green Seed Company, containing 24% humic acid and 3% folic acid and 2% potassium. Five weeks after treatment, the traits were measured. Transplant growth indices including number of leaves (by counting the number of shoots per plant), leaf length and width, leaf area, canopy, height, chlorophyll index, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid and dry weight of each plant were determined.
Based on the results of this experiment, the effect of humic acid concentration on morphological and physiological traits of spinach transplant was significant. The highest leaf number (4.6) at 3 ml concentration and the lowest number (3.5) were at zero concentration. These traits were subjected to humic acid titer, but the increase in concentration had no significant effect on these traits. The increased number of leaves and traits mentioned in the early stages of transplant growth is probably due to the rapid expansion of the root system of the plant at high concentrations of humic acid, which in turn leads to increased nutrient uptake, better plant growth and subsequent growth. Leaf number and other traits become leaf dependent. The results showed that the highest chlorophyll a (1.8 ml/g fresh leaf), chlorophyll b (2.5 ml/ml fresh leaf), carotenoids (7.1 ml/ml). Fresh leaf g) and biomass (150 mg) at 3 ml concentration and the lowest at zero concentration. The highest chlorophyll index (74.1 ml/ml fresh leaf g) was also found in the concentration of 6 ml and the lowest was obtained from zero concentration. Humic acid increased spinach transplant biomass by increasing the amount of photosynthetic pigments and leaf area or the same photosynthetic capacity. In most of the traits, the two-week application time was higher than the one-week, so that spinach transplant biomass increased by 110% over the two-week application period. So that spinach transplant biomass was 156 at the two-week application and 74 mg at the one-week application. Based on the results of this experiment, humic acid application can improve the quantitative and qualitative traits of spinach transplant and its production.
Production of vegetable seedlings have an important role in the production and olericulture economy. Specializing in different activities in the vegetable production process will simplify the production process and increase efficiency. This means that the best conditions for seedling growth should be provided during transplanting. Application of humic acid organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer can reduce environmental pollution in line with sustainable agriculture and healthy eating with vegetables to prevent the accumulation of chemicals in the human body to be effective. In this regard, the results of this study showed that using low humic acid as organic fertilizer can improve morphophysiological traits of spinach transplant.

To investigate the effects of irrigation cutting and different fertilizer on yield and qualitative traits of black cumim an experiment was conducted as split plot layout based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at University of Zabol Research Farm during 2016. Main plot included four levels of irrigation cutting; conventional irrigation, irrigation cutting in between stem elongation to flowering, irrigation cutting in between flowering to beginning of seed filling period and irrigation cutting in between beginning to end of seed filling period. Subplot was different type of phosphorous fertilizer including control (no fertilizer application), Azoto-e-Barvar 1, Phosphate-e-Barvar 2 and triple super phosphate. Interaction effect of irrigation cutting and fertilizer on yield and yield components, leaf chlorophyll content, carotenoids content, essential oil percentage and yield was significant. The highest yield and yield components, photosynthetic pigments and essential oil yield were achieved in normal irrigation along with application of Azoto-e-Barvar1 and the greatest essential oil percentage were observed in irrigation cutting in between beginning to end of seed filling period along with application of Azoto -e-Barvar 1. Seed yield affected by irrigation cutting in seed filling period and without application fertilizer was 46.76 % less than seed yield in conventional irrigation along with application of Azoto-e-Barvar 1. In conclusion, to improve the characteristics of black seed, except for essential oil content, the application of bio-fertilizers along with conventional irrigation would be appropriate.

Water deficit has been the major contributor to the decline in plant yield. Soil amendment and certain hormonal agents are some strategies applied to mitigate the adverse effects of drought stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of one soil modifier and one growth regulator on some physiological and morphological characteristics of Borago officinalis L. under water deficit conditions. The experiment was implemented as a split-factorial in a randomized complete block design with four replications at the research farm of Agriculture Faculty of Shahroud University of Technology, Iran during 2017- 2018. The main plots consisted of three levels of irrigation (usual irrigation every five days, irrigation every 10 and 15 days) and sub-plots consisted of biochar at three levels (0, 5 and 10 t ha-1) and salicylic acid at two levels (0 and 0.5 mM). Based on the results, biochar, salicylic acid, and water deficit factors affected the number of flowering stems, number of stems, stem height, the amount of chlorophylls a and b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids significantly. Interactions between salicylic acid and water deficit levels had the most effects on carotenoids and chlorophyll b. Triple interaction of factors also affected the total dry weight, number of flowering stems, the number of stems, stem height, and chlorophyll b. Generally, water deficit stress decreased the amount of photosynthetic pigments and leaf growth indices of European borage compared to control, and salicylic acid and biochar reduced the negative effects on the amount of photosynthetic pigments. Therefore, the use of biochar as a soil modifier and salicylic acid as a growth regulator seems to be useful in ameliorating some of the negative effects of water stress on Borago officinalis.

Gerbera jamesonii is a permanent, herbaceous and chilling-sensitive plant species from the family Asteraceae that is native to hot regions. The species has high color diversity and it is among the top ten cut flowers in the world. Fulvic acids are a family of organic acids, natural compounds, and components of the humus (which is a fraction of soil organic matter). They are similar to humic acids, with differences being the carbon and oxygen contents, acidity degree of polymerization, molecular weight and color. Fulvic acid remains in solution after removal of humic acid from humin by acidification. Fulvic acids are of relatively low molecular mass and less biologically active than humic acids. Among micronutrients, Iron (Fe) is a cofactor for approximately 140 enzymes that catalyze unique biochemical reactions and is an essential element for growth of plants. Lack of iron causes young leaves yellow and photosynthesis activity reduce significantly and consequently biomass reduce. Iron plays many essential roles in plant growth and development, including chlorophyll synthesis, thylakoid synthesis, chloroplast development, contribution in RNA synthesis and improvement the performance of photosystems. Nano-fertilizers can be substituted for conventional fertilizers. Studies showed that the effect of nano-particles on plants can be beneficial (seedling growth and development).

In order to investigate the effect of different concentrations of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate on flowering of gerbera as well as flower vase life of gerbera cv. Dune, an experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications during the years 2016-2017. The medium was included peat moss 65%, perlite 30% and cocopeat 5%. The seedlings of tissue cultured plants were planted into pots (size-20) (volume 7 L, height 19 cm, diameter 24 cm) in hydroponic greenhouse conditions. Day/night temperature regime was set at 20-25/13-16°C and light intensity at 400-500 μmol m-2 s-1. The plants were fed three times a week. The treatments were: fulvic acid at four concentrations of 0 , 50, 100 and 250 mg L-1 as drench and iron nano chelate at 4 concentrations of 0, 1, 2 and 4 gr L-1 as foliar application  (15 days intervals for 4 months),. Two weeks after the last treatment, morphological parameters were measured. They were included flower fresh and dry weight, flowering stem length, flower longevity and vase life and the number of days to the appearance of flower buds. Also, the recorded physiological parameters included chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll, chlorophyll index and carotenoid.

The results of this study showed that, flower dry weight was increased with increasing the concentration of iron nano chelate. The highest flower dry weight )6.43g( was obtained from plants treated with 4 g L-1 iron nano chelate and the lowest one )5.57 g( from control plants, but flower fresh weight was not affected by these treatments. The highest length of flowering stem was observed in treatment of 2 g L-1 iron nano chelate. The lowest time to flowering was obtained from 50 mg L-1 fulvic acid without application of iron nano chelate. The results of means comparisons showed that fulvic acid and iron nano chelate caused to increase flower longevity significantly. The highest flower longevity (19 days) was obtained from 250 mg L-1 fulvic acid and 1 g L-1 iron nano chelate and the lowest mean (12.66 days) was related to control plants. Also, most of treatments caused to increase vase life compared to control. The highest vase life (14.66 days) was observed in 1 g L-1 iron nano chelate without fulvic acid while the lowest mean (6.66 days) was observed in control. Chlorophyll content (chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll) and carotenoid content of gerbera increased with increasing concentrations of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate in compared with the control. 

According to the results obtained from this research, application of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate have a positive effect on most flowering and biochemical indices. Application of low concentrations of fulvic acid (50 mg L-1) supplemented with iron nano chelate caused to early flowering. Fulvic acid didn’t have any effect on flowering stem length and its application reduced the flower dry weight. While combined application of fulvic acid and iron nano chelate caused to increase flower longevity. Also iron nano chelate caused to increase flowering stem length, vase life and flower dry weight. In most of the biochemical indices, combined treatment of 100 mg L-1 of fulvic acid and 2g L-1 of iron nano chelate had better or favorable result on measured indices compared to the control treatment although the highest concentration of treatments did not have a negative effect and sometimes in some indicators also have more impact. Among these treatments, the concentrations of 100 and 250 mg L-1 fulvic acid and 2 and 4 g L-1 iron nano chelate can be effective for gerbera plant.

In order to investigate the effect of vermicompost and mycorrhizal fertilizers on Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four replications in the research greenhouse of Agriculture College of Gonbad Kavous University in 2016-2017. The First factor was vermicompost at four levels (0, 10, 20 and 30 % of soil weight) and the second factor was inoculation with biological fertilizers at three levels (no inoculation (control) and inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi Glomus intraradieces and Glomus mosseae about 400 fungi spores per pot). The results showed that all cuttings were gradually eliminated in the treatments containing 30% vermicompost due to its high salinity, and had very low growth in treatments containing 20% vermicompost. The effect of vermicompost and mycorrhizal fungi on all traits studied, except the main effect of mycorrhizal fungi on the number of lateral branches and anthocyanins, were significant at 1% probability level. Also, their interaction was significant for all traits except stem dry weight. Based on the results, the highest positive effect was obtained in application of G. mosseae with 10% vermicompost for morphological traits such as plant height (126.63 cm) and root length (33.75 cm), and G. intraradieces with 10% vermicompost for flower (1.03 g) and root (9.93 g) dry weight and leaf area (78212 cm2) compared to no inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi at different levels of vermicompost. The highest content of chlorophylls a and b and total chlorophyll, and carotenoids (1.25‚ 1.58‚ 2.83 and 1.08 mg gr-1) was obtained in application of G. intraradieces with 10%vermicompost. The maximum content of soluble sugars (158.15 mg gr-1) was observed in 10%vermicompostwithout mycorrhizal inoculation treatment. According to the results of this study, the use of G. mosseae and G. intraradices fungi together with 10% vermicompost had the most positive effect on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of Stevia rebaudiana.

Consumer’s demand for high valuable bioactive compounds have been increased in recent years.  Microgreen is a stage in the growth of vegetables that is popular among consumers for their high nutritional value. It can consider as young and tender edible seedling to enhance salad quality and safety. At the same time, it has been reported that microgreen can provide higher amount of phytonutrient (ascorbic acid, phenolics and carotenoids) and minerals. Hydroponics is defined as a system of growing plant in nutrient solution which could provide necessary micro- and macro-elements for early seedling growth. The use of hydroponic gardening by commercial growers is steadily increasing as the ability to control the growing factors while conserving space is of paramount importance to crop yields and commercial profits. It is also worth noting that hydroponic systems are good for the environment. As the water is recirculating, it is not being evaporated as readily or absorbed into the ground quickly. Therefore, it is important and valuable to study the growth of some common vegetable in hydroponics as microgreen in terms of higher bioactive compounds and minerals. The present study was conducted to evaluate two production systems (hydroponic and soil system) and also two growth stages (microgreen and mature) of 6 vegetable species (green basil, violet basil, lettuce, radish, dill and coriander). Different growth characteristics and bioactive compounds were measured as indices of yield and quality include: root dry/fresh weight, shoot dry/fresh weight, leaf area, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolics, antioxidant activity and micro- and macro-nutrients in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replications. The weight of roots and shoots were measured at two stages during growth. Leaf area of vegetables were determined using a leaf area meter (CI-202, USA). Ascorbic acid determination was performed by 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol reagent. Chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolics and antioxidant activity were tested spectrophotometric analysis. Samples of dry leaves were ground and dry-ashing at 550 °C for 4 h. The ashes were dissolved with 5 ml 2 N HCl and made up to 50 ml with distillated water. The concentrations of K were measured by flame photometry (Jenway, model PFP7). Analysis of Ca and P was carried out by titration and spectrophotometry (model T80 UV/VIS) , respectively. The Mg, Fe, Zn and Cu were identified by atomic absorption procedure. The results showed that growth characteristics of violet basil, green basil, lettuce, radish, dill and coriander were higher at the adult stage than microgreen stage. The results also showed that the growth characteristics of green basil, lettuce, radish, dill and coriander were higher in hydroponics than soil cultivation. Total chlorophyll content of violet basil, green basil, lettuce and dill were higher at microgreen stage than adult stage, while total chlorophyll content of leaf radish and dill plants were higher at the adult stage than microgreen stage. However, the chlorophyll content of the whole plants was higher in the conditions of soil cultivation than hydroponic conditions. Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of lettuce, radish and coriander leaves were higher at microgreen stage than adult stage, while these traits were higher in adult stage than in microgreens in violet basil, green basil and dill. Vitamin C was also higher in all vegetables in the microgreen stage compared to the mature stage in both cultures except for dill and coriander. Mineral elements content was higher at microgreen stage than in the mature stage, except for zinc element. Based on the results of this experiment, it can be concluded that the production and cultivation of these six vegetables in the microgreen stage could be considered as a suitable method for high nutritional value.