جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « گیاهان دارویی » در نشریات گروه « زراعت »

Soil contamination with heavy metals is one of the most important challenges related to the protection of water and soil resources. Heavy metals are metals that have a density of more than 5 grams per cubic centimeter. Among heavy metals, cadmium is of special importance due to its high solubility in water and quick and easy absorption by the plant root system. This element has been introduced as the fourth dangerous element for vascular plants (Kok et al., 2010). By accumulating in the root environment, cadmium can cause a decrease in growth, respiration, damage to the mechanisms involved in photosynthesis, and inhibit the activity of enzymes and the lack of nitrogen and phosphorus in the plant. Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is a valuable annual medicinal herb suitable for cultivation in many countries, including Iran. Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is considered as a native of both Europe and Asia. Several species around the globe fall under the denomination of “borage”. The presence of the highest γ-linolenic acid content in the seeds of borage makes borage distinctively important mainly for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical research. γ-Linolenic acid is an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid which cannot be synthesized in the body and hence falls into the category of essential fatty acids (Evesh et al., 2019). The present study was carried out with the aim of investigating the physiologic and biochemical responses of the medicinal plant Borage (Borago officinalis L.) to cadmium stress.

This experiment was conducted in the form of a completely random design in the greenhouse of Shahid Bahnar University, Bardsir College of Agriculture, Shahid Bahnar University, Kerman, at an average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius during the day and 20 degrees Celsius during the night, with a relative humidity of 60%. First, concentrations of cadmium (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 120, 160 mg kg-1) were prepared using cadmium chloride (Merck company) and the soil was uniformly contaminated with cadmium. The contaminated soil was incubated under constant humidity and temperature conditions for 30 days and then poured into pots with a capacity of 3 kg of soil. Plant seeds were disinfected with alcohol and 5% sodium hypochlorite solution and immediately washed several times with distilled water. Five seeds were planted in the pots containing the studied treatments and at a depth of 2 to 3 cm. Two months after planting, when the plant was in the 50% flowering stage, the growth and performance characteristics of the plant including the number of flowers, number of leaves, branch length, root length, shoot weight, root weight, flower weight were measured. Some biochemical characteristics (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacyl peroxidase, protein, proline and photosynthetic pigments) were measured.

The studied treatments significantly (p≤0.01) affected the biochemical, physiologic and performance characteristics of European borage. Increasing the concentration of cadmium had an inhibitory effect on the growth parameters of the plant, and this effect was clearly evident in pollution above 80 mg kg-1. Number of flowers, number of leaves, flower weight, root weight, total weight, root length and branch length decreased significantly with increasing cadmium concentration. The flowering of the plant was 71% at the pollution level of 120 mg per kilogram. At this level of pollution, the root weight was reduced by 69.9%. The weight of aerial parts decreased by 59.7% at the pollution level of 160 mg kg-1. The activity of ascorbate peroxidase enzyme increased up to 20 mg kg-1 treatment and after that the activity of ascorbate peroxidase enzyme decreased with the increase of cadmium concentration. Proline concentration increased with increasing cadmium contamination. Photosynthetic pigments also decreased in high concentrations of cadmium. The cause of the adverse effects of cadmium on plants in contaminated soils can be attributed to more absorption of cadmium by the plant and growth disturbance caused by cadmium toxicity in the plant, reduction of growth rate, reduction of water absorption and absorption of other ions affecting the activities plant growth (Veselov et al., 2003), the reduction of cytokinin hormone activity, which has a significant effect on cell proliferation and growth, or the negative effect of cadmium on energy production in mitochondria was attributed (Fotohi et al., 2011). Cadmium causes disturbances in the overall metabolism of cells. (Xie et al., 2021) Cadmium toxicity in plants can lead to negative effects on the photosynthesis process. This action takes place through damage to some photosynthetic enzymes, especially those involved in the Kelvin cycle and chlorophyll biosynthesis (Mishra et al., 2006).

The results showed that the yield of European borage was not affected by cadmium up to a concentration of 1.25 mg kg-1. The activity of antioxidant enzymes increased up to the treatment of 20 mg kg-1 and then decreased with increasing cadmium concentration, which indicates oxidative stress. Photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence index decreased with increasing cadmium concentration. Considering the tolerance and resistance of some medicinal plants to the conditions in soils contaminated with heavy metals, it is possible to use the cultivation of some medicinal plants as a solution for the management and exploitation of lands that have medium contamination with heavy metals. Considering the number of flowers, flower durability and high yield, the European borage plant can be a suitable candidate for cultivation in polluted areas, of course, additional studies with the approach of reducing the adverse effects of stress and reducing the concentration of cadmium element in the soil are needed.

Considering the economic, political, social, cultural and environmental value of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and however the production of more stability and yield through proper crop management, it seems to use new technologies in production and increasing of the yeild of saffron is inevitable, Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of substrate type and depth of coriander cultivation on some morphophysiological characteristics of saffron in the hydroponic system. This experiment was conducted in the form of a completely randomized factorial design with four replications. Experimental treatments included three types of culture medium (cocopeat, soil and soil compost) and two depths of coriander (5 and 10 cm). Based on the results of this study, the type of cultivation bed had a significant effect on all traits except stigma dry weight and picrocrocin, so that the amount of Total chlorophyll (1.82, 1.06 and 0.75) and the amount of safranal of saffron stigma (19.1, 18.9 and 17) The order was higher in sawdust, cocopeat and sawdust compost beds, respectively. The interaction effect of cultivation bed type and cultivation depth on number of flowers, dry weight of flowers, stigma dry weight and crocin content was significant. The mean of highest number of flowers (29.5) and dry weight of saffron flowers (3.32 gr) were observed in sawdust compost bed and cultivation depth of 10 cm. The dry weight of saffron stigma at both cultivation depth in sawdust compost treatment was significantly higher than cocopeat and sawdust substrates. The highest amount of crocin (the value of 230) was observed in sawdust bed and planting depth of 10 cm. In general, due to the positive effect of sawdust compost in improving the yield and quality of saffron, the use of sawdust compost and cultivation depth of 10 cm for saffron production in the hydroponic system is recommended.

Variety of cultivars is considered one of the important factors affecting performance. Therefore, accurate and correct identification of the genotypes of its seeds is very useful, in addition to being necessary in plant breeding programs; it is also very effective in preserving genetic reserves. The present research was conducted to investigate the cumin landraces in diversity terms of yield components and to select landraces with suitable potential for selectivity.

To investigate the phenological, morphological, and functional characteristics of native cumin stands, a study was conducted at the Targh research station in 2019-2018 on 30 native stands of cumin in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The Characteristics of the number of days to 50 % flowering and at physiological and seed maturity, plant height, branch number, number of umbels per plant, number of umbellate per umbel, number of flowers in umbellate, biomass, and yield were measured.

A significant difference was observed between the landraces in all of the studied traits. Cover canopy (47-633 cm2), plant height (17.7-30 cm), branch number (6.3-62.3), number of umbels per plant (5.7-27.3), number of umbellate per umbel (3.17-5.33), number of flowers in umbellate (4.30-5.85), biomass (1.92-17.38 g), seed yield (0.129-6.72 g) per plant, were varied. Based on the results of the clustering, the landraces were placed in three separate groups. The Cluster grouping and comparison of the average of the groups with the total average showed that the landraces belonging to the second group, including Arak 6 (15316), Boshruyeh (38904), and Markazi 15 (14654) in morphological traits, yield components, and grain yield compared to the total average and other groups were the best. Cumin landraces belonging to the third group had a lower average than the total average in most traits. The results showed that among the landraces that showed the highest level of resistance to Fusarium disease, Ayask (C103) from the third group and Khash (22074) from the first group had a yield of 11 grams per plant. However, despite the high yield rate in the Ayask, due to the effectiveness of other traits in addition to performance, this landrace cannot be recommended for breeding programs.

Considerable variation was observed between landraces in terms of studied traits. The highest amount of grain yield was observed in the khash belonging to the first group and the Boshruyeh from the second group, and due to the relatively high resistance of these landraces to Fusarium disease. So, we proposed that as selected landraces for breeding programs.

Coriander is one of the important medicinal plants in the world which has been used widely in medicinal, cosmetic and health care industries.

In order to investigate the genetic diversity of this plant in Iran, 20 Coriander populations were collected from different parts of the country and evaluated out using randomized complete block design with three replications in Karaj Vegetable Research Center of Horticultural Sciences Research Institute in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 crop years. During the growth period, the phenological, morphological and physiological characteristics were recorded. Days to generation, Largest basal leaf length, Basal leaf number, Days to full flowering, Days to Maturity, Plant height, Umbel number per plant, Fertile umbel number per plant, Unfertile umbel number per plant, Umbellate number per umbel, Seed number per umbel, thousand seed weight, Grain yeild per plant, Biomass per plant, Harvest index per plant, Grain yield, Biomass and Harvest index traits were investigated. Data were analyzed using SAS and SPSS software and for Grouping of the population, the cluster analysis was performed by Ward’s method and factor analysis was done using the Variomax rotation method.

According to the results of analysis of variance, there were significant differences between the studied populations in terms of most traits include the largest basal leaf length, basal leaf number, plant height, umbel number per plant, fertile umbel number per plant, unfertile umbel number per plant, umbellate number per umbel, grain number per umbel, 1000-seed weight, seed weight per plant, biomass per plant, harvest index per plant, grain yield, biomass and harvest index. Phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation were high for most of the traits which indicated the high diversity of these traits in the studied populations. The heritability in broad-sense of the traits largest basal leaf length, basal leaf number, plant height, umbel number per plant, fertile umbel number per plant, umbellate number per umbel, seed number per umbel, 1000-seed weight, seed weight per plant, biomass per plant, harvest index per plant, grain yield, biomass and harvest index were high, which makes the response to the selection of these traits expected in breeding programs. Cluster analysis classified 20 studied populations into five groups.

According to the results, the Kermanshah population had the highest grain yield in two years. The higher yield of this populaion was due to having the highest number of umbels per plant, number of fertile umbels, number of umbels per umbel and weight of 1000 seeds. Also, the traits of the length of the longest basal leaf, the number of basal leaves, the number of umbels per plant, the number of fertile umbels per plant, the number of umbels per umbel, the number of seeds per umbel, the weight of 1000 seeds, the yield of seeds per plant, the biomass of a single plant, the harvest index of a single plant, seed yield, biomass and harvest index had high heritability, which indicates the high role of genetic factors and the low influence of environmental factors on the control of these traits.

Natural and chemical additives and preservatives with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties have been used in food products for many years to prevent food contamination and increase shelf life and maintain food quality after production. With the increase in people's awareness of chemical preservatives, the tendency to use natural food preservatives, especially plant extracts and essential oils, has grown significantly. The phenolic compounds and small terpenoids present in the extracts of medicinal plants have antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer and antiviral agents, and this property of inhibiting and killing pathogenic microorganisms in the extracts of medicinal plants has made them a suitable alternative to preservatives and chemical drugs. These compounds can be extracted from medicinal plants native to Iran.
Considering the importance of using natural additives, the present research aims to investigate the antioxidant property, lipase enzyme inhibitory ability, and antimicrobial property of Capparis decidua and Withania somnifera extracts as native plants of Iran in different concentrations in laboratory and food conditions.
For this purpose, Withania somnifera plant from the Solanaceae family which belongs to the southern regions such as Fars, Khark Island, Sistan and Baluchistan, Kerman, Hormozgan (Bushehr) and the cities of Sarbaz, Saravan, Zabul and around the city of Zahedan is geographically specific in Iran. and the Capparis decidua plant which belongs to the Capparidaceae family and is part of the desert plants and is resistant to long-term drought and belongs to the southern regions of Iran from the east of Hormozgan province in Sirik region to Sistan and Baluchistan province (Saravan, Chabahar, Nikshahr, Iranshahr) southeast of Iran, were collected and after washing and drying, the plants were ground and powdered, and for extracting, the powdered plants were first poured into a beaker and solvent was added, and then extracted by ultrasonic method. After extracting the total phenolic compounds of Withania somnifera and Capparis decidua plant extracts by Folinciocalto method using a spectrophotometer with a wavelength of 765 nm, and also the antioxidant activity of the plant extracts was checked through the ABTS free radical scavenging test using an ELISA reader with a wavelength of 734 nm. In the next step, the effect of different concentrations of aromatic compounds in plant extracts and the inhibitory properties of lipase enzyme were investigated by ELISA device with a wavelength of 405 nm. Also, the antimicrobial properties of the extracts were evaluated on Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus mutans strains by the non-growth halo method. The effect of Withania somnifera and Capparis decidua extracts on Helicobacter pylori was also investigated.
The test results of total phenolic content and percentage of free radical inhibition of the extracts showed a positive and significant relationship between the amount of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant properties and concentration of the extract (P<0.05). The highest amount of phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties are found in the extract of Withania somnifera plant. In the analysis of the extracts, it was found that the clear extract had the most effect (94.32%) in inhibiting the lipase enzyme. Examining the average diameter of non-growth halo of the extracts against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans yeast showed that Withania somnifera extract had the largest diameter against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Capparis decidua extract has the most antimicrobial properties against Candida albicans yeast and also Capparis decidua extract has shown the highest non-growth halo against Streptococcus mutans bacteria. In the study of the effects of extracts on Helicobacter pylori, it was found that the highest Helicobacter inhibitory rate was related to Capparis decidua extract (94.32%). By examining the results obtained from the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of these plants, the extracts of these plants can be used as natural additives.
The use of additives and preservatives in food products is justified when it is not harmful to the consumer. Some preservatives are chemically harmful to humans and are classified as carcinogens. With the increase in people's awareness of chemical preservatives, the tendency to use natural food preservatives, especially plant extracts and essential oils, has grown significantly. Due to the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the extracts of the Capparis decidua and Withania somnifera plants, the extracts of these plants can be used as natural preservatives and antioxidants in the food industry.

Taking advantage of the symbiotic relationship between plants and Trichoderma fungi is one of the ways to reduce water stress in plants. The present study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of Trichoderma fungus on the antioxidant properties of the basil medicinal plant (Ocimum basilicum L.) under water stress conditions.

This experiment was carried out in the greenhouse of the Department of Horticulture Sciences of Ahar Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources and laboratory studies in the basic and general laboratories of Ahar Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources (University of Tabriz) in 2019 in a factorial manner based on a randomized complete block design with three repetitions. The treatments included different levels of water deficit stress, including severe stress (25% of field capacity), moderate stress (50% of field capacity), mild stress (75% of field capacity), and no stress (100% of field capacity). Each pot contained a commercial mushroom species Trichoderma harzianum Na-lac with concentrations of 109 and 106 spores per milliliter as the inoculum.

The results showed that the amount of malondialdehyde, catalase and peroxidase, antioxidant activity and total flavonoid increased with the application of dehydration stress. The concentration of 106 spores per milliliter had a better impact on improving the mentioned indicators. Based on this, Trichoderma fungus proves effective when improving the antioxidant status of plants under drought stress and can prevent the effects of oxidative stress in plants by reducing the oxygen free radicals produced.

The results indicated that the use of Trichoderma mushroom in comparison with the control (without inoculation with the mushroom) can be a suitable tool to improve the physiological traits and antioxidant activities in the conditions drought stress.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is an annual plant of the Apiaceae family. The used part of this plant is its seeds and leaves. In addition to oral consumption, coriander is a blood sugar lowering, blood lipid lowering, blood pressure lowering, hypnotic, sedative and anti-anxiety. This plant has shown antispasmodic, antidiarrheal, antioxidant, sedative and antimicrobial activities. The basic requirement for plant breeding programs is a germplasm diversity that provides necessary facilities for breeding species with desirable features. Therefore, accurate identification of genotypes is considered as a prerequisite in this manner. The phenotypical characteristics are the first markers that have been used for diversity researches.

In order to evaluate the genetic diversity of some coriander Populations in Iran based on morphological and physiological traits, 26 ecotypes were collected from different regions of the country and the experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design with 3 replications in field conditions Mohaghegh Ardabili University in 1398. Some morphological and phytochemical characteristics such as Stem diameter, Leaflet Number, Leaf Number, Stem, root and internode length, Total plant height, flower and Leaf fresh and dry weight,Total plant and Root dry weight, Anthocyanin, Total Phenol and essential oil components were studied. The measurements began after the 50% of flowering stage.

The analysis of variance of the data showed a significant difference between the studied traits, which indicates the existence of genetic diversity between coriander populations. there are significant differences between the populations in traits of plant height, stem and root length, nodes, internodes, leaves and leaflets numbers, stem diameter, plant dry weight, root dry weight, stem dry weight, leaf fresh weight, flower fresh weight and total phenol. Comparison of mean traits in total showed that Siahkal and Kashmar populations were superior to other populations in stem diameter (1.74, 1.63 mm), leaf fresh weight (0.57, 0.50 g), number of leaves (11.66, 15.70) and anthocyanin content (0.27, 0.37 mg/g FW). Based on Cluster analysis, divided the studied populations into three major groups. Main purpose of this study was determination of genetic diversity among Coriander accessions from Iran. Significant differences were found among the accessions in almost every parameter measured.

The range of vegetative and flower values obtained in this study was more than those of reported in previous researches about Coriander. With increasing leaf number and leaf fresh weight that is the main place to trap sunlight for photosynthesis and consequently provides the condition to produce secondary metabolites. Thus, Kashmar accessions with having high values of leaf can be considered for in view point of cultivation and breeding programs.

Medicinal plants contain rich storages of secondary metabolites or active compounds which are strongly affected by environmental factors, especially drought stress, and also by hormones and their derivatives. Thyme genus has more than 215 species in the world, of which 18 species have been identified in Iran. Thymus vulgaris is one of the main medicinal plants that is cultivated in the most countries. Its main components include Thymol and Carvacrol which have antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity and these compounds can be effective in reducing the symptoms of COVID-19. The levels of moisture supply and elicitors like Coronatine (COR), Methyl Jasmonate (MJ) and Cyclodextrin (CYC) can be effective on the quantitative and qualitative yield.

This investigation was conducted as split plot based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications in the farm of Research Station of Khorasan Razavi Agricultural and Natural Resources Education and Research Center which is placed at 5th km Southeast of Mashhad in Iran. The main plots included three levels of moisture supply (at 40%, 65% and 90% field capacity (FC)) and the sub plots were elicitor levels included (1) control without elicitor, (2) 150 µM cyclodextrin (CYC) (3) 75 nM coronatine (COR) + 150 µM CYC (4) 150 nM COR + 150 µM CYC (5) 150 µM methyl jasmonate (MJ) + 150 µM CYC (6) 300 µM MJ + 150 µM CYC. The seeds were sowed in pro-trays which were filled from peat moss on 24 March 2019. After the germination, two seedlings were held in each cell of portray for transplanting to the field. The seedlings were transplanted to each point of cultivation on 24 May 2019. The treatments of the moisture supply were applied 45 days after transplanting the seedlings. In order to apply moisture treatments, at the first, FC was determined by farm and pressure plate method. With sampling the soil of plots (mean of two sample 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm) for several times, was determined the irrigation date. Elicitor treatments were applied two times; the first was 45 days after transplanting and the second was two months later. The plants were harvested two weeks after the last elicitor spraying.

The largest crown diameter was observed in interaction of elicitor treatments and the levels of moisture supply at 90% FC.The highest leaf proline content (from 5.5 to 5.8 µmol g-1 fresh leaves) was observed in interaction of 4 levels with elicitor treatment (levels 3, 4, 5 and 6) at the level of moisture supply 40% FC that placed in one group. The highest and lowest electrolyte leakage (47.6% and 22.1%, respectively) were related to interaction of the control treatment at the level of moisture supply of 40% FC and the treatment of 150 μM MJ + 150 μM CYC at the level of moisture supply 90% FC. The highest yield of dry herb and leaves and essential oil (5.64 and 3.2 t ha-1 and 65.9 kg ha-1 respectively) was obtained under moisture supply at 90% FC. Except the percentage of essential oil, there was a significant correlation between all measured traits including crown diameter, height, electrolyte leakage, proline content, relative water content of leaf, fresh and dry yield of herb, dry leaf and stem yield and essential oil yield. Although the interaction of the treatments affected some physiological traits, but the quantitative and qualitative yield of the plants were affected by moisture levels.

As a result, drought stress and elicitors can effect on plant performance; morphological, physiological and chemical dynamics. In this study, suppling moisture levels had an impotent effect on biological yield and this indicator caused to increase essential oil yield. Elicitors and interaction of treatments had a significant effect on some physiological characteristics.

Soil and water salinity are considered as the main factors limiting plant growth. The effect of salinity will affect root spread before it appears in the over ground parts. In saline conditions, the plant tries to increase the absorption potential of key elements, especially potassium, by increasing the number of roots as well as the root length. These changes are accompanied by shrinkage of the aerial parts. Therefore, the stronger the plants appear in this category, the more powerful they will be in relation to salinity.The increasing trend of soil salinity increases due to the imbalance of precipitation and annual evaporation on saline soil surfaces. Therefore, increasing the area under salinity-resistant plants or using conservation techniques will be very important.Stevia, despite its importance, is sensitive to soil and water salinity. Today, the role of biotic and abiotic stimulants in the adaptation of plants, especially medicinal plants to adverse environmental conditions is very important. In the present study, the effect of endophytic fungi and melatonin on stevia root changes in treatment with saline under hydroponic conditions will be investigated.

The present study was performed as a factorial study in a completely randomized design with six replications under greenhouse and hydroponic cultivation. This experiment was repeated twice to obtain more reliable results. Treatments used included endophytic fungi isolated from yew (in three levels of fungus-free control, strain TB20, strain TB2-3), melatonin spraying (in three levels of melatonin-free control, 0.5 μM pure melatonin and 0.5 μM Thymus vulgaris extract) And three salinity levels of NaCl (no salinity, medium salinity of 80 mM and high salinity of 150 mM irrigation water). In both experiments, the first foliar application was performed seven days and the first irrigation with salinity levels was performed 10 days after planting. Experimental plants were examined in terms of root traits. The over ground biomass yield was also examined.

In both experiments, similar results were obtained and showed the positive effects of melatonin and endophytic on the improvement of root growth characteristics under salinity stress. The best treatments used included thyme extract and TB20 endophytic fungus under salinity conditions. Most of the measured traits such as root volume, root length, fresh and dry weight of roots increased 2.5, 1.5-2 and 1.2-2, respectively, compared to the control using fungal and melatonin treatments. Although salinity increased the root traits to a moderate level, but with increasing salinity, the amount of these traits decreased sharply and significantly. A similar trend was observed in over ground biomass yield.

Since the use of melatonin and endophytes, especially TB20, has reduced the growth limitations of stevia in salinity conditions, it is suggested that in these salinity conditions, plant extracts containing melatonin be further studied.

Galbanum is one of the most important native medicinal plants in Iran, and nowadays the use of its products and derivatives has become widespread in various industries. Thus, the excessive harvest of this species within its natural habitats has increased. Therefore, the species is enlisted as prone to extinction. Due to the lack of information about germination behavior and dormancy alleviating or breaking methods of Galbanum seeds, less attention has been paid to this plant species by seed science researchers. Hence, this study was designed and performed to investigate the effects of different treatments on Galbanum seed dormancy-breaking.

In this study, two Galbanum seed populations were collected from Boyer-Ahmad pastures (Iran, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province) and Pakan Bazr Isfahan Company (Iran). Seeds were exposed to a cold stratification test for 120 days and germinability and dormancy breaking responses were studied. Also, seed drying effects on germinability after exposure to stratification treatment were investigated to evaluate the practical aspects of this treatment. The impacts of different hormonal pre-treatments including gibberellic acid (GA3) and cytokines (Kinetin, 6-Benzylaminopurine) at different concentrations on germination and dormancy behaviors were investigated so as to assess the effect of these treatments on seed dormancy breaking.

Results showed that germination/dormancy behaviors of Galbanum populations were different and also the effect of different treatments on seeds germination and dormancy varied. An increase in germination was observed when stratification was applied for up to 60 days on two seed populations, thereafter germination decreased by prolonged stratification. Also, it was revealed that desiccation of the treated seeds after stratification reduced seed germination. Examining the cause of this issue revealed that the most important reason for the decrease in seed germination in long periods of stratification was the germination of seeds in the stratification bed and in other words, the difference in seed dormancy levels in different stratification periods. Seed germination behavior and dormancy breaking were improved significantly in both Galbanum populations when the different concentration of gibberellic acid and cytokinins was used.

The results of this study indicated the existence of different levels of seed dormancy in different Galbanum populations. It was also found that cold stratification and hormonal pre-treatment of seeds can be significantly effective in seed dormancy breaking. Eventually, it was concluded that Galbanum seed dormancy was classified as semi-deep and deep morphological dormancy due to the effects of different treatments.

Since application of salicylic acid can increase tolerance to drought stress by improving metabolic pathways and increasing net photosynthesis, and in order to investigate the effect of application of salicylic acid and drought stress on some morphological and physiological traits of the Verbascum plant, the experiment was conducted in the form of chopped plots in the form of a complete block design. Randomization was done in four replications in the conditions of the research farm of Azad University, Isfahan Branch. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of salicylic acid application at three control levels, 50 and 150 ppm, and water deficit stress at two levels of regular irrigation and water deficit stress (irrigation at the time of 50% soil crop capacity). Finally, root length, dry weight, number of secondary branches, number of leaves, number of flowers on the main stem, height of flowering stem, carotenoid, chlorophyll b, chlorophyll a antioxidant and anthocyanin were evaluated. The test results showed that stress had a reducing effect on growth and effective factors on performance. As a result of stress, the ratio of leaf area first decreased, but increased with increasing dryness. The initial decrease of this characteristic was due to the decrease in the leaf area, and its final increase due to the more severe decrease in the dry weight of the entire aerial organ compared to the leaf. The application of salicylic acid improved the morphological and physiological characteristics of verbascum under the stress of low irrigation. While, the treatment of 50 ppm salicylic acid showed the greatest effect on most of the studied traits. As a result, the use of salicylic acid is recommended to improve the vegetative growth and increase the reproductive efficiency of the Verbascum plant and reduce production costs under stress conditions. In the present study, salicylic acid foliar application showed high efficiency in increasing the yield of the Verbascum plant in Isfahan weather conditions.

The effects of chemical fertilizer of urea in 5 levels (0, 30, 60, 90 and 150 kg ha-1) and biofertilizers in 4 levels (Nitroxin, Phosphate barvar2, mixed of both and control) on quantity and quality yield of valerian are studied during 2016 to 2020. Measured parameters include valernic acid (percent), valernic acid (g ha-1), root dry weight (kg ha-1), shoot dry weight (kg ha-1), root diameter (mm), root length (cm), leaf width (cm), and leaf length (cm). This study is carried out at the Homad-Absard Agricultural Complex in Damavand city, Tehran Province, Iran, as factorial layout based on a randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications. Results show that the biofertilizers have had a significant effect (p≤0.01) on the all quantity and quality parameters studied. Unlike the urea chemical fertilizer at all levels, which have had a negative effect on the yield and amount of valernic acid (percent), bio-fertilizers has increased it. Maximum and minimum amount of valernic acid (percent) are measured in control and 150 kg ha-1 urea, respectively. The highest root dry weight belongs to interaction of Nitroxin+ Phosphate barvar2+150 kg urea (665 kg ha-1) and control (221 kg ha-1) respectively. Results of this experiment show that biofertilizers with positive effects on the parameters are able to replace the chemical fertilizers.

In order to investigate the effect of some biotic and abiotic elicitors on yield and yield components of stevia plant under different salinity stress, the present study has been perfoemed as a factorial experiment based on the randomized complete design with six replications. It has taken place in a greenhouse under hydroponic and conditions in two consequential experiments. Endophytic fungi isolated from yew (at three levels of control, TB20, TB2-3), foliar treatment with melatonin (at three levels of control, 0.5 μM melatonin tablets, and 0.5 μM Thymus vulgaris extract), and three salinity levels (without salinity, medium salinity 80mM, and high salinity 150mM) have incorporated the present experiments’ treatments. The experimental plants have been investigated based on morphological parameters. In both experiments, results show a positive effect of melatonin and endophytic fungi on characteristics of plant growth’s improvement (one to two times) under salinity stress. Nevertheless, the best growth conditions have been observed in low salinity levels, using thyme extract and TB20 endophytic fungus. Most traits of stevia plant in non-saline conditions along with thyme extract and endophytic fungus TB20 have been at their highest, showing an increase of approximately 1.5 folds, compared to the control. Due to the positive effects of melatonin and endophytes, especially TB20, it is recommended to use melatonin-containing plant extracts as a protective treatment in stevia cultivation in saline conditions.

This study was conducted to evaluate the morphological characteristics and yield reaction of peppermint and guar to different intercropping ratios under simultaneous and delayed growing conditions at research farm of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan during 2017-2018 growing season. The experiment was conducted as factorial arrangement in randomized complete block design with four replications. Planting time at two levels including simultaneous and relay (Guar cultivation 45 days after peppermint emergence) and intercropping ratios at five levels including sole peppermint, sole Guar, 50% Peppermint + 50% Guar, 25% Guar + 75% Peppermint and 25% Peppermint + 75% Guar were experimental factors. The results showed that the highest height, stem and leaf number of Guar were obtained from simultaneous intercropping of sole and 75% guar + 25% peppermint intercropping. Guar forage yield in simultaneous monoculture and 75% guar + 25% peppermint was higher. The highest number of peppermint leaves (311) was observed in monoculture. The best treatment in terms of biological yield was sole cultivation of peppermint (637 Kg.ha-1). Finally, the results of this experiment showed that in terms of Guar characteristics, monoculture treatment and 75% guar + 25% peppermint in simultaneous intercropping and in terms of peppermint traits, sole peppermint and 75% Peppermint + 25% in relay planting conditions were the best treatments. Due to the favorable effects of adding a new species to the crop ecosystem, intercropping of these plants can be substituted for sole cultivation.

Sahendian savory (Satureja sahendica Bornm) is one of the native species of Iran that contain valuable secondary metabolites. The high value of the active ingredients of Sahendian savory has caused the need for methods for rapid Therefore, in this study, an in vitro tissue culture method was optimized for Sahendian savory. First, explants were prepared from sterile seedlings. Plant growth regulators treatments used for callus induction in MS medium included 2,4-D at three levels with BA (Benzyl Adenine) at four levels or NAA at two levels with BA at five levels (0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 5 mgl-1). BA treatment was also used at five levels for shoot induction. Callus formation of explants showed different reactions under the influence of different hormonal compounds. The explants showed different callogenic reactions under the consequence of different plant growth regulators combinations. The combination of 1 mgl-1 2,4-D plus 1 mgl-1 BA and the combination of 0.5 mgl-1NAA with 0.5 mgl-1 BA showed the highest callus induction rate (100%). The calli produced were green and had a spherical and firm texture. Additionally, the highest number of regenerated shoots (3 shoots) from calli were related to concentrations of 4 and 5 mgl-1 BA. These results can be used as a simple and appropriate technique in the regeneration of Sahendian savory plants for in vitro micropropagation or gene transfer.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) as an aromatic medicinal plant belongs to the genus mentha and has a variety of uses. Nowadays, due to the increasing popularity of medicinal plants, the area under these plants’ cultivation continue to increase. However, problems such as environmental stresses limit the development of these plants’ cultivation. Drought stress is one of the most important factors limiting the growth and yield of agricultural products around the world. The use of growth-promoting rhizosphere bacteria (PGPR) as a biofertilizer with the aim of reducing the damage caused by environmental stresses is considered as one of the new solutions in sustainable agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. In this regard, this study was designed and conducted to investigate the effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria on agro-morphological characters of Lemon Balm under water deficit stress

This experiment was done during 2018-2019 growing season at the research field of the faculty of agricultural, Shahrekord University as split-plot factorial in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. water deficit in three levels (full irrigation, 75 and 50 present of full irrigation) and inoculation with PGPRs at five levels (Control (No bacterial inoculation), Inoculation with Azospirillum lipoferum, Bacillus sp. strain A, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Streptomyces rimosus) considered as main and sub factors, respectively. The amount of irrigation water was calculated using plant water requirement. Leaf area was measured with Digimizer software. After harvesting, first the plant height was measured and then the number of main and sub-branches was counted and the leaf dry weight, stem dry weight and biological yield were determined. SAS and Excel softwares implemented for statistical analysis and the means were compared using LSD test.

The results showed that the effect of bacteria and drought stress on plant height, number of main branches, number of sub-branches, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, leaf area, essential oil percent, biological yield and essential oil yield were significant. With increasing stress intensity, all studied traits were decreased. So that by applying 50% of full irrigation, plant height, leaf area and biological yield were reduced by 39.4%, 67.4% and 60.5%, respectively, compared to full irrigation treatment. While inoculation of plants with PGPRs caused a significant increase in these traits compared to the control treatment (No bacterial inoculation). The interaction effect of the studied treatments on the number of main branches, number of sub-branches, stem dry weight, leaf area, essential oil percent, biological yield and essential oil yield was significant. At full irrigation treatment, the highest biological yield was observed in inoculated treatments of Azospirillum lipoferum and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, which increased biological yield by 58.2% and 53.09%, respectively, compared to the control. At 75 and 50% of full irrigation treatments, the highest biological yield and essential oil yield were observed in inoculated treatments of Azospirillum lipoferum and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. In all the studied treatments, increasing the intensity of drought stress reduced the biological and essential oil yield, but inoculated bacteria were able to increase the biological and essential oil yield compared to the bacterial control treatments.

The results of this study showed that increasing water deficit stress causing significant reduction of all studied traits. However, the use of bacteria reduced the effects of stress and increased these traits compared to non-inoculated at all water deficit stress levels. Also among bacterial treatments, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, A. lipoferum and S. rimosus had the most effect on stress improvement.

To investigate the effect of organic fertilizer foliar application on morphological and phytochemical traits of dragonhead, a split plot experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design layout with three replications during 2016 growing season. The main plots were consisted of irrigation interval at three level (3, 6 and 9 day) and subplots were consisted of foliar application of BOMBARDIER as organic fertilizer at four levels (control, 2,4 and 6 ml/L). With increasing irrigation interval plant height, number of lateral branch, number of flowering branch, stem diameter, dry matter yield, essential oil content and essential oil yield decreased. Effect of interaction between foliar application and irrigation interval was significant on number of secondary branch, number of flowering branch, stem diameter and essential oil yield. Foliar application with 6 milliliter/liter concentration produced the maximum amount photosynthesis pigments in dragonhead Maximum essential oil yield was gained (9.1 and 6.15 kg/ha) with the application of 4 ml organic fertilizer per L in irrigation intervals of 6 and 9 days in compare to control treatment. Application of 6 ml organic fertilizer per L in irrigation interval of 3 days increased essential oil yield by 50% in compare to control treatment. In total results showed that in all of the irrigation intervals foliar application with organic fertilizer in compare with control treatment could be significantly enhanced essential oil yield in dragonhead plant. Therefore, this treatment can be introduced as the best treatment.

It is well accepted that application of chemical fertilizers contaminates the water and soil resources and reduces the quality of agricultural and medicinal products, which subsequently creates serious environmental issues. Currently, to improve soil fertility and have sustainable production, bio-fertilizers as an alternative to the chemical fertilizers have been widely applied. Product quality and production sustainability are very important parameters for medicinal products. In agricultural system, weeds are an inevitable part of the process which can negatively affect the production of the medicinal plant. Weeds can compete with medicinal plant for water, nutrient, light, space, and carbon dioxide access, which subsequently reduces quantitative and qualitative yields of the plant and increases crop yield losses. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different fertilizer sources on biochemical traits of basil plant in control and non-control conditions with weeds.

This experiment was split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replicates and was conducted at Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Iran. The treatments consisted of competition between plants and weeds (weedy and weed free) as the main factor and sub factors were fertilizer sources as: 1- control (no fertilizer), 2- NPK fertilizer (urea fertilizer (100 kg ha-1) + triple super triphosphate (100 kg ha-1) + potassium sulfate (80 kg ha-1)), 3- humic acid (15 l ha-1), 4- animal manure (20 ton ha-1), 5- NPK fertilizer (urea fertilizer (50 kg ha-1) + triple super triphosphate (50 kg ha-1) + potassium sulfate (40 kg ha-1)) + humic acid (7.5 l ha-1), 6- NPK fertilizer (urea fertilizer (50 kg ha-1) + triple super triphosphate (50 kg ha-1) + potassium sulfate (40 kg ha-1)) + animal manure (10 ton ha-1), 7- animal manure (10 ton ha-1) + humic acid (7.5 l ha-1) and 8- spraying macro and micro elements. The predominant weeds identified in the field included velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti), sorghum (Sorghum halepense), euphorbia (Euphorbia maculate) and wild melon (Cucumis melo. Var. Agrestis).

The results showed that the biochemical traits such as total phenol, total flavonoid and antioxidant activities had significant increment in weed infestation compared to weed free condition. Based on the results, the highest total fresh weight in the first harvest (11527 kg ha-1) and second harvest (15077 kg ha-1) belonged to chemical fertilizer + humic acid treatment. Animal manure + humic acid treatment had the highest (P < 0.05) total dry weight in the first harvest (1822.3 kg ha-1) and second harvest (2426.01 kg ha-1) compared to other treatments. According to the results, weed interference reduced (P < 0.05) the total fresh and dry weight of plant compared to weed control, where the total fresh and dry weight in the first harvest was decreased up to 50.31% and 42.29%, respectively and in the second harvest, up to 48.69% and 49.58%, respectively. Weeds density and biomass were affected by treatments, the highest weed density and biomass was observed by chemical treatments at the first and second stages of sampling, (49.33 and 36 plant.m-2, and 188.25 and 155.25 g.m-2, respectively).

Based on the results of current study, the integrated application of organic fertilizers had a positive effect on the production and biochemical traits in basil. Overall, the application of organic fertilizers reduces production costs and environmental pollution that can cause by the use of chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizer also reduces weed dry weight which consequently decreases the damage caused by herbicides. Therefore, it can be suggested that organic fertilizers can be applied to produce healthy and sustainable products.

Satureja rechingeri Jamzad, a member of the Lamiaceae family, is a species endemic to Iran, which has a wide distribution in southern Iran (mainly Khuzestan and Ilam). This plant has many medicinal properties and the main composition of its essential oil is carvacrol (48 to 95%). Carvacrol is mainly involved in biological activities and used in the production of substances such as antibiotics and antioxidants. Drought and salinity stress are the main limiting factors for successful production and yield of crops in Iran and the world. Salinity alters metabolic processes and the activity of enzymes. One of the biochemical changes that occur in plants when exposed to saline environments is the increase in the production of oxygen free radicals. Little is known about the tolerance of this plant to salinity stress. Therefore, this study was performed to quantify the morphophysiological and biochemical responses of Satureja rechingeri to salinity stress using nonlinear models.

This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four replications in greenhouse conditions during 2016-2017. Rooted cuttings were prepared from Khorman Pharmaceutical Company located in Khorramabad (Lorestan) and transferred to the research greenhouse for the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, located in Karaj (Alborz). Rooted cuttings were kept under favorable conditions for about a month and then transplanted into pots. Six weeks after full establishment, the plants were exposed to different concentrations of sodium chloride (0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 dS / m). Parameters including membrane stability, malondialdehyde level, activities of superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase, proline content, total phenol, plant height, leaf length and width, stem diameter, herbal fresh and dry weight, and percentage and yield of essential oil were measured. Logistic, sigmoid, and peak models were used to quantify these parameters.Findings and

The effect of salinity stress on most of the parameters was significant (except for stem diameter and essential oil percentage). With increasing NaCl salt concentration, in plants under salinity stress, membrane leakage (250%), proline content (430%), catalase (360%), ascorbate peroxidase (550%), superoxide dismutase (320%), total phenol (350%), and malondialdehyde (280%) increased. Salinity decreased plant height (14%), leaf length and width (21% and 23%), fresh weight of shoot (35%), dry weight of shoot (15%), and essential oil yield (15%). Moreover, changes in morphological characteristics under salinity stress were logistic and in biochemical properties (except those in ascorbate peroxidase, which was peak) were sigmoid.

Satureja rechingeri tolerated salinity up to 4 dS / m, but at higher salinities, herbal fresh and dry weight and plant height significantly reduced.

One approach for medicinal plants cultivation expansion is to sow them in rainfed areas. In recent years, the study of valuable types of medicinal plants, development of cultivation and meeting the needs of the pharmaceutical industry has been one of the goals of scientific and research centers. Savory is a valuable medicinal species in the world. The aerial parts and volatile constituents of Satureja species are commonly used as a medicinal herb and flavoring agents. They can be used as antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmolidic and as a condiment in food industry. Two of the most important species of savory grow wildly in Iran are S. sahendica and S. spicigera. Both of them are native species to semi-arid zones of Iran, and considered as aromatic and medicinal plant. Wheat straw and cow manure are the two most common soil amendments which have been using for improving soil structure and soil fertility. Limited studies have been performed on rainfed cultivation of medicinal species, especially savory. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of planting bed on vegetative characteristics and yield of two savory species in rainfed conditions.

Experiment was carried out for three years (2018-2020) as split plots based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment was conducted at the Fereidoonshar (32°56’N, 50°06’E and an altitude of 2491 m). Planting bed as main plot consisted of cow manure (30 ton.ha-1), wheat straw (10 ton.ha-1) and control (without manure and straw); species as subplot consisted of S. sahendica and S. spicigera. Morphological traits including plant height, crown diameter, canopy area per plant, canopy area per square meter, and number of stems per plant; and yield traits including total dry weight, leaf dry weight and stem dry weight were thetraits which were measured over the study. The recorded data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and least significant difference (LSD) on 0.05 probability level for comparison of means using SAS (ver. 8.2) software.

The results of analysis of variance showed that the effects of planting bed, year and their interactions on the measured traits were significant in many cases. Results showed that the highest values of plant height (46 cm), crown diameter (35 cm), canopy area (3980 cm2) and number of stems per plant (23) were seen in S. spicigera. Also, the highest rates of total dry weight and leaf dry weight were seen in S. spicigera, 695 and 470 kg.ha-1, respectively. Wheat straw treatment reduced aerial parts dry weight in two species in the first year, but in the second year it caused an increase. Cow manure made a slight increase in two species growth only in the first year. The highest values of all measured traits in two species were achieved in the last year of measurements, as the values of leaf dry weight for S. spicigera and S. sahendica were 1018 and 855 kg.ha-1, respectively. The highest values of leaf area index and harvest index were observed in the first year of the experiment including 4.59 and 72, respectively.

Cow manure was able to significantly increase the yield of the two species in the first and second years, especially for S. spicigera. Although the use of wheat straw reduced the rates of morphological and yield treatments of the two species of savory in the first year, but increased them in the second year, so It is recommended to cultivate savory after decomposition of wheat straw. The role of increasing vegetative growth and plant yield under the influence of increasing plant age was quite obvious. On the whole, in order to produce savory under dryland conditions similar to this research, cultivation of S. spicigera withouth usng manure or straw could be recommended, although incorporation of these amendments into the lower depth of the soil could be more effective on this species growth and yield.