فصلنامه گیاه و زیست فناوری ایران
سال هفدهم شماره 4 (زمستان 1401)

Most of the medicinal plants belong to the genera of Apiaceae, which are cultivated in Iran in countless varieties. Eryngium caeruleum is a herbaceous, monocarpic plant and one of the most important species of Apiaceae family, which is used as a local vegetable with medicinal and aromatic properties. Eryngium caeruleum vegetable, which is called Chuchagh (Chochag or Anarchoqaq) in Gilaki language and Zelang or Zolang in Mazandaran language, is a type of edible vegetable of the celery family that grows in the north of Iran and its Persian name is six horns. In Shaheswar city vegetable Eryngium caeruleum is called Sheshak and in Ramsar city it is called Shoshak (actually six horns). This plant has phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins, which are known as the most important natural antioxidants. The antioxidant activity of this medicinal plant is high and it has been determined that the methanolic extract of Eryngium caeruleum leaves has a favorable activity, the reason of which depends on its high phenolic and flavonoid content. As we know, the presence of antioxidants in the diet is very important. Eryngium caeruleum is one of the medicinal plants with unknown potentials that is being forgotten. This plant has many uses, such as vegetable growing, flower growing, and medicine, which can play an important role in the health of people, as well as creating employment in rural communities, if it is scientifically recognized, cultivated, developed, and used correctly. In this article, the introduction of this medicinal plant, its active ingredients and its numerous uses are discussed.

Garden products, especially vegetables, need to use seed preparation technology due to their small volume and high value. Early planting of vegetables in sub-optimal environments is often done to get better market returns, although it simultaneously forces farmers to use high seed vigor to compensate for seedling production. To deal with this problem, farmers and seed companies around the world practice seed priming techniques because it facilitates the synchronicity of flowering and fruiting, resulting in improved yield. Different preparation strategies used for seed treatment are classified into conventional/invasive (hydro, osmo, hormonal, halo, solid matrix, nutrients, biological or nanopriming) and physical/non-invasive (magnetic, UV) categories. The advantages of seed preparation include: germination time, cost of replanting, additional irrigation and fertilization, weed management, uniform growth. A comprehensive review of seed preparation techniques applied to low-volume crops such as vegetables has not been considered. This review describes the advantages of different seed preparation techniques for vegetables.

The results of vegetation studies may be useful in solving ecological issues such as biological conservation and natural resource management, and by assessing vegetation information, future trends can be predicted. Mount Shahdezh with 2803 meters, the highest mount in Sari city, it is located in 80 km of southeast of Sari city and north of Semnan in the Chahardangeh section. Vegetation samples were collected from 5 stations in the region. Identification of plants was done based on available resources in the herbarium of Mazandaran University and with the help of experts available. Choreological studies of species according to their area of distribution was determined using these sources and geographical segmentation of Iranian vegetation. A total of 87 plant species were identified in 70 genera and 34 families. Comparison of the number of family, genera and species in the plant groups. The present study showed that dicot plant and then monocot plant had the highest number of family, genera and species. From the chronological point of view, the largest proportion of the flora belongs to the pluriregional elements (33.3%), Iran-Turanian species with 19.6% and followed by European - Siberian / Iran - Turanian / Mediterranean species with 18.5%, respectively, were the most abundant. Based on lifestyle segmentation, the identified plants were more humid or hygrophytic (58.6%) and water-derived (32.2%). Life forms determined by Raunkiaer method were included hemicryptophytes with 30% highest and hydrophytes with 3% lowest. The abundance of hemicryptophytes in the studied area is more than other biological forms, which indicates the existence of a cold, dry and mountainous ecosystem. Also, the decrease in the abundance of trophytes in the highlands compared to the low slopes can be due to the more destruction of the slopes compared to the heights.

Plum and prune are important temperate fruits, which have wide varieties of sizes and colors prized both for its exquisite fresh fruit flavor and in the fruitprocessing industry. Their fruits are rich source of minerals, vitamins, sugars and organic acids in addition to antioxidants. This research was conducted to evaluate the morphological and pomological characteristics of four cultivars of Japanese plum (P. salicina Lindl.) and prune (P. cerasifera Ehrh.) during 2020 in Karaj. According to the UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants) description, trees of Shablon had a semi-upright growth habit and Shiro, Mariana Inra and Seif-e-Dirras cultivars had an upright growth habit. The fruit of Shablon was also oblate and the other three cultivars were circular. The over color of fruit skin varied from yellow-orange (Shiro) to red (Seif-e-Dirras) and the color of fruit flesh was yellow (Shiro and Shablon) or orange (Mariana Inra and Seif-e-Dirras). Pomological results showed that Shiro and Mariana Inra had the highest and lowest yield (39.8 and 18.6 kg/tree) and number of fruits (1617.9 and 598.4 fruits/tree), respectively. Shablon and Mariana Inra had the highest fruit weight (32.2 and 31.0 g, respectively) and Mariana Inra had the longest fruit length (37.1 mm), while the lowest values of these traits were related to Seife- Dirras. The highest and lowest total soluble solids (TSS) were also obtained with Seif-e-Dirras (17.9) and Shiro (14.1). Tree yield had a positive correlation with the number of fruits/tree and total acidity (TA) and a significant negative correlation with total soluble solids and taste index (TSS/TA). Fruit weight and length also showed a positive correlation with leaf dimensions and a significant negative correlation with the number of fruits/tree and total soluble solids. In general, each of the cultivars are different from each other in terms of some characteristics and can be used for fresh consumption (Mariana Inra), juicing (Shiro) or drying (Seif-e- Dirras).

In order to investigate the effect of 24- epibracinosteroids and jasmonic acid on cyclamen persicum growth indices and flowering, a completely randomized statistical design with 7 treatments, 3 replications and each repetition containing 3 pots, a total of 63 pots of cyclamen in winter 1400 was done in a commercial greenhouse in Karaj city. Treatments included 24-epibrasinosteroids and jasmonic acid each with 3 levels of 2.5, 5 and 10 μM and control treatment. Sampling and evaluation of traits were performed about four weeks after the last foliar application. The results showed that the highest leaves number and total leaf chlorophyll content were obtained in 5 μl of jasmonic acid treatment. The highest fresh and dry weight of flowers, cell membrane stability index, flowers number and petal anthocyanin content were 10 μl in 24- epibrasinosteroid treatment. Also, the maximum and minimum shelf life of cyclamen flowers per plant with 39.26 and 20.34 days were obtained in 24- epiprasinosteroid treatment of 10 μg and control treatment. Therefore, according to the research results, spraying of 24-epibrasinosteroid and jasmonic acid is recommended to improve the growth indices and flowering of cyclamen persicum.

In the present study, the effects of Cocopeat, Nipeat and Perlite on the morphological, physiological and photosynthetic performance of watermelon seedlings were studied based on randomized complete block design. Plant seeds after preparation were cultured in 6 culture media including 1) 100% cocopeat (CP100); 2) 100% Nipeat (NP100); 3) 50% Cocopit+50% Nipeat (CP50+NP50); 4) 25% cocopeat + 50% Nipeat + 25% Perlite (CP25NP50P50); 5) 50% Nipeat +50% Perlite (NP50+P50); 6) 70% Nipeat + 30% Perlite (NP70+P30). Germination indicators such as germination percentage and rate were calculated and after the seedlings reached the stage of transfer to the field, morphological, physiological and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics were examined. The results indicated a high vegetative performance of the Watermelon seedlings in the CP100 treatment, but in the substrates containing perlite, a decrease in all the studied morphological traits and photosynthesis performance was observed. When CP100 culture medium was used, the highest amount of chlorophyll a, b and total, carotenoids and relative content of leaf water and the lowest amount of proline were reported. Therefore, according to the results obtained in the present research, it can be stated that the use of 100% cocopeat can lead to better growth of Watermelon seedlings.