نشریه پژوهش های علوم کشاورزی پایدار
سال سوم شماره 2 (پیاپی 10، تابستان 1402)

Lavender with the scientific name Lavandula stricta Del is a perennial medicinal plant with a height of about half a meter that grows in different regions of Iran. Drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving materials. The use of neural networks can be used in the design and selection of optimal working conditions and dryer control. In this study, various parameters of drying, evaluation of mathematical models to determine the best model, evaluation of different topologies of MLP artificial neural network to determine the best network for lavender plant with microwave dryer with power range of 100-1000 watts and The frequency of 2450 MHz is provided in four power levels of 300, 500, 700 and 900 watts. MLP artificial neural network was used to predict the relationship between drying kinetic parameters (moisture ratio and drying rate) and efficiency of energy consumption with changes in microwave power consumption using Statistica software. Among the fitted models, the Midili model was chosen as the best model according to R 2, χ 2 and RMSE criteria. Microwave power levels had an effect on drying time, with drying times of 3 minutes for 900 W power and 11 minutes for 300 W power. In order to predict drying kinetic parameters and energy consumption efficiency, MLP network with one input and three outputs was successfully used. The results generally showed that the MLP artificial neural network is a very powerful tool in predicting drying kinetic parameters and energy efficiency of lavender medicinal plant based on microwave power consumption values.

Garlic medicinal plant (Allium sativum) was planted between the rows of poplar (Populus euramericana 92/40) which were planted in March 2017 at a distance of 3 × 4 m, in late autumn of 2017. The statistical design of this research was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 treatments including (garlic with poplar, pure poplar culture and pure garlic culture),. Garlic cultivation was done in five rows with a length of 21 m and 50 cm between rows in three blocks in November 2017. During each growing season, poplar seedlings and garlic were irrigated once a week. The height and diameter at breast height (DBH) of the poplar trees were measured at the end of each growing season for four years, and then the increment in growth of height, diameter and stem volume (m3/ha/y) were calculated and evaluated using the T-Test. Economic evaluation of each of the pure and intercropped cultivations was done based on the indices of land equality ratio (LER), relative value total (RVT) and index advantage (IA). In 2019 and 2020, there is a statistically significant difference in the characteristics of increment at DBH and height in pure and intercropped cultivations, which is the highest in intercropped poplar culture. In 2020, the highest and lowest biological yields of garlic were obtained in pure cultivation with 8791.67 kg ha-1 and in intercropped cultivation with 2408.33 kg ha-1, respectively. In all the studied years, LER is greater than one and among 1.61 to 2.76, and in general its three-year average obtained 2.28.

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

Slow-release fertilizers prevent the rapid release of nutrients by creating a barrier. These fertilizers are produced in two ways: coated and matrix. Slow-release fertilizers can reduce nutrient loss and cause more use of plant needs. This will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of fertilizer. The process of producing fertilizers, including nitrogen fertilizers, is growing yearly in Iran and the world. This trend can also be predicted to continue in the coming years. Research on slow-release fertilizers shows that their production and consumption are increasing globally. Many sulfur is produced in refineries in Iran due to significant oil and gas sources. As a result, slow-release fertilizers can be made cheaper in Iran by creating sulfur coating compared to other countries. This article aims to examine the use of slow-release fertilizers, their advantages and disadvantages, and to present their production method. Also, this study investigates the rate of production of slow-release fertilizers in the world. This article can provide helpful information to investors, producers, farmers, and consumers interested in slow-release fertilizers and their role in agriculture.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the ecological and economic effects of the land equipping and renovation plan in the irrigated wheat production. Therefore, the environmental sustainability of wheat production by the ecological footprint and its production efficiency by data envelopment analysis were measured. The statistical population consisted of wheat farmers from Kheradmand village in the Hamadan province, who have participated in the land equipping and renovation plan and who hadn't participated. The sample size for the participating farmers is 73 and for the non-participating farmers is 74. Data were collected through a questionnaire in a cross-sectional study, using of census method, and were analyzed with SPSS26 and DEAP2.1 software. The average GHG for participant and non-participant farmers in the land reform plan was measured at 778/15 and 1003 kg co2 eq ha-1, respectively. The EF index for these two groups was estimated at 2.39 and 2.44 gha, respectively which there was a significant difference at the 0/01 level. Based on the results of data envelopment analysis, average technical, allocation and economic efficiency were estimated at 0.866, 0.893, and 0.797 respectively, for the equipped and renovated lands, and at 0.863, 0.889, and 0.791 for the not equipped and renovated lands which there was no significant difference between these two types of lands at 0.01 level. According to the results of calculating the carbon emissions indices, the environmental sustainability of the equipped and renovated lands is in better condition.

In order to evaluate the stability of the yield of lentil ecotypes in Qazvin province, an experiment in the form of a randomized block design was carried out in six planting dates (environment) with three replications at the soil and water conservation research station of Tehran University in Kohin rainfed lands. The results of composite variance analysis showed a significant difference between environments, genotypes and the interaction effect of genotype × environment.The analysis of additive main effects and multiplicative interaction effects (AMMI) showed that the grain yield of lentil genotypes is influenced by the environmental part of the interaction effect of genotype × environment. In the analysis AMMI of the sum of squares, 55.8% was caused by environmental effects, 27% by genotypic effects and 17.2 % were justified by the genotype × environment interaction. In the AMMI method, the FILIP 2003-9L genotype with favorable relative performance and the lowest estimate of stability value (ASV) was introduced as the most stable genotype and Sabz Pardis with the best performance and the highest estimate of stability value was introduced as the most unstable genotype. In the biplot analysis of the AMMI model, the genotype FILIP 2003-9L with favorable yield and low IPCA1 value, general stability in all conditions and Sabz Pardis genotype with the highest IPCA1, showed good private compatibility with Autumn cultivation.