نشریه نهال و بذر
سال سی و نهم شماره 1 (بهار 1402)

In some olive trees despite suitable vegetative growth and reproductive to maturity stage, fruits do not set and development do not occur, due mainly to lack of the adaptability. This research was conducted to determine the optimal time for topworking in olive trees using scions from two common cultivars in each of the six provinces including Fars, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Lorestan, Ilam and Qazvin in Iran during 2021-2022. Results showed that optimal time for topworking in olive trees in Khuzestan was in the mid-October with cv. Conservolia scion, in Ilam in the second half of October with cv. Conservolia and cv. Diereh scions, in Lorestan in the first half of October with cv. Amygdalia scion, in Fars in the first half of October with cv. Consevolia scion, in Kermanshah in September with cv. Conservolia scion, in Qazvin on May 20th with cv. Conservolia scion.

In some olive trees despite suitable vegetative growth and reaching to maturity stage, fruits does not set and development do not occur, due mainly to lack of the adaptability (Hartman et al., 2017). Topworking has been practiced, for long-time, in some fruit trees such as pecan (Yates and Sparks, 1992) and walnut (Rezaee and Vahdati, 2008). Sometime in a region, a fruit tree variety is planted without assessment of its adaptability and quality properties. Therefore, its performance is not satisfactory and economically profitable. Therefore, changing the variety is necessary. In such a case, topworking-using scions from adapted and high yielding with desirable fruit and oil quality is a strategy to save farmer’s investments. It has been demonstrated that topworking in different olive varieties resulted in better vegetative growth and fruit yield. However, it differed with rootstock variety (Lion et al., 2020). In recent decades olive orchards in Khuzestan and Fras provinces in Iran has been established using olive varieties that are not well adapted and produce low yield with low quality (Ajamgard and Zeinanloo, 2013; Taslimpour, et al., 2016). To change the variety of olive orchard, olive producers should bear high costs. Therefore, topworking can help to graft scions from adapted high yield varieties on the rootstock of existing orchards. The main objective of this research was to determine the optimal time for topworking in olive trees in different regions of Iran, and to recommend the optimal time and suitable scion cultivars for each region. 

The experiments were carried out, during 2021 and 2022, as split-plot arrangements in completely randomized design with three replications. Grafting dates at five levels from Auguest 29th to November 28th (in Qazvin from May) were assigned to main plots, and olive cultivar at two levels (cv. Conservolia was common + one adapted cultivar in each location) were randomized in sub-plots. The grafting success rate and the scion growth were evaluated and recorded. Analysis of variance for data was performed using SAS 9.4 software. Duncan’s Multiple Range Test was employed for means comparsion at the 5% and 1% probability levels. 

The results showed that in Khuzestan province the mid-October was the optimal date for topworking of olive trees. Also cv. Conservolia’s scions had significantly (P ≤ 0.01) greater growth than cv. Avan scions. In Ilam province, the results showed that the maximum grafting success rate achieved in the second half of October with cv. Conservolia nd cv. Diereh scions. In Lorestan province, the grafting success rate, using scions of cv. Conservolia and cv. Amygdalolia were 88% and 80%, respectively, in the first half of October. In Fars province, the success of topworking in the first half of October was 80%, while the vegetative growth of cv. Conservolia’s scion was greater than cv. Amygdalolia. In Kermanshah province, the results showed that the grafting success rate of olive trees was significantly (P≤ 0.05) higher in September with cv. Consevolia scion. In Qazvin province, the results showed that the optimal date for topworking of olive trees was May 20th with grafting success rate of 75% and 94% for cv. Conservolia and cv. Zard, respectively. Hussain et al. (2021) reported that topworking in olive trees in Pakistan was more successful in June-July. Yates and Sparks (1992) and Rezaee and Vahdati (2008) also reported that topworking improved yield and quality of pecan and walnut, respectively.The highlight of the results of this research was determination of optimal time (optimal window) and suitable cultivars (scions) for topworking in olive trees in the six target regions in Iran. 

This research was conducted to identify the fire blight resistance and related oxidative responses in quince genotypes.  KVD4, NB2, PH2 and KVD3 genotypes and Quince C rootstock were inoculated in vitro with Erwinia amylovora Ea273 and necrosis progress and ROS generation, including O2-, H2O2 and OH- in control and infected shootlets was compared. Results showed three types of oxidative responses in genotypes. In NB2 and Quince C rootstock, with a higher level of disease resistance, they had a fast O2- increase, a delay in H2O2 generation, and a faster increase in OH- severity. KVD4 had a moderate susceptibility level and similarly moderate behavioral in generation of three ROS. In third group, more susceptible genotypes, PH2 and KVD3, showed low O2- generation, faster H2O2 increase and slower rate of increase of OH- level. It seems that defensive mechanism of quince against the fire blight disease is completely different from pear tree, which mainly accumulates H2O2 as a barrier. 

Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) is considered the most important limiting factor for pome fruit trees such as apples, pears and quinces (Van der Zwet, and Keil, 1979). Numerous factors are effective for E. amylovora’s pathogenicity and molecular interaction with host plants, but the oxidative burst is the critical factor that results in host cell degradation and pathogen growth (Azarabadi et al., 2016). Among various hosts of fire blight causal agent, the quince trees are the most susceptible one and the disease usually causes large disease symptoms such as bloom blight, shoot blight, canker and trunk necrosis that leads to entire decline of the tree in the outbreak years (Van der Zwet, and Keil, 1979). Quince tree also is native to Iran and this country is among the main producers of quince fruits in the world (Abdollahi, 2023). Due to importance of quince tree in Iran and high damages of fire blight disease on it, the current research was conducted to evaluate the mechanisms of resistance to this disease in level of oxidative burst and severity of generation of various reactive oxygen species in the different quince genotypes.
 

Quince genotypes including KVD4, NB2, PH2 and KVD3, along with Quince C rootstock were established in in vitro conditions on modified QL medium and inoculated with Erwinia amylovora type strain Ea273. Following this step, the progress of disease necrosis and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide radical (O2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radical (OH-); as the main species of active oxygen during interaction of E. amylovora with the host plants (Venisse et al., 20002), were compared in three separate experiments in control and infected in vitro shootlets. Severity of the generation of each reactive oxygen species evaluated by the index of red color in the tissues of quince genotypes from score 0 (without any trace of ROS) to 5 (the highest severity of each individual ROS) following the colorimetric method described by of Azarabadi et al. (2016). Traces of superoxide radical, hydrogen peroxide and finally hydroxyl radical were determined by nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT), 3, 3´-Diaminobenzidine-HCl (DAB)-HCl and Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), respectively, Following Azarabadi et al. (2016). Data were collected in 120 hours time course after inoculation of in vitro shootlets with with Erwinia amylovora type strain Ea273, and the curves were depicted using Microsoft Excel.
 

The results showed three types of oxidative stress and ROS generation patterns in responses to fire blight disease progress in the tissues of studied quince genotypes. Quince C and NB2 genotypes, with higher levels of disease resistance, demonstrated faster increase in the superoxide generation, delay in the generation of hydrogen peroxide, and faster increase in severity of the hydroxyl radical. Also, KVD4 genotype had moderate susceptibility level to the disease and similarly moderate behavioral of the amount of the generation of three reactive oxygen species including superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl. In the third group, the more susceptible genotypes, PH2 and KVD3, showed fast necrosis progress, low generation of superoxide, faster increase of hydrogen peroxide and slower rate of increase of hydroxyl radical level. Considering the various patterns of ROS generation in the evaluated quince genotypes, it can be concluded that the defensive mechanisms of the quince tree against fire blight is completely different from pear tree in which the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide is the main barrier for resistance to the fire blight disease (Azarabadi et al., 2016).

This research was conducted for evaluating the tend of dry matter and oil accumulation in fruits of seven olive promising genotypes under climatic conditions of Dallaho olive research station in Sarpol-e Zahab, in Kermanshah province, Iran, in 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. Ten years old trees of seven olive promising genotypes; D1, Dd1, Gw, Ps1, Bn3, Bn6 and Ds3 were planted using randomized complete block design with 3 replications. The results showed that oil accumulation in olive genotype commenced from July and reached to maximal content in November. The oil accumulation was continuous in fruits and gradually increased in all of genotypes. D1 and Bn3 promising genotypes had the highest oil content in dry matter, and the maximum dry matter was observed in Gw and Dd1. The results of this research revealed that olive promising genotypes had different responses in warm climatic conditions, and oil accumulation was influenced by temperature.

Olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is an evergreen and native plant to the Mediterranean regions. The appropriate area for olive cultivation for oil production has moderate winters and long and dry summers. In high temperatures and intensive radiation, olive trees indicate 80% reduction in leaves photosynthesis (Bongi and Long, 1987). In high temperature and water shortage, fruit and oil quality in olive trees decrease (Saadato et al., 2013). The precursor of oil biosynthesis in olive fruits is carbohydrate (Conde et al., 2008). The semi-arid and arid weather during fruit growth and oil accumulation necessitate the selection of tolerant olive cultivars. The dry matter and oil accumulation strongly depend upon climatic condition and olive cultivars, therefore the choice of the most promising tolerant cultivars that perform successful, under stressful conditions, is inevitable to achieve the high quality olive fruit and oil. 

This study was carried out in Dallaho olive research station (34º 30′ 34′′ N, 45º 51′ 53′′ E, and 580m above sea level) in Sarpolezahab in Kermanshah province in Iran in 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. Ten years old tress of seven olive promising cultivars (D1, Dd1, Gw, Ps1, Bn3, Bn6 and Ds3 were evaluated using randomized complete block design with three replications. In two consecutive years, 2018 and 2019, fruit harvesting was carried out in two weeks intervals from July to November. Dry matter was measured following by Anonymous (1997) and oil content was determined following Dag et al. (2011). Combined analysis of variance was performed using SAS software. Duncan’s Multiple Range Test was employed for mean comparison. Figures were depicted using Excel software. 

The highest oil contente in dry matter belonged to D1 and Bn3 promising genotypes. The highest dry matter was observed in Gw and Dd1 promising genotypes. As harvest date delayed, oil content in dry matter increased, and in September until final harvest in November, the highest oil content in dry and fresh matters was obtained. The oil content is sensitive to temperature variation and by increasing temperature from 16 ºC to 32 ºC, oil content decreased (Borges et al., 2017).The reduction of pomological traits in olive in high temperature conditions is due to enhancement of respiration, oxidative disturbance and reduction of photosynthesis efficiency (Neves et al., 2019). Different olive promising genotypes due to expression of heat shock proteins had different levels of tolerance against high temperature (Nissim et al., 2020). During this research, the mean maximum and minimum temperatures were more than 40 ℃ and 30 ℃ in June, July and August, and the high temperature was accompanied by reduction in relative humidity. The results indicated that maximum and minimum temperatures had negative effects on oil content of some olive promising genotypes.

Over the past four decades, pod anormaly disorder has been one of the most important factors affecting soybean seed yield and production in Golestan province in Iran. To assess the role of crop management factors on soybean pod anormaly and seed yield, 80 soybean fields were selected randomly during 2018 and 2019 in Gorgan and Aliabad in Glestan province. Stepwise regression analysis showed that seed yield model (Yield = -442.5 + 6.9 X1 + 180.2 X2 + 866.2 X3) was determined with three factors of potassium fertilizer (X1), number of irrigation (X2) and insect pest management (X3). Potassium fertilizer, number of irrigation and insect pest management explained 19.2%, 18.7% and 62.1% of the yield gap components, respectively, and reflected the importance of these factors for increasing soybean seed yield. Among 80 soybean fields, 15 and 18 fields had full and partial pod anomaly disorder symptoms, respectively. The mean soybean seed yield for fields without and partial pod anomaly disorder was 3039 and 848 kg ha-1, respectively. The results of this study showed the importance of optimum insect pest management to prevent and control the incidence of soybean pod anomaly disorder in Goletan province in Iran.

Over the past four decades, pod anomaly disorder has been one of the most important factors affecting soybean seed yield and production in Golestan province in Iran (Payghamzadeh, 2017; Malek Shahkouei et al., 2019; Faraji et al., 2023). This conditions has led to disorders in the flower and pod system of the soybean plant which ultimately causes no or low pod set, modified of pods shape, stay-green plants, and so called by the farmers, fodder plants In fact, in the affected plants, a mechanism prevents the transfer of assimilates from leaves to seeds, hence the leaves remain green and the plants continue vegetative growth. In 2015, about 13765 hectares out of the total of 35107 hectares (about 39% of the soybean growing areas) suffered from this disorder. Due to luck of adequate quantitative information on the role of each of the factors in the incidence of this disorder and seed yield reduction, it would be necessary to investigate the effect of each of these factors on reduction of the soybean seed yield to enable farmers to overcome these limiting disorders by adopting appropriate crop management strategies.
 

In order to investigate the role of management factors affecting the seed yield and incidence of pod abnormality disorder in soybean, during the years 2018 and 2019, 80 soybean fields in the two cities of Gorgan and Aliabad, were determined and investigated. These fields included good, medium and poor fields and even seed production ones. Soybean variety cultivated in all investigated fields was Katul. During the growing season, the stages of development, including the date of planting, emergence, beginning and end of flowering, podding, seed filling, physiological maturity and harvest maturity were determined (Fehr et al., 1971). For data analysis, the collected information was normalized (SAS, 1997). To determine the yield model, qualitative variables were coded as zero and one. Then, the relationship between all quantitative and qualitative measured variables with yield was investigated through step wise regression method and data analysis was performed using the statistical method of yield comparison analysis (Soltani et al., 2009). Finally, using the yield model and parameter values, potential yield, yield gap and the contribution of each factor causing the yield gap were determined.
 

Out of 80 studied soybean fields, 47 fields had completely normal soybean plants and no pod anomaly disorder, 18 fields had moderate pod anomly disorder and 15 fields had completely affected by pod anomaly disorder. Mean seed yield in fields without disorder, with moderate disorder and complete disorder was 3039, 848 and 0 kg ha-1, respectively, indicating considerable sedd yield reduction of 72% and 100% in fields with moderate and complete disorder in comparison with fields without disorder. These results reflected the importance of pod anomaly disorder in reducing soybean seed yield. The seed yield model estimated the average and maximum seed yields as 2003 and 4792 kg ha-1, respectively. The estimated yield gap was 2789 kg ha-1 that with approperiate crop management particularly effective insect pest control, adequate potassium fertilizers application and adequate number of irrigations can be narrowed and even closed. The results of this two-year field study showed that under the conditions of Golestan province, it is possible to significantly increase soybean seed yield by application and adoption of appropriate crop management startegies and techniques.

The woolly aphid [Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausm.)] is an important pest of apple trees. This research was conducted to evaluate the antibiosis resistance of promising apple rootstocks to this pest during 2019 to 2021. Ten selected rootstocks developed from hybridization and open pollination of two local apple varieties, Azaish Isfahan and Morabaei Mashhad, as the female parents and commercial apple rootstocks including M9, M27, B9 were selected as the male parents. The number of aphid colonies in the root, crown, stem and branch was evaluated. Antibiosis resistance indices including, population growth rate, antibiosis, population age structure, cumulative aphid day, exploitable ecological potential and survival were calculated. The data were analyzed in by complete randomized block design and means were compared with Tukey's test. Principal component analysis order to identify unobservable combined factors affecting the resistance mechanism based on indices. Observable values were calculated and cluster analysis method used to group the rootstocks based on the degree of susceptibility. Based on the results of this research, four apple rootstocks named Azop(285), AZ × M9(185), Azop(286) and Azop(386) were the most susceptible and M9op3 was the most resistant to woolly aphid.  Average of population growth rate, antibiosis, age population structure, Aphid day, exploitation ecological potential. and survival indices were 23.90, 0.03, 0.06, 381.46, 801.9, 9.09 and 150.00, respectively. Resistance to apple wooly aphid should be taken into consideration in apple breeding programs and orchard management for sustainable apple production.

Woolly apple Aphid [(Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausm.)], feed on the bark and roots of the apple tree, weakens it and reduces the growth of the tree organs (Yang et al., 2023). Various apple rootstocks have rich genetic resources of resistance to the woolly apple aphid that enables the development of resistant apple cultivars (Moinina et al., 2018). There is always need to develop and release new resistant cultivars to woolly aphid biotypes (Han and Korban, 2010). Antibiosis is a type of plant resistance that includes at least one plant characteristic that affects the biological indices of the pest (Le Roux et al., 2014). This research was carried out to evaluate the level of antibisis resistance in promising apple rootstocks against woolly aphid and to determine morphological characteristics of apple rootstocks related to this type of resistance.
 

This research was conducted in the collection orchard of the temperate fruits research center in Kamalshahr of Karaj in Iran during 2019 to 2021. Ten apple rootstocks were selected from the promising progenies developed from hybridization and open pollination of two local apple varieties including Azaish Isfahan and Morabaei Mashhad as female parents and commercial apple rootstocks including M9, M27, B9 as male parents in the apple rootstocks development programs in temperate fruits research center, Horticultural Sciences Research Institute, Karaj, Iran. Samples of apple woolly aphid colonies were taken, every two weeks, from the beginning of April to mid-November. The root, crown, trunk and branch sections of apple rootstocks were evaluated. Antibiosis resistance indices including bloomber (R), population growth rate (MRCR), antibiosis (ABI), population age structure (PASI), cumulative aphid day (CAD), ecological expolitation potential (EEP) and survival (St) were calculated. Vegetative growth traits of apple rootstocks were measured and recorded. Analysis of variance of data was performed as randomized complete block design and means were compared using Tukey test. Factor analysis was used to identify the unobservable combined factors. Cluster analysis was used to group the apple rootstocks, and canonical discriminatnt function analysis (LDA) was used to evaluate the accuracy of clustering of apple rootstocks using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0.1.0 software.
 

Cophenetic correlation coefficients between the Euclidean distance matrix and the dendrogram output matrix obtained from cluster analysis was equal to 0.83 which indicated the acceptable grouping of apple rootstocks using antibibiosis resistance indices. Four apple rootstocks; Azop(285), AZ × M9(185), Azop(286) and Azop(386) were the most susceptible rootstocks to woolly aphid. Average bloomber, population growth rate, antibiosis, population age structure, cumulative day aphid, ecological exploitation potential and survival were 23.90, 0.03, 0.06, 381.46, 9.801, 9.09 and 150, respectively. Comparison of demographic parameters including population age structure index and seasonal index of effective aphid day showed that these indices affect the dynamics of aphid population on apple rootstocks. The minimum value of blumber index in the resistant rootstock, M9op(387), was 0.76 and the maximum in the susceptible rootstock Azop(285) was 34.16.
The average root length had the greatest effect on the variation in the relative establishment rate of apple wolly aphid (Latifian et al., 2023). These authors reported that this trait had significant effect on the bloomber and ecological exploitation potential indices. The relation between this trait and bloomber and ecological exploitation potential indices was negative, and with increase in root length the bloomber and ecological exploitation potential decreased, therefore, the antibiosis resistance level in the apple rootstocks increased. Antibiosis resistance to woolly aphid is a valuable finding and should be taken into consideration in apple breeding programs and apple orchard management for sustainable apple production.

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of different grafting methods and grafting times on the grafting success rate of and two commercial walnut cultivars (scion) under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was carried out as factorial arrangements in completely randomized design with three replications under greenhouse conditions of West Azarbaijan agricultural and natural resouces research and eduction cenetre, Urmia, Iran, in 2015-2016. The experimental treatments included three levels of grafting methods; whip grafting, chip budding, and T-budding, two times of grafting; early spring and late spring, and two commercial walnut cultivars; Chandler and Franquette. The highest final grafting success rate (58.33%) was related to whip grafting followed by T-budding (38.33%) and chip budding (31.66 %), resspectively. The highest grafting success rate was obtained with whip grafting (64.45%) in early spring. Also, interaction effect of grafting method × grafting time × cultivar was significant on the final grafting success rate. The highest final grafting success rate (83.33%) related to T-budding of cv. Chandler in late spring. 

An important step for development of walnut cultivars with high-yielding and desirable quality is propagation using grafting methods (Soleimani et al., 2009). Many researches in different walnut growing countries have studied the effect of different grafting methods and grafing time on the success and productivity of grafted walnut cultivars and orchards. The degree of grafting success rates in these studies is very variable and depends on various internal and external factors (Vahadati et al, 2009). In addition to low graft coverage, frost damage to walnut grafted seedlings is considered as the second problem for production of outdoor grafted seedling nurseries (Ebrahimi et al., 2007).
Rezaee and Naghilou (2016) studied the effect of grafting method and grafting time of seedlings in the open-air environment with application of micronutrient elements on grafting success rate, and concluded that the lowest frost damage of the top branches was related to saddle and chisel grafting methods. Ebrahimi et al. )2007) evaluated three methods of grafting in walnut; patch grafting, chip budding and T-budding, under greenhouse conditions in Niriz, Fars province in Iran, and reported that all three grafting methods were more successful as compared with open air conditions. The purpose of present research was to investigate the effect of different grafting methods and grafting times on the grafting success rate of two commercial walnut cultivars (scion) on seedlings rootstock under greenhouse conditions.
 

This research was conducted using completely randomized design with three replications in a plastic greenhouse in agricultural and natural resources research center of West Azarbaijan province, Urmia, Iran, in 2015-2016. In this research, three grafting methods; whip grafting, chip budding and T-budding, two commercial walnut cultivars (scion); Chandler and Franquette were used in the early spring (first half of April) and late spring (second half of June). Necessary husbundary practices for the nursery including; weeding, irrigation, and fertilizers application was accomplished until the end of the growing season. Since there were zero values in data, the data was subjected to square root transformation, and then analysis of variance was performed using SPSS software. Duncan's Multiple Range Test, at the 5% probability level, was employed for mean comparsion. Graphs were drawn using SPSS and Excel softwares.
 

The analysis of variance showed that the grafting method, grafting time and cultivar had significant (p ≤ 0.01) effect on the early and final grafting success rate, and scion length and diameter growth. The highest final grafting success rate (58.33%) was related to whip grafting followed by the T-budding (38.33%) and chip budding (31.66 %). The highest grafting success rate was obtained by using whip grafting (64.45%) in early spring (first half of April). Interaction effect of grafting method × grafting time × cultivar (scion) on final grafting success rate was also significant (p ≤ 0.01). The highest final grafting success rate (83.33%) and growth vigor obtained by using T-budding of cv. Chandler in the late spring (second half of June). Also, the least final grafting success rate (0%) was related to the chip budding of both cultivar and whip grafting of cv. Franquete in late spring.
The results obtained from this research are consistent with the results of Ebrahimi et al. (2007). Thes researchers experimented three grafting methods, whip grafting, chip budding, and T-budding under greenhouse conditions, and reported that the highest grafting success arte was related to patch grafting (91%), followed by T-budding (31%) and the lowest grafting success rate associated with chip budding (19%). Also, the findings of the present resreach are consistent with the results of Ozkan and Gumus (Ozkan and Gumus, 2001) in Turkey.