امیر قلاوند

To investigate the effect of integrated nitrogen fertilizers (manure and urea) resources and mycorrhiza under water deficit stress on soil chemical properties and biological yield of Purslane, an experiment was conducted in Qom during 2015-2016 growing seasons. Treatments were arranged as a factorial split plot in a randomized complete block design with three replications. A factorial combination of two levels of irrigation (Irrigation at 50% and 70% of available water) and two treatments of mycorrhizal (inoculated and non-inoculated) were assigned as the main plots. The subplots consisted of six different sole and integrated combinations of fertilizers consisting of manure (sheep and chicken) and urea fertilizer (control, without fertilizers, 100% manure, 75% manure+25% urea, 50% manure+50% urea, 25% manure + 75% urea, and 100% urea). Results showed that water deficit stress increased oil content and decreased the electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium of soil, mycorrhiza colonization (30.3% and 15.3 %( and biological yield (21.3% and 17.7 %( of purslane in first and second year, respectively. Also, manure in combination with urea fertilizer and mycorrhiza increased the biological yield (50% Manure+50% urea) and oil content (25% Manure+75% urea) in purslane leaf and reduced the consumption of urea fertilizer by modifying the negative effects of water deficit stress and increasing the availability of nutrients. Decomposition of halophyte purslane plant residues in soil increased the electrical conductivity and potassium content of the soil. Due to the key role of potassium in fertility and osmotic regulation of soil, it could produce acceptable biological yield in water stress conditions.

To evaluate the effect of different nutrition systems (such as organic, chemical and biologic) on quantitative and qualitative traits of three selected lines of grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.), a field experiment was conducted at College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University during 2012-2013 growing season. The Experimental treatments were arranged as factorial layout based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor was three grasspea lines (L1 (Sel.B/222), L2 (Sel.B/111) and L3 (Sel.290)) and the second factor was four nutrition system (no fertilizer (F0), 100% chemical fertilizer (F1), 100% manure (F2) and integrated fertilizer (75% manure + 25% Nitroxin (F3)), respectively. Results showed that L1 (Sel.B/222) receiving 100% chemical fertilizer produced maximum forage yield (20145.8 kg.ha-1), whereas the integrated nutrition system (75% manure + 25% Nitroxin) produced the highest dry forage yield (3005.3 kg.ha-1). Integrated nutrition system (75% manure + 25% Nitroxin) having the highest percentage of dry matter digestibility, the highest protein percentage and the lowest ADF was the superior treatment in forage quality. L1 (Sel.B/222) grasspea treatment was superior in maximizing the percentage of dry matter digestibility and minimizing the percentage of ADF. The grasspea line L3 (Sel.290) produced the highest percentage of protein. The lowest crude fiber content of grasspea forage was achieved in L3 (Sel.290) under integrated nutritional system. Thus, the combined system of L1 (Sel.B/222) and F3 (75% manure + 25% Nitroxin) is a good alternative or chemical fertilizers and could be suggested for qualified and higher forage yield of grasspea.

Water and nitrogen are among the key factors determining the yield of agricultural production around the world. Iran is dominated by arid and semiarid climate, with water availability presenting a great problem in many areas across the country. Water stress have altered plants’ metabolism significantly, thereby attenuating the growth, photosynthesis, and ultimately yield of the plants. Accordingly, it is very important to identify the mechanisms through the plant adapts to various conditions and resists against stresses, and to understand possible ways to address such stresses. In addition, under such conditions, drought management is an essential necessity. Cultivating plants with lower water requirements is a solution for effective management of available water resources. Being largely adaptable to a wide spectrum of various weather conditions, purslane serve as an economically efficient product (both as vegetable and medicinal plant) in terms of water scarcity. Furthermore, in order to effectively manage water consumption in agriculture, adoption of various farming techniques, such as application of organic fertilizers or improving biological conditions of soil may render effective for reducing the impacts of water stress, while less use of chemical fertilizers may add to agricultural sustainability and health of medicinal plant.   In order to investigate the effect of combining different sources of nitrogen fertilizer (organic and chemical fertilizers) and mycorrhiza under drought stress on morphological and agronomic properties and also on Essential oil and oil contents of purslane leaves, experiments were performed in Zavariyan Village, Qom Province, Iran during 2015-2016, in the form of, factorial split plot in the base of randomized complete blocks and three replications. Factors include two water deficit stress (I1 without stress: irrigation time is when the amount of available water for plants on farm is 70% FC; I2 stress: irrigation time is when the amount of available water for plants on farm is 50% FC.) and two treatments mycorrhizal M1 inoculated and M2 non-inoculated with the fungus, as treatments the main factor and six sources of fertilizers, mixture of organic fertilizers (sheep and chicken) and chemical fertilizers including: (F1 without the use of organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizer, F2 including 100% organic fertilizers without the use of chemical fertilizers, F3 including 75% organic fertilizers and 25% chemical fertilizers, F4 including 50% organic fertilizers and 50% chemical fertilizers, F5 including 25% organic fertilizers and 75% chemical fertilizers, F6 without the use of organic fertilizers and 100% chemical fertilizers) as the sub factors.   Results indicated that, during the first and second years of the experiment, drought stress reduced the height (13.8% and 16.4%), Mycorrhizal colonization (30.3% and 15.3%), phosphorus content of leaves (5.8% and 7.7%), Biological yield (21.3% and 17.7%), grain yield (22.5% and 21.1%), and total antioxidant capacity of the leaves (15.9% and 10.5%) of purslane. At the same time, production of secondary and medicinal metabolites (essential oil (6.2% and 5.4%) and oil concentration (48.7% and 57.9%) on the leaves of purslane increased. Application of mycorrhiza led to an increase in all of the considered properties due to its larger capacity for absorbing water and nutrients (phosphorous, in particular) and attenuating negative impacts of drought stress. The results also indicate that, maximum values of most of the considered properties in the treatments without stress were observed by mycorrhizal application and combined fertilizer (organic and chemical).   To sum up, it can be concluded that, if the aim of planting purslane is to use its growth and seed parts, the best results can be achieved upon adequately irrigating the plant while applying mycorrhiza and mixed nutrient system (50% organic fertilizers + 50% chemical fertilizers). However, should medicinal and qualitative aspects of the plant are concerned, drought stress treatment with mixed nutrient system (25% organic fertilizers + 75% chemical fertilizers) represent the most suitable treatment for enhancing secondary metabolites under stress conditions, highlighting the role of nitrogen as an essential element in the structure of the plant essential oil.

  The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most important oil-producing plants in the
world. Innovative strategies are needed to improve water and nutrient use efficiencies for sustainable production in sandy soils. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for agricultural products with specific qualities. Oil seeds are the most important sources of energy for human demand following cereals. During recent decades, Cultivation area of sunflower as a main oilseed crop considerably increased due to its short growth season, high oil yield and also its nutritional value. Unsaturated fatty acids such as Oleic, Linoleic acids include about 90% of sunflower oil. Evaluation of different nutrient sources to achieve more drought tolerance in sunflower is vital to achieve high quantity and quality yield. Oil quality and yield are both dependent upon the genotype of a plant and its interaction with the environment. Among the factors responsible for increasing crop yield and quality, irrigation and fertilizer are the most important. In order to evaluate the response of sunflower quantitative and qualitative yield to various nitrogen sources and zeolite under different irrigation regimes, a two-year study was carried out as split-factorial based on RCBD at Agricultural Research Faculty of Tarbiat Modares University in 2015 and 2016. Irrigation regimes including (irrigation after depleting 40, 60, 80% of available soil water (ASW), was considered as main plot while the combinations of the nitrogen sources (providing 100% of required N through manure farmyard, 50% farm yard+ 50% urea, 100% of required N through urea) and zeolite (0, 5 10 t ha-1) were regarded as subplot. The results showed the highest stem diameter and height in the first (respectively 2/2 mm and 186.7 cm) and second (respectively 2.26 mm and 168.3 cm) years were achieved by using zeolite and irrigation after depleting 40% of ASW. In addition, the highest grain oil and protein yield in second year were obtained by irrigation after depleting 40% of ASW accompanied with using zeolite. Water stress caused significant decline in unsaturated fatty acids including oleic, linoleic, stearic acids (respectively 22 and 7, 50 % in the first and 27, 6.8 and 52 % in the second year) while palmetic acid increased under water stress by 54.6 and 65.3% in the first and second years. Farmyard manure positively affected oil quality in sequential years through higher accumulation of oleic (by 9.2 and 9.7%), linoleic acids (by 7.8 and 8.2%) under water stress conditions. The result showed that under well irrigated conditions using manure farmyard and under water stress manure farmyard accompanied with zeolite, led to the best results in terms of quantitative and qualitative yield. In general, zeolite application and farmyard manure could alleviate water stress adverse effects, and improved plant growth, yield and oil and protein concentration. Overall, using manure farmyard plus zeolite might be considered as agronomic approach to decrease chemical fertilizer application rates and improve the sustainability of agricultural systems especially when the sunflower plants were subjected to water shortage conditions.

In order to investigate the effect of different levels of zeolite and farmyard manure, as environmental friendly fertilizers on soil properties and yield and quality of sunflower, a field experiment was carried out in a split -factorial layout based on completely randomized blocks design in three replications in the faculty of agriculture, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran, during 2014 and 2015. Treatments included irrigation regimes (irrigation after depleting 40, 60 and 80% of soil water content) as main factor and the combinations of nutrition systems (100% organic, 50% organic + 50% chemical and 100% chemical fertilizer) and zeolite (0, 5 and 10 ton.ha-1 of zeolite) in factorial layout. Results showed that using organic sources increased organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and electrical conductivity of soil, while decreased bulk density at the end of the growth season. Due to the high amount of organic carbon, organic sources accompanied with zeolite improved the organic carbon content of the soil and led to the highest seed yield (1781 kg.ha-1) and water productivity (3.01 and 3.3 kg.ha-1.mm-1 in the first and second years, respectively). In first year, the highest oil content of seed (37.9%) was obtained in 10 ton.ha-1 zeolite with 50% farmyard manure + 50% chemical fertilizer under full irrigation treatment. At all irrigation regimes, application of 100% organic sources or combined chemical and organic sources with 5 or 10 ton.ha-1 of zeolite led to greater seed yield and water productivity. Overall, the results of this experiment revealed that under the most irrigation regimes, application of farmyard manure and zeolite may increase the availability of water and nutrients for plant and may led to increase yield and oil content of seed and water productivity in sunflower.

The current study was conducted to investigate the effects of different soil fertility treatments on qualitative and quantitative yield of sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) under different irrigation regimes. The experiment was conducted in Tarbiat Modares University research field at 2012 and 2013 growing season. Treatments were arranged as split plots based on a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Irrigation regimes were randomly assigned to the main plots and the subplots were eight different fertilizer types. The results indicated that the maximum seed yield was obtained in normal irrigation treatment (irrigation after consuming 30% of available soil moisture). Under water deficit stress conditions (irrigation after consuming 50 and 70% of available soil moisture), organic treatments amended with more zeolite (zeocompost, zeoponix and zeocompost zeoponix) improved seed yield. Under severe water deficit stress condition (I3), zeolite-amended organic treatments (zeocompost, zeoponix and zeocompost zeoponix) increased seed oil percentage by 8, 9 and 13 percent in the first year and by 13, 10 and 12 percent in the second year of the experiment in comparison with chemical treatment (F1). In addition, organic treatments improved oil quality through increasing linoleic and oleic acid percentage. Overall, the results suggest that combined application of processed organic fertilizers such as vermicompost, zeocompost and zeoponix not only increases sunflower seed yield and oil quality but also reduces chemical fertilizers need in sunflower production.

IntroductionThe population of developing countries is dramatically increasing, thus acute food supply challenges are threatening them in case of quality and quantity. One of the successful strategies for improving agricultural production and food supply is to preserve, maintain, and enrich the soil .Iran has an arid and semi-arid climate with an average rainfall of 240 mm per year, so improving water use efficiency and reducing the effects of water stress can help farmers increase their agricultural products. Another serious problem of Iranian agricultural system is the widespread application of chemical fertilizers in the recent decades, which has caused soil degradation and environmental pollution. Therefore, by addressing these two concerns, this research was to evaluate the possibility of reducing the unpleasant effects of water stress on sunflower using organic fertilizers of Vermicompost and Mineral Zeolite (Clinoptilolite).
Materials and methodsThis study was conducted at the agricultural research farm of Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, Iran (lattitude: 35° 44´N and longitude: 51° 10´E) during the growing season of 2010 to 2011. The factorial arrangement was done on Randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The main-plot factors were different nutritional systems, such as, F1(0% vermicompost 100% chemical (urea) 175% zeolite), F2 (25% vermicompost 75% chemical (urea) 150% zeolite), F3(50% vermicompost 50% chemical (urea) 125% zeolite), F4(75% vermicompost 25% chemical 100% zeolite); and sub-plot factors were deficit irrigation at three levels including control treatment (S1): 50% moisture depletion/moisture content (or, 50% FC), (S2): 60% moisture content (or, 40% FC) and (S3): 70% moisture content (or, 30% FC).
All the experimental plots were irrigated equally until the R4 phase. Irrigation regimes was set after R4 based on soil moisture reduction measured with a TDR device models trime_FM, and for more accurate results, a gravimetric soil moisture was used too. Chlorophyll extraction was performed by Arnon's (1949) standard method and was read with a spectrophotometer model (GBC-Cintra 6- Australia), at wavelengths of 663 and 645 nm. The proline content was extracted with Bate's (1973) method and was read with a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 520 nm. The protein content was measured using the standard Kjeldahl (1883) method. Also, seed oil content was measured using Soxhlet (Model No SCMS-F100-6H), and oil yield was calculated by multiplying the seed oil content in grain yield. Data were recorded in Microsoft Excel ver. 2010 and statistical analysis was done with SAS ver. 9.1 software. Means compared using LSD at the 1% probability level.
Results and DiscussionANOVA (Analysis of Variance) results showed that the effect of stress/deficit irrigation, nutritional systems and their interactions were significant (P

To decrease the use of chemical fertilizers and improving the yield and yield components of sunflower, a field experiment was conducted at the Reserch Farm of Tarbiat Modares University in 2014 and 2105. Three irrigation regimes (irrigation after depleting 40, 60 and 80 percent of soil water at field capacity (FC)), three soil fertility systems (100 percent farmyard manure (35 percent chicken manure 65 percent sheep manure), 50 percent farmyard manure 50 percent chemical fertilizer and 100 percent chemical fertilizer (urea)) and three zeolite rates (0, 5 and 10 ton ha-1) were studied in a split factorial arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications, with irrigation regimes as the main plots, and factorial combination of the other two factors as the subplots. Over two experimental years, there were significant increases in grain yield and water use efficiency by applying either 100 percent farmyard manure (28.2 .6 ton sheep chicken manure ha-1, respectively) or integrated fertilizer (14.1 7.3 ton sheep chicken manure ha-1, respectively plus 65 kg urea ha-1) with 5 or 10 ton zeolite ha-1 under all irigation treatments. Based on the results, irrigation after depleting 40 percent of soil water at FC was revealed as most performance of all treatment combinations. The highest oil and protein concentrations of grain were obtained with zeolite application under non-stress conditions. Chemical fertilizer application increased grain protein concentration, while organic manure increased grain oil concentration.

Despite the importance of oily crops in development of Iran, there are few studies on nutrition with micronutrient in these crops, especially for safflower. Safflower, a deep rooted oilseed crop, is grown in many areas of world because it can be used as oil crop, vegetable, birdfeed and spices. To achieve the acceptable growth and yield of safflower, it needs the sufficient micro- and macronutrient, so that recently, there has been an increased interest in evaluation of nutrient role in quality and quantity of safflower. Application of vermicompost in oil crop production systems of Iran has been increased; which it can improve soil structure by increasing aggregate stability as well as increase in water holding capacity and aeration. On the other hand, micronutrients are nutrients required by plants in small quantities to organize a range of physiological functions. The deficiency micronutrients is widespread in many parts of the country due to cultivation of high yielding varieties, intensive agriculture and increasing use of sulphur free fertilizers in large quantities with concomitant decrease in use of organic manures. There is little information on interaction of vermicompost and micronutrients combination on safflower. thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of combinations of three important micronutrient consisted of sulphur, zinc and boron on yield and yield components as well as dry forage production of safflower in different vermicompost treatments.
Material and In this research, the effect of micronutrient application and vermicompost was examined on yield and yield components of safflower in Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center of Kerman Province in two Kerman and Bardsir regions. The treatments were included vermicompost factor at two levels (0 and 6 t ha-1) and micronutrients combinations at 12 levels (no use, 100 kg ha-1 S, 200 kg ha-1 S, 3 ml L-1 Zn, 2 ml L-1 B, four twofold and two triplet combinations of the 3 micronutrients). A factorial experiment based on randomized block design (RCBD) was used. Vermicompost and S were used before planting as soil apply, while Zn and B were applied as foliar application. Dry forage at the flowering early and branch number per plant, head number per plant, grain number per head, weight of 1000 grains and grain yield at final ripening were determined. Analysis of variance, means comparisons (LSD at 5% probability level) and correlation coefficient were done in SAS software.
The results showed that application of vermicompost and micronutrient had positive and significant effect on head number per plant, grain number per head, weight of 1000 grains, dry forage and grain yield in both places. These could be attributed to improved soil porosity, water holding capacity and aeration caused by vermicompost. Vermicompost are also known as sources of plant nutrients and can improve soil physicochemical characteristics. Growth and yield of safflower plants in Kerman was significantly more than those in Bardsir, which was probably due to better conditions of soil in Kerman. Kerman had greater amount of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous as well as higher level of soil organic matter. On average, vermicompost application at 6 t ha-1 was associated with 347 and 54 kg.ha-1 increasing in dry forage and grain yield, respectively. In the other hand, the highest dry forage and grain yield were obtained from plants treated with 200 kg ha-1 S, Zn and B as 2104 and 1433 and 1433 kg ha-1, respectively. Stimulated photosynthetic activity and synthesis of chloroplast and protein in result of micronutrient application might be reason of greater yield in these treatments. The grain number had the highest correlation with forage production and yield.
In general, the result of this study revealed that in both places, vermicompost and micronutrient application had positive interaction, so that the greatest forage and grain production were observed in vermicompost application with triple combination of S, Zn and B.

IntroductionApplication of organic fertilizers in sustainable agriculture systems improves yield sustainability of field crop. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is native to Middle East and belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is resistant to saline conditions, water stress, and can reach the deep-lying water of soil. The humic acid (HA) mentioned as an environmentally friendly, organic matter with low levels of hormonal-like compounds is useful in improving agriculture production (Samavat and Malakuti 2006). The HA influence on plant growth depends on the source, concentration and molecular weight of the substance. Vermicompost is produced by earthworms, mainly Eisenia foetida, it has higher levels of available nutrients compared to the original materials of composts produced by other methods. Recent evidences suggest that using different amounts of vermicompost increased vegetative traits and concentration of minerals in sunflower. However, there has been little discussion about organic farming of safflower. The main objectives of the present study were to determine the effect of organic treatments on yield, yield components, and growth indices of safflower and to compare it with conventional agriculture.
Materials and methodsThis research was conducted in Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Station in Kerman, Iran during 2012–2013. It was carried out in a randomized complete block (RCB) design and had three replications. The current research has been performed to investigate the effects of two different sources of organic fertilizer on spring safflower. Four levels of vermicompost (V: 0, 3, 6 and 9 t ha-1) were considered in the main plots. Liquid humic acid at four different concentrations (HA: 0, 1000, 2000 and 3000 ppm) were examined and kept in the subplots. Humic acid as a foliar treatment on leaf surface was applied twice at the beginning of stem elongation and at flowering times. In this study, aimed to compare organic farming with conventional farming, inorganic fertilization was considered as a conventional agriculture (CA) for each replication. Growth indices were assessed based on the growing degree days (GDD). After harvested, the head number per plant, seed number per head, 1000 seed weight and seed yield were evaluated. Also, two separate statistical analyses were used for comparison organic treatments with each other and conventional agriculture with organic treatments.
Results and discussionThe results showed that the maximum LAI, TDW and CGR have been determined at 9 t ha-1 vermicompost and 3000 ppm humic acid in CA. Likewise, the results indicated that vermicompost leads to a significant increase in seed yield, flower yield and yield components except 1000 seed weight. Head number per plant, seed number per head and seed yield were affected by humic acid treatments and increased significantly from 1000 to 3000 ppm. However, 1000 seed weight decreased with the increasing concentration of humic acid. It should be mentioned that, 9 t ha-1 vermicompost and 3000 ppm humic acid produced the highest head number per plant (24.75), seed number per head (56.71) and seed yield (4268.17 kg ha-1) in two years that in comparison with CA were increased 79.22%, 30.37% and 89.49%, respectively.
ConclusionThe results of this study indicated that acceptable yield was obtained with increasing HA concentration at lower levels of vermicompost compared to the higher amount of vermicompost without HA that is economically beneficial. For example, application of 6 t ha-1 vermicompost 3000 ppm HA had higher seed yield (3027.08 kg ha-1) than 9 t ha-1 vermicompost without foliar application of HA (2722.5 kg ha-1), although there was no significant difference between them.

The Sahandi savory (Satureja sahendica Bornm.) is a native medicinal species of Iran, which is exposed to extinction. Organic farming of this species in low input systems has an important role to protect this valuable genetic reserve. To evaluate the essential oil content and components of the savory in natural habitat and field conditions, an experiment was conducted to investigate the plant growth responses to different fertilizer and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) density (0, 6, 12 and 18 plants/m2) in two planting patterns (rectangles, zigzag). The experiment was carried out in factorial based on RCBD with three replications at the Qazvin Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center during 2010 to 2012. The nutrient treatments included NPK plus foliar application of micronutrients, four tons/ha vermicompost, two tons/ha vermicompost plus 40 liters/ha vermi-tea (liquid formulation of vermicompost). At the flowering stage, the essential oil content and compounds were measured in both samples of field and natural habitats. The effect of planting pattern was not significant. The highest content of essential oils in first harvest (28.38%) and in second harvest (46.04%) were obtained from organic fertilizer treatments, two tons vermicompost 40 liters vermin-tea and four tons vermicompost, respectively. These treatments were superior to the savory harvested from natural habitats. The essential oil content of savory under competition of redroot pigweed at all densities were higher than the natural habitats and the highest content in first and second harvest (30.41% and 51.80%) was obtained at 18 plants/m2 pigweed density. In all fertilizer treatments, the content of thymol in comparison to natural habitats (38.49%) was superior and the highest content (42.95%) was obtained with application of four tons vermicompost. In the absence of weed, the Sahandi savory produced the greatest content of thymol (45.18%) compared to the savory grown in natural habitats.

Worldwide interest in potato as a valuable crop for food security is increasing (Camire et al., 2009) and nitrogen (N) nutrition is the main factor determining growth and final yield of potato crops (Bangemann et al., 2014). Nitrogen deficiency limits crop growth, whereas nitrogen excess is often leached into the environment and results in pollution (Hu et al., 2014). Farmyard manure is another source of nitrogen and other nutrients which can decrease the demand for chemical fertilizers. The goal of this study was to investigate effects of using chemical fertilizers and farmyard manure on vegetative growth and tuber yield of potato in order to produce healthy potato crops and efficient utilization of chemical fertilizers and farmyard manure.
A field experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the Ardabil area in 2013. The experimental treatments included: a control treatment; application of 326 Kg ha-1, 652 kg ha-1 and 978 kg ha-1 of chemical urea fertilizer; application of 21.1 ton ha-1, 42.3 ton ha-1 and 63.5 ton ha-1 of sheep manure; and application of 27.6 ton ha-1, 55.2 ton ha-1 and 82.9 ton ha-1 of cow manure. The fertilizing was done based on the application of 150, 300 and 450 Kg of nitrogen per hectare, respectively. During the growth season, date of emergence, flowering, tuber formation, and at harvesting time, the number of stems per plant, plant height, shoot dry weight and, finally, yield and yield components were measured.
According to the results, yield, yield components and phenological and morphological traits were all significantly influenced by the fertilizer treatments. Increased urea and farmyard manure application delayed full flowering and maturity compared with the unfertilized treatment. The application of cow manure (82.9 ton ha-1) and chemical fertilizer (978 kg ha-1) increased the duration of maturity by about 6.67 and 6.25 percent in comparison to the control, respectively, while emergence was accelerated by increasing farmyard manure. The effect of treatments on the number of stems per plant was significant (P : In general, manures were remarkably superior to chemical fertilizer with respect to growth and yield of potato; the highest yield, weight as well as number of tubers were produced under treatment with 42.3 ton ha-1 and 63.5 ton ha-1 of sheep manure. Hence, this treatment could be considered instead of continuous use of chemical fertilizers as a shift towards sustainable agriculture and to reduce pollution from chemical fertilizers.

Water is one of the main inputs for any agricultural system and crop production is highly correlated with the plant water availability. Long-term outputs in agro-ecosystems are highly related to soil water content (Allen et al.¡ 1998) Under water deficit conditions plant nutrition management¡ specifically nitrogen which is one of the most important nutrients and a key factor in achieving optimum yield and quality of sunflower¡ is very important. Recently new organic sources such as Zeoponix¡ Vermicompost and Zeocopmost have been used in some organic farms. In sustainable agricultural systems nitrogen should be a flow in a closed system (Basso et al.¡ 2005). Our objective was therefore to study the effect of different soil fertility systems on yield and yield components of sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) under different irrigation regimes.
The experiment was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture of Tarbiat Modares University Treatments were arranged as spilt plots based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Irrigation regimes included: irrigation after consuming 30% (I1)¡ irrigation after consuming 50% (I2) and irrigation after consuming 70% (I3) of available soil moisture; these were randomly arranged as the main plots and subplots were different fertilizer types. These included: providing 100% N of plant requirement from urea chemical fertilizer (F1)¡ from urea chemical fertilizer cattle manure (F2)¡ zeocompost (F3)¡ vermicompost (F4)¡ zeoponix (F5)¡ zeocompost vermicompost (F6) zeocompost zeoponix (F7) and vermicompost zeoponix (F8). Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) probes with tube access (TRIME-FM¡ England) were used to measure soil water content.
The results showed that different irrigation regimes and fertilizer treatments and their interactions significantly affected grain yield¡ oil percentage and yield¡ protein percentage¡ 1000 grain weight¡ head diameter¡ grain number per head¡ and final dry matter. In the complete irrigation treatment¡ the highest grain yield was obtained from an integrated organic nutrition system with an average grain yield of 2604¡ 2440 and 2627 kg ha-1¡ respectively¡ from F6¡ F7 and F8. Under water deficit stress regimes irrigation after consuming 50 and 70 percent of available soil moisture)¡ the highest grain yield was obtained from the high zeolite content organic nutrition systems (F3¡ F5 and F7). In complete irrigation treatment¡ the highest grain oil content was gained from vermicompost content organic nutrition systems (49.8%¡ 47.6% and 47.4%) while¡ under moderate and severe water deficit stress regimes¡ the highest grain content was obtained from high zeolite content organic nutrition systems. Zeolite increases the plant quantitative and qualitative yield by providing a higher level of nutrients and moisture in oil. Based on the findings of this research¡ in a full irrigation regime the best source of nitrogen supply in sunflower cultivation was an integrated organic nutrition system. Also¡ under water deficit conditions zeolite amended organic composts provided better moisture levels for plant and increased yield and seed oil content¡ in addition to supply more nitrogen amounts.
This study has demonstrated that the combined application of organic fertilizers like Vermicompost¡ Zeoponix and Zeocompost can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in agro-ecosystems in addition to producing healthy products with an acceptable performance.

The accumulation of nitrate and nitrite in food and their effects on health is an issue that is still being studied and discussed (Jun et al., 2013), including the toxic effects of nitrate, nitrite formed from nitrate reduction by bacterial enzymes (Mensinga et al., 2003). Nitrite in the stomach can lead to N-nitrosamine compounds that have proven health hazards (Jeffrey et al., 2012). Nitrate accumulation is often dependent on the amount and type of nutrients in the soil, which is now due to the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and reduce nitrate to nitrite during storage threatens the health of human society (Zhou et al., 2000). Therefore, study of the effect of nitrogen from manure and chemical sources on yield and tuber quality is the main goal of this research in order to improve dry matter accumulation and quality
A field experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the Ardabil area during 2013. The experimental treatments included: a control treatment; application of 326 kg ha-1, 652 kg ha-1 and 978 kg ha-1 of chemical urea fertilizer; application of 21.1 ton ha-1, 42.3 ton ha-1 and 63.5 ton ha-1 of sheep manure; and application of 27.6 ton ha-1, 55.2 ton ha-1 and 82.9 ton ha-1 of cow manure. The fertilizing was done based on application of 150, 300 and 450 Kg of nitrogen per hectare, respectively. Nitrite and nitrate concentrations in tubers were determined using the diazo method with a spectrophotometer in accordance with standard methods of the Soil and Water Research Institute, at harvest time, 20 and 40 days after harvest
In general, the manures were remarkably superior to chemical fertilizer with respect to tuber yield. Application of 42.3 ton ha-1 and 63.5 ton ha-1 of sheep manure increased tuber yield to 42.37 ton ha-1 and 44.78 ton ha-1, respectively. In contrast, as the application amounts of the manures and chemical fertilizer increased, it led to a decrease in percentage of tuber dry matter. Treatment with 27.6 ton ha-1 of cow manure produced the highest percentage of dry matter in tuber. The effect of number of days after harvest was not significant on accumulation of nitrite, whereas it was significant on the accumulation of nitrate. In general, as the days after harvest increased, so did the accumulation of nitrite. Thus, nitrate concentrations measured in the last stage (40 days after harvest) was 1.63 mg kg-1 dry weight, about 5.8 and 1.2 fold higher compared with the first and second period, respectively. The highest application of chemical fertilizer produced higher accumulations of nitrate (879.90 mg kg-1) and nitrite (3.62 mg kg-1) than all the other treatments. In general, as the amounts of nitrogen increased in the fertilizer treatments, so did the accumulation of nitrate and nitrite; while the accumulations were lower with application of the manures than with application of chemical fertilizer. Accumulation of nitrate in the soil regardless of the type of nitrogen fertilizer had close relationship with the increased consumption. Most soil nitrate accumulation was observed with the application of sheep manure (63.5 ton ha-1); while the lowest levels of nitrate accumulation was observed in plots where cow manure (27.6 ton ha-1) and sheep manure (21.1 ton ha-1) were applied and had no significant difference with control plots
Increased application of both manures and chemical fertilizer led to an increase in soil nitrate, a decrease in the percentage of tuber dry matter and accumulation of nitrate and nitrite in potato tuber; the accumulations were lower with the application of the manures than with application of chemical fertilizer. The highest accumulation of nitrate was found to be in 40 days after harvest. Therefore, by reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizers, especially chemical fertilizers, and by optimizing storage conditions, the accumulation of nitrate and nitrite in potato tubers can be decreased.

In order to study the effects of zeolite, bio and organic fertilizers on the growth, yield and yield components of German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) in organic cultivation, an experiment was conducted at the research field of Tarbiat Modares University in 2005. The factors were PGPR inoculums (inoculated and no inoculated), zeolite (0 and 9 ton/ha) and vermicompost (0, 5, 10 ton/ha). The experimental design was factorial in a randomized complete blocks design with twelve treatments and three replications. Mean comparison was carried out using Duncan’s multiple range test (at 5% level). Results showed that the highest value of flower yield (358.13), biological yield (1572.09), number of flower per plant (61.09), flower diameter (21.84) and height (45.51) were obtained with PGPR inoculums. Zeolite also showed significant effects on mentioned traits except flower diameter and harvest index. With increasing of vermicompost levels, all traits were increased as the highest value of flower yield (434.22), biological yield (1814.30), number of flower per plant (72.71), flower diameter (22.35) and height (47.91) were obtained with application of 10 ton/ha vermicompost. In addition, there were positive and synergistic interactions between vermicompost combined with PGPR and vermicompost combined with zeolite on dry flower yield, as the highest flower yield was obtained in v3b2 and v3z2 treatments with 448.73 and 448.7kg/ha, respectively.

Sage, a popular medicinal plant, is widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. This research was aimed to study the effects of organic and biological fertilizers on physiological characteristics, yield, and essential oil content of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) under different moisture conditions. The study was conducted in a field experiment in split-plot design with 15 treatments and three replications at Tarbiat Modares University in 2012. Treatments included three irrigation levels (irrigation after depletion of 40% available water, irrigation after depletion of 60% available water, and irrigation after depletion of 80% available water) and five different soil fertility systems (control (no fertilizer) (F0), chemical fertilizer (urea) (Ur), nitrogen fixing bacteria (NFB), vermicompost (V), vermicompost nitrogen fixing bacteria (Vぐ), allocated to main plots and subplots, respectively. Results indicated that the irrigation regimes had significant effect (p 0.01) on all measured traits. Chlorophyll a, b, and dry matter declined with increasing of water stress, but sugar, proline and essential oil content increased. Results showed that the highest values of all measured traits were related to the vermicompost nitrogen fixing bacteria treatment. In addition, results showed that the highest essential oil percentage (1.10%) and essential oil yield (20.50 l ha-1) were obtained in vermicompost nitrogen fixing bacteria treatment under moderate drought stress (I2).

The application of organic fertilizer is one of the fundamentals of sustainable farming systems to provide nutrients for plants in order to eliminate or reduce the chemical inputs consumption substantially. This research investigate the effects of various levels of vermicompost (V: zero, 3, 6 and 9 t.ha-1) and foliar application of humic acid (HA: 0, 1000, 2000 and 3000 ppm) on the physicochemical properties of soil after harvesting spring safflower (Local variety of Isfahan) in Kerman during the 2012-2013 growing seasons. The experiment was performed based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Vermicompost and humic acid were considered as 16 integrated organic treatments. In addition, a chemical treatment (NPK: 75, 50 and 50 kg.ha- 1 and 1000 ppm iron and zinc as foliar spraying) was considered as conventional agriculture (CA). At the end of the second year, some physical and chemical properties of soil were evaluated. With an increase in the amount of V and foliar concentration of KH, the bulk density, EC and pH of the soil were reduced significantly whilst porosity percentage and organic carbon in soil were increased in comparison with the CA. The results indicated that the mean values of porosity percentage and organic carbon in the organic treatments of 3 and 6 t.ha-1 V + 3000 ppm HA were increased significantly in comparison with 9 t.ha-1 V without foliar spraying of HA, while they had the lower bulk density and EC averages. These results are important economically.

In order to study the different nutritional systems on grain yield and yield components of corn (S.C.704) in different levels of biofertilizers, the experiment was conducted at the research farm faculty of agriculture, Tarbiat Modarres University during 2010. The experiment was conducted factorial design base on Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Treatments were include five different nutritional systems: A1 (8 ton ha-1 organic fertilizer), A2 (6 ton ha-1 organic fertilizer + 46 kg ha-1 net nitrogen), A3 (4 ton ha-1 organic fertilizer + 92 kg ha-1 nitrogen), A4 (2 ton ha-1 organic fertilizer + 138 kg ha-1 nitrogen) and A5 (184 kg ha-1 nitrogen) and biofertilizer (nitrogen fixation bacteria include Azotobacter and Azospirillium) at two levels included: B1 (inoculation) and B2 (non-inoculation). The results showed that amount grain yield and harvest index at A3 nutritional systems was obtained 10 ton ha-1 and 46.72 percent, respectively. In seeds inoculated (B1) grain yield and yield components were higher than the control, So that grain yield and 1000-seed weight in inoculated treatments 9.7 ton ha-1 and 205.4 g respectively. With biofertilizer (B1) amount of leaf area index (LAI), seed yield and harvest index was obtained 7.75, 9.78 ton ha-1, and 44.10 percent, respectively.According to the results grain yield were the better in the combination of biofertilizers and A3 nutritional systems of organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers (10.56 ton ha-1) than when used alone.

Regarding to the important role of weed management، soil fertility and organic farming of the medicinal plants، in this research، the effect of different levels of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexux L.) density on growth and yield of sahendi savory (Satureja sahendica Bornm.) was studied in several fertility regimes including vermicompost with complete and decreased amount of conventional fertilizers. Experiment was carried out using randomized complete block design with factorial arrangement of treatments with three replicates in Esmaeil Abad Station of Agriculture and Natural Resoursec Research Organization of the Qazvin province during 2010-2012. Fertility factors included NPK plus micro nutrients spraying in first and second year (CF)، vermicompost (4 t/ha) in first year (V4)، vermicompost (2 t/ha) in first year plus liquid vermitea (40 L/ha) in second year (V2T). Redroot pigweed density levels included 0، 6، 12، and 18 plants per square meter (W0، W6، W12 and W18). Results showed that in first year main effect of fertilizer on shoot weight، and main effect of weed interference on essential oil (p<0. 05) and shoot weight (p<0. 01) were significant. Weed dry weight significantly (p<0. 01) was influenced by weed density in both years of the experiment. The highest percentage of savory essential oil was obtained at 2 t/ha vermicompost+vermitea in no weed treatment. Sixteen compounds were identified in the essential oil of savory of which thymol، р-cymene and γ-trepinene were the most important ones. According to the results of the essential oil analysis، treatment of 4 t/ha vermicompost in weed free condition increased thymol production. However، thymol decreased and р-cymene increased in response to the existence of weeds.

In order to assess the effects of organic and inorganic nitrogen sources on yield of some winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) varieties, soil physicochemical properties and available nutrient elements such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, zinc, copper and sulphur, two field experiments were carried out during 2008 - 2010 cropping seasons as factorial arrangement in randomized complete blocks design in three replications at the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Markazi Province, Arak, by using two factors of nitrogen sources at three levels of Azocompost, 50% Azocompost plus 50% urea, 100% urea and three rapeseed varieties including Okapi, Modena and Licord. Nitrogen sources were utilized such that a net quantity of 150 kg N/ha was added to the soil. The results showed that there were significant differences between the nitrogen sources for seed yield and soil properties including moisture weight, bulk density, soil electrical conductivity, pH, organic matter, saturation percentage, porosity percentage and infiltration velocity at 1% probability level. The rapeseed varieties had significant differences for seed yield and soil properties such as bulk density, electrical conductivity, organic matter, porosity percentage and also for the availability of nitrogen, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese and sulphur elements in the soil. In these experiments, the Licord variety showed a greater yield (3847 kg/ha) at integrated nutrition system compared to the other treatments. In addition, the availability of Fe, Mn, Zn and S in soil solution were increased, but the availability of K was decreased. In this research, the integrated application of Azocompost and Urea fertilizers, increased seed yield of Licord cultivar and improved the most of soil properties. Therefore, the integrated nutrition (50% Azocompost plus 50% urea) and extension of Licord variety cultivation area could be recommended for the rapeseed yield enhancement.

In order to compare the seed yield of 15 winter rapeseed (Brassics napus L.) genotypes, a field experiment were performed in 2006-7 and 2007-8 cropping seasons in Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Markazi Province, Arak, Iran. Rapeseed genotypes were compared in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Means comparison showed that Licord (3795 kg ha-1), Modena (3655 kg ha-1) and Okapi (3277 kg ha-1) genotypes had the highest seed yield, respectively. In the second phase of this research, in order to evaluate the effects of sulphur (S) rates on seed yield and accumulation of macro nutrient in seeds of high yielding rapeseed genotypes, a field experiment carried out as factorial arrangement based on randomized complete block design with three replications, during 2008-9 and 2009-10 cropping seasons at the same site. Treatments were three rapeseed varieties (Okapi, Modena and Licord) and three rates of sulphur (0, 40 and 80 kg ha-1).The interaction effect between sulphur*variety was significant for seed yield and other measured traits. The combination of 40 kg ha-1 Sulphur*Okapi showed the highest seed yield and seed nitrogen content. Greatest seed phosphorus and potassium content was observed in Modena cultivar and S2 treatment (40 kg S ha-1). Licord cultivar showed the highest ratio of seed sulphur content at control and different rates of sulphur utilization in comparison with other vareties. In general, it is presumed that utilization of 40 kg S ha-1 can enhance seed yield and seed macro nutrient content, related to rapeseed genotype.

There are many rainfall variations in dry lands so the applicationof a Supplemental Irrigation (SI) system may result in increased seed yield. Dry land pulses are grown without chemical fertilizers. Since the root of pulse has a nitrogen-fixation ability, improving the biological conditions and moisture content can increase seed yield. The effect of seed inoculation with phosphate-solubilizing-bacteria (PSB) and Arbascular Mycorrhizae fungi (AM) on yield and water use efficiency of lentil was examined under conditions of SI. This study was performed at the Rainfed Agricultural Research Station in Northern Khorasan over two years with four replications in a split plot design. Three levels of irrigation were appliedas the main factor including: no irrigation, a single irrigation at planting and one at the flowering stage. The application of biological materials at three levels as sub factor was consideredincluding: no use of biological materials, seed inoculation with PSB, and a mixture of PSB and AM. The results showed that SI had significant effect on some traits including seed yield, biological yield, harvest index (HI), evapotranspiration (ET), water use efficiency (WUE), and N and P seed content. Biological materials only caused a significant effect on ET, WUE and P seed content and no significant interaction was observedbetween these factors in the two years. Irrigation at flowering stage increased seed yield 20% more than irrigation at the planting stage.The use of biological materials in conjunction with irrigation had no effect on seed yield. Water use efficiency in rainfed conditions diminished with the use of PSB while using of mycorrhizal fungi was important, especially due to positive effects on water use efficiency and, throughout mycorrhizae, enhanced sustainability of plant production.

In recent years, surplus usage of chemical fertilizers and inattention the importance organic matter to improve soil fertility, leading to increasing use of chemical fertilizer, environmental pollution and etc. In order to study the different fertilizer levels (organic, chemical and combined) on yield of grain corn (S.C.704) experiment was conducted at the Research Farm Faculty of Agriculture Tarbiat Modarres University 2010 growing season factorial treatment were arranged in manner based on randomized complete block design with three replications. One factor include of the five nutritional systems: 1- (8 ton ha-1 of organic fertilizer), 2- (6 ton ha-1 of organic fertilizer + 46 kg ha-1 nitrogen), 3- (4 ton ha-1 of organic fertilizer + 92 kg/ha nitrogen), 4- (2 ton ha-1 of organic fertilizer + 138 kg ha-1 nitrogen) and 5- (184 kg ha-1 nitrogen) and second factor consisting of: 1- (Seed inoculation with free living nitrogen fixation bacteria) and 2- (Non-inoculated seed). The results showed that the experimental treatments had a significant effect on the traits measured. Maximum leaf area (7.7), grain yield (1000 g m-2), thousand grain weight (213 g) and protein percent (11 percent) of A3 fertilizer level and the highest plant height and biological yield amount 256 cm and 22 ton ha-1 of A4 fertilizer level, respectively. Also in seeds inoculated with biological fertilizer measured traits had greater extent than treatment control (no inoculation), so that the leaf area (7.7), plant height (252 cm), grain yield (978 g m-2), thousand grain weight (205 g), biological yield (22 ton ha-1) and protein percent (10 percent) in the inoculated treatments (one). According to the results that obtained the usage from of bio-fertilizers and manure combined with chemical is considered as appropriate procedure for increasing the yield and quality of corn.

In order to evaluation the effect of different strategies for soil fertilization on absorption and metabolism of biological nitrogen fixation in Chickpea, a field experiment was carried out in Sanandaj Agriculture Research Station of Iran in 2007 and 2008 growing seasons. Experimental units were arranged in split-split plots based on randomized complete blocks with three replications. Main plots consisted of (G1): establishing a mixed vegetation of green manure and (G2): control, as green manure levels. Also, five strategies for obtaining the base fertilizer requirement including (N1): 20 t.ha-1 farm yard manure; (N2): 10 t.ha-1 compost; (N3): 75 kg.ha-1 triple super phosphate; (N4): 10 t.ha-1 farm yard manure & 5 t.ha-1 compost and (N5): 10 t.ha-1 farm yard manure & 5 t.ha-1 compost & 50 kg.ha-1 triple super phosphate were considered in split plots. Four levels of biofertilizers including (B1): Bacillus lentus and Pseudomonas putida; (B2): Trichoderma harzianum; (B3): Bacillus lentus and Pseudomonas putida & Trichoderma harzianum; and (B4): control, (without biofertilizers) were arranged in split-split plots. Results showed that green manure, basal fertilizers and biofertilizers had a significant effect on leaf and grain nitrogen content. Green manure increased leaf and grain nitrogen contents by 18% and 7% respectively. Leaf chlorophyll and maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II significantly affected by different soil fertility methods. Green manure significantly increased leaf chlorophyll content. Highest nodule weight, nodule number and nitrogen fixation was obtained in G1N4B3 treatment. Combined application of compost, farmyard manure and biofertizers increased dry weight of roots. Green manure had a significant effect on chickpea biomass. Highest grain yield was obtained in G1N5B3 treatment.