سعیده ملکی فراهانی

The dragon's head, with the scientific name Lallemantia sp, is one of the medicinal plants of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Dragon's head is a plant that has various uses due to its medicinal and industrial properties as well as its use in agriculture. This plant is used in sustainable agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. Drought is one of the most important issues in the cultivation of medicinal plants in arid and semi-arid conditions. Because one of the factors that may have a significant adverse effect on plant growth is water scarcity. In contrast, the ability of plant species to tolerate water deficit and wet conditions varies, and this characteristic is usually used to identify drought-tolerant species. Dragon’s head ability to produce in dry conditions shows the flexibility and adaptability of this plant in drought stress conditions. In summary, weather conditions greatly impact the production and effectiveness of medicinal plants by affecting the levels of active substances. Changes in sowing dates influence plant density and water availability during growth. Effective irrigation planning, considering factors like water use efficiency, seed yield, and overall water utilization, is crucial for maximizing plant growth and economic performance. By considering weather conditions, adjusting sowing dates, and implementing efficient water management strategies, farmers can enhance water use efficiency, economic performance, and the overall quality of medicinal plant production. Considering the lack of information about the response of different dragon head species in autumn and spring sowing under arid and semi-arid conditions, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of sowing date on yield and quantitative and qualitative traits of dragon's head (L. iberica) and lady's mantle (L. royleana) in dry and semi-dry conditions. To investigate the effect of planting date on the yield, quantitative and qualitative traits of the dragon’s head (L. royleana and L. iberica) under dryland condition, a factorial experiment was conducted in the form of a randomized complete block design in three replications. The first factor was two types of Lallemantia (L. royleana and L. iberica), and the second factor was the planting date (November 29 and March 8, respectively, as autumn and spring sowing). The results showed that the simple effect of species on the thousand seed weight at the 5% probability level, number of sub-branches was significant, mucilage percentage and mucilage yield at the 1% probability level. So, the number of sub-branches and mucilage percentage in L. royleana increased by 121.7% and 88.6%, respectively, compared to L. iberica. Also, by examining the simple effect of sowing date (autumn and spring), the number of sub-branches increased at the 5% probability level. Plant height, seed yield, biological yield, harvest index, mucilage yield, and water use efficiency increased at the 1% probability level at the autumn sowing date compared to the spring sowing date. In this regard, grain yield and water use efficiency on the autumn sowing date showed an increase of 125.8% and 126.6%, respectively, compared to the spring sowing date. In addition, the mucilage yield and harvest index in the autumn sowing of L. royleana were 271.3% and 36.6% higher, respectively, than the spring sowing of L. iberica. In general, the sowing date of 29 November (autumn sowing) due to the length of the season, favorable temperature, humidity, and sufficient rainfall compared to 8 March (spring sowing) can be considered suitable for both (L. royleana and L. iberica) dragon's head species under dryland condition. In addition, considering the soil salinity conditions in this study and the increase in mucilage of L. royleana species compared to the L. iberica species, it is necessary to carry out additional research in field condition.

Production of high-quality seeds is a major concern in the agriculture industry. The lifespan of a seed, which can extend over several decades, is essential for safeguarding the plant's genetic resources. Storage conditions, including seed moisture level, relative humidity, gases (such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide), and temperature, are the primary factors that determine seed lifespan. Among these aging treatment, oxygen has the most detrimental effect on seed germination, storage metabolic activities, and enzyme activity of dried seeds. Lalemantia iberica and Lallemantia royleana seeds contain high levels of fatty acids, especially linolenic acid (56-67%), which have significant beneficial effects on health. However, a large number of L. iberica and L. royleana seeds deteriorate due to inadequate storage conditions by most farmers. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of different storage conditions, especially natural and controlled aging, aging with oxygen, and nitrogen on germination, chemical activities, metabolic reserves, and enzymatic activities of dry L. iberica and L. royleana seeds.

A factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with four replications was carried out in the seed science laboratory at the Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid University in 2021. The experimental treatments included storage environments (control, natural aging, controlled aging, and aging with oxygen and nitrogen pressure) and plant species (Lallemantia iberica and Lallemantia royleana).

The results indicated that aging with oxygen had the most detrimental impact on the germination rate, seed germination, reservoirs content, and the activity of alpha and beta amylase enzymes, compared with controlled and natural aging in both species. Conversely, the highest levels of electrical conductivity, hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation, and saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were observed in dry seeds stored under oxygen aging conditions. In comparison to artificial aging (controlled aging and oxygen aging), seeds stored under natural aging conditions exhibited the highest germination rate, storage compound content, and α amylase enzyme activity. Throughout the storage process, it was observed that the deterioration rate was higher in the dry seeds of L. iberica compared with L. royleana.

Aging with oxygen can be regarded as a rapid artificial aging method for assessing the longevity of dry seeds. Conversely, the use of low temperature and humidity conditions in natural aging can be considered a practical method for preserving the quality and longevity of seeds. Due to their high content of storage compounds (sucrose, starch, and total sugar content), L. royleana seeds can be stored for extended periods.

Wheat, as the most important product in the food basket of Iranians, providing more than 40 percent of the daily energy of each person, is an irreplaceable and plays important role in cultivation pattern. Due to the position of this crop in food security, investigating the effects of various factors affecting the yield as well as estimating the potential yield and yield gap can significantly help the planning ability of agricultural sector managers. 

In this research, World Food Studies (WOFOST) model was used to estimate the potential yield of irrigated wheat in Qazvin Plain of Iran. The meteorological statistics were converted into the standard unit required by the model using mathematical models, and the field observations were used to calculate yield gap, and also ARCGIS was used for yield gap and actual yield maps generation. 

The model performance was statistically evaluated using coefficient of determination (R2) t-test, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE/RMSEn), Maximum Error (ME) and coefficient of Efficiency (E). The results showed that the WOFOST model had a sufficient efficiency for predicting the concerned indicators. The average potential yield of irrigated wheat in the studied area (2013-2022) was about 8.6 tons per hectare and the yield gap was 51 percent.

Finally, the WOFOST model was evaluated to be accurate and efficient for estimating the potential yield of irrigated wheat in the studied area, and among the known influencing factors on yield, annual rainfall and soil quality effect on potential yield achievement significantly, also the production gap reducing. Therefore, in the future breeding programs for wheat, focusing on cultivars with higher water use efficiency and higher fertilizer use efficiency can ensure a sustainable food security in Iran.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important legumes in the world (Keifer, 2018). After India, Australia, and Pakistan, Iran has taken the fourth rank in terms of chickpea cultivation area, and the decrease in rainfall and especially the plant's exposure to heat and drought stress at the end of the season is the reason for the decrease in crop yield (SabaghPour et al., 2010; FAO, 2018). In general, drought stress and its relationship with the reduction of yield and its components in crops plants can be primarily attributed to the closing of stomata in response to low soil water content, during which the entry of carbon dioxide into the leaf is reduced, and as a result, it causes a reduction in photosynthesis.

In order to investigate the effect of irrigation regimes on the yield and yield components of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an experiment was conducted at the research farm of Shahed University during 2021–2022 as a split plot design in the form of random complete blocks. The first factor is irrigation systems at three levels: 1) supplementary irrigation (Irrigation at two sowing times and before flowering based on 20% available soil water, 2) complete or control irrigation (irrigation based on 20% available soil water), 3) Low irrigation regime (irrigation based on 40% available soil water) is the second factor of autumn (November 15) and spring (March 15) sowing dates. Irrigation was carried out in the form of streams and stacks, and the ends of the plots were completely closed to prevent water from escaping. Data analysis and calculations related to simple Pearson correlation coefficients between traits were performed with SAS (ver 9.4) and SPSS (ver 23) software, respectively, and the average of treatments was compared by LSD test at a statistical level of 5%. The graphs were drawn using Excel software.

The results of the variance analysis of the interaction between irrigation regime and planting date showed that there is a significant difference between the traits of number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, plant height, number of seeds per plant, harvest index, biological yield and seed yield. The results of comparing the averages also showed the highest number of branches per plant (9.83), the number of pods per plant (30.5), plant height (51.08) cm, and the number of seeds per plant (26.66). The harvest index was 0.48 percent, the biological yield was 4670 kg ha-1, and the seed yield was 2384.17 kg ha-1 for the autumn planting date treatment under the autumn irrigation regime (irrigation based on draining 20% of crop capacity moisture). The highest correlations with grain yield were obtained by traits: plant height (r = 0.986**), number of branches per plant (r = 0.966**), harvest index (r = 0.962**), number of seeds per plant (r = 0.961*), biological yield (r = 0.956**), hundred seed weight (r = 0.933**) and number of empty pods per plant (r = 0.880*).

In general, the results of this experiment indicate that the Low irrigation regime is more efficient than Supplementary irrigation in all traits after the control irrigation regime in autumn sowing. Therefore, the Low irrigation regime is suggested as a low irrigation regime suitable for the conditions of the tested region for the sowing of chickpeas in autumn, and in addition, other autumn sowing dates of this variety should be studied.

One of the important challenges in the agricultural sector is the low use efficiency of chemical fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizers, as well as the competition of weeds with crops. In this regard, it is important to use management solutions to reduce the use of chemical inputs. To increase the quality level of food used by humans while reducing environmental pollution. One of the management solutions is the use of controlled-release fertilizers. Considering the desire to increase the quantity and quality of the coriander plant and also to identify the best-studied genotype, research was conducted in this field to investigate the effect of different sources of nitrogen fertilizer and the competition of weeds in the region on the agricultural and medicinal properties of different genotypes of coriander. 

The experiment was carried out in factorial form based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in the teaching and research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture Shahed University of Tehran in the 2019 season. An experimental treatment consisted of three factors including: 1) nitrogen fertilizer sources (Control treatment: without nitrogen fertilizer; SCU: with rate of N, 70 kg ha-1, and urea: with rate of N, 70 kg ha-1), 2) genotypes (Nahavandi, Pishgam and, Ethiopia), and 3) weeding (weedy and weeding by hand). The experimental plot size was 2×2 m2 dimensions with a plant spacing of 25 cm ×10 cm. A space of 1.5 m between plots and 2 m between blocks were maintained. At the end of the growth period, coriander plants of 1 m2 per plot were harvested, and fruit yield per plot was measured. Also, in the plots under weed competition, the competition index was evaluated. Sampling of weeds was done in two stages (in the growing stage of the main plant and another in the ripening stage of the seeds) using quadrats of 30 x 30 cm and the abundance and biomass of each plot was calculated. To evaluate the percentage of the essential oil of coriander seeds, the Clevenger device was used with the steam distillation method to identify and determine the essential oil compounds extracted from the gas chromatography device.

Related to the competitive indices, results showed that, the Pishgam genotype had the highest ability to withstand competition (%), and the lowest yield loss (%), and, the Nahandi genotype had the lowest ability to withstand competition (%) and the highest yield loss (%). It seems that the Pishgam genotype was more successful in competing with weeds due to its early maturity and higher germination rate. So, it has a higher ability to tolerate weed competition than other genotypes. Regarding fruit yield, the findings of this experiment revealed a significant increase in yield with the application of nitrogen fertilizer in the weeded plots. Additionally, the Ethiopian genotype exhibited the highest fruit yield among the weeded plots. However, the fruit yield of genotypes did not show significant differences in the un-weeded plots. This suggests that weed competition significantly limited fruit yield compared to the inherent characteristics of the genotypes assessed in this trial. Ethiopian genotype showed the highest percentage of essential oil in all nitrogen fertilizer sources. In the Pishgam genotype, the most essential oil was obtained in the sulfur-coated urea treatment but, in the Nahavandi genotype, the most essential oil belonged to the control fertilizer treatment. Due to the difference in the genetic structure of genotypes, various results have been observed, which can be due to the difference in the fertility of different genotypes. Also, the results of this experiment showed that the main composition of coriander essential oil is linalool.

The results showed that N fertilizer and weeding significantly increased seed yield. And the Ethiopian genotype had the highest seed yield and essential oil in weeded plots. Also, the Pishgam genotype had the highest Ability to withstand competition (%) and the lowest Yield loss (%).

 Drought is one of the most important global threats to food production, in addition to that, climate change and the increase in the global population also widen the dimensions of this problem. One of the ways to solve this problem is to create new cultivars with greater tolerance to drought stress. Wheat has been one of the most important sources of human food all over the world and it is used in various food products and processing industries. Wheat together with rice and corn provide more than 60% of calories and protein needed for human nutrition. In areas like Iran, where most of the rain occurs in winter and early spring, wheat will face water shortage and drought stress at the end of the growing season. In crops, one of the effective methods that can minimize the effect of this phenomenon in combination with other methods of water deficit management is the use of high-yielding and drought-tolerant cultivars. Despite the numerous scientific sources published in this field, there are still many gaps in these studies, so studying the effects of drought stress is always a research priority. Ilam province, as one of the irrigated wheat production areas, suffers from the lack of cultivars that are resistant or tolerant to low irrigation conditions, so investigating the response of different wheat genotypes in low irrigation conditions as low input production systems is very important and is addressed in this study. 

In order to evaluate some bread wheat genotypes under normal and drought stress co ditions, 36 wheat genotypes were evaluated in the form of a randomized complete block design in three replicates in the crop year of 2019-2019 in Darehshahr city located in Ilam province. The examined traits include spike length, spike number per plant, spike length, peduncle length, sub-peduncle axis, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, number of stem nodes, plant height, number of spikes per plant, number of seeds per spike, number of seeds per plant. plant, number of tillers, hundred seed weight, single plant seed weight and seed yield. Based on performance under stress (Yp) and normal (Ys), drought tolerance indices such as average productivity tolerance index, harmonic mean, geometric meanproductivity (GMP), stress sensitivity index, stress tolerance index, performance stability index (YSI) and Relative Stability Index (RSI) and Performance Index (YI) were calculated. The mean comparison test was performed using Duncan's method and using R software. Simple correlation (Pearson), decomposition into components, decomposition into factors were also performed between the tested traits. SAS 9.1 statistical software was used for statistical analysis of traits. 

The results of the analysis of variance in drought and normal stress conditions showed that there was a significant difference between genotypes in all traits at the probability level of 1%. The most important significant correlation coefficient in both conditions between seed yield was related to the seed weight of a single plant and the number of seeds per plant. Considering the high and significant correlation of grain yield under stress and non-stress conditions with drought tolerance indices, higher productivity indices, geometric mean productivity (GMP), geometric mean  and stress tolerance index  as the best indicators. were chosen. It seems that in order to evaluate stress tolerance, the selection of genotypes should be based on several indicators. Factor analysis at the drougth stress condition indicated that the two first factors expalined a total of 97. 57% of the variance. The first factor was called the performance stability factor and the second factor was named theStability Factor. The biplot diagram also showed that the genotypes of no. 13 and 47 were placed in the vicinity of the ranges related to drought resistance indices (STI, MP, GMP, and HM) and were introduced as superior genotypes. 

According to the data obtained from analysis of variance in both normal and drought stress conditions, the genotypes were significant in terms of all traits. The significance of the studied traits indicates the existence of diversity between genotypes in terms of the studied traits, and some of these traits can be used to evaluate stress tolerance. The best genotypes had the best averages for peduncle length of genotype 33, for the number of seeds per plant of genotype 5, for seed weight of a single plant and seed yield of genotype 1. The heat map shows the relationship between drought tolerance based on different yield and drought stress toleranceindices. Considering the high and significant correlation of grain yield under stress and non-stress conditions with drought tolerance indices, average productivity indices, GMP, geometric mean and stress tolerance index were selected as the best indices that are able to distinguish tolerant genotypes from other Screen the genotypes. The yield index (YI) had the highest correlation coefficient with grain yield under stress conditions. Based on biplot results, genotypes No. 13 and 47 were the most tolerant genotypes under drought stress conditions more than other genotypes and were introduced as superior genotypes.

Nitrogen is one of the important nutrient elements necessary for the production of agricultural products, but the excessive application of nitrogenous chemical fertilizers and their leaching cause environmental pollution. Crops’ cultivars with high nitrogen use efficiency is one of the environmental friendly aproaches to mitigate this problem.

To evaluate grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency in barley genotypes under low input conditions (without fertilizer application), a field experiment was conducted in research field of the agricultural faculty of Shahed University, Tehran, Iran in 2016-2017 cropping season. Thirty six barley genotypes, purified for three cropping seasons, were planted using simple alpha lattice design with two replications.

The results showed that genotypes; 106, 107, and 68 had the highest grain yield (7963, 7920 and 7900 kg ha-1, respectively), the highest nitrogen use efficiency (58.6, 58.5 and 56.9 kg.kg-1, respectively) and the highest nitrogen uptake efficiency (2, 2 and 2.25 kg.kg-1, respectively). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the three variables of nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen uptake efficiency, and biomass yield explained 98.2% of variation in grain yield. Principle component analysis revealed that barely genotypes divided into four groups. The first group included genotypes; 88, 119, 54, 107, and 68 for nitrogen uptake efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency, grain yield and quality. These genotypes are suitable for low input cropping systems to increase nitrogen use efficiency.

The results of this experiment indicated that further investigations are required for recommendation of barley genotypes with higher nitrogen efficiency and grain yield for low input cropping systems.

This experiment was conducted to to evaluate effect of sowing date and seed hydropriming on, seed cotton yield, lint and seed oil of two cotton cultivars using a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design in three replications at the Research Farm of Shahid University's Faculty of Agriculture in the spring of 2018. The first factor was sowing date with three levels: April 25, May 10 and May 25, the second factor was hydropriming in two levels of control (without priming) and hydro-priming application and the third factor was cultivar with two levels of May344 and Sajidi cultivars.the Results of this study showed that hydropriming had no effects on weight of single boll. The weight of bolls on the sowing date of May 25 compared to April 25 was higher in the condition without priming in both cultivars. But hydropriming increased seed yield. The highest seed yield was obtained with average 11.07 ton/ha in the primed seeds of May344 variety on April 25, which were more 26% increase compared to the non-priming treatment and compared to May 10 and May 25, respectively 9.7 and 28.8 percent. The comparison results of the average sowing date and priming showed that the planting date of 10 May had the highest percentage of seed oil. Highest percentage of oil with an average of 23.4% was observed on this sowing date and in without priming treatment.

Water deficit is as one of the most ominous abiotic factors that limits the growth and yield of crops and reduced photosynthesis content (Askary et al., 2017). The common symptoms determined in plants after encountering water deficit include a hindrance to growth, a reduction in the rate of photosynthesis, an acceleration oxidative stress (Aalipour et al., 2020). A balanced nutrient concentration in the soil is known as another essential element for plant growth regulation (Taghizadeh et al. 2019). This can be supplied by the application of chemical fertilizers (nano iron chelate). Nano iron chelate fertilizer can also protect plants against water deficit stresses and improves photosynthesis and assimilates transportation to sinks and eventually amends grain yield and oil content (Moradbeygi et al., 2020). The aim of this study was to investigate the response of Dragon head (Lalelemantia iberica) and Lady's mantle (Lalelemantia royleana) to the application of nano-chelate fertilizer in different irrigation regimes.

The field trial was conducted at the Research Farm of the Agricultural Faculty of Shahed University, Tehran, during the cropping season of 2018 and 2019. A split-factorial experiment was employed in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The main plot consisted of three-level of irrigation regime (30% (I30; without stress), 60% (I60; mild stress), and 90% (I90; sever stress) depletion of available water resource). The sub plots were factorial combination nano-iron chelate (without fertilizer and nano-iron chelate) and plant species of Lallemantia (L.iberica and L. royleana).

By increasing water deficit reduced, chlorophyll a and b, CAT and APXs enzyme activity, plant height, root length, seed yield, content of mucilage and oil. The reduction of plant growth parameters and seed yield of both species Lallemantia may be due to extended irrigation intervals which caused decline in Chl concentration, stomata closure, and decreased CO2 uptake for photosynthesis (Paravar et al., 2021). Our results showed that the highest chlorophyll a and b, CAT and APXs enzyme activity, plant height, root length, seed yield, content of mucilage and oil was obtained at 60% available water soil of depletion (moderate drought stress). The application nano-iron chelate in all cases mitigated the negative effects of water deficit stress on chlorophyll a and b, CAT and APXs enzyme activity, plant height, root length, seed yield, content of mucilage and oil. Increasing in growth parameters and seed yield under drought stress of Lallemantia species under application of nano-iron chelate condition in drought stress may be due to the role of iron the chlorophyll structure and plant photosynthesis system (Moradbeygi et al., 2020). Indeed application of nano-iron chelate by photosynthesis improvement and material production in the plant causes the increasing growth and yield. (Iqbal and Umar, 2019). In addition, in this study observed nano-iron chalet application played the important role on the increasing of CAT and APXs enzyme activity under drought stress. It has been reported that micronutrients such as iron has a structural role in some enzyme such as CAT and APXs (Moradbeygi et al., 2020). Higher seed yield and seed oil  L.iberica than L.royleana  under application nano-iron chelate and different levels of irrigation regimes may be due to the increasing chlorophyll a and b (Paravar et al., 2022). Compared with L.iberica, the greater CAT and APXs enzyme activity in L.royleana is probably due to the mucilage around roots of L.royleana that has caused the reduction of oxidative stress (Paravar et al., 2021).

Therefore, in general in this research, it can be concluded that under water deficit stress conditions, we can reduce damages from water deficit stress in both species of Lallemantia with careful irrigation management (using an irrigation regime of 60% available water soil of depletion) and application nano-iro chelate.

Lallemnatia ibercia (Dragon’s head) is an annual herb, which belongs to the Lamiaceae family. Nowadays, its seed is widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries due to its high mucilage and oil content. Soil moisture, nutrition, light, and temperature of the maternal environment play an important role in plant growth. However, the effect of soil moisture on yield and seed quality indices is greater during seed development. The positive effects of maternal plant nutrition with mycorrhizal inoculation can influence the quality improvement of the seeds developed under water deficit conditions. The reason for the quality improvement of the seeds developed under mycorrhizal inoculation condition is reported to be their water balance under water deficit conditions and as a result, more absorption of water and nutrients. Nutrient uptake by the maternal plant can play an important role in improving the germination and quality characteristics of the seeds developed under drought stress.

A field experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications at the Seed Science and Technology Laboratory of the College of Agriculture, Shahed University during f 2018-19 and 2019-20 years. Experimental treatments included irrigation regime (30, 60 and 90% of depletion of available soil water (ASW)) and mycorrhizal inoculation (non-inoculation and inoculation).

The results showed that a reduction in soil moisture in the maternal environment decreased germination percentage and seed quality.  Germination percentage (51.20%) germination rate (7%), seed vigor index (27.70%), seedling length (28.3%), seedling dry weight (34.80%), seed mucilage (75.40%), as well as seed nutrients (27.30%), seed oil (14.60%) and catalase (35.25%) and ascorbate peroxidase (25.70%) enzymes activities enhanced in the seeds developed under 60% depletion of available soil water and application of mycorrhizal compared to control (30% depletion of available soil water and without mycorrhizal). Compared with the 30% depletion of available soil water and without mycorrhizal, mean germination time (17%) and lipid peroxidation (41.10%) increased under the 90% depletion of available soil water and without fertilizer mycorrhizal.

According to the results of this study, the irrigation regime of 60% available soil water depletion of maternal plants leads to the reduction of seed quality. However, the nutrition of maternal plants by mycorrhizal inoculation effectively improved the quality of seeds developed under water deficit due to the absorption of water and nutrients.

Germination and seedling growth indices, quality and biochemical characteristics of the Lallemantia iberica seeds developed under different conditions of irrigation regime were investigated.
 The effect of mycorrhiza on nutrient uptake, oil content, and antioxidant enzyme activity of the seeds developed under different irrigation regimes was investigated.
The extent of damage to the lipid structures of cells in the seeds developed under different irrigation regimes and mycorrhiza fertilizer was investigated.

In natural environments, plants are continuously exposed to diverse environmental conditions that may affect plant survival, development and production. Water deficiency considers as one of the most ominous abiotic factors that limits the growth and yield of crops and decreases water use efficiency and photosynthesis rate. Nowadays it is suggested to use bio-fertilizers as a tool to adjust adverse effects of water shortage in soil. Bio-fertilizers containing Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are supposed to use. Some plant species have the ability to form a symbiosis relationship with the Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). AMF can increase growth and yield of plants under water deficiency, and it is one of the most important bio-inoculant that can be used to adjust adverse effects of water stress in plants. AMF-symbiosis considerably increases root colonization which turns into improving water use efficiency. Also, it establishes a platform to increase phosphorus mobility between soil and roots in the rhizosphere. Lallemantia iberica (Dragon’s head) and Lallemantia royleana (Lady’s mantle) are medicinal plants that belong to the Lamiaceae family. Genus Lallemantia seeds contain mucilage, polysaccharide, fiber, oil, protein, and plenty of valuable secondary metabolites. Limited information is availiable about the ability of these two species to make symbiosis relation with AMF under water deficit condition.  Hence, the current study was aimed to evaluate of Lallemantia iberica and Lallemantia royleana inoculated by mycorrhizal in the different irrigation regimes.

The field trial was conducted at the Research Farm of the Agricultural Faculty of Shahed University, Tehran, during the cropping season of 2018 and 2019. A split-factorial experiment was employed in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The main plot consisted of three-level of irrigation regimes (30% (I30; without stress), 60% (I60; mild stress), and 90% (I90; sever stress) depletion of available water resource). The sub plots were factorial combination mycorrhizae (non-inoculation and inoculation of mycorrhizae) and plant species of Lallemantia (L.iberica and L. royleana). 

Increasing water deficit significantly reduced plant height, grain yield, chlorophyll a and b, water use efficiency, root colonization, seed phosphorus, seed mucilage, and seed oil content However, the highest plant height, grain yield, chlorophyll a and b, water use efficiency, root colonization, seed phosphorus, mucilage, and oil seed content obtained at 60% available water soil of depletion (mild stress). The application of mycorrhizae increased plant height, grain yield, chlorophyll a and b, water use efficiency, root colonization, seed phosphorus, seed mucilage, and oil seed content in cross all irrigation regimes. It has been reported that establishment a relationship of symbiotic AMF with roots of host plant, through spreading the hyphae and developing the root system, improves growth and provides more water for plants, which finally this ability leads to the yield, root colonization and water use efficiency. Inoculated and non-inoculated L .royleana had the greatest resistance to different levels of irrigation regimes and mycorrhizal treatments than L. iberica. It has been reported that L. royleana was more tolerant to water deficit in compared to L. iberica  Also the results showed that the highest root colonization was in L. royleana species which was grown under different levels of irrigation regimes and mycorrhizal treatments.

In general in this research, it can be concluded that under water deficit stress conditions, water deficit stress damages can be reduced in both species of Lallemantia with careful irrigation management (using an irrigation regime of 60% available water soil of depletion) and application of mycorrhizae.

The concept of light consumption efficiency is widely used in the analysis of plant growth. Light use efficiency is the amount of dry matter produced (g per square meter) per unit of absorbed radiation (MJ per square meter) by the plant community. Fertilizer management can also play an effective role in increasing the sustainability of production, and one of the main pillars of sustainable agriculture is the use of biological fertilizers in agricultural ecosystems with the aim of eliminating or significantly reducing the consumption of chemical inputs. In a research study, Vejdani Aram et al. (2018) stated that Fertilizer 2 biofertilizer increased the wheat leaf area index by 1.14 to 54%, regardless of the amount of phosphorus chemical fertilizer used. 

In order to evaluate the effects of chemical fertilizer, vermicompost and plant growth promoting bacteria on quantitative and qualitative yields and radiation use efficiency (RUE) of saffron, an experiment was conducted in the saffron research farm of Shahed University, Faculty of Agriculture in 2014-2015.The experiment was performed as a two-factor factorial in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor is chemical nitrogen fertilizer (urea) in three levels of 0, 50 and 100 percentage of the recommended rate of fertilizer based on soil test and the second factor: different types of non-chemical fertilizer in four levels of control, vermicompost (10 tons per hectare), biofertilizer containing Pseudomonas and Bacillus bacteria (PGPR) and a combination of PGPR and vermicompost. It should be noted that the treatments were applied to the saffron plant for year four and this study was conducted in the year fourth. 

In this experiment, the results of the analysis of variance table showed that the main effect of nitrogen chemical fertilizer on the amount of plant dry matter in all three measurement times—the leaf area index in March, the relative growth rate measured in January and March, and the rate of net assimilation—was not significant. In March, light use efficiency, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll became significant. Also, the main effect of non-chemical fertilizer on total dry matter in all three measurements, plant growth rate, and specific leaf area measured in March was significant. The results showed that the interaction of nitrogen and non-chemical chemicals fertilizers on most physiological growth traits, ecological traits (radiation use efficiency) and photosynthetic pigment traits were significant. However, none of the fertilizer treatments and their interaction on the amount of active ingredient of stigma, number of flowers, fresh weight of petals, fresh weight of stigma and weight of flowers were not significant. Comparison of the mean of interaction showed that the highest amount of chlorophyll b was obtained in 50% and 100% treatments (611 mg/ml) and (569 mg/ml) for nitrogen fertilizer along with vermicompost and biofertilizer treatments, respectively. Also, the highest amount of total chlorophyll in 50% and 100% treatments (1367 mg/ml) and (1301 mg/ml) were related to nitrogen fertilizer with biofertilizer, respectively. The results of total dry matter measurement showed that the use of vermicompost at all three levels of nitrogen fertilizer increased the dry matter content almost at each measurement. The highest RUE (1.027 g/mJ) was related to vermicompost treatment with 100% nitrogen fertilizer, which was not significantly different from most other treatments. 

In general, it can be said that the treatment of non-chemical fertilizers (vermicompost) with 100% nitrogen fertilizer provides much better conditions to improve growth and increase the efficiency of radiation Use in saffron. Therefore, due to the fact that Iran is located in a low-water region of the world, it is necessary to implement and study the effect of different non-chemical fertilizers compared to chemical fertilizers on the quantitative and qualitative performance of saffron under minimal irrigation conditions over several years.

The expensive cost of seed storage could be reducing by using suitable genotypes. In order to evaluate the variety of storage potential of barley genotypes an experiment was conducted factorially with three factors as completely randomized design with three replications. The first factor was included eight genotypes with two native barley cultivars, the second factor was three levels of seed moisture content including 7, 14 and 18 percentage and the third was aging duration (three days, one week and four weeks). The results showed that germination decreased with increasing moisture content so that when moisture reached 18% only genotype 3 and 4 germinated after one week storage with 18% moisture content after four weeks storage there was no germination in this moisture level. Total phenolic content and malondialdehyde decreased after four weeks storage with 18% seed moisture content and the genotypes studied, genotype 72747 (8) had the highest amount of phenol and germination percentage (78.33%) during three days of storage with 18% seed moisture.The genotypes 3, 4 from China 7 and 8 from Iran showed anti-oxidant content increment in adverse conditions warehouse which imposed by high seed moisture content and temperature. These genotypes also showed the highest germination and seed vigor after storage.

In order to investigate the effect of mycorrhiza on catalase enzyme activity and growth and qualitative characteristics of Lady's mantle (Lallemantia royleana) under deficit irrigation, experimental based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) was conducted with three replications at Research Farm of the Agricultural College of Shahed University in 2018 and 2019. Experiment treatments included three irrigation regimes (30%, 60% and 90% depletion of available soil water) and mycorrhiza fertilizer (inoculation and non-inoculation). Germination percentage and germination rate, catalase enzyme activity, grain yield, biomass and seed qualitative characteristics decreased by increasing water deficit. The maximum resistance and best responses of plants observed to 60%irrigation regime.  Mycorrhizal inoculation had a significant positive and increasing effect on the catalase enzyme activity, germination traits and qualitative characteristics of Lady's mantle compared to those of non-inoculation plants. The lowest growth, yield, and catalase enzyme activity and qualitative characteristics were observed in non-inoculation plants at 90%. Plants inoculated had more percentage germination (100%), germination rate, seed yield (1333.75 kg / ha), chlorophyll content, percentage of mucilage, phosphorus seed oil and catalase enzyme activity under 60% depletion available soil water compared to non-inoculated plants under other irrigation regimes. Therefore, it can be concluded that Lady's mantle has shown a positive response to symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi under drought stress.

To investigate the effects of sowing date and nitrogen fertilizer on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics and nitrogen efficiency in Lallemantiaiberica (M.Bieb.) Fisch. & C.A.Mey. and Lallemantiaroyleana (Benth.) Benth., an experiment was conducted as a factorial split plot in a randomized complete block design at the Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University. The treatments included the sowing date as the main plot at two levels of autumn and spring sowing, and the nitrogen fertilizer at three levels of 0, 50 (8 kg ha-1), and 100%(16 kg ha-1) and two Lallemantia species as the subplots. The results of analysis of variance showed the significance of the effects of sowing date, nitrogen fertilizer, plant species, and the interaction of all three treatments on grain yield, 1000-grain weight, harvest index, leaf area index, leaf chlorophyll content, seed protein, nitrogen, and mucilage content, and nitrogen uptake, use, and utilization efficiencies. The autumn sowing in comparison with the spring one had the most positive and incremental effect on the studied traits except seed nitrogen. The results showed that the application of 16 kg ha-1 nitrogen fertilizer on both sowing dates increased the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of both Lallemantia species compared to the non-fertilizer application conditions. Increasing the use of nitrogen fertilizer compared to the non-fertilizer application conditions increased the nitrogen uptake and use efficiencies in the autumn and spring sowing dates in both Lallemantia species. Increasing the use of nitrogen fertilizer in the autumn sowing increased the nitrogen use efficiency in both Lallemantia species, but in the spring sowing, the nitrogen use efficiency was higher under the non-fertilizer application conditions compared to the different levels of nitrogen fertilizer application. L.iberica showed a more positive reaction to the nitrogen fertilizer application compared to L.royleana.

To evaluate the effect of salinity stress on seed germination and screening of sugar beet genotypes, 20 polygerm and 15 sugar beet drought tolerant genotypes were separately tested in between paper and rapid germination test in Erlen under control and 20 dSm-1. Also they were tested in rapid germination test in Erlen and green house experiment under control and 16 dSm-1 in factorial experiments based on completely randomized designs with four replicates. Salinity stress in rapid germination test decreased germination index over drought tolerant and polygerm sugar beet genotypes about 80 and 90%, respectively in comparison to normal. Rapid germination test in Erlen was found to be better and more suitable in comparison of sugar beet genotypes under salinity in comparison to between paper tests. Genotypes which had more field emergence potential in laboratory had more total dry weights in green house under salinity condition. There was positive and significant correlation between fast germination tests in EC=20 and 16 dSm-1, so it seems that the rapid germination method in Erlen in EC=16 dSm-1 is more efficient to evaluate sugar beet genotypes under saline conditions

In order to investigate the effect of mycorrhiza and surfactant on forage characteristics of corn (Zea mays L.) under deficit irrigation condition, a split plot factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replication at the Research Farm of Agricultural College, Shahed University, Iran in 2016. The experimental treatments included irrigation at three levels of 30, 60 and 90 percent available soil water depilation as a main factor and inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus etunicatum, G. intraradices and G. mossea) at two levels (inoculation and no inoculation with mycorrhizal) and treatment of surfactant solution containing two levels (Application of surfactant and non-use of surfactant solution) as sub factors. Results showed that with increasing depletion of available soil water, application of mycorrhizal fungi increased crude protein percentage (CP), water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and acid detergent fibre (ADF), increased by 39.24, 30.64 and 39 percent respectively. Application of surfactant on percentage NDF was not significant. As deficit irrigation stress increased, dry weight of forage decreased and highest dry weight of forage (400 gr/plant) was observed under normal irrigation conditions and application of surfactant and mycorrhiza. The results also showed that by increasing the amount of available water discharge, application of surfactant and inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi increased water use efficiency 97 percent in compare to control.

In order to evaluate the allelopathic effects of aqueous extract of sorghum, eucalyptus, helianthus annuus and nicotiana sylvestris on some germination, biochemical and enzymes of two weeds of avena fatua and sinapis arvensis an experiment was conducted in factorial based on completely randomized design with three replications at in Seed Technology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Iran in 2018. Four concentrations (control, 5, 10 and 20 percent) from four plants (sorghum, eucalyptus, helianthus annuus and nicotiana sylvestris) and two weed seeds (sinapis arvensis and avena fatua) were the treatments. The results of analysis of variance showed that germination percentage, germination rate, seedling length, seedling dry weight, lipid peroxidation and catalase activity of two weeds at 1% level were affected by different concentrations of aqueous extracts of plants. The results showed that increasing the concentration of aqueous extract of the plant, percent and germination rate, seedling length, seedling dry weight, catalase activity of two weeds decreased however their lipid peroxidation increased. In different concentrations of the aqueous extract of the plant The highest rate was affected avena fatua  the highest influence than sinapis arvensis  and the highest inhibitory affected was observed at a concentration of 20%. Different concentrations of aqueous extract of sorghum compared to other aqueous extracts of plants had a greater inhibitory affected on weeds, so that 20% concentration resulted in more inhibition of both weeds. This aqueous extracts showed the most allelopathic effect, which could be a promising way to produce herbal extracts of natural origin.

In order to investigate the effect of sowing date and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer on the seed flavonoid content, qualitative and germination characteristics of lady’s mantle (Lallemantia royleana Benth.), a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted in 2013-2014 crop year. Experimental factors included sowing date at two levels (autumn and spring) and chemical fertilizer at three levels (without fertilizer, half application of required fertilizer (23 kg ha-1 pure N+ 50.6 kg ha-1 P2O5) and full application of required fertilizer (46 kg ha-1 pure N+ 101.2 kg ha-1 P2O5). Flavonoid measurement of the seeds was performed weekly from flowering to seed ripening. The results of the mean comparison showed that the highest seed germination percentage was obtained at autumn sowing (74.8%) with an increase of 11.6% compared to spring sowing and at the full application of required fertilizer (88.6%) with an increase of 73.4% compared to without fertilizer. The application of chemical fertilizer and autumn cultivation of lallemantia significantly increased the percentage of seed mucilage compared to control. Seven days after flowering, the highest flavonoid content was obtained at spring sowing (0.264 mg quercetin per g sample) with an increase of 63.97% compared to autumn sowing, and at no fertilizer treatment (0.282 mg quercetin per g sample) with an increase of 90.54% compared to the full application of required fertilizer (0.148 mg quercetin per g sample). Twenty-eight days after flowering, the highest flavonoid content was obtained at spring sowing (0.554 mg quercetin per g sample) and no fertilizer treatment (0.629 mg quercetin per g sample). In general, the results showed that the autumn sowing date and full application of required chemical fertilizer increased the seed quality in terms of mucilage percentage and germination, but the spring sowing date and no fertilizer treatment increased the flavonoid content of lallemantia seeds.

In order to evaluate the effect of seed priming with salicylic acid coneflower)Echinacea angustifolia( seedling growth, percentage and speed of germination, length and seedling dry weight, proline and change of catalase activityunder drought stress as a factorial design trial It was conducted with three replications inShahed University of laboratory of seed Science and Technology in 2017. The treatments include salicylic acid in four levels (nonpriming, 5.0, 1 and 2 mM) and drought in four levels (control, -2, -4 and -6 bar). Parameters such as percent germination, seedling dry weight and length, proline and catalase activity were measured.The salicylic acid was effected on increases the measured parameters in concentration 1 mM.The results showed that the best concentration of salicylic acid to counter the effects of drought stress, drought stress was a concentration of 1 mM at low level. Thus, increased levels of stress hormone treatment acorns salicylic acid were not effectiveconcentrations less stress and more positive impact less on dealing with drought stress created.

To determine the effect of seed deterioration on germination, biochemical and enzymatic activity of buckwheat, an experiment was conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design in Seed Science and Technology Laboratory of Shahed University, Iran. The treatments consisted of ageing duration (non-aging, 2, 4 and 7 days) and seed moisture content (10, 20 and 30%). Parameters such as germination percentage, mean germination time, electrical conductivity, lipid peroxidation and catalase activity were measured. The effect of aging duration, seed moisture content and their interaction on traits were significant. Germination percentage, mean germination time, electrical conductivity, lipid peroxidation, and catalase enzyme activity were significantly affected by aging duration and seed moisture content. The highest germination percentage and catalase enzyme activity in aged seeds was observed during two days with 20% moisture content. Mean germination time, electrical conductivity and lipid peroxidation in aged seeds for seven days was in the highest level in seeds with 30% moisture content. Seed moisture content and aging duration increased the mechanisms involved in seed aging and cell membrane phospholipids affected by deterioration, which increased the electrical conductivity and lipid peroxidation and reduced germination and catalase enzyme activity. To prevent buckwheat seed deterioration in long and short term storage, it is recommended that seed moisture content is kept about 10%.

In order to study the effect of sowing date and different amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on the grain yield, mucilage production, nitrogen and phosphorus uptake, utilization and use efficiency in Lallemantia royleana Benth., a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in medicinal plants research center  of Shahed University. The treatments included two levels of sowing date (autumn planting in the second week of November (2013) and spring planting in the second week of March (2014)) and three levels of nitrogen and phosphorus (control (without fertilizer), 50%: Npure 23 kg ha-1 + P2O5 50.6 kg ha-1 and 100%: Npure 46 kg ha-1 + P2O5 101.2 kg ha-1). The results showed that the interaction between sowing date and fertilizer application was significant on grain yield, mucilage production, and nitrogen and phosphorus uptake, utilization and use efficiency. At 50% fertilizer in both sowing dates, the amount of grain yield and mucilage production was obtained 377.15 kg ha-1 and 23.45%, respectively. The highest nitrogen utilization and use (respectively, 33.86 and 5 kg kg-1 at 50% fertilizer) and uptake efficiency (0.13 kg kg-1 at 100% fertilizer) were obtained in autumn planting. The highest phosphorus uptake and utilization efficiency (respectively, 0.06 and 11 kg kg1) was observed at 50% fertilizer in spring planting. The results showed the importance of nitrogen in Lallemantia royleana production in both sowing dates.

To evaluate the effect of maternal plant growth environment on the establishment and seed vigor of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv.Torkaman) after the warehouse storage, an experiment was conducted factorial y based on complete randomized block design in three replications. The irrigation treatments, included full irrigation, moderate stress (witholding flowering stage) and severe stress (witholding from flowering to harvest), and fertilizer treatments includedcontrol (without fertilizer), bio-fertilizer, organic fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, combination of bio-fertilizer with the chemical fertilizer and combination of organic fertilizer with chemical fertilizers. Seed vigor were measured after five years storage. The drought stress imposed on the mother plant reduced the seedling field emergence after storage, while the plants under moderate drought stress which received the integrated fertilizing system of vermicompost and chemicalfertilizer , in short time (8.25) had the highest seedling field emergence (99.8), although results of the seed vigor and seedling establishment  befor and after storage indicated that germination of the seeds which recieved biological fertilizer alongwith  chemical and grew under mild and severe water stress did not reduce after storage.

To evaluate the population and diversity of weeds in wheat fields in Qazvin, Iran, an experiment was conducted during 2015-2016 growing season. A net sampling method was employed to take samples from 9 fields of 3-hectar area which were managed either in dry farming, no-tillage, or irrigated systems. Samples were taken at two growing stages when wheat plants were at tillering and when they reached full stem growth stage. The highest population and diversity of weeds was observed in dry farming system and the lowest was seen in irrigated system. The frequency of weed population was lowest in no-till system. The highest grain yield (6231 kg/ha) and total dry matter (18580 kg/ha) was measured in irrigated system, and the lowest grain yield (2078 kg/ha) and total dry matter (60180 kg/ha) was obtained in dry farming system, respectively. Based on the low weed population and a grain yield of 5830 kg/ha in no-till system, it seems that this production system is economically and environmentally justifiable for wheat production in Qazvin Provence, Iran.