سید منصور سیدنژاد

Improper use of chemical fertilizers to increase the yield of various crops has caused numerous damages in various fields .The international community is moving towards the use of fertilizers and bio stimulants in the form of organic agriculture in order to reduce the risks and harms caused by the use of chemical fertilizers and at the same time maintain crop yields. In order to investigate the effect of urea chemical fertilizer and foliar application of Ulva fasciata Delile seaweed extract on growth factors of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), A Split plot study was conducted in the form of a randomized complete block design with 3 replications in Shavour Agricultural Research Station and Plant Physiology Laboratory of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in 1399-1400. The treatments for this experiment included different concentrations of 4 levels urea fertilizer (0, 40, 70 and 100% of the usual amount of urea fertilizer) and different concentrations of 4 levels ulva seaweed extract (0, 5, 10 and 15%). Different concentrations of urea chemical fertilizer were used as soil application and different concentrations of ulva seaweed extract were used as foliar application. The treated plants were examined in the beginning of reproductive phase. The results were statistically analyzed by MSTAT-C software. Comparison of the mean interaction of urea fertilizer and seaweed extract showed that the application of 15% ulva seaweed extract along with 70% of the usual amount of urea chemical fertilizer leads to an increase in the desired factors compared to other treatments. In addition, malondialdehyde a level in plants treated with ulva seaweed extract were decreased. Based on this, it can be said that foliar application of 15% seaweed extract has an effect almost similar to half of the usual application of urea chemical fertilizer.

Oak placenta(Jaft) extract has potent antioxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-cancer activity, and other therapeutic properties. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Jaft extract and its combination with Cisplatin on gastric cancer adenocarcinoma cell line (AGS).

In the present experimental study conducted at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in 2022, the AGS cell line was cultured in 1640-RPMI medium and treated with Jaft extract and cisplatin. Cell viability and combination index(CI) were measured using the MTT assay and Compucyn software(respectively). Moreover, the expression of the CDK2 gene as an important gene involved in the cell cycle was evaluated by Real-Time PCR. The collected data were analyzed using Graph Pad Prism 6 software and one-way ANOVA.

The findings of the present study indicated that Jaft extract and cisplatin cause decreased cell viability of AGS (p< 0.0001). The analysis of compusyn data indicated that these two substances together have synergistic properties (CI<1), in addition to simultaneous usage of Jaft extract increases the cytotoxicity of cisplatin drug. In the simultaneous treatment, it was observed that the expression of CDK2 decreased and led to an increase in the anticancer effect of cisplatin (p<0.001).

The present study revealed that placenta extract had anti-proliferative and anti-cancer properties. According to the synergistic effects of these two drugs, Jaft can change the gene expression of CDK2 in the cell cycle and introduce a possible approach for the treatment of gastric cancer with more potency and less dose of administered cisplatin to induce toxicity. The results of the present study indicated that Jaft extract is a proper selection to sensitize cancer cells to cisplatin.

There are numerous reports that different models of stress can cause memory loss. On the other hand, investigations determined that Cyperus rotundus rhizome can effectively improve memory and enhance recall. In the present study we assessed the possible improving effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Cyperus rotundus rhizomes on stress-induced memory retrieval impairment.

Adult male mice were divided to two  main groups, stress and non-stress, and each of these groups was divided into two subgroups: saline-receiving control and treated with Cyperus rutundus extract. First, the mice received the material by daily gavage for 7 or 21 days. One day after the last gavage, the animals were trained by step-through method. 24 hours after the training, they were exposed to elevated platform stress before the test. Step-through latency (STL) to enter dark chamber and spent time in dark chamber (STD) were recorded as measures of passive avoidance memory retrieval.

Pre-test stress significantly reduced STL and increased STD. Pre-training gavage of Cyperus rotundus extract reversed the STL and also significantly reduced the STD.

It seems that treatment with hydroalcoholic extract of Cyperus rotundus rhizomes improves ability to retrieve information from long-term memory and  ameliorates stress-induced memory impairment in a time-dependent manner.
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Introduction:

Narcissus (Narcissus tazetta L.) belongs to the family of Amaryllidaceae is one of the most important ornamental and aromatic plants which its secondary metabolites are being used in cosmetic, sanitary and perfume industries. Behbahan district belongs to Khuzestan province is one of the well-known narcissus production centers in Iran. Narcissus plants not only have ornamental value, but also have medicinal compounds such as alkaloids that have antiviral and anti-tumor properties. Numerous experiments have been identified the components of Narcissus essential oil and the most significant of aroma constituents have been reported as trans-β-Ocimene, Benzyl acetate, 1, 8-cineole, linalool and phenyl ethyl acetate. However, there is little information about Narcissus extract and the current study was performed to investigate the compounds of ethanol and hexan extracts in different varieties of narcissus. 

Materials and Methods:

This research was conducted in randomized complete design to evaluate components of hexane and ethanol extracts of five narcissus varieties (Shahla, Meskinack, Porpar, Panjegorbai and Gol sefied) which are grown in Behbahan district. The fresh flowers of narcissus were extracted using tow solvents; hexane and ethanol. In the hexane extraction method, 10 g of the fresh flowers were weighed from each variety and poured into Erlenmeyer, and then 100 ml of hexane was added to each one and left at room temperature for 10 days. After extraction, the solvent was filtered and the extract was concentrated by vacuum rotary and absolute was obtained. Then 10 times of ethanol was added to the absolute of each variety and kept at -4 °C to precipitate the wax. After precipitation, the supernatant was separated and concentrated again by rotary and then the components were detected by GC/MS. In the ethanol extraction method, also 10 g of the fresh flowers were also weighed from each variety and poured into Erlenmeyer, and then 100 ml of ethanol was added to each one and left at room temperature for 10 days. After extraction, the solvent was filtered and the extract was concentrated by vacuum rotary and absolute was obtained. The rest of the steps are similar to the hexane method which is described above. 

Results and Discussion:

According to the results, the maximum amount of hexane extract (1.3%) and the minimum amount (0.9%) were observed in variety of Shahla and in Porpar, respectively. According to the results obtained from the analysis of the extract by GC/MS, approximately 7 to 12 compounds have been identified in narcissus varieties. Benzyl acetate, Linalool, Benzyl alcohol, trans -β-Ocimene, Hydrocinnamyl alcohol, Phenyl ethyl alcohol, 1, 3 Dimethyl ethyl benzene were the most important components. In ethanol extract, the maximum amount of ethanol extract (6.2%) and the minimum amount (4.8%) were recorded in variety of Shahla and in Porpar, respectively. Interestingly, more compounds were identified in ethanol than hexane extract. The most important compounds were 2-butoxy ethanol, 1, 8-Cineol, Benzyl alcohol, trans-β-Ocimene, Linalool, Phenyl ethyl alcohol, Benzyl acetate, Benzene ethanol and Benzene which were recorded in all varieties of narcissus. 

Conclusion:

In general, the results showed that there is a significant difference in terms of yield, number and percentage of chemical compounds of hexane and ethanol extracts of different varieties of narcissus. According to the results, the maximum amount of hexane and ethanol extract was obtained in Shahla while the minimum amount was observed in Porpar. Benzyl acetate, Linalool, Benzyl alcohol, trans-β-Ocimene, Phenyl ethyl alcohol, 1, 3 Dimethyl ethyl benzene are the most important components of both extracts. In order to isolate extract components and report exclusive compounds, further experiments are recommended. Keywords: Benzyl acetate, Extract, Gas chromatography, Linalool, Narcissus, Organic Solvents

Salvia officinalis leaves and Cyperus rotundus rhizomes have a wide range of biological effects such as memory formation. Given to importance of herbal plants, in the present study we investigated effect of concomitant administration of ineffective doses of the extracts of Salvia officinalis leaves and Cyperus rotundus rhizomes on memory impairment induced by stress.

Adult male mice in two control and treatment groups received ineffective doses of the extracts of Salvia officinalis leaves and Cyperus rotundus rhizomes alone and together by gavage, for 7 or 21 days. Then animals received acute stress. Passive avoidance memory was evaluated by shuttle-box apparatus.

Acute stress significantly impaired memory. Neither Salvia officinalis extract nor Cyperus rotundus extract could improve memory alone. However, concurrent administration of the extracts improved destructive effect of acute stress on memory recall. Memory improving effect of the 21-days administration was significantly more than the effect of the 7-days administration.

Concurrent administration of the extracts of Salvia officinalis and Cyperus rotundus improves destructive effects of acute stress on passive avoidance memory in a time dependent manner.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of foliar spraying of Potassium, Boron and Zinc on the fatty acid composition of the fruit of three olive, “Caillet”, “Koroneiki” and “Mission” in the olive orchard of of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz  in 2016. The research was performed in a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Spray treatments were included T0 (Distilled water as control), T1 (1000 mg/l potassium sulfate + 1000 mg/l boric acid + 1000 mg/l zinc sulfate) and T2 (2000 mg/l potassium sulfate + 2000 mg/l boric acid +2000 mg/l zinc sulfate). The results showed that there was a significant difference between the foliar treatments in terms of oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and oleic acid to linoleic acid ratio. Also, the fatty acids composition was different in different cultivars and growth conditions in particular, nutrition during fruit growth had an effect on fatty acids composition, and T2 treatments had the most positive effect on oil quality improvement compared to other treatments, especially in the “Caillet” variety. Therefore, under low altitude and high temperature conditions in Ahvaz, foliar spraying during fruit growth can improve the quality of olive oil by altering the amount of fatty acids by increasing oleic acid and decreasing palmitic acid.

Foliar spray of chemical and organic compounds can affect the quantitative and qualitative yield of important medicinal plants such as German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.). In order to investigate the effect of salicylic (control, 200, 400 and 600 μM) and humic (control, 200, 400 and 600 mg l-1) acids foliar spray on some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of German chamomile, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the research farm of Khuzestan Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University in 2015. The results showed that the highest number of flowers per plant was observed in 600 μM salicylic (91) and 600 mg l-1 humic (96) acids treatments. The highest fresh flower yield (1014 g m-2) was obtained from salicylic acid (400 μM) × humic acid (600 mg l-1), which was 115% higher than that of the control treatment. The use of salicylic and humic acids had a great influence on the total antioxidant capacity and the content of flavonoids, anthocyanins, and carotenoids. The highest percentage of chamazulene (6.1%) was obtained from salicylic acid (400 μM) × humic acid (600 mg l-1) treatment, and the lowest one (4.1%) from the control treatment. In total, the best results were obtained from simultaneous application of salicylic (400 μM) and humic (600 mg l-1) acids.

In order to investigate the effect of salicylic acid, humic acid and harvesting numbers on morphological characteristics and essential oil of German chamomile, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in agricultural sciences and natural resources university of Khuzestan in 2015. The treatments consisted of four levels of humic acid (control, 200, 400 and 600 mg.L-1) and four levels of salicylic acid (control, 200, 400 and 600 μM) as foliar application in vegetative growth stage flowering and the flower harvest times including one and three harvest (after 20% flowering at intervals of 10 days). The results showed that the highest number of flowers (87.6) was obtained in three times harvesting and increased by 45% compared to one time harvest. Also, in treatments with humic acid in terms of three harvest, compared to one harvest, the yield increased by 70%. The use of salicylic acid (400 μM) and humic acid (600 mg.L-1) resulted in an increase of 18% and 38% in the number of flowers compared to control treatment. In addition, the best treatment for the highest flower yield, essential oil content and yield was related to 400 mg salicylic acid with 400 or 600 mg.L-1 humic acid in three times harvesting, which showed significant and considerable increase compared to control in these traits.

Olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most important fruit crops that, has a huge economic price. The plant is significant in the Mediterranean countries and Iran for table olive and oil. The nutritional requirements of olive are much lower than those of other fruit trees, but shortfall in these needs costs tree important physiological disorder. Fertilization, especially Potassium and micronutrients is a cultivation technique that strongly affects the productivity of olive trees. The amount of oil and fruit quality is effected by the correct nutrition. Leaf spraying is an important tool for correcting food deficiencies and improving the quality of the fruit of the planted olive trees under unsuitable conditions, which provides nutrients directly and as soon as possible to the branches and leaves, or fruit. Studies have shown that leaf feeding with potassium, boron and zinc can be useful for increasing the qualitative and qualities characteristics of fruit in most products, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Thus, the present study was aimed to assessing the effect of zinc sulphate, boric acid and potassium sulphate foliar application on oil content and the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of fruit of three olive, “Caillet”, “Koroneiki” and “Mission” cultivars in unfavorable temperature conditions in Ahwaz. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of foliar spraying of Potassium, Boron and Zinc on the oil content and the qualitative characteristics of the fruit of three olive, “Caillet”, “Koroneiki” and “Mission” cultivars in the olive orchard of Shahid Chamran University in 2016. Spray treatments were included T0 (Distilled water as control),T1 (1000 mg/l boric acid + 1000 mg/l potassium sulfate + 1000 mg/l zinc sulfate) and T2 (2000 mg/l boric acid+2000 mg/l potassium sulfate +2000 mg/l zinc sulfate ) which applied on olive cultivars in four time including a week before the full bloom (the second half of March), two weeks after the full bloom (the first half of April), at pit hardening (the first half of June of the month) and at the stage of oil synthesis and accumulation (first half of July). The research was performed in a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications thirty fruits from each tree were harvested, then the qualitative characteristics of fruit such as fruit fresh weight, pit fresh weight, fresh weight of the pulp, pulp/pit ratio, length and diameter of fruit and pit and also, to determine the amount of nutrients in the fruit and 5dry weight of the pulp, the samples were placed an oven for 48 hours at 80°C. After drying, the dry weight of the pulp was calculated, then the samples were completely powdered with the milling machine and the Kjedahl method was used Nitrogen, from a Flame Photo Meter to measure Potassium concentration and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry method was used for measuring Zinc and Boron of the available in fruit. Data analysis was performed using SAS software and mean of comparison was done by Duncan's multiple range test at 5% probability level. The results indicated that the foliar spray had a significant effect on fruit fresh weight, fresh and dry weight of pulp, the ratio of Pulp/Pit weight, Oil content and amount of K, N, B and Zn of fruit, also fruit and pit dimension, but no significant difference in pit fresh weight were observed. Maximum oil content was 23.69% in Koroneiki cultivar sprayed with T1 treatment. Minimum oil content was 19.62% in Mission cultivar treated with distilled water. The highest and lowest rates in most of the studied traits were related to ‘Mission’ cultivar sprayed with T2 treatment and ‘Koroneiki’ cultivar treated with distilled water. The highest oil content was 23.69% in Koroneiki cultivar treated with T1 treatment. The highest amount of fresh weight of fruit (2.48 g) and pulp fresh weight (1.83 g) were obtained in ‘Mission’ cultivar treated with T2.It can be argued that food is responsible for activating cell division in addition to photosynthesis and organic matter transfer, Boron. Zinc and Potassium nutrients are treated trees, interfering with cell division and the synthesis of acid nucleic and increasing the formation and transfer of carbohydrates and by activating carbohydrate enzymes during fruit growth and development, improve the trait fruit. The results of this study indicated that the spraying of the leaves of olive fruit trees, especially with T2 treatment (2000 mg / L of potassium sulfate, zinc sulfate and acid-boric), had the most positive effect on the increase of fruit properties compared to other treatments ,and increased the qualitative and quantitative traits of the fruit. Also, the results indicated that the cultivar had an influence on the characteristics of the fruit and by creating appropriate environmental conditions, especially the supply of nutrients during the growth stage of the fruit. Finally, the Mission cultivar has best response to T2 treatment by spraying of potassium, zinc and boron. There were significant differences between mission cultivar treated with T2 and other cultivars on fresh fruit weight, fresh and dry weight of pulp and fruit oil percentage, as well as the concentration of nutrients in fruit. The improvement in fruit characteristics should be due to the formation of more fruits, larger fruit and more fruit weight due to the role of Zinc and Boron in cell division and prolongation of the cell and increasing the volume of intercellular space in mesocarp cells. Conversely, Koroneiki cultivar showed the least reaction to spraying. Therefore, the characteristics of fruits are different in different cultivars, and the type of cultivars and soluble concentrations are effective on the quality of yield, which implies that leaf application can be used to increase the quality of olive fruit in hot areas.

This study was designed in order to investigate the allelopathic effect of olive fruit pomace on some physiological parameters and yield of three wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum). A pot experiment was used based on a factorial study with completely randomized design and three replications at five levels (0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 % W/W) of olive fruit pomace and three wheat cultivars (Triticale, Karkhe and Chamran). The amount of soluble proteins of leaf, activities of peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase enzymes of leaf, and amount of malondialdehyde of leaf at ear emergence stage and spike weight, spike length, grain number per spike, grain weight per spike, 1000 grain weight, total harvest index, grain proline content, and grain soluble carbohydrate content at complete ripeness stage of wheat were measured. According to the results, amount of soluble proteins of leaf, activity of peroxidase of leaf, spike weight, spike length, grain number per spike, grain weight per spike, 1000 grain weight and total harvest index decreased in the three wheat cultivars with an increase in the content of olive pomace in the soil compared to the control. But the amount of activity of ascorbate peroxidase and catalase enzyme of leaf, amount of malondialdehyde of leaf, grain proline, and grain soluble carbohydrate content showed increase in the three wheat cultivars by increasing the content of olive pomace in the soil compared to the control. Since olive fruit pomace contains phenolic compounds, the inhibitory effects of olive pomace on wheat growth are attributed to these compounds.

Recently, there is increasing concern about the declining of male reproductive health. Oxidative stress has been proposed as a possible mechanism contributed in reproductive system failure. Dorema aucheri that is being used in Persian folk medicine has been supposed to have male fertility-enhancing properties. Present study was done to evaluate the impacts of Dorema aucheri on oxidative status and reproductive parameters in male rats.

In this experimental study, healthy adult male Wistar rats were treated with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of ethanolic D. aucheri leaves extract via gavage for 70 days. Blood samples were collected for analysis of testosterone, LH and FSH serum levels. Reproductive organs weight, density, motility and morphology of spermatozoa, seminiferous tubules diameter, germinal epithelium height and also testicular levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were evaluated.
Findings: Significant (p

Present study indicates that D. aucheri leaves extract has beneficial effects on reproductive parameters in male rats which might be a consequence of its antioxidant properties.

Present study was investigated the effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer (Nizamuddinia zanardinii) in different levels of urea on some growth parameters and antioxidant activity of wheat seedlings. Experiment was factorial with completely randomized design, with three replication at five levels (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% v/v) of seaweed liquid fertilizer and three levels 0, 25 and 50 percent of recommended amount of urea fertilizer. According to the results, the treaement of 10% concentration of seaweed liquid fertilizer with 25% recommended rate of urea showed the maximum amount germination percentage and rate, shoot and root length, shoot and root dry weight, activity of peroxidase and ascorbateperoxidase enzymes. The maximum amount of malondialdehyde and catalase activity was observed in 20% of concentration of seaweed liquid fertilizer. The increase in growth parameters and antioxidan enzymes activity is probably due to the presence of hormones induce growth and the essential elements in seaweed liquid fertilizer.

Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (Apiaceae) is a medicinal and aromatic plant. Various pharmacological experiments in vitro and in vivo models have convincingly showed F. vulgare ability in antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, antithrombotic and hepatoprotective activities.
Experimental: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of extracts of Foeniculum vulgare on the number of pathogen bacteria. For this purpose, ethanol, methanol and acetone extracts (through maceration method) of different parts of the Foeniculum vulgare (flowers, leaves and fruit) were prepared and antibacterial activity was tested against some gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus) and gram negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) bacterial species through standard disc diffusion method. The findings showed that the most sensitive bacteria to the extracts was Staphylococcus aureus and the most resistant bacteria was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. According to the gained results in the case of fennel flower and fruits extract, methanol and acetone extract showed the highest and lowest antibacterial activity, respectively, while in the case of fennel leaves ethanolic extract exhibited the most inhibitory effect. In general, the results of this study indicated that the extract of fennel flowers had more antibacterial properties in comparison with other parts of plant.
Recommended applications/ industries: The antibacterial activity of fennel is due to the presence of terpenoids and phenolic compounds. These compounds are potentially effective on membrane permeability of bacteria and thereby cause the cell death. Therefore, fennel extract can be used to control bacteria resistant to several antibiotics.

This study was performed to investigate the effect of olive pomace on some morphophysiological characteristics of three cultivars rice seedlings. Various treatments of olive pomace (1, 3, 5 and 7 percent w/w) was mixed with soil and three different varieties of rice (Champa, Danial and Anboori ghermez)were planted in the prepared soils.
Plant length, fresh weight, leaf area, dry weight of shoot and root , photosynthetic pigments content, soluble carbohydrates and proline were measured in the seedling stage.
The amount of K, P, N, Zn in the different treatments was measured.The results indicated that at 5% w/w treatment parallel to increase in element contents the growth indices also were promoted, wherease a significant reduction was found for these indices at 7% w/w treatment.
The possible reason for this may be the reduction of effective elements in plant growth in the pomace in the under study treatments.

Background and Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) has received much interest by researchers due to numerous biological properties. The aim of this study was to compare the anticancer and antioxidant properties of turmeric extracts on colon cancer cells Caco-2 and to survey DNA fragmentation by the extracts.
In order to investigate the cytotoxicity and antioxidant properties and DNA fragmentation, turmeric extracts were prepared by maceration, ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), and soxhlet. The effect of these extracts and curcumin on colon cancer cells Caco-2 was examined by MTT and NBT assay. Then, to study the DNA fragmentation by the extracts DNA-Binding was done.
MTT assay showed that the lowest survival rates were observed for cells treated with the extracts of hexane and ethanol. The results of the NBT showed that the highest amount of percentage of free radicals reduction occurred with maceration extract, ultrasonic extract, and extraction by hexane and ethanol. According to DNA-Binding test, ultrasonic extraction was highly effective in degeneration of DNA.
Investigations show that different extracts of turmeric alone or in combination with chemical anticancer drugs could be used as a new approach in treatment of cancer. Turmeric extract using hexane and ethanol has a great potential in development of modern drugs and can be introduced as a useful source of new leading compounds or pharmacophores.

This study was performed to investigate the effect of applying olive (Olea europaea L.) pomace on some physiological characteristics and grain yield of three cultivars of rice (Oryza sativa L.). A pot experiment was used based on a completely randomized factorial design with three replications. Five levels of olive fruit pomace (0, 1, 3, 5, and 7% w/w) were applied to three rice cultivars of Champa, Danial, and Red Anbouri. After full growth and maturity of rice, grain soluble carbohydrate content, shoot proline content, mean panicle weight, main grain number per panicle, 1000 grain weight, panicle harvest index, grain yield, 1000-grain, and the biomass were measured. Also, the amount of K, P, N, and Zn in the different treatments of olive fruit pomace was measured. The results showed that application of olive pomace caused a significant increase in the characteristics under investigation compared to control. Under study treatments, growth indices improved at 5% w/w. The possible reason for this could be the existence of elements effective on plant growth in pomace treatments.

Endophytes are symbiont microorganisms within apoplast or symplast of plants that promote growth, control phytopathogens, increase plant resistance to stress and improve plant growth conditions. The aim of this study was identification of endophytes from six rice cultivars in Khouzestan province and assessment of their effects on growth of the host plant. For this purpose, a suspension was prepared from sterilized seeds, and their endophytes were isolated in LB broth. The ability of isolates in nitrogen fixation, auxin production and phosphate solubilizing was discovered. The seeds of Champa cultivar were then infected by endophytes and growth and physiologic outcomes of this treatment were studied. As a result of this study six endophytes belong to Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Erwinia genus were isolated from them only the Erwinia sp. was able to fix N2, dissolve phosphate and produced auxin more than others. Treatment with Erwinia sp. significantly increased the fresh and dry weight of aerial parts and root and aerial part length and density of hair roots. The auxin and carbohydrate content of treated rice with Erwinia sp. had significant difference than control. No significant difference was observed for chlorophyll a and b chlorophylls in different treatments and untreated plants produced more a and b chlorophylls. While there was significant difference for carotenoid between endophyte treated samples and untreated ones. Finally based on the obtained results it can be suggested that Erwinia sp. as an endophyte has significant effect on increasing of Champa cultivar performance and improvement main characteristics of this cultivar.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the medicinal plants are the best source to obtain a variety of drugs. Nowadays, thousands of plant metabolites are being successfully used for the treatment of a variety of diseases. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), which holds the unique characteristics of the health sector worldwide known as a functional food ingredient. In the present study, an effective ingredient in turmeric rhizome (curcumin) was extracted with ethanol as a solvent by three maceration, ultra-sonic and Soxhlet; then, the yield of extracts from the three methods were calculated. The HPLC technique was used to determine the amount of derived curcumin. Furthermore, the amount of curcuminoids was obtained by thin layer of Chromatography (TLC). The total phenolic content was measured by Folin-ciocalteu reagent and the antioxidant properties was evaluated by DPPH method. The highest extraction yield was obtained from Soxhlettechnique. The results from HPLC were showed that the maximum amount of curcumin was obtained from maceration method. The thin Layer of Chromatography confirmed the presence of curcuminoids in three methods of extraction. The highest phenolic content was reported from maceration method. And the most antioxidant properties were obtained via maceration and ultrasonic extraction method. The conclusions present the importance of determination extraction method to isolate curcumin as a bioactive compound and its importance that is widely used in the treatment of many diseases as well as new drugs synthesized; moreover, the maceration extract is in priority in the maximum amount of curcuminoid, antioxidant and phenolic content.

This study was designed in order to investigate the effect of foliar spraying of brown seaweed water extract (Nizamuddinia zanardinii) at different levels of nitrogen on some physiological, biochemical, parameters and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Chamran 2). The experiment was based on a factorial study with completely randomized design and three replications at five levels (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 percent) of brown seaweed water extract and three levels of nitrogen (0, 34.5 and 69 kg.hec-1). Leaf area, photosynthetic pigments, soluble carbohydrates, protein, and proline content at seedling stage and plant height, spike length, and total harvest index of plant at complete mature stage were measured. The results showed that application of brown seaweed extract led to a significant increase in the studied growth parameters in comparison with the control. Application of brown seaweed extract at concentration of 10% along with 34.5 kg.hec-1 nitrogen resulted in the highest leaf area, photosynthetic pigment content, carbohydrates, protein, plant height, spike length, and total harvest index. The maximum amount of proline was observed at concentration 20% of brown seaweed extract. According to the results, using brown seaweed extract at 10% concentration along with 34.5 kg.hec-1 nitrogen led to the maximum quality and yield of wheat.

Control of food borne diseases is a major concern and due undesirable side effects of chemical preservatives, there is more tendencies to natural preservatives such as spices for this purpose. Saffron is the most expensive spice that is is used as coloring and flavoring agent in foods. The aim of the present study was investigate antibacterial effects of hydro alcoholic extracts of saffron against pathogenic bacteria especially food poisoning species. For this purpose, one gram of finely powdered saffron was mixed with 10 ml of 2:8 (v/v) water- alcohol (ethanol or methanol) solution and mixed gently. Following incubation at room temperature, the suspension was centrifuged and the extract of saffron was harvested and dried. Sterile blank discs were saturated with extracts and their effects were evaluated in standard disc diffusion assay against six gram positive and six gram negative bacterial species. Simultaneously, the effect of standard antibiotics was evaluated against tested bacteria. The results revealed that Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes and Brucella melitensis were the most susceptible species to ethanolic and methanolic extracts of saffron while Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella Typhi were resistant. The antibacterial effects of extracts were noticeable with regard to the standard antibiotics. All of the susceptible species in this study are important food borne pathogens and it is possible to use saffron as a natural preservative in food industry in order to control food borne pathogens.

In order to evaluate the effects of foliar application of potassium sulfate on some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of three olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars, two split plot field experiments, arranged in complete block designs with three replications, were carried out through 2012–2013 in an orchard located in Ahvaz, Khuzestan province, Iran. Three olive cultivars (Mission, Coronaiki and Dezfuli) and three foliar applications of potassium sulfate (0, 1 and 2 g.L-1) were randomized in main plots and sub-plots respectively. The interaction effect between year and cultivar was significant for fruit fresh weight, dry weight of fruit pulp, stone weight, pulp: stone ratio, oil content (P≤0.01) and fresh weight of pulp (P≤0.05). Also, the interaction effect between year and foliar potassium application was significant for fruit fresh weight, dry and fresh weight of fruit pulp (P≤0.01) and stone weight (P≤0.05). The interaction between cultivar and foliar application of potassium sulfate for fruit fresh weight, dry and fresh weight of fruit pulp was significant at 1% probability level. In addition, interaction effect between year, cultivar and foliar application of potassium sulfate was significant for fruit fresh weight, dry and fresh weight of fruit pulp, oil content of the fruit pulp (% D.W.) at 1% probability level, and other traits at 5% probability level. Thus, it can be concluded that annual variability in the growth environment had an important effect on the parameters studied in this experiment. Dezfuli cultivar had more oil content than other cultivars that could be due to genetic diversity among cultivars for using sources in enhancement oil content and also more compatibility with the environmental conditions in this area. Foliar application of potassium sulfate increased unsaturated fatty acids and decreased saturated fatty acids in Dezfuli and Coronaiki cultivars. The highest content of oleic acid and oleic acid: linoleic acid ratio (60.54 % and 8.38) was found in Coronaiki cultivar with foliar potassium application (2 g.L-1) and the lowest amount in Dezfuli cultivar with control treatment (48.90 % and 1.67). Therefore, year conditions as well as foliar application of potassium sulfate can have a positive impact on ftuit weight, percentage of olive oil and fatty acid composition.

This study was designed and conducted in order to investigate the effect of different levels of urea fertilizer and brown seaweed extract (Nizamuddinia zanardinii) on the physiological traits and grain yield of wheat. Experiment was carried out in the form of factorial in completely randomized design with three replications at five levels of brown seaweed extract (zero, 5, 10, 15 and 20 percent) and three levels zero, 25 and 50 percent of recommended using rate of 46 percent urea fertilizer (the recommended using rate of urea fertilizer was 300 kilogram per hectare). After the growth and complete ripeness of wheat, the amount of grain soluble carbohydrate, the average weight of spike, the average number grains of spike, grains weight of spike, harvest index of spike, grain yield and biomass were measured. The obtained results showed, using seaweed extract led to a significant increase in the amount of investigated growth indices in comparison to control. In treatments in which the combination of seaweed fertilizer with 25 percent recommended using rate of urea fertilizer was used, the mentioned growth indices significantly increased, which indicated the synergistic and interaction of seaweeds and urea fertilizer. In treatments in which the mixture of seaweed extract has been used along with 50 percent of recommended using rate of urea fertilizer, the investigated growth indices showed significant decrease in comparison to the mixture of seaweed extract treatments along with 25 percent recommended rate of urea fertilizer.

This study was designed aimed to investigated the allelopathic effect of olive pomace, laying on growth and biochemical characteristics of three cultivars wheat seedlings. Various concentrations of olive pomace (1, 3, 5 and 7 percentage) was mixed with soil and three different varieties of wheat were planted in the soil. After growth, the plant length, leaf and root dry weight, content of photosynthetic pigments, soluble carbohydrates and proline were measured in the seedling stage. The results shows that the plant lenght, leaf and root dry weight, photosynthetic pigment content, decreased in three varietis with the increasing amount of olive pomace in the soil compared to the control. But the amount of sugar and proline content shows Increase in wheats with increasing amount of olive pomace in the soil compared to control. According to the results obtained the inhibitory effects of olive pomace increased with increasing levels of olive pomace in the soil. Olive pomace has phenolic substances that its inhibitory effect can be attributed to these compounds.

Due to the harmful side effects of chemical drugs, in recent decades, much attention has been returned to the use of medicinal plants. The flavonoids as plant secondary compounds are allocated to own an important part of this attention. Based on previous studies, some of the flavonoids are able to reduce contraction induced by KCl, acetylcholine, etc in rat ileum. Therefore, in this study, the effect of the flavonoid extract of parsley leaves on smooth muscle contraction of the ileum and the role of Nitric oxide (NO) has been studied. Distal segment of Wistar rat ileum was separated and contractions under one gram tension and at 37°C, in an organ bath containing Tyrode solution was recorded by isotonic method. Rats were divided into 2 groups with 7 in each group. After placing the tissue exposed to L-NAME 100μM (Sigma, America) as an inhibitor of NO, the antispasmodic effect of cumulative concentrations of the flavonoid extract was investigated The extract cumulative concentrations reduced ileum contraction induced by KCl in a dose-dependent manner. Also, the antispasmoide effect of flavonoids extract on ileum contractions (only 16 mg/ml) was affected by L-NAME. This study showed that the extract relaxed rat's ileum by the NO system at higher concentrations.