علی سروش زاده

Oil rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) stands out as a precious oilseed plant cultivated globally, ranking as the third major source of oil production. The cultivation of this plant is expanding due to its notable nutritional and economic advantages. However, the arid and semi-arid climate of Iran poses a challenge to rapeseed cultivation, particularly with the occurrence of water deficit stress towards the end of the season. Various strategies are employed to mitigate the adverse effects of drought stress and enhance plant tolerance. One effective method involves the application of biological stimulants, such as amino acids. These compounds can stimulate plant growth and development, under optimal conditions and stress. Amino acids play direct and indirect roles in physiological metabolism, facilitating nutrient exchange and structural activities. This includes the augmentation of photosynthetic pigment concentration, enhancement of photosynthesis rate, and increased protein synthesis, particularly under stress conditions. In consideration of the significance of oil and the role of rapeseed in oil production, along with the challenges posed by drought stress during the reproductive growth stages of rapeseed, this study was conducted to examine the impact of foliar application of amino acids on the physiological parameters of oil rapeseed under conditions of irrigation interruption at the end of the season.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of foliar spraying of amino acids on the physiological characteristics and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic pigments of oil rapeseed under withholding irrigation at the end of the season (reproductive growth stage) as factorial design based on randomized complete blocks with three replications in the research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture of Tarbiat Modares University, during the 2022-2023 growing season. The investigated factors were three levels of irrigation (full irrigation during the season, withholding irrigation from 50% flowering stage, withholding irrigation from pod forming) and five levels of foliar spraying (no foliar spraying, zero foliar spraying (distilled water), one, two and three grams of amino acids per liter) in stem elongation, flower-bud emergence, and flowering stages. The experimental plots included four planting rows and three meters in length. In the field, one week after the last foliar spraying, photosynthetic and transpiration rates and various fluorescence parameters were measured using a portable gas exchange and Mini-PAM device, respectively. Moreover, pigments (including chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid) in the fresh plant samples were determined in the laboratory. After ensuring the normality of the residual of data, statistical analysis was performed using SAS software (version 4.9.) to compare the average data. The LSD test was used at the five percent level.

Physiological and biochemical traits were adversely impacted by water deficit stress, as evidenced by the withholding of irrigation. This stress condition significantly decreased various characteristics, including maximum photosystem efficiency, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and levels of photosynthetic pigments. However, applying amino acids via foliar spray mitigated the adverse effects of drought stress. The results indicated that the photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, intercellular CO2/ambient CO2 ratio, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids), and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were significantly influenced by the interaction between drought stress and foliar application of amino acids.  The results indicated that the foliar application of two grams of amino acids per liter significantly increased various physiological parameters compared to the control group. Specifically, it resulted in a 22% enhancement in the photosynthesis rate, an 80% improvement in stomatal conductance, a 30% elevation in transpiration rate, a 40% rise in chlorophyll b, and a 27% increase in carotenoid levels. Conversely, the foliar spraying of one gram of amino acids per liter yielded the highest levels of chlorophyll a and the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II. These values were 20% and 5.5%, respectively, different from those observed in the control group. Also, the highest grain yield was obtained under withholding irrigation from 50% flowering stage (1440 kg ha-1), withholding irrigation from 50% flowering stage (2346 kg ha-1) and full irrigation during the season (4514 kg ha-1) with foliar application of 2 grams of amino acid per liter.

Based on the findings, the most favourable impact of foliar application of amino acids on the investigated traits was observed at a concentration of two grams per liter of water. Notably, the enhancement of these traits has a direct correlation with seed yield. Consequently, considering the substantial influence of these traits on the improvement of seed yield (22.4% and 61.4% under full irrigation and irrigation interruption conditions, respectively), the recommendation is to employ foliar spraying of two grams of amino acids per liter. This application is suggested to enhance rapeseed's physiological and biochemical characteristic across all three irrigation regimes, including full irrigation and interruption of irrigation from the flowering and budding stages.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of foliar application of amino acids on yield and yield components of oil rapeseed under late-season drought stress conditions. The experiment was conducted as factorial based on a randomized complete blocks design in the research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture at Tarbiat Modares University during the 2021-22 growing season. The experimental treatments were irrigation regimes at three levels (normal irrigation, withholding irrigation from 50% flowering stage, and withholding irrigation from pod forming) and foliar spraying at five levels (no foliar, foliar spraying 0, 1, 2, and 3 g amino acids per liter of distilled water). The results showed that plant height, shoot dry weight, 1000-seed weight, harvest index, and biological and grain yield, number of seeds per pod, and the number of pods per plant were significantly affected by the interaction of irrigation regimes and foliar spraying. The highest plant height (166.5 cm), 1000-seed weight (3.58 g), number of pods per plant (131.4) and grain yield (4514 kg ha-1) were obtained by foliar spraying of two g amino acids per litre under normal irrigation conditions. According to the results, foliar spraying 2 g amino acids per liter had the most positive effect on the yield and yield components of oil rapeseed in all irrigation regimes (normal irrigation, withholding irrigation from 50% flowering stage, and withholding irrigation from pod forming). Therefore, upon approving in future research it could be recommended to use foliar spraying with 2 g amino acids per liter in oil rapeseed cultivation.

Fertilization and planting depth play an important role in the quantity and quality of saffron. Therefore, research was conducted in the form of a split-plot based on a randomized completely block design with three replications in the years 2019-2021. Fertilizer as the main factor includes 1- NPK (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium chemical fertilizers based on soil test) 2- Biological fertilizers (BIO) (including nitrogen-fixing free-living bacteria, phosphate and potassium dissolving bacteria) 3- Chemical fertilizers (CHE) (including calcium, potassium, some micronutrients and amino acid fertilizers) and 4- Combined method (BIO- CHE) (including biological and chemical fertilizers) and planting depth was considered as a secondary factor (10 and 15 cm). The results showed that NPK fertilizers induce maximum petal and pistil dry weight (474 ml g.m-2), stigma dry weight (46.4 ml g.m-2) and stigma length (23.3 mm). The highest flower emergence rate (14.5 Flower.day-1) was obtained from NPK fertilizers with a planting depth of 15 cm. The highest amount of crocin was related to BIO- CHE fertilizers and a planting depth of 15 cm, picrocrocin was related to CHE fertilizers and a planting depth of 10 cm, and safranal was related to NPK fertilizers and a planting depth of 15 cm. The highest dry weight of leaves and corms was obtained from the CHE fertilizers and planting depth of 10 cm, which showed an increase of 39.9 and 30.9%, respectively, compared to the NPK fertilizers and the same planting depth. Therefore, biofertilizer is recommended for farmer and producer in the tested area.

In order to investigate the allopathic effect of aqueous extract of saffron petals and total flavonoids extracted on germination indices and some morphological traits, total chlorophyll and soluble sugar of wild oat seedlings, an experiment was conducted in 2018 in the laboratory of Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran. The experiment was a completely randomized design with three replications. The first treatment was the type of extract at two levels (total extract and total flavonoid) and the second treatment was the concentration of extracts (distilled water, 50, 100 and 150 mg.L-1). The results showed that the maximum stem length, root length and fresh weight of seedlings were obtained in the non-extract treatment. Application of saffron petal extract treatment reduced the above traits so that the minimum amount of stem length, root length and total seedling fresh weight with averages of 5.2 cm, 5.1 cm and 0.013 g, respectively. Total flavonoids and 150 mg L-1 of the extract were obtained. Total extract reduced the total chlorophyll content so that the total flavonoid ratio was 7.92% lower. However, among the concentrations used, only 150 mg L-1 of the extract reduced the total chlorophyll content and other levels were not significantly different. Seedling mannose content was reduced by applying total extract which was 6.7% less than total flavonoid treatment. The highest amount of glucose was obtained in the treatment of non-consumption of the extract (3.12 mg.g-1 FW) and increasing the concentration of the extract led to a decrease in glucose. The highest grain yield was obtained at control concentration of extract (150 g.m-2). Increasing the concentration of extracts led to a decrease in leaf area index, plant height and biological yield about 23.8%, 28.7% and 20.9%, respectively. The results show that the effectiveness of total flavonoid extract was higher than total extract. In general, the inhibitory effect of total extract was more on mannose and in the case of total flavonoids, the reducing effect of the extract was ore obviouse on total chlorophyll and stem to root ratio. The greatest effect of growth inhibition is related to flavonoid compounds and the presence of other compounds along with flavonoid compounds reduces their inhibition.

Saffron is propagated exclusively by corm because of sterility. Therefore, choosing the suitable corm for cultivation is one of the important factors in saffron production and the final yield depends on the size of the corm. The research was conducted to investigate the effects of benzyl aminopurine hormone priming, application of bio-fertilizers and maternal corm weight on the germination indices of saffron cormlets. Experimental treatments consisted of large (7.1-10 g) and small (4-7 g) corms, priming with benzyl aminopurine at concentrations of 0, 250, and 500 mg/l and biofertilizer levels (no fertilizer, Mycorrhiza (Funneliformis mossea) and fertilizer, Phosphate Barvar2). The results showed that maternal corms with 7.1 to 10 g compared to 4 to 7 g increased seedling emergence rate by 14% and the seedling vigor length index by 6.3%. Hormonal priming of maternal corms with a concentration of 500 mg/l increased dry weight leaf of main and lateral shoots (34%), dry weight of the main and total shoots (37% ), and also improved emergence rate (56%) and the number of the contractile root of cormlet (77%) with biofertilizer application. The interaction of hormonal priming (250 mg/l) and the use of maternal corms with 7.1 to 10 g increased the weight index of seedling vigor by 72%. Biofertilizer treatment increased 25% of the total dry weight of the shoots. In general, the application of larger corms and the application of biofertilizer and hormonal priming improved cormlet and saffron seedling vigor.

There is ample evidence to illustrate the role of triazoles and silicon in mitigating the effects of abiotic stresses. However, the potential of nano-silicon and tebuconazole and their possible interactions in ameliorating the effects of drought stress and related mechanisms in sugar beet have not been investigated so far. Therefore, a split-plot factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with four replications was carried out at Motahari Research Station of Sugar Beet Seed Institute (SBSI), Karaj, Iran over two seasons, 2016 and 2017. Three irrigation treatments including 100, 75, and 50% of plant evapotranspiration (normal, mild stress, and severe stress, respectively) were assigned to the main plots. Subplots were composed of a factorial combination of three nano-silicon doses of 0, 1 and 2 mM and two tebuconazole doses of 0 and 25 mg l-1. The results showed that under severe drought stress, the effect of nano-silicon on the studied traits was dose-dependent, so that the application of nano-silicon with 1mM concentration improved growth parameters as well as physiological traits and increased white sugar yield and the maximum dry matter by 20 % and 17%, respectively compared with severe drought stress treatment. Under severe drought stress condition (irrigation at 50% of plant evapotranspiration), the highest leaf area index, chlorophyll and relative water content were observed in 1 mM nano-silicon treatment. Under severe drought stress, foliar application of 2 mM nano silicon had an adverse effect on sugar yield. The combined application of nano-silicon and tebuconazole improved dry matter production and sugar yield by maintaining plant greenness and preventing leaf aging which may indicate an interaction between these two compounds. These results indicate that nano-silicon and tebuconazole can be used as a suitable tool to mitigate the effects of drought stress on sugar beet.

Saffron is one of the most important crops and medicinal plants in Iran. The research was accomplished in order to investigate the effects of Benzyl aminopurine hormone treatment, application of bio-fertilizers (Phosphate Barvar2 and mycorrhiza) and maternal corm weight on the quantitative indices of saffron cormlets and flowers yield as a factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted in Yasouj region. Experimental treatments consisted of large (7.1-10 g) and small (4-7 g) corms, priming with benzyl aminopurine at concentrations of 0, 250 and 500 mg/l and biofertilizer levels (no fertilizer, Mycorrhiza (Glomus mossea) and fertilizer, Phosphate Barvar2) were used. The results showed that all quantitative traits of saffron corm were significantly affected by hormonal priming and maternal corm weight (except for corm weight); But biofertilizer had only significant effect on corm number and flower dry weight. The Hormonal priming at a concentration of 250 mg/l increased the number and weight of corms by 30 and 27%, respectively, and the dry weight of stigma and filament by 26% compared to control. Also, all flower components and number of corms were significantly increased by using larger maternal corms than small corms. The use of bio-fertilizers as compared to no fertilizer increased 13 and 59% corm number and weight, respectively. Phosphorus and zinc content in corms increased only under the influence of mycorrhiza fertilizer application. Whereas, with the use of benzyl aminopurine and mycorrhiza fertilizer, the iron content increased twice as much as the control. Generally 250 mg/l application of benzyl aminopurine, bio-fertilizers and larger corms (7.1-10 g) it had a positive effect on most of the measured traits

To evaluate the effect of nutrient elements, methionine amino acid and corm weight on the emergence of saffron, an experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design in two years (2014-2015) in Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Treatments were consisted of mineral nutrients in form of liquid fertilizer at four concentrations (10, 20, 30, 40 ml/L), Methionine amino acid at four concentrations (10, 20, 30, 40 g/L), distilled water, control treatment without water, corm weight at two weights small (3-5 gram) and large (7-9 gram). All corms were immersed 48 hours in nutrients or methionine (except control treatment) before planting. To study emergence percentage, a simulated exponential model or monomolecular model was used. The results of this study showed that emergence has increased in the second year compared to the first year that can be due to more compatibility by environmental conditions. In first-year of emergence, the process was parabolic shape, while the trend was linear in the second year. Emergence trend in large corms treatments was better and more productive than other treatments. In this study, the use of 10 gram per liter of methionine on big corms could increase emergence percentage in Saffron. .

To evaluate the effect of chitosan NPs on wheat under late season drought stress, a factorial experiment was performed based on a randomized complete block design in three replications in pot conditions at Tarbiat Modares University in 2015. The experimental factors included the NPs concentrations (0, 30, 60 and 90 mg.L-1), application methods (foliar and soil application) and irrigation regimes (normal irrigation and removal of irrigation 15 days after pollination). Experimental procedure includes planting seeds and then prepared chitosan NPs suspension added to them through soil and foliar application in three stages (tillering, stem elongation and heading). Results indicated that the drought stress significantly decreased amount of carotenoid, chlorophyll a, b, total, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, yield, 1000- grain weight as well as biomass and increased intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci). In most studied traits, no significant difference was observed between consumption methods of nanoparticles. In both irrigation regimes, applying NPs especially concentration of 60 and 90 mg.L-1 significantly improved the majority of studied traits. In general, application of chitosan NPs reduced negative effects of drought stress in wheat plants and improved growth.

This research was carried out in order to investigate the effect of foliar application of potassium nitrate and polyamines putrescine, on growth and biochemical characteristics of rapeseed (Brassica napus) under waterlogging condition. An experiment was conducted in a factorial arrangement based on completely randomized design with four replication. The factors include waterlogging stress conditions on two levels (I0 = no flooding, I1 = flooded for 10 days) and foliar application of potassium nitrate and polyamine putrescine in five levels (M0 = no spraying, M1 = concentration of 10 ppm potassium nitrate, M2 = concentration of 20 ppm potassium nitrate, M3 = concentration of 10 ppm polyamines putrescine, M4=20 ppm concentration of polyamines putrescine). The results showed that the main effects of flooding stress and foliar application of putrescine and potassium nitrate have a significant effect on plant height, number of leaves, total dry weight, leaf greenness and enzyme activity (catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase). The results showed the greatest increase in morphological traits was obtained by spraying 20 ppm of potassium nitrate or putrescine. Also spray 20 ppm potassium nitrate caused the greatest increase in the activity of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase.

To investigate the effect of polyamines on vegetative and biochemical traits of Crocus sativus L., an experiment was conducted as factorial in a randomized complete block design with three replications in 2015-2016 in Training Field of Tarbiat Modares University with three sizes of corms (3-5, 5-7 and 7-10 g) and five concentrations of polyamines (zero in control, zero in distilled water, spermidine 0.5 and 1 , putrescine 0.5 and 1 ) as the treatments. Results showed that plants treated with putrescine 0.5 and spermidine 1 mM had the highest germination percentage (96.56 percent) and the highest number of lateral sprouts (average number of 8.33), respectively. The length and weight of the leaves were negatively affected by polyamine treatment. The highest chlorophyll content and corm yield were observed in plants treated with Putrescine 0.5 mM and 1 mM, respectively. The content of starch and soluble carbohydrates in dormant corms at the end of growing season were not affected by polyamines significantly; however, total phenolic and flavonoid content in these corms were respectively decreased and increased as a result of applying polyamines. Having no significant effect on stigma dry weight and picrocrocin content, polyamine treatment increased the number of flowers and crocin content in small corms. It is concluded that to obtain better vegetative and biochemical traits of saffron, corms more than 7 g, treated with putrescine, should be used.

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

Chitosan is a glucosamine polysaccharide deacetylated form of chitin species and could be used as biotic elicitor to improve secondary metabolites and as a fertilizer it controls the release of chemical compounds of toxins and stimulates germination and plant growth. Thus, to evaluate the effect of chitosan NPs on barley plants under late season drought stress, a factorial pot experiment was performed based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental factors were NPs concentrations at 4 levels (0, 30, 60 and 90 ppm), method of usage at 2 levels (foliar and soil application) and irrigation regimes at 2 levels (normal irrigation and with-holding irrigation 15 days after pollination). Experimental procedure consisted of planting seeds, preparing chitosan NPs solution, and using solutions through soil and foliar application at three plant growth stages (tillering, stem elongation and heading). Results indicated that drought stress significantly decreased contents of carotenoid, chlorophyll a, the chlorophyll b, the total chlorophyll, rate of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, grain yield, as well as, biomass. Results also showed that contents of soluble carbohydrate, glucose, sucrose, fructose, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and photosynthetic water use efficiency (WUE) were increased. Also, under both irrigation regimes, application of chitosan NPs significantly increased the chlorophyll a, the chlorophyll b, the soluble chlorophyll and the glucose. Application of 60 and 90 ppm NPs significantly increased grain yield as compared to that of control. Signifficant diffrences for some traits under study between two usage methods of NPs were not observed. In general, application of chitosan NPs reduced negative effects of drought stress for barley plants and improved its growth and seed yield.

Aims: Saffron is one of the plants, whose allelopathic effect of various organs have been reported to affect seed germination of some weed species. The present research was conducted with the aim of evaluating the allelopathic effect of extraction solution of leaves and corms of saffron (Crocus sativus) in phenological stages on seed germination of jimson weed (Datura stramonium). In this experimental study, an experiment was conducted to study the allelopathic effects of saffron on jimson weed seed germination at research farm, Tarbiat Modares University Faculty of Agriculture in autumn 2014. The experiment was arranged as factorial split plot in a completely randomized design with 3 replications. The treatments included factorial combination of 2 extract types (water and alcohol), 3 tissue compositions of saffron organs, different concentrations of aqueous, and alcoholic extracts as the main plots and 3 different phonological stages of saffron were considered as sub-plots. One-way analysis of variance was performed through generalized linear model (GLM), using SAS 9.1 software, and drawing charts was done, using Excel2013 software. Findings: The concentration and phonological stage of saffron had a significant effect on the germination percentage of Datura stramonium, but the main effect of organ type on this trait was not significant. The aqueous extract of saffron did not have significant effect on the germination of Datura stramonium germination at the phonological stage of the daughter corms at a concentration of 2g/l in comparison with other phonological stages, but at a concentration of 4g, it significantly decreased the seed germination. Extract of saffron has an allelopathic potential, and germination traits, including germination percentage and plumule and radicle length of Datura stramonium in different phonological stages of saffron are affected by the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of different organs.

To evaluate the effect of heat stress on three commercial sugar beet cultivars (Aria, Rosaflor and Paya), two experiments were conducted in laboratory (20-44°C; at germination stage) and greenhouse (30°C; at seedling establishment stage) in factorial layout, based on completely randomized design in Sugar Beet Seed Institute, Karaj, Iran, in 2015 and 2016. Severe loss of germination of sugar beet cultivars was obtained at 32°C, and at 38°C, no any normal germination observed. The maximum germination percentage of Rosaflor and Aria cultivars obtained at 20°C, while that of Paya obtained at 26°C. Paya and Aria cultivars had the lowest (41%) and the highest (65%) decrease in germination at 32°C, respectively, in comparison to their maximum germinations. In greenhouse experiment, principal component analysis showed that Rosaflor performed better than other cultivars regarding to; photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), total dry weight, SPAD value and seedling emergence, while Paya cultivar was superior regarding to; leaf area, total fresh weight, stomatal conductance, leaf area ratio (LAR), specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf temperature depression. No significant difference was observed among sugar beet cultivars in leaf area and photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) traits. Paya cultivar had higher fresh weight, leaf area and stomatal conductance which led to more decline in leaf temperature through higher transpiration rate. The highest dry weight belonged to Rosaflor cultivar. According to results of laboratory and greenhouse experiments, it seems that Rosaflor and Paya cultivars were more tolerant to heat stress at early growth stage compared to Aria cultivar.

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

In recent years many research studies have been carried out to use a vertical planting system for production of some plants. Although saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the word, there is no investigation about saffron production in a vertical planting system. Therefore, the growth and production of saffron plant in two different systems (vertical and horizontal) were studied in the agricultural research field of the Tarbiat Modares University during the 2013-2014 growing seasons. In the vertical system, saffron corms were planted in fabric bags containing potting soil. The fabric bags were hanged on a cube of metal with an area of each side of the cube being equal to 2.25 square meters. In the horizontal system, the corms were planted in three plots with the area of each plots being 2.25 square meters. The results showed that in the vertical planting system, the number of flowers, flower dry weight and dry weight of stigma per unit area of land (10 flower, 347.34 and 0.56 mg respectively) were significantly higher than those obtained in the horizontal culture (They were almost three times higher) .In contrast, the numbers and dry weight of lateral corms (2.4 corm and 0.36 g respectively) and the dry weight of apical corm (0.88 g) in the horizontal system were significantly greater than those obtained in the vertical system. Dry weight of leaf and root were significantly greater in the vertical system. The total number of buds and leaves were more in the horizontal culture. However, the maximum leaf length of the vertical planting system was higher than those of the horizontal system.

This research was aimed to evaluate the flower and stigma yield as well as growth traits of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) under effect of planting dates and corm size. The experiment was factorial in a complete randomized design with three replicates, conducted at the research farm of College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran during 2013-2014. The treatments consisted of four planting dates (June 10th, September 7th and 27th, and October 12th) and two corm weights (5-9 g and 10-14 g). Our results showed that the flower and stigma yield of large corms, planted on June 10th, was 50% higher as compared with other planting dates, and on September 27th, the yield was 25% higher. However, this difference was not significant in comparison with September 7th. The lowest flower and stigma yield was recorded for the planting date of October 12th in comparison with other planting dates, and these traits were higher in large corms as compared with small ones in all planting dates. The flower length and number of buds on June 10th were higher than that of others. In addition, the highest leaf dry weight and length in primary and secondary buds were recorded for the planting dates of June 10th and September 6th, which could be effective in production of daughter corms in the next year. The results showed that all growth characteristics in large corms were higher than that of small ones. Overall, these results indicate that the planting of 10-14-gram large corms on June 10th can improve the yield and growth characteristics of saffron in Varamin plain.

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

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

Rice is one of the major staple foods for more than half of the world population. The effect of three rice cultivation systems and foliar application of two zinc fertilizers was investigated on yield, yield components and water consumption of rice cv. ‘Sazandegi’ in Isfahan Agricultural Research Center, Isfahan, Iran, during 2013. This experiment was carried out in split plots using randomized complete block design with three replications. Three cultivation systems including system of rice intensification (SRI), conventional rice cultivation system (CRC) and improved rice cultivation system (IRC) were considered as the main factor and four zinc foliar applications including 150 and 300 mg.L-1 nano-ZnO and 3 and 6 g.L-1 SO4Zn together with foliar application with distilled water and no-foliar application (as first and second checks, respectively) were applied as the sub-factor. The results showed that highest grain yield (9451 kg.ha-1) obtained from SRI which was 10% and 13% higher than CRC and IRC, respectively. Foliar application with both zinc fertilizers significantly increased grain yield so that nano-zinc oxide (150 mg.L-1) and zinc sulfate (6 g.L-1) produced 5% and 5.7% more grain yield than the both checks, respectively. Minimum water consumption obtained from SRI which was 17.5% and 18.2% lower than CRC and IRC systems, respectively. On the basis of the results of this research, SRI system and foliar application of zinc sulfate (6 g.L-1) or nano-zinc oxide (150 mg.L-1) is recommended.

The objective of this research was to study the effect of substrate culture، axillary bud removing and mother corm size on daughter corm production and morphological traits of saffron plant (Crocus sativus L.) An experiment was carried out in factorial based on completely randomized design with four replications. Treatments included mother corm size (large 9. 5-11 g or medium 6-7. 5 g) substrates (perlite or soil)، axillary buds removing (removing all axillary buds or no removing axillary buds). Results showed that the mother corm size had a significant effect on leaf dry weight، root dry weight، total dry weight of plants، daughter corm weight، and number of daughter corms. In addition، the large corms caused an increase in these traits. The highest root dry weight، root number، daughter corm dry weight، and total dry weight of plant were obtained in the perlite substrate. It was observed that the plants grown in the soil produced more as compared to those grown in the perlite. Although، root number and daughter corm size increased by the axillary buds removing، the number of daughter corms decreased by this treatment.

In order to assess corn responses to zinc compounds and auxin (Indole Butyric Acid) foliar application in shoots and roots، a pot experiment was carried out in randomized complete block design in three replications. Results showed that، zinc and auxin increased auxin and abscisic acid concentration both in shoots and roots. Also، fresh and dry weight of shoot and root increased model to foliar application، because protein synthesis was increased. On the other hand، according to unusual case، auxin and ABA showed positive parallel variation both in shoot and root، but this relation was more noticable in shoots.