مصطفی رحمتی جنیدآباد

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) tree tolerate high temperatures, drought and salinity more than other fruit crop, that is why date palm tree is named the tree of life in the desert. Date palm (Phoenix dactiylifera) is one of the fruit tree crops that is cultivated in arid region of Middle East and North Africa having a significant role on the economy of many countries in these regions. Fruit thinning is one of the major operation for improving the quality of dates as also for other fruit trees. Quality of dates is improved by increasing fruit weight and size and regulating date palm production by reducing the magnitude of year to year production affecting the date palm. Date palm orchard operations include all operations that are repeated annually to produce date fruit. Alternate bearing is common phenomenon in date palms. The thinning is one of the main methods that often helps to solve this problem. The main purpose of thinning is to create a suitable balance and often to increase the leaf to cluster ratio. It is creating a balance between vegetative growth and flowering and reducing the possibility of aging in the alternate bearing. Fruit thinning is one of the necessary operations that affects the growth, quality, fruit yield and regulation of the alternate bearing of the tree. The thinning process is performed manually, mechanically and chemically. Therefore, choosing a thinning method that saves time and money is necessary for date palms, especially in critical situations. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effects of manual and chemical thinning on the qualitative characteristics of date fruit at different stages of development for the Khadrawi cultivar.

An experiment was carried out as factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with 3 replications at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in 2022 and 2023. The Experimental factors included: hand thinning (No hand thinning, removal of 33%, removal of 25% of the total number of strands) and chemical thinning (zero, 50 and 100 mg per liter of naphthalene acetic acid). Chemical and strand thinning were done in the Hubabok stage (about 4 weeks after pollination) and the Kimri stage (12 to 13 weeks after pollination), respectively. In two consecutive years, the fruits were transferred to the plant physiology laboratory of the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. The qualitative traits such as total soluble solids (%), pH, total acidity (%), taste index, antioxidant activity (%), total phenol (mg.g-1 FW), total soluble tannin (mg.g-1 FW), ascorbic acid (mg.g-1 FW), poly-galacturonase enzymes (U.g-1 FW), methyl pectin esterase (U.g-1 FW), cellulase (U.g-1 FW) and invertase (U.g-1 FW) and the percentage of reducing (%), non-reducing (%) and total sugars (%) were measured.

The results of this experiment showed that in the Tamar Stage, the interaction of hand and chemical thinning improved the qualitative characteristics of the fruit and on the characteristics of soluble total tannin, polygalactronase activity, pectin-methylesterase and reducing and total sugars, and the effect of hand thinning on total and percentage phenol and Non-reducing sugar and chemical thinning had a significant effect on ascorbic acid and cellulase enzyme. The results showed that there was upward trend in amount of total soluble solids, pH, total acidity, taste index, poly-galactronase, pectin-methyl-esterase, cellulase and invertase enzymes and the reducing and total sugars from the Kimri to Tamar stage. Also, there was downward trend in amount of total phenol, total soluble tannin content, ascorbic acid, and non-reducing sugar percentage from the Kimri stage to the Tamar.

The Khadrawi date variety has short strands, which results in a significant density of fruits on the strands of a cluster, which leads to large changes between fruits in most of the biochemical properties and has a negative effect on marketability. Fruit thinning is one of the most important agronomic practices in groves, as it enhances the quality characteristics of the fruit. Although hand thinning is more expensive, time-consuming, and relatively more difficult than chemical thinning, our findings showed that the quality of date fruit from the Khadrawi cultivar improved with the removal of 25% of the total number of strands and with chemical thinning using 100 mg/liter of naphthalene acetic acid. These treatments are recommended for palm growers.

In this research, the chemical properties and antifungal effect of Zhumeria majdae essential oil on the molds that cause decay and spoilage of orange fruit during storage were investigated. The hydrodistillation method was used to extract Z. majdae essential oil. The amount of total phenol (according to Folin Ciocalteu method), the amount of total flavonoid (based on the colorimetric method of aluminum chloride), antioxidant effect (based on DPPH and ABTS free radical inhibition methods) and antifungal activity (based on disc diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration) of essential oil against Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitatum were investigated. The content of total phenol and total flavonoid of the essential oil were equal to 51.38 mg GAE/g and 22.18 mg QE/g, respectively. Z. majdae essential oil was able to inhibit DPPH and ABTS free radicals (61.50% and 67.85%, respectively). The results of the antifungal effect of Z. majdae essential oil showed that the average diameter of the inhibition zone for the fungal strains of P. italicum and P. digitatum in the disc diffusion agar method was 11.10 and 13.70 mm, respectively, and in the well diffusion agar method it was 12.20 and 14.90 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration for these strains was equal to 4 and 2 mg/ml and the minimum fungicidal concentration was equal to 64 and 16 mg/ml. According to the results, Z. majdae essential oil can be used as a natural antimicrobial agent in order to prevent the growth of fungal strains that cause rot and spoilage of orange fruit during storage.

The growth of fungal pathogens on the grape fruit causes a decrease in its quality and shelf life. In this study, the antifungal activity of ginger (Zingiber officinale) essential oil was investigated against fungal pathogens that cause spoilage in grape fruit. Ginger essential oil was extracted using hydrodistillation method and the content of total phenol, total flavonoid, antioxidant activity based on the inhibition of DPPH and ABTS free radicals and its antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer and Botrytis cinerea strains based on disc diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration were evaluated. The results showed that ginger essential oil has 89.80 mg GA/g total phenol and 38.60 mg QE/g total flavonoid. Its antioxidant activity against DPPH and ABTS free radicals was 73.45 and 66.53 μg/ml, respectively. The results of antifungal activity showed that A. niger and B. cinerea were the most sensitive and resistant fungal strains to essential oil, respectively, and the diameter of the inhibition zone in the disc diffusion and well diffusion agar methods, the minimum inhibitory concentration, and the minimum fungicidal concentration for the A. niger strain was equal to 13.90 mm, 14.50 mm, 8 mg/mL and 64 mg/mL, respectively. In general, ginger essential oil can be used as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent to increase the shelf life of agricultural products.

Considering the sensitivity of apple fruit to many pests and diseases and the sensitivity of consumers to synthetic pesticides, the use of plant essential oils has increased to increase the lifespan of various horticultural products, including apples. In this research, total phenol, total flavonoid and antioxidant properties of Elettaria cardamomum essential oil were investigated. In addition, the antimicrobial property of this essential oil was evaluated on a number of fungi that cause spoilage of apple fruit, including Penicillium expansum, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata. The phenol and flavonoid content of E. cardamomum essential oil was equal to 69.60 mg of gallic acid per gram of essential oil and 27.40 mg of quercetin per gram of essential oil, respectively. The amount of antioxidant property of E. cardamomum essential oil in DPPH and ABTS free radical inhibition method was obtained as 57.30% and 63.60%, respectively. In the investigation of the antifungal property, the largest inhibition zone was observed in P. expansum by disk diffusion and agar well methods, and the minimum inhibitory concentration for P. expansum and B. cinerea fungi was 8 mg/ml and minimum fungicidal concentration was 64 mg/ml. Considering the high antioxidant and antifungal properties of E. cardamomum essential oil, it can be used as a suitable alternative to synthetic fungicides.

In this study, the effect of vine training system and storage time were evaluated on some grape characteristics, such as berry contamination percentage, berry shedding percentage, berry browning rate, titratable acidity, soluble solids, total phenol and the activity of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzymes, in order to maintain the quality of grape during storage time. Factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with two factors of vine training system (khazandeh, pergola and cordon) and storage time (zero, 20, 40 and 60 days after storage) with three replications during 2018-2019. After transferring the fruits to the cold storage with temperature of +4◦C, relative humidity of 85-90% and storage for two months, some characteristics of grape were examined on different days after storage. The results showed that the effect of storage time on berry browning was significant at the level of 1% probability. Also, the effect of interaction between vine training system and storage time on titratable acidity and on the other measured characteristics was significant at the level of 5% and 1% probability, respectively. In general, the results showed that the cordon training system had the best effect in maintaining the characteristics of grape during the storage period compared to other training methods.

The use of safe ingredients to preserve food is steadily increasing. The high time and cost of production and approval of synthetic food additives and the reduction of public acceptance of these compounds have caused serious problems in their utilization. Excessive use of synthetic preservatives, which some of them are suspected to be toxic, has completely eliminated these additives and led to the use of natural alternatives to preserve or extend the shelf life of food products. Many plant-based bioactive compounds are good alternatives to synthetic antimicrobial and antioxidant supplements. Plant extracts have significant biological activity including antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, which has increased their use in food products. In addition, plant-derived antimicrobial compounds have been considered in the pharmaceutical industry to control microbial pathogens. Natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds are receiving a lot of research and industrial attention in food preservation technologies. In the last 2 decades, the use of herbal medicines rich in bioactive molecules (including polyphenols, carotenoids and flavonoids) with medicinal and health effects such as delaying the onset of some diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and cancer have increased.The plant Prosopis farcta grown in arid and semi-arid regions. In Iran, it is found in the southern regions of the country. In traditional medicine, this plant is used to prevent hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, to treat hemorrhoids, intestinal diseases and diarrhea, and leprosy, and to reduce abortion. In addition, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of various species of Prosopis have been reported. Accordingly, in this study, after examining the of total phenols and flavonoids concentrations, the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of ethanolic extract of Prosopis farcta were determined. 

The ethanolic extract of P. farcta was obtained maceration method. Total phenol content (by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent method), total flavonoid content (by aluminum chloride method), antioxidant activity (by DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging and beta-carotene bleaching methods), and antimicrobial effect against Escherichia coli, Shigella dysentery, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis (by disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration) of the extract were evaluated. 

farcta ethanolic extract showed high phenol content (145.58 ± 1.30 mg GAE/g), while its total flavonoid content was 72.37 ± 1.48 mg QE/g. Antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of melon root using different methods of DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging and beta-carotene bleaching inhibition were 62.60, 71.82 and 54.50%, respectively. Antibacterial activity of P. farcta ethanolic extract against Escherichia coli, Shigella dysentery, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis according to disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar methods showed that the antimicrobial activity of the extract was concentration dependent and Shigella dysentery and Staphylococcus aureus were the most resistant and sensitive bacterial strains to the extract respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of ethanolic extract of P. farcta root for Escherichia coli, Shigella dysentery, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis were 8, 8, 4 and 4 mg/ml, respectively; while the minimum bactericidal concentrations for these bacteria were 128, 256, 32 and 64 mg/ml, respectively. 

In the present study, ethanolic extract obtained from the roots of P. farcta was identified as a rich source of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The ethanolic extract showed effective antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The results greatly indicated the promising effect of P. farcta root extract against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species. As the microbial resistance is constantly increasing, ethanolic extract of P. farcta root can be considered as a suitable complementary option to tackle this problem. In addition, the identification of individual components of P. farcta ethanolic extract and their biological functions or their combination with common antioxidant and antimicrobial agents could be the subject of future research.

This work's main objective was to investigate the gum Arabic effect on reducing oxidative stress in bell peppers during ripening. Gum Arabic in 6, 9, 12, and 15% aqueous solutions was applied as an edible coating before storage on mature bell peppers stored at 8°C and 90-95% relative humidity for 28 days. The fruits that were coated with 12% gum Arabic had the lowest rate of decay, weight loss, total carotenoid content, and peroxidation of membrane lipids, as well as the highest total antioxidant capacity, total phenol, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) during storage compared to the control without coating and the fruit treated with 6 and 9% gum. Still, there was no statistically significant difference with the fruit treated with 15% gum Arabic except for the total carotenoid content. The amount of peroxidation of membrane lipids showed positive and high correlation coefficients with decay (**0.93) and physiological weight loss (**0.89), but with antioxidant capacity (-0.93**), ascorbic acid (**) -0.94), total phenol (-0.92**), activity of SOD (-0.96**), CAT (-0.87**) and POD (-0.86**) correlation. It was negative and high. The results showed that the use of 12% gum Arabic as an edible coating can delay oxidative stress and decay and maintain the antioxidant properties of the fruit for up to 28 days during storage at 8 degrees Celsius.

In many developing countries, natural resource conservation has not been a priority despite an increase in production, resulting in reduced agricultural productivity and compromised sustainability. Sustainable agriculture, as a rapidly expanding concept, emphasizes the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of producing food and energy for present and future generations. Smart agriculture, including the intelligentization of agricultural production units and greenhouses, is a key solution to address sustainability challenges by optimizing crop production through environmental control and reducing the impact of climate change. While sustainability is interpreted differently across fields and regions, there is a consensus on the need to use sustainability indicators to measure changes. This study aims to evaluate and validate the environmental sustainability indicators of smart greenhouses, which are unique to each region and country. By adopting a sustainability perspective, this study contributes to a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of agricultural sustainability and the need to consider the social and environmental implications of agricultural practices. The results of this study can help policymakers and practitioners in the field of smart agriculture to develop and implement sustainable agricultural practices that maximize productivity while minimizing environmental and social impacts. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of evaluating and validating the environmental sustainability indicators of smart greenhouses.

This study targeted greenhouse managers in Isfahan province who utilized intelligent greenhouse management equipment in their production units due to the technological nature of the subject and climatic conditions. The agricultural Jihad Organization's statistics showed that there were 303 greenhouse units in the province, of which 170 were selected as the statistical sample. Isfahan province, known for its advanced technology and high greenhouse production, ranks fourth in greenhouse products in Iran, accounting for 12.33% of the country's greenhouse products.The data collection tool in this research is a questionnaire designed by the researcher in the form of a 5-option Likert scale including "very low", "low", "moderate", "much", "very much". To develop a measurement tool, the study identified three components of economic justification, environmental renewability, and social viability by systematically reviewing previous research on sustainable agriculture:Economic justificationSEC1 Increasing crop productivity using precision agricultureSEC2 reduction of consumption inputs in smart agricultureSEC3 increasing the income of smart greenhouses compared to traditional production unitsSEC4 Improving the quality and marketability of productsSEC5 Optimal management of water consumption in smart greenhousesSEC6 Optimum energy consumption in smart greenhousesEnvironmental renewal SEM1 Use of biological and non-chemical control to control pests and weedsSEM2 use of bio and green fertilizersSEM3 Planting modified and resistant seed varietiesSEM4 Utilization of renewable energiesSEM5 planning of recycling process and waste managementSEM6 Modifying and meeting the needs of the soil or planting bedSocial viabilitySSC1 Employing expert and educated personnel in the production unitSSC2 desire to learn and acquire knowledge of smart technologiesSSC3 Reducing human error in smart greenhouse managementSSC4 Creating sustainable employment for local youth in the regionConfirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to measure the factor structure of the environmental sustainability measurement index. The calculated indices in the research measurement model showed good validity and reliability. One of the advantages of using CFA to evaluate environmental sustainability indicators of smart greenhouses is its ability to systematically measure the validity and reliability of the measurement tool. This approach can be used continuously in similar environments in the future. This study contributes to the literature by providing a systematic approach to measure environmental sustainability in smart greenhouses, which can inform policymakers and practitioners in sustainable agriculture to maximize productivity while minimizing environmental and social impacts.

Descriptive statistics revealed that most greenhouse owners were between the ages of 31-40 and held university degrees, and the majority of production units were personally owned. Given the need for human and financial resources, there is potential for developing the cooperative sector and knowledge-based companies in this field.The study introduced 15 indicators for measuring the environmental sustainability of greenhouses, and factor loading values and t values for each index showed that all identified factors played an important role in explaining the sustainability of smart greenhouses. The factor load values for the selected markers (above 0.5) were statistically significant at the error level of one percent (P<0.01).The confirmatory model revealed that the components of social livability and environmental renewability had a greater role than economic justification in explaining the underlying variable of sustainability, with path coefficients of 0.844 and 0.858, respectively. The results highlight the importance of paying more attention to natural resources and empowering active human resources in the sector. While most agricultural policies in Iran prioritize increasing productivity and efficiency, less attention is given to aspects of justice, social welfare, durability, stability, and compatibility. The study emphasizes that agricultural sustainability is a multidimensional phenomenon, and policymakers should consider other dimensions of efficiency beyond crop production and productivity.

This study has made a significant contribution to the development of scientific concepts and sustainability evaluation indicators in new technologies in the field of agriculture.Despite numerous studies on agricultural sustainability, few efforts have been made to design and validate sustainability measurement indicators specifically for smart agriculture, particularly in greenhouse production units. Valid and reliable indicators are crucial for the agricultural sector worldwide, as farmers, policy makers, decision makers, and agricultural extension workers require accurate information about agricultural activities.However, in most cases, these stakeholders lack the tools to evaluate such information, leading to incorrect decisions, policies, and actions due to the absence of documented knowledge and indices on the sustainability of smart agriculture. Therefore, this article presents a multi-step process for designing and validating sustainability indicators for smart greenhouses in future research. This process is essential to improve the accuracy and reliability of sustainability information and promote sustainable agricultural practices in the greenhouse sector.The development and validation of the environmental sustainability index in this study can have a significant impact on the direction of agricultural policies in the field of intelligentizing greenhouse activities. Researchers, decision-makers, and policymakers face significant challenges in achieving greenhouse sustainability, and this study provides valuable insights and recommendations for addressing these challenges.

The aim of this article was to present a strategic plan for the development of smart greenhouses in Isfahan province using the qualitative method of SWOT analysis. In this paper, the solutions for developing smart greenhouses based on maximum use of strengths by relying on opportunities, overcoming weaknesses by exploiting opportunities, using strengths to reduce threats and minimizing weaknesses by avoiding threats are presented. The results of this research show that the development of smart greenhouses in Isfahan province while reducing water consumption and environmental effects can increase product quality and profitability. On the other hand, the development of smart greenhouses in this province needs to overcome limitations such as high initial investment cost, technical complexity, need for maintenance and dependence on external factors. Also, the results show that the development of smart greenhouses in Isfahan province can use some favorable external factors such as increasing demand and low prices of greenhouse products compared to the global market. Some adverse external factors, such as sanctions, social resistance in accepting innovation, and market fluctuations also affect this process. This article provides suggestions for future research policy and addressing the cause of some gaps, limitations and challenges in supporting the smartening of greenhouses in Isfahan province.

Grape is a very perishable fruit that has a short shelf life. Due to the increase in consumer awareness, the tendency to use natural preservative compounds instead of pesticides and chemical preservatives has increased. Plant essential oils are considered to be the most appropriate natural compounds due to their potentially effective compounds. Therefore, the aim of this research was to identify the chemical compounds of Foeniculum vulgare essential oil, determine its phenolic and flavonoid content, and investigate the antioxidant and antifungal activity of this essential oil against a number of molds that cause spoilage after grape fruit harvesting. The compounds identified in F. vulgare essential oil included limonene, fenchone, p-allylanisole and anethole, which made up 97.60% of the total essential oil. The total phenol content of F. vulgare essential oil was equal to 26.29 mg GAE/g and the total flavonoid content was equal to 19.23 mg QE/g. The antioxidant properties of the essential oil of this plant were obtained by DPPH, ABTS and beta-carotene-linoleic acid decolorization methods, respectively, 38.56, 42.12, and 30.30%. Also, , it was found that Foeniculum vulgare essential oil is capable of inhibiting and controlling Rhizopus stolonifera, Aspergillus niger, and Botrytis cinerea. Due to the antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds present in F. vulgare, the essential oil of this plant can be used as a compound with practical properties to increase the shelf life of agricultural products, including grapes.

In the present study, the hydroalcoholic extract of Withania somnifera was extracted and then the content of total phenol (by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent), total flavonoid (by aluminum chloride method), antioxidant activity (based on DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging methods) and its antifungal effect against Rhizopu stolonifers, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum and Alternaria alternata (fungi cause spoilage postharvest apple and strawberry fruits) were determined based on disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration. The amount of phenol and flavonoids in the extract was 53.16 mg GAE/g and 28.20 mg QE/g, respectively. The antioxidant power of the hydroalcoholic extract was 69.80 and 57.15 μg/ml in terms of DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging, respectively. The results of antimicrobial activity based on disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar showed that increasing the concentration of the extract caused a significant increase in the diameter of the growth inhibition zone and Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata were the most resistant and sensitive strains to the extract, respectively. In general, Penicillium expansum and Alternaria alternata were more sensitive than Rhizopus stolonifer and Botrytis cinerea with minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations of 16 and 128 mg/ml, respectively.

Genetic diversity and the use of different cultivars and genotypes are important in pomegranate breeding and cultivation. Although, the quantitative and qualitative fruit characteristics of pomegranate genotypes have been studied in different regions of Iran, there are still regions, including Kurdistan province in the west of Iran, where no report has been published about the pomegranate genetic diversity. The present experiment investigated the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of fourteen pomegranate genotypes collected from four regions in Oraman, Kurdistan. Investigating the biochemical characteristics of fruit juice showed that the amounts of total acidity and ascorbic acid, total phenol, and total flavonoids were significantly different, but total soluble solids, taste index (soluble solids/acidity) and Brima-A index were not different. Also, the examination of fruit color indices showed significant differences in total anthocyanin, color intensity, pure red color intensity, and the ratio of total phenol to anthocyanin. Results showed that identifying and collecting pomegranate genotypes in other regions of Kurdistan province can increase the genetic diversity information of pomegranate. Furthermore, these studies can be utilized to introduce suitable genoypes in Kurdistan province or to implement breeding programs to introduce new pomegranate cultivars adapted to the climatic conditions of Kurdistan.

In this study, Ocimum basilicum essential oil was extracted according to hydrodistillation method and its antifungal activity (based on disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration) against fungi causing postharvest rots in apple was investigated. In addition, its constituents (by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometer), total phenol content, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity (based on DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging methods) were determined. Estragole was the main constituent of Ocimum basilicum essential oil with 65.43%. The essential oil contained 38.14 mg GAE/g total phenol and 11.17 mg QE/g total flavonoids. The results of antioxidant activity test showed that the free radical scavenging activity based on DPPH and ABTS methods were 66.85% and 73.70%, respectively. According to the results of disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar methods, Penicillium expansum and Botrytis cinerea with the highest and lowest diameter of growth inhibition zones, respectively, were the most sensitive and resistant fungal strains to the essential oils. The results of minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentration tests of essential oil showed a similar trend. In general, Ocimum basilicum essential oil contains many bioactive compounds with significant antioxidant and antifungal activity, which shows its ability as a natural preservative to improve the shelf life of horticultural products.

Strawberry and grapes are generally infected with pathogenic fungi (e.g., Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Rhizopus stolonifera, etc.). Synthetic fungicides are commonly used as the first line of defense against post-harvest pathogens on packaging lines. However, disposal of toxic waste is a costly process and the hazardous waste causes serious environmental problems. In addition, fungal pathogens have shown a worrying trend of resistance to these fungicides, thus shortening the shelf life of products. Compounds that can be equally effective in controlling pathogens, but preventing or minimizing the waste problems will be inevitable. The large volume of internationally processed agricultural products, as well as the increasing demand for organically produced fruits, emphasizes the need to replace synthetic fungicides with safer and biodegradable alternatives. Natural plant-derived products effectively meet this criterion and have great potential to influence modern agricultural research. Catechins and other polyphenols in green tea show strong antioxidant activity. Also, the antimicrobial activity of green tea extract against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans has been reported. Therefore, the present study was performed to prepare the ethanolic extract of green tea and to determine the content of total phenol, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and its antifungal effect against Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, and Rhizopus stolonifer (causing rot in strawberry and grapes).

Fresh green tea leaves were dried at room temperature and then powdered. Then, ethanol (70%) was added to the powdered leaves (solvent to powder ratio of 10:1 v/w) and the mixture was refluxed for 120 min. The resulting mixture was filtered through a filter paper and then concentrated under vacuum and finally dried in an oven.Total phenol content (by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent at 756 nm), total flavonoid content (spectrophotometrically at 510 nm), antioxidant activity (by DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging methods), and antifungal effect (by disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration) of the extract were evaluated.

The extract contained 175.60 mg GAE /g total phenol and 47.53 mg QE/g total flavonoids and its antioxidant activity using DPPH and ABTS free radical assays was 78.89% and 86.57%, respectively. The results of antifungal activity showed that the diameter of the growth inhibition zone increased significantly with increasing the concentration of the extract, and Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer were the most sensitive and resistant fungal strains to the extract, respectively. The minimum fungicidal concentrations for the strains of Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer were 64 and 512 mg/ml, respectively.

The results of the present study showed that the ethanolic extract of green tea could be considered as potential source of natural antioxidant and antifungal agents. The presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds may be responsible for the antifungal and antioxidant effects of the extract. However, due to the fact that this study was performed with the crude extract of green tea, it is difficult to identify compounds responsible for antifungal and antioxidant activity. On this point, only the separation of the components of the extract allows the detection of antifungal and antioxidant compounds. This study provides a basis for further researches, in particular the use of these antioxidants and antifungal compounds. Green tea extract is especially suitable for products with high sensitivity to lipid oxidation and infection with molds.

Strawberry is a non-climacteric fruit, but its high post-harvest respiration rate results in a rapid spoilage at room temperature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of biodegradable coating based on Lepidium sativum seed mucilage in combination with Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oil in post-harvest protection of strawberry fruit at 4 °C. Strawberry coating treatments included control sample, mucilage without essential oil, mucilage containing 0.5% essential oil, mucilage containing 0.75% essential oil, and mucilage containing 1% essential oil. Physicochemical (total soluble solids, pH, acidity, and hardness), microbial (mold and yeast), and sensory (color, odor, texture, and overall acceptance) properties of the fruits were studied on days 1, 4, 7 and 10 of storage. The treatments containing essential oil had a positive effect on post-harvest quality of strawberries. Although the quality of samples decreased by storage time, compared with the control sample, mucilage coating containing 1% essential oil prevented severe changes in acidity, pH, hardness, fungi count, and sensory properties of the samples during the storage period and it was selected as the best treatment. In general, samples coated with L. sativum seed mucilage containing C. zeylanicum essential oil showed the highest overall acceptance compared to the control sample due to low microbial load and preservation of texture and flavor compounds. Therefore, the edible coating based on L. sativum seed mucilage and C. zeylanicum essential oil can be used to increase the shelf life of other food products.

Antimicrobial edible coatings containing plant essential oils have various advantages and are currently being used to design biodegradable packaging. In this study, cinnamon essential oil was added at concentrations of 0, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9% to the Shahri Balangu seed mucilage solution to produce a bioactive edible coating. Strawberry samples were coated with the edible coating and their physicochemical, microbial, and sensory changes were evaluated during a 10-day storage period at 4 °C. Compared to the control sample, the use of edible coating based on Shahri Balangu seed mucilage containing 0.9% of cinnamon essential oil, significantly inhibited the changes in pH, acidity, soluble solids (13.69% vs. 43.5% increase), microbial count (3.22 vs. 3.98 log CFU/g increase), hardness (6.74% vs. 33.05%), and sensory properties (color, odor, texture, and overall acceptance) of strawberry fruit during storage. Therefore, the edible coating based on Shahri Balangu seed mucilage containing cinnamon essential oil can be used as an active packaging to improve the quality and safety characteristics of various food products.

The aim of this study was to isolate the ethanolic extract of Quercus persica leaves via maceration method and determination of its total phenol content (via Folin-Ciocalteu method), total flavonoid content (via aluminium chloride colorimetric method), antioxidant activity (based on DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging methods), and antimicrobial effect (based on disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration procedures). The extract contained 79.21 mg GAE/g phenolic compounds and 35.10 mg QE/g flavonoid compounds. The leaf ethanolic extract of Q. persica had a remarkable antioxidant activity, and it showed 52.60% DPPH free radical scavenging effect and 60.50% ABTS free radical scavenging activity. The extract had a concentration-dependent antimicrobial activity. The highest and lowest inhibition zones were respectively observed for Staphylococcus epidermidis (18.60 mm) and Salmonella typhi (14.80 mm), through disk diffusion agar method, in the presence of 100 mg.ml-1 extract. In well diffusion agar method, the inhibition zones for the above bacterial species were 14.90 mm and 15.10 mm, respectively. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentrations for the sensitive species (S. epidermidis) and the resistant bacteria (S. typhi) were 32 and 256 mg.ml-1, respectively. The results of this study show that the leaf ethanolic extract of Q. persica could be used as a naturally bioactive compound to substitute synthetic preservative agents.

The aim of this study was to investigate the phytochemical analysis and antifungal activities of ethanolic extract of Ficus benghalensis on the growth of fungal strains causing rot in orange fruit during storage (Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum). Total phenol content was evaluated according to Folin-Ciocalteu method, total flavonoid content was evaluated according to aluminum chloride colorimetric method, and antioxidant activity was evaluated based on DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging methods. Various methods (disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration) were used to evaluate the antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of F. benghalensis. The amount of phenol and flavonoids in the whole extract was 110.49 mg GAE/g and 62.60 mg QE/g, respectively. Antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of F. benghalensis based on DPPH and ABTS radical inhibition methods was 48.56 and 57.20 μg/ml, respectively. The results of disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar tests showed that the antifungal activity of the extract was concentration dependent and the fungal strains of Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum with the lowest and highest diameter of growth inhibition zone, were the most resistant and sensitive species to the extract, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations for the above strains were 16 and 8 mg/ml, respectively, and the minimum fungicidal concentrations were 512 and 128 mg/ml, respectively. According to the results, ethanolic extract of F. benghalensis is an important source of antioxidant and antifungal compounds and can be used to increase the shelf life of food products.

The aim of this study was to extract Salvia mirzayanii essential oil, and determine its chemical properties and antifungal activity against fungi causing post-harvest rot in apple fruit (Penicillium expansum, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata). Total phenol content (by Folin Ciocalteu method), total flavonoid content (by aluminum chloride colorimetric method), antioxidant activity (based on DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging methods), and antifungal activity (based on disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration) of the essential oil were determined. The essential oil contained 43.40 mg GAE/g total phenol and 17.19 mg QE/g total flavonoids. In addition, S. mirzayanii essential oil significantly inhibited DPPH (62.70 μg/ml) and ABTS (78.80 μg/ml) free radicals. According to the results of antifungal tests, Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium expansum were the most sensitive and resistant fungal strains to the essential oil, respectively. In general, S. mirzayanii essential oil can be used to control the oxidation reactions and fungal spoilage in food products.

Economic losses can occur due to the growth of fungi on foods that lead to food spoilage and plant diseases. Fruits and vegetables are often exposed to microbial activity, caused by pathogenic fungi, during post-harvest storage. Diseases of food origin are a growing public health problem. Thus, food safety has become a major public concern as microbial contamination increases the risk of foodborne illnesses and shortens the shelf life of foods. Infection with fungi such as Aspergillus, Rhizopus, and Penicillium species is considered as the primary cause of rapid spoilage of fresh produce, which reduces their quality and shelf life. Synthetic fungicides have been applied to solve this problem for many years. Nonetheless, the adverse effects of synthetic chemicals on human health and the emergence of fungicide-resistant strains have motivated the scientists and food industries to find out safe preservatives to control postharvest rot/diseases. On this point, natural antimicrobial agents such as plant extracts and essential oils are gaining more and more interest. In this study, we used Levisticum officinale Koch essential oil, which its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity has been reported in literatures. 

L. officinale Koch essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation method and its total phenol content, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity (based on DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging and β-carotene bleaching tests) and its antifungal effect against fungi causing apple and orange rotting (Alternaria alternata, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, and Botrytis cinerea) were examined according to antimicrobial tests of disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration. 

L. officinale Koch essential oil contained 61.27 ± 0.34 mg GAE/g and 20.14 ± 0.21 mg QE/g total phenol and flavonoids, respectively. Its antioxidant activity, based on DPPH free radical scavenging, ABTS free radical scavenging, and β-carotene bleaching inhibition were 69.72 ± 0.65%, 78.54 ± 0.3% and 57.50 ± 0.41%, respectively. L. officinale Koch essential oil was effective against all fungal species and the highest susceptibility was observed for Penicillium expansum. According to the results, L. officinale Koch essential oil can be used as a natural antifungal agent to prevent post-harvest diseases of fruits and vegetables.

Oxidation and food pathogens are considered two important and influential factors affecting food quality and health. Recently, due to the increasing demand for natural products, the application of synthetic preservatives to control microbial growth and lipid oxidation have been decreased significantly. Therefore, natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds are receiving more attention in food preservation technologies. In the last 2 decades, the use of herbal medicines rich in bioactive molecules (including polyphenols, carotenoids and flavonoids) with medicinal and health effects such as delaying the onset of some diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and cancer have increased. Furthermore, secondary metabolites in plant extracts and essential oils are able to control and inhibit free radical-mediated reactions. The olive tree (Olea europaea) is an evergreen plant that grows in tropical and subtropical regions. Iran is one of the most important olive growers in the world due to its suitable conditions for olive cultivation. The leaves of the olive plant have a high potential for the production of various products such as tea and extracts. Olive leaf extract can be used as a raw material in the production of various products, due to exhibiting various biological activities such as antimicrobial and antiviral activity, lipid stabilizer, blood pressure regulator, antioxidant activity, and free radical scavenger. The leaves of the olive tree also contain various phenolic compounds, mainly Oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Therefore, in this study, the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds of olive leaf ethanolic extract and its antioxidant effect and antimicrobial properties on Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenesis, Bacillus cereus and Listeria innocua were investigated. 

The olive leaf ethanolic extract was prepared through maceration method and its total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu method), total flavonoids content (aluminum chloride colorimetric assay), antioxidant activity (ABTS and DPPH free radical scavenging methods), and antimicrobial effect on E. coli, E. aerogenesis, B. cereus and L. innocua (based on disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration) were determined according to standard methods. Data were analyzed by SPSS software through one-way ANOVA and Duncan test at p<0.05.  

The ethanolic extract of olive leaves contained 176.58 ± 0.72 mg GAE/g total phenol and 69.85 ± 0.26 mg QE/g total flavonoids. In addition, ethanolic extract of olive leaf was able to inhibit free radicals DPPH (70.62 ± 0.59%) and ABTS (76.15 ± 0.43%). The antimicrobial results showed that the antimicrobial effect of the extract depended on its concentration and type of bacteria. Antimicrobial effect was increased as a function of ethanolic extract, and Gram-positive bacteria (B. cereus and L. innocua) were more sensitive to ethanolic extract of olive leaf than Gram-negative bacteria (E. aerogenesis and E. coli). Generally, B. cereus and E. aerogenesis were the most sensitive and resistant microbial strains to ethanolic extract of olive leaf, respectively.The results of this study showed that the high antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of olive leaf ethanolic extract is mainly due to its phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Olive leaf ethanolic extract was able to neutralize DPPH and ABTS free radicals. Also, Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to ethanolic extract of olive leaf than Gram-negative bacteria. In general, the ethanolic extract of olive leaf can be used as a nutraceutical to control or prevent the growth of spoilage/infection-causing microorganisms and free radical reactions in food and the human body. However, more in-depth studies are needed to determine the mechanism of antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of olive ethanolic extract in vitro and in vivo.

Greenhouse cultivation is the popular intensive kind of crop production with a yield per cultivated unit area more than 10 times higher compared to field crops. Greenhouse production requires the use of large amounts of energy, water, and pesticides and it usually generates huge quantities of wastes to be disposed of it. Investment, labor, and energy costs per unit area are much higher in the greenhouse industry than in any other agricultural sectors. Sustainable greenhouse systems, socially supportive, commercially competitive, and environmentally sound, depend on cultivation techniques, equipment management, and constructive materials that aim to reduce agrochemicals, energy and water consumption as well as waste generation. The management of the greenhouse environment is depending on temperature manipulation. Temperature manipulation is critical to influencing plant growth, quality, and morphology and so is a major strategy in the environmental modification of crops. Heterogeneous indoor microclimate of a greenhouse has long become a matter of concern in many studies. It is believed to be unfavorable for crop growth, which damages crop activity, particularly transpiration and photosynthesis, one of the major causes of non-uniform production and quality. Since early and conventional methods are not sufficient to evaluate microclimate variables inside a greenhouse, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach was applied for better and more accurate results. CFD is an effective numerical analysis technique to predict the distribution of the climatic variables inside cultivation facilities. Numerous studies have focused on the internal temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and airflow inside multiple cultivation facilities. For example, the CFD method was used to simulate natural ventilation for agricultural buildings and improve crop production systems. The CFD simulation and evaluation models could be applied for evaluation of the inside situation and temperature in greenhouses. Thermal and water vapor transfer is influenced by the openings of greenhouses in the CFD simulation. The CFD model was developed to predict the distribution of temperature, water vapor, and CO2 occurring in a Venlo-type semi-closed glass greenhouse equipped with air conditioners. Based on the above literature, this research aims to evaluate the energy flow and modeling of an un-even semi-buried greenhouse using external and internal variables and numerical solutions by the CFD method.

In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) solution was applied to evaluate the inside environment of a semi-double glass greenhouse with an east-west location. This greenhouse has a special structure that is used in very hot or very cold areas due to its depth of more than one meter below the ground. The greenhouse has an area of 38m2 and an air volume of 78.8m3. The temperature and humidity data were collected from inside and outside the greenhouse by temperature sensors (SHT 11 model made by CMOS USA). Irradiation data were collected inside the greenhouse, on level ground, by the TES132 radiometer.

In this study, the CFD method was used for a model solution with ANSYS Fluent version 2020R2 software. To evaluate the predictive capability of the model and its optimization, the comparison between actual (ya) and predicted values (yp) was used. Three criteria of RMSE, MAPE, and R2 were also used to evaluate the accuracy of the final model. The results showed that the dynamic model can accurately estimate the temperature of the air inside the greenhouse at a height of 1 m (R2 = 0.987, MAPE = 2.17%) and 2 m (R2 = 0.987, MAPE = 2.28%) from the floor. The results of energy flow showed that this greenhouse transfers 6779.4.4 kJ of accumulated thermal energy to the ground during the experiment.

In the present study, the computational fluid dynamics method was used to simulate the internal conditions of an un-even semi-buried greenhouse with external and internal variables including temperature and solar radiation. The results showed that this greenhouse structure is able to transfer part of the increase in temperature caused by sunlight to the soil depth (104.214 kJm-2 heat through the floor, 178.443 kJm-2 through the north wall and 113.757 kJm-2 through the south wall). By increasing the thermal conductivity of the inner surface of the greenhouse, the heat flux to the depth of the soil can be increased.

Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacterial strains are increasing in many countries, including Iran. Hippophae rhamnoides L. is an important source of natural antimicrobial agents. The aim of this study was to extract methanolic extract of H. rhamnoides leaf and to evaluate its antimicrobial activity against Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Bacillus cereus.

In this study, methanolic extract of H. rhamnoides leaf was extracted by the maceration method and then its antibacterial effect against bacterial pathogens Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Bacillus cereus was evaluated using disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration.

The results of disk/well diffusion agar tests showed that increasing the extract concentration from 5 to 35 mg/ml caused a significant increase in the diameter of the growth inhibition zone for all microbial strains. Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most resistant strains and Streptococcus pyogenes was found to be the most sensitive strains to the extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration for Gram-positive bacteria (4 mg/ml) was lower than that for Gramnegative bacteria (16 mg/ml). Also, the minimum bactericidal concentration for Streptococcus pyogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 256 and 512 mg/ml, respectively.

The results of the antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extract of H. rhamnoides leaf showed that it is possible to use the extract for medicinal purposes and food preservation.

In this study, the ethanolic extract of Humulus lupulus was prepared by the maceration method. Its antimicrobial effect was evaluated against pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter aerogenes) through disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extract were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride colorimetric methods, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract was also measured by DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging methods. The highest and lowest inhibition zones in disk diffusion agar (16.9 mm vs. 12.5 mm) and well diffusion agar (17.6 mm vs. 13.9 mm) methods were accounted for S. aureus and E. aerogenes, respectively. Gram-positive bacterial species were more sensitive to H. lupulus ethanolic extract compared to Gram-negative ones. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extract were found to be 96.47 mg GAE/g and 28.5 mg QE/g, respectively. The antioxidant effects of the H. lupulus ethanolic extract, based on DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, were 58.63% and 66.5%, respectively. Based on the results, the ethanolic extract of H. lupulus could be used as a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agent to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and lipid oxidation progression in various food products.

The aim of this study was to isolate ethanolic extract from Urtica dioica leaves, and determination of its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. On this point, the ethanolic extract was obtained by the maceration method and its total phenol content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity) and antimicrobial effect (disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration) against Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, and Listeria innocua, were determined. The extract contained 65.42 ± 0.49 mg GAE/g total phenol content and 22.19 ± 0.30 mg QE/g total flavonoid content. The ethanolic extract of U. dioica leaves was able to scavenge DPPH (61.90 ± 0.54%) and ABTS (70.10 ± 0.47%) free radicals. The antimicrobial effect results showed that Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Listeria innocua) were more sensitive than Gram-negative ones (Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli) toward the ethanolic extract. Generally, U. dioica leaves’ ethanolic extract is able to be used as a natural bioactive compound to improve shelf-life of food products.