a. javanmard

In recent years, green manure has received attention due to its positive effects on soil health and the quality and quantity of plants. It has been reported that intercropping legumes with cereal as green manures improves soil fertility and nutrient availability, increasing plant productivity. In addition to green manures, applying organic (vermicompost) and biofertilizers (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) can positively affect the plant's productivity and quality. Considering the adverse effects of chemical fertilizers on the bio-active compounds of medicinal and aromatic plants, improving the quantity and quality characteristics, especially in low-input conditions, has become a significant challenge in the agricultural sector. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of green manures and bio- and organic fertilizers on the nutrient content and morphological and phytochemical characteristics of peppermint. The experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 8 treatments and three replications at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Iran, in 2022. The treatments included green manures [barley monoculture, hairy vetch monoculture and replacement intercropping of 75% hairy vetch+ 25% barley, 50% hairy vetch+ 50% barley and 25% hairy vetch+ 75% barley], arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and vermicompost. Before harvesting, peppermint's growth characteristics, including plant height, number of leaves, number of nodes, and number of lateral branches, were randomly measured in 10 samples from each treatment. To measure the dry matter yield of peppermint, 3.2 m2 of each plot was harvested randomly after removing the marginal effects. The peppermint EO was extracted using a Clevenger by water distillation. Moreover, the EO constituents were analyzed using GC-MS (GC–MS; 5977A, Agilent) and GC-FID (Agilent 7990B). Data analysis was performed with SAS (version 9.3) software. Also, the significant differences among means were compared with the LSD test at P< 0.05. The results demonstrated that the highest N (18.05 g kg-1) and K (18.25 g kg-1) content was obtained by applying green manure as intercropping of 50% hairy vetch+50% barley. However, the highest content of P (1.75 g kg-1) was achieved in the AMF application. The maximum dry yield of peppermint (292.67 g m-2) was observed when green manure was applied as an intercropping of 50% hairy vetch+50% barley, which had no significant difference from the AMF application. Additionally, the maximum essential oil content (1.84%) and essential oil yield (5.39 g m-2) was achieved by applying green manure as intercropping of 50% hairy vetch+50% barley. The essential oil analysis showed that the significant constituents of peppermint essential oil were menthol (32.74-38.06%), menthone (18.33-21.42%), and 1,8cineol (5.20-6.12%). The maximum content of menthol and cineol was obtained by applying green manure as intercropping of 50% hairy vetch+50% barley. Generally, the study results demonstrated that applying green manure as intercropping of 50% hairy vetch+50% barley as a sustainable strategy can improve peppermint's essential oil quantity and quality.

To evaluate the effects of different irrigation levels and foliar application of nutrients, on dry matter yield and essential oil content and composition of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), a field experiment was conducted as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design, with 12 treatments and three replications, at the faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Iran in 2021. The factors included irrigation as the main factor at three levels (irrigation after 20 (control), 40 (moderate stress), and 60% (severe stress) of the maximum allowable moisture depletion) and fertilizer source as the sub-factor at four levels (non-application of fertilizer (control), and foliar application of Macromix gold, Ecoquel micromix, and Vitalem forte). The results demonstrated that the highest (280.5 g.m-2) and lowest (113.7 g.m-2) total dry weight were obtained under normal irrigation conditions (control) with the application of Macromix gold and severe stress without fertilizer application, respectively. Total dry weight decreased by 22.7 and 40.3% under moderate and severe drought stress conditions, respectively compared to normal irrigation. Macromix gold, Vitalem forte, and Ecoquel micromix application enhanced the amount of total dry weight by 37.7, 23.8, and 17.1% compared to no fertilizer application, respectively. The highest content (2.1%) and essential oil yield (4.5 g.m-2) and also the highest amount of menthol (40.9%), menthone (28.1%), and cineole (6.2%) in the essential oil were observerd under moderate water stress conditions fertilized with Macromix gold. Based on the obtained results, the foliar application of Macromix gold could be recommended as an effective solution to enhance the quantity and quality of the peppermint essential oil under drought stress conditions.

Intercropping systems and biofertilizers application play an important role in improving the quantity and quality of plant products. In this regard, to evaluate the effects of Myco-Root biofertilizer on the quantitative and qualitative traits of Thymus vulgaris L. in intercropping with Cicer arietinum L., an experiment was carried out as a randomized complete block design (RCBD) at the faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh during 2020 growing season. Treatments included thyme sole culture, thyme sole culture inoculated with Myco-Root, chickpea sole culture, chickpea sole culture inoculated with Myco-Root, intercropping of one row chickpea+one row thyme (1:1), planting pattern of 1:1 inoculated with Myco-Root, intercropping of two rows chickpea+one row thyme (2:1), and planting pattern of 2:1 inoculated with Myco-Root. The results demonstrated that the highest seed (751.40 kg.ha-1) and biological (1645.6 kg.ha-1) yields of chickpea were obtained in the chickpea monoculture inoculated with Myco-Root, which was not significantly different from planting pattern of 2:1 inoculated with Myco-Root. Moreover, the highest dry matter yield of thyme (189.47 g.m-2) was achieved in the sole culture with application of mycorrhizal fungus. Also, the highest percentage (1.69) and essential oil yield (3.31 g.m-2) of thyme was obtained in planting pattern of 1:1 with application of mycorrhizal fungus in first harvest. Thymol, γ-terpinene, and p-cymene were recognized as the main essential oil compounds. The highest percentage of thymol and γ-terpinene was obtained in planting pattern of 1:1 inoculated with mycorrhizal fungus. Also, the highest agronomical (land equivalent ratio, area harvest equivalent ratio, area time equivalent ratio, and land use efficiency) and economic (intercropping advantage, monetary advantage index, and system productivity index) indices were achieved in the intercropping ratio of 2:1 and 1:1 with application of Myco-Root biofertilizer, respectively. In general, the results showed that the Myco-Root biofertilizer application in intercropping, especially the planting pattern of 1:1, could improve the quantity and quality of thyme essential oil.

To determine the effects of Myco-Root biofertilizer and different irrigation levels on the content and essential oil compounds of thyme (Thymus daenensis Celak.), a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with eight treatments and three replications in the greenhouse of Plant Production and Genetics department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Iran, in 2020. The factors included drought stress at four levels of without stress (irrigation at field capacity (FC) as a control), mild (irrigation at 75% FC), moderate (irrigation at 55% FC), and severe (irrigation at 35% FC) stresses and biofertilizer at two levels of inoculation and non-inoculation with Myco-Root. The results demonstrated that the fresh and dry weight of leaves, stem dry weight, total dry weight, leaf relative water content, chlorophylls a and b and total chlorophyll content, and root colonization percentage decreased significantly with increasing the water deficit level. However, the carotenoid content and essential oil percentage showed an increasing trend with increasing drought stress. The highest carotenoid content and essential oil percentage was obtained by using Myco-Root under moderate drought stress. Thymol, carvacrol, p < /em>-cymene, 1,8-cineole, (E)-caryophyllene, borneol, γ-terpinene, and α-pinene were identified as the major constituents of essential oil in the all treatments. The highest content of thymol was obtained under mild drought stress with the Myco-Root application. Furthermore, the highest content of carvacrol was recorded under mild, moderate, and severe drought stresses, respectively with the Myco-Root application. On average, the application of Myco-Root biofertilizer increased the content of thymol, carvacrol, 1,8-cineole, E-caryophyllene, borneol, and α-pinene by 4.19, 48.28, 15.93, 16.33, 14.15, and 3.78%, respectively compared to not using this biofertilizer. Overall, the results showed that some morphological and physiological traits of thyme decreased significantly with increasing the water deficit levels, but the application of Myco-Root biofertilizer could amend drought stress and improve the growth, percentage and essential oil quality of the plant. Thus, the use of Myco-Root biofertilizer instead of chemical fertilizers could be recommended to achieve the sustainable agriculture in the thyme cultivation.

To evaluate the effects of mycorrhizal fungus Funneliformis mosseae application and harvest time on the quantity and quality of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil in the different irrigation regimes, a field experiment was carried out as a split-split plot in a randomized complete blocks design (RCBD) with 12 treatments and three replications at the Agriculture Faculty, University of Maragheh, Iran, in 2019. The factors and their levels included 1- the main factor: irrigation regime at three levels of irrigation after 20% (W20 as control), 50% (W50 as moderate stress), and 80% (W80 as severe stress) of maximum allowable depletion, 2- the subfactor: application and non-application of mycorrhiza, and 3- sub-sub factor: harvest time at two levels of June harvest (first harvest) and September harvest (second harvest). The results demonstrated that the highest amounts of plant height, canopy diameter, and dry matter yield of thyme were obtained in the W20 (control)+ application of mycorrhiza fungus+ first harvest treatment. In addition, the highest essential oil content was recorded in W50 followed by W80, which were 38.2 and 23.7% higher than W20 (control), respectively. Also, the application of mycorrhiza fungus increased the essential oil of thyme by 8.5% compared to the non-application of fungus. The highest and lowest content of thymol, γ-terpinene, and p < /em>-cymene were obtained in W50 and W20, respectively. Also, the application of mycorrhiza fungus increased the amount of mentioned compounds, respectively by 3.8%, 3.9%, and 7.1% compared to the non-application of fungus. Overall, it can be concluded that W50 (moderate stress) along with the application of mycorrhizal fungus F. mosseae improved the essential oil quality and quantity of thyme.

To investigate the effect of integrative application of mycorrhizal fungus and chemical fertilizer on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of medicinal plant dragon’s head (Lallemantia iberica Benth.) under rainfed conditions, an experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with seven treatments and three replications in the research farm of Maragheh University, Iran, in 2017. Treatments included 100% conventional chemical fertilizer (250 and 150 kg ha-1 urea and triple superphosphate, respectively), Glomus mosseae (GM), G. intraradices (GI), 50% chemical fertilizer+GM, 50% chemical fertilizer+GIand 50% chemical fertilizer+GI+GM. The results demonstrated that the highest (802.8 kg ha-1) and lowest (463.5 kg ha-1) seed yield and the highest (40.64%) and lowest (25.85%) harvest index were achieved in the integrative application of 50% chemical fertilizer+GI+GMand separate application of GI treatments, respectively. Besides, the highest content (9.18%) and yield (73.75 kg ha-1) of mucilage was observed in 50% chemical fertilizer+GI+GM treatment. Furthermore, the highest amount of mucilage compounds (glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, arabinose, raffinose, galactose, glucose, xylose and rhamnose) was obtained in 50% chemical fertilizer+GI+GM treatment. Based on cluster analysis, the treatments were divided into three groups. In general, the application of 50% chemical fertilizer+GI+GM while reducing the use of chemical fertilizers improved the quantitative and qualitative yield of the dragon’s head.

For the design of any successful breeding program, knowledge about semen quality traits is greatly important and per-required. Due to the critical role of bulls through artificial insemination in the genetic improvement of the dairy cattle herds, knowledge about semen characteristics and genetic factors which affect semen parameters is essential. In addition, semen with poor fertility requires more units of semen to establish a successful pregnancy and produce a live offspring. Nonetheless, both impacts are economically important factors, which are considered by the producers leading to rejection of bulls with poor semen quality, and investing mainly on highly fertile sires. Summary of previous literatures is highlighted semen traits and their key roles in upcoming fertility and pregnancy of cows within herds (Gacitua et al. 2005). Furthermore, some reports pointed DNA markers can identify the genetic background mechanism of resistance and susceptibility of sperm after freezing and thawing (Purdy et al., 2005). Additionally, previous reports supported  low hereditability scenario of semen characteristics in livestock species (England et al., 2010). Leptin is a globular protein with a tertiary structure similar to a haemopoietic cytokine synthesized by adipose tissue. It is involved in the regulation of feed intake, fetal growth, energy balance, fertility, and immune functions. The leptin molecule (16 kDa) is made up of 167 amino acids with an N-terminal secrotary signal sequence of 21 amino acids. In cattle, the leptin gene is located on the fourth chromosome. It consists of three exons and two introns. Only two exons are translated into the protein. The coding region of the leptin gene (501 nucleotides in length) is in exons 2 and 3, which are separated by an intron of approximately 2 kb. The leptin gene promoter region spans approximately 3 kb. Leptin is necessary for normal reproductive function, but when present in excess, it have detrimental effects on the male reproductive system. Human and animal studies pointed to leptin as a link between infertility and obesity, a suggestion that was corroborated by findings of low sperm count, increased sperm abnormalities, oxidative stress, and increased leptin levels in obese men. In addition, daily leptin administration to normal-weight rats has been shown to result in similar abnormalities in sperm parameters. The bovine growth hormone (bGH) is a 22 KDa single-chain polypeptide hormone, which is produced in the anterior pituitary gland. The encoding gene is approximately 1800 base pair (bp) and consists of five exons separated by four intervening sequences (Harvey et al. 2000). Recently, several studies have investigated the association between bGH locus and reproduction traits. A substitution of cytosine (C) for guanine (G) at the  position of 2141 causes an amino acid change from leucine (leu) to valine (val) at residue 127. This transversion enables the genotyping of this particular locus using the endonuclease AluI, since in the mutant bull, this enzyme does not recognize its target sequence. Several point mutations in the bovine growth hormone (GH) gene have been described, and as such, the Leu127Val polymorphism described by Lucy et al. (1993) has been extensively investigated based on  production and reproduction traits. In addition, Lechniak et al. (1999) have reported the relationship between individual semen quality traits and fertility. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the genetic parameters of some semen quality traits using animal models containing genotype of candidate gene data on Holstein bulls.

For this reason, 67 bulls were selected from two breeding stations in the Northwest of Iran (41 bulls) and the National Livestock Improvement Center (26 bulls), which were in the sperm production stage between 2003- 2013. In this regard, four related traits of semen quality were considered, including: volume of ejaculation, sperm concentration, live sperm percentage before freezing, and live sperm percentage after thawing. The DNA extraction was done from semen according to commercial DNA kit and quality and quantity tests were done using spectrophotometry and gel monitoring. The nucleotide polymorphisms were evaluated in two loci of the leptin gene (Exon 2 and intron 2) by the PCR-RFLP method and in the growth promoter receptor gene (promoter region) using PCR-SSR technique. Finally, using combined phenotypic and molecular information, genetic parameters were estimated through Bayesian statistics and Gibbs sampling. POPGENE software was used for molecular data and descriptive statistics (genotype frequencies, allele frequencies, and hetrozygosity index calculation). Univariate and multi variate analysis for semen characteristics was done using gibbs3f90 and renumf90 softwares.

According to the molecular outputs, in all investigate genes nucleotide variation and polymorphism was observed. The results of univariate analysis of animal model for estimating heritability for traits of semen volume, sperm count, live sperm percentage before freezing, and thawing point were 0.22, 0.14, 0.20, and 0.10, respectively. Reproductive performance is controlled by the genetic make-up of dam, sire, and offspring, but it is largely affectedby environment. Thus, the reproductive efficiency of the breeding herd depends on the fertility of the bulls(Gredler et al., 2005). Bull’s fertility is also essential, since bull's DNA is the primary mechanism through which genetic improvements can efficiently be accomplished. Implementation of artificial insemination (AI) in dairy cattle production allowed improving selection of bulls for production traits. Also, frequent freezing and thawing process of bull semens significantly affected quality index and consequent evaluation of fertilization potential of a semen sample for AI in Holstein breeding stations (Mathevon  et al., 1998).However, the preselection of the samples, the high number of sperm per doses, and the high quality of the semen used in the AI programs  can reduce the variability, thereby giving a low probability of detecting fertility differences associated with seminal parameters. Spermatogenesis is a complex process that involves stem-cell renewal, genome reorganization, and genome repackaging;  so, it culminates in the production of motile gametes (Kealey et al., 2006). The process of spermatogenesis is regulated by reproductive hormones in gonadotropin axis and is controlled by a large number of genes(Sun et al., 2012). Therefore, hormone and their receptors are presumed to be good candidate genes for reproductive traits.

The results of this study indicated that the range of heritability values for the different semen quality characteristics are low to moderate, which may indicate that improvement of environmental factors is more effective than genetics basis.

In order to investigate the effects of combined and separate application of macro and micro nano fertilizers with chemical fertilizers on quantitative and qualitative traits of medicinal plant dragon’s head (Lallemantia iberica (MB) Fischer & Meyer), a field experiment was performed based on the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with seven treatments and three replications on the research farm of Maragheh University in 2017. Experimental treatments included the use of 100% conventional chemical fertilizer (urea and triple superphosphate with values of 150 and 100 kg ha-1, respectively), 100% macro nano fertilizer, 100% micro nano fertilizer, 50% macro nanofertilizer+50% micro nano fertilizer, 50% chemical fertilizer+50% macro nano fertilizer, 50% chemical fertilizer+50% micro nano fertilizer, and 50% chemical fertilizer+25% macro nanofertilizer+25% micro nano fertilizer. The results showed that the highest (73.3) and lowest (59.1) chlorophyll indices were obtained by applying 50% chemical fertilizer+25% macro nano fertilizer+25% micro nano fertilizer, and separate application of 100% micro nano fertilizer, respectively. Also, the highest values of number of lateral branches, main stem length, number of flower cycles per plant, number of seeds per plant, biological yield, seed yield, 1000-seed weight and seed mucilage content were obtained in 50% chemical fertilizer+25% macro nanofertilizer+25% micro nanofertilizer treatment. Chemical analysis of the essential oils demonstrated that linalool, menthol, geraniol, geranial, menthyl acetate, β-bourbonene, geranyl acetate, (E)-caryophyllene, germacrene D, spathulenol and caryophyllene oxide were the main constituents of essential oils. The highest content of β-bourbonene, caryophyllene oxide, (E)-caryophyllene, menthol, and geraniol was obtained with the combined use of 50% chemical fertilizer+25% macro nanofertilizer+25% micro nano fertilizer. In general, based on the results of the present research, the combined use of chemical fertilizers and macro and micro nano fertilizers can be recommended due to the increased seed yield and dragon’s head qualitative traits under rainfed conditions.

The intron-exon structure of Khorasan native fowl interleukin-2 (IL-2) was investigated. For this purpose, twenty chickens were selected from the Native Fowl Breeding Station of Khorasan province, and genomic DNA was extracted using a modified conventional DNA extraction protocol. An 875 bp fragment of IL-2 was successfully amplified, including a small part of the promoter, exon 1, intron 1, and exon 2. To report a novel mutation in IL-2, PCRsequencing techniques were applied to the gene obtained from Khorasan native fowls. Then, the sequences were compared to evaluate gene mutations using CLC Main Workbench V. 5.5. The I-TASSER server was used to predict the 3-dimensional structure and function of protein molecules from amino acid sequences. The results of the comparison showed mutations in the DNA fragments of the sample birds, which caused changes in the amino acid content of IL-2. Substitutions at points 733, 738, 744, and 794 bp in the sequence were for C/A, A/T, C/A, and C/T, respectively. The translation of nucleotide to protein using BLASTx in the NCBI revealed that nucleotide substitutions caused three amino acid substitutions including A/E, R/W, and P/T.

In order to evaluate the forage quantity and quality of Sorghum in intercropping with soybean, a field experiment was carried out as a factorial based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, during the 2016 growing season. The first factor included different planting patterns with eight levels (soybean monocultures with densities of 40 and 50 plants m-2, sorghum monocultures with densities of 10 and 15 plants m-2, and intercropping of the two plant species with the mentioned densities); the second factor consisted of two levels of inoculation with nitroxin (Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillum brasilense) Bio-fertilizers and Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (Pseudomonas flurescence) and non-inoculation. The results showed that the highest (25.59 tons ha-1) and lowest total dry forage yield was obtained in intercropping soybean (with densities of 40 and 50 plants m-2) + sorghum (15 plants m-2) with inoculation and soybean monocultures (with densities of 40 and 50 plants m-2) without inoculation, respectively. Also, the highest and lowest values of forage ash, digestible dry matter (DDM) and net energy of lactation (NEL) were obtained in intercropping soybean (50 plants m-2) + sorghum (10 plants m-2) and monoculture of sorghum (15 plants m-2), respectively. The highest content of the acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was obtained in the monoculture of sorghum (15 plants m-2) without inoculation. In addition, application of bio-fertilizer increased the content of crude protein (CP), DDM, dry matter intake (DMI) and NEL by 6.29, 1.71, 3.29 and 2.72%, respectively, as compared to the control. Also, the highest land equivalent ratio and monetary advantage intercropping (MAI) were achieved in the intercropping of soybean (50 plants m-2) + sorghum (15 plants m-2). Generally, intercropping of soybean (50 plants m-2) + sorghum (15 plants m-2) and soybean (50 plants m-2) + sorghum (10 plants m-2) could be introduced as the best treatment in terms of forage quantity and quality, respectively.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy, cognitive meta cognitive strategies with academic achievement among students - high school boys nomads of Fars Province. The research method is descriptive – correlational. The population of this study, all high school students nomads of of Fars province is in the 90-91 school year were enrolled. Cluster sampling method were enrolled a sample size of 322 people. The data gathering tools were includes: Schwarzer and Jerusalem self- efficacy questionnaire, Vahedi cognitive and metacognitive strategies questionnaire. Research data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation, regression and ANOVA test, Scheffe post hoc test and the Kolmogorov - Smirnov test). Data analysis showed that there is a significant positive relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievement. there is a significant positive relationship Between cognitive strategies - cognitive and academic achievement. Also, there is a significant positive relationship between self-efficacy and cognitive -meta cognitive strategies. The regression results also showed that academic self-efficacy variables significantly predicted academic achievement and variables of cognitive and metacognitive strategies is not a good predictor for academic achievement. The results shown between the groups in terms of academic self-efficacy and cognitive strategies according to the different levels of education and fields of study, no significant differences have been observed. But between the groups in terms rate metacognitive strategies according to the different levels of education and fields of study there are significant differences.