foliar spraying

Drought, one of the major ecological limiting factors, has a significant effect on the growth and secondary metabolic process of medicinal plants. Water stress reduces the size, density, leaf surface of the plant and reduces the biomass, and not only changes the plant structurally, but also leads to fluctuations in their secondary chemical compounds. The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of using brassinolides and surfactant on drought stress tolerance on Sarkhargol medicinal plant at Islamic Azad University of Mahabad during 2016 - 2017. The studied factors include dryness at three irrigation levels of 70, 120 and 170 mm, evaporation from class A pan as the main factor, surfactant consumption at two levels (0 and 0.5 liters per hectare) and 24-epibrassinolide at three levels (0, 0.01 and 0.1 μmol) were as secondary factors. According to the results of the present study, drought stress had a decisive role in reducing the properties of Sarhargol medicinal plant, as well as the main effects of brassinolide, surfactant solution and drought stress according to the content of soluble sugars, proline, glycine betaine, amino acids, lysine and methionine. They had Due to the limitation of water resources, irrigation after 120 mm, use of brassinolide and surfactant can have a positive role in removing the damages of drought stress. In addition, brassinolide and surfactant led to increased tolerance to drought stress in Sarhargol medicinal plant, which led to relative resistance to drought and stability of the yield of dry matter of the plant and its essential oil.

In order to investigate the effect of biochar and selenium on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) under cadmium stress, a factorial experiment was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design with three replications in greenhouse conditions during the years 2022. The experimental treatments include the use of cadmium chloride at three levels (0, 10 and 20 mg/kg), biochar at two levels (0 and 5% of soil) and foliar spraying with sodium selenate at two levels (0 and 20 mg/l). The results of this research showed that cadmium treatment of 20 mg/kg caused a decrease in fresh and dry weight of shoot and root, chlorophyll a, b and total, relative leaf water content and increased activity of superoxide dismutase enzyme and soluble sugar. Phenol increased up to the cadmium level of 10 mg/kg, but decreased at higher cadmium levels (20 mg/kg). By reducing the effect of cadmium stress, selenium and biochar treatments increased the fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots, chlorophyll content, relative leaf water content, and essential oil yield, and decreased the characteristics of superoxide dismutase enzyme activity, soluble sugar, and cadmium accumulation in roots and shoots. The highest amount of essential oil yield (16.93 mg/plant) and percentage of essential oil (0.44%) was observed in the combination treatment of biochar 5% by volume and selenium 20 mg/l. Biochar and selenium improved coriander traits by modulating the effect of cadmium stress.

Brassinosteroids play an important role in plant growth and development. Seedling is one of the most important factors affecting plant establishment and crop production.

The effects of tomato seed pretreatment with 24-Epibrassinolide (EBL) on germination indicators, seedling growth in the greenhouse and the effect of foliar spraying on plant growth and yield in the field were investigated. The treatments in the germination and seedling production stage included seed soaking (priming) in distilled water (control) and EBL solution with concentrations of 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 μM for 24 hours. Seedlings obtained by seed priming in EBL (0, 0.5 and 0.75 μM) were transferred to the field and after one month, they were sprayed with concentrations of 0, 0.5 and 0.75 μM.

compared to the control, EBL increased the percentage and speed of seed germination and all physiological and growth parameters, and the effect of 0.75 μM was more significant. The effect of EBL on the measured parameters in the field was also very impressive. Although the effect of seed priming alone in all treatments was significantly better than the foliar spraying alone in all stages, but the combination of these two treatments in both concentrations of 0.5 and 0.75 μM was more significant than seed priming or foliar spraying treatments. Tomato production from the combination of seed priming along with foliar spraying increased by 74% at 0.5 μM and 145% at 0.75 μM concentration compared to the control.

In order to study the effects of the application of two-plant growth regulators/proline on some physiological characteristics in fennel under water-deficit stress conditions, an experiment was conducted as a split-plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at the research farm, agricultural faculty of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz-Iran, in 2019. Factors were three irrigation regimes (irrigation at the field capacity (I1), irrigation after depleting 65 (I2) and 85% (I3) of the available water capacity) as the main plot and four foliar spraying (control, exogenous application of methyl jasmonate, uniconazole and proline + triton X-100) as a subplot. Results indicated that the minimum relative water content, membrane stability index, chlorophyll a, b, total (chl.), carotenoids and maximum proline, total soluble sugars, and malondialdehyde contents in leaves were obtained from severe water-deficit stress conditions. Maximum membrane stability index, chlorophyll a, total (chl.), carotenoids, and total soluble sugars were related to plant growth regulator application, especially methyl jasmonate. Interaction effects revealed that physiological growth characteristics were significantly reduced in the control treatment (except for proline and total soluble sugars) compared to foliar spraying treatments by increasing water-deficit stress conditions in the soil. The spraying with methyl jasmonate had a better effect on reducing the effects of water deficit stress on the physiological characteristics of the fennel by regulating of internal reactions and induction of antioxidant defenses. Therefore, methyl jasmonate can be used in water-deficit stress conditions in arid and semi-arid areas and reduce its harmful effects on the fennel plants.

Zinc as an essential micronutrient element has an important impact on the growth and metabolism in plants. This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of foliar application of zinc on growth, photosynthesis pigments, and essential oil quantity and quality of basil under greenhouse conditions. The treatments were four levels zinc oxide (0, 25, 50, 100 mg/L) and four levels zinc oxide nanoparticles (0, 25, 50, 100 mg/L). The results showed that foliar application of zinc had significant influence on the evaluated parameters. Treatments of Zinc oxide and zinc nanoparticle significantly increased plant length, plant wet and dry weights, leaf number per plant, photosynthesis pigments contents and essential oil percent, and in this regard, zinc nanoparticle impact was more effective than zinc oxide. The highest growth parameters and pigments content were observed at 100 mg/l zinc nanoparticle. Based on the results, 34 components were identified in the basil essential oil that maximum amounts were oxygenated monoterpenes, and three main components were methyl chavicol, linalool and alpha-cadinol. Also, maximum amount of methyl chavicol and alpha-cadinol was observed under 50 mg/l nanoparticles. Zinc has probably increased growth and production of essential oils in basil by increasing the growth hormones, improving the uptake of some nutrients, and increasing the synthesis of precursors of secondary metabolites. The findings of this study showed that the effect of zinc nanoparticle was more effective than zinc oxide in increasing growth and active substances of basil.

In order to study of marmarine spraying effects on some physiological and antioxidant parameteres of tomato Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Teena, an experiment was conducted in complete randomized block design with 3 replications in field. Experiment treatments were three ascophyllum extract concentrations as (0, 1.5 and 3 ml/L) and four spraying stages of plant growth including (exactly after transplanting, exactly after primary flower production, exactly after primary fruit set and in all three phases of growth). Obtained results demonstrate that ascophyllum spraying has mean effect on total yield, chlorophyll a and b, relative water content, plant dry weight, fresh root weight. Marmarine treatment cause to increase of these parameters and most increasing was obtained in sparying of 3 ml/L ascophyllum concentration in all three phases of growth and after that in 3 ml/L at exactly after primary flowering stage. The most value of fruit ascorbic acid and phenolic content were obtained at treatment of marmarine extract 3 ml/L concentration when foliar spraying was set in all three phases of growth, simultaneously. Also, the most value of fruit anthocyanin content was obtained at marmarine 3 ml/L as foliar spraying was set exactly after primary fruit set.