جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « فنول کل » در نشریات گروه « باغبانی »

Persian sage (Salvia mirzayanii L.) is a medicinal plant belonging to the mint family, which has been of interest since ancient times due to its many medicinal properties. In order to investigate the effect of different concentrations of amino acids (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 gr/L) and storage duration (0, 2, 4 and 6 months) on the amount and changes of Iranian sage essential oil, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design. Amino acid foliar application had a positive effect on the measured vegetative and reproductive traits of Iranian sage plant as well as the percentage of compounds after harvest. In this study, the most important compounds found in Iranian sage essential oil after harvesting were 5-neo-sedranol (20.11%), Lnalyl acetate (16.52%) and alphaterpinyl acetate (14.28%). The content of total phenol increased by increasing the level of amino acid foliar application up to the level of 1 mg/L (82.6 mg/L) and after that it decreased, and by continuing storage for 6 months after harvesting, it increased by 23.15% compared to four months. The highest antioxidant activity was obtained from foliar spraying of amino acid with a concentration of 1 mg/L, and storage for 6 months after harvest reduced it by 29% compared to the time of harvest. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended to use amino acid up to a concentration of 0.5 gr/L in order to achieve the maximum fresh and dry weight of the plant.

Maintaining medicinal plants' quality and effective compounds is a fundamental challenge. Salvia L. has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties and is a rich source of biological compounds that destroy free radicals. Salvia virgate Jacq. has several biological activities and is used to treat wounds and various skin diseases and prevent blood cancer. Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metals due to its long biological half-life, significant mobility in soil, and capacity to be absorbed by plants. Cadmium's negative effects on plant growth, and physiological and biochemical activities reduce plant quality and performance. Sodium nitroprusside is involved in biological processes and responds to various stresses by releasing nitric oxide (NO).
To investigate the effect of different levels of sodium nitroprusside on improving the response of salvia virgata to cadmium stress under in vitro conditions, an experiment was conducted in the Research Institute of Plant Sciences of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad with a factorial design based on a completely randomized design with four replications. The studied factors included different levels of cadmium (0 (control), 25, 50, and 100 µM) and sodium nitroprusside (0 (control), 15, and 30 µM). Murashig and Skoog culture media were used for seed cultivation. In this experiment, different amounts of cadmium nitrate were added to the culture medium before adjusting the pH. Sodium nitroprusside was added to the medium after autoclaving and a sub-laminar filter due to its sensitivity to high temperatures. At first, the seeds were sterilized with 70% alcohol and 2% sodium hypochlorite; then, they were planted in a culture medium. After three months of growth, the seedlings were removed from the culture medium. Growth traits include the fresh and dry weight of the aerial part, root, and whole seedling, and physiological and biochemical traits including photosynthetic pigments (measurement of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoid, total chlorophyll, and total photosynthetic pigment), flavonoid, total phenol, carbohydrate, proline, protein, and antioxidant activity were measured. The data obtained from this research were analyzed by Minitab software. The mean comparisons were done by the Bonferroni test at the five percent probability level.
According to the results of the analysis of variance of the data, the interaction effect of cadmium and nitroprusside on seedling fresh weight, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoid, total photosynthetic pigments, total phenol, carbohydrate and proline at the probability level of one percent and seedling dry weight, total chlorophyll, flavonoid, and protein were significant at the five percent probability level. The interaction effect of treatments on antioxidant activity was not significant, but their simple effects were significant. The results of the mean comparison of the data indicated that cadmium stress decreased the fresh and dry weight of seedlings, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, and total photosynthetic pigments in S. virgata, and the application of sodium nitroprusside led to the improvement of these traits; so that the application of 30 μM sodium nitroprusside under cadmium stress with a 50 μM concentration showed the highest fresh and dry weight of seedlings and the proline content, and the application of 15 μM sodium nitroprusside under cadmium stress with a 25 μM concentration showed the highest amount of photosynthetic pigments. Also, this research indicated that cadmium stress increased antioxidant activity, total flavonoid, total phenol, soluble carbohydrate, proline, and protein in the S. virgata plant. However, sodium nitroprusside application improved these negative effects of cadmium stress. So, the application of 30 μM sodium nitroprusside led to an increase in total flavonoid, total phenol, soluble carbohydrate, and protein under cadmium stress conditions at 25 μM concentration.
The results showed that cadmium stress reduces plant growth and physiological and biochemical functions, but sodium nitroprusside application could improve cadmium's negative effects. These findings show that sodium nitroprusside can be used as an effective instrument in cadmium stress management in medicinal plants and help to improve the growth and quality of these plants. This research, in addition to enhancing our knowledge about the mechanisms of plants' response to cadmium stress, helps to analyze the effect of sodium nitroprusside in exposure to environmental life pollutants.

Greek marjoram (Origanum vulgare L. spp. hirtum) is a well-known aromatic plant belongs to the Lamiaceae family which is widely used in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. Due to the economic importance of the plant, in the present study, morphological, phytochemical and antioxidant capacity of the plant were evaluated through the introducing of the plant to the climate of northern Tehran. According to the results, the mean plant height, leaf length, leaf width and pedicle length were 55, 2.5, 1.75 and 0.3 cm, respectively. Also, the average measured traits for plant fresh weight were 350 g, plant dry weight was 138.33 g and the ratio of plant fresh weight to dry weight was 2.53%. The yield of the plant in second year was 2899.8 kg/ha. The essential oil content of the plant at full flowering stage was 1.5%. Carvacrol (71.0 %), γ-terpinene (12.7 %) and ρ-cymene (6.9%) were the major compounds of the plant oil. The content of total phenol, total flavonoids and rosmarinic acid at full flowering stage were 29.34 mg GAE/g DW, 21.42 mg QE/g DW and 13.37 mg /g DW, respectively. The antioxidant activity of Greek marjoram extract showed the IC50 index of 99.11 μg/ml.

 Medicinal plants have long had a special role in the traditional ‎agricultural system of Iran and the use of these plants as medicine to prevent and treat diseases has been considered by ‎traditional medicine experts since ancient times. Medicinal plants with rich sources of secondary metabolites provide the ‎basic active ingredients of many medicines. Although the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites is genetically controlled, ‎but their construction is strongly influenced by environmental factors. One of the important climatic factors that affect the ‎distribution of plants around the world and can cause morphological, physiological and biochemical changes in the plant is ‎the lack of available water. Basil seems to show little resistance to water stress. For this reason, there is a need for protective mechanisms for the ‎basil plant against stress due to water shortage. Plants are able to reduce or eliminate the effects of water shortage ‎stress by coexisting with a number of soil microorganisms. Inoculation of the plants with Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been exploited as an applicable strategy for reducing detrimental effects of water deficit stress. Present study was performed to evaluate the effects of three AMF on some physiological responses of Ocimum basilicum under water deficit stress.

 The pot experiments were conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design blocks with three replications. The experimental factors were three AMF namely Glomus etunicatum, Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices and various soil moisture including severe stress, moderate stress, mild stress. Water stress was applied from the beginning to the end of flowering stage. After flowering stage, plants ‎were harvested and traits such as total phenols and flavonoids, antioxidant ‎capacity (DPPH), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase and peroxidase enzymes were measured. To analyze the data, first the test of data normality and uniformity of variance within the treatment was performed and confirmed. The mean of treatments was compared by Duncan test at the level of 5% probability. SAS software (Ver. 9.3) was used to analyze the data and Excel software was used to draw the graphs.

 The results of analysis of variance of the effect of mycorrhiza fungus and soil moisture on the studied parameters show that the effect of different levels of soil moisture on all traits was significant. The results of analysis of variance also showed that the effect of mycorrhiza on phenol and total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, catalase and peroxidase and malondialdehyde was significant at the level of one percent probability. According to the results of analysis of variance, the interaction effect of mycorrhiza on soil moisture on antioxidant activity was significant at 5% probability level and on total phenols and flavonoids, malondialdehyde, catalase and peroxidase at 1% probability level. Results showed that AMFs improve activity of catalase and peroxidase, antioxidant capacity and total phenols which led to decrease malondialdehyde content. Antioxidants as physiologically active compounds play an important role in plant resistance to stress. Increased oxygen species due to dehydration stress are a warning sign for plants and increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes. The plant's defense system increases the production of antioxidant enzymes to neutralize toxic oxygen forms, and fungi improve the intensity of this increase, which may be due to the chemical structure of the metal isoenzymes copper, zinc, and manganese. Factors sent to make antioxidant enzymes also contain the elements zinc and calcium. Mycorrhizal fungi increase the absorption of nutrients by sending more hormonal factors and increasing the activity of enzymes, all of which can be effective in increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

 When plants are exposed to dehydration stress, reactive oxygen species in them increase. The expression of antioxidant genes and the activity of antioxidants to eliminate reactive oxygen species are increased and the antioxidant defense system is improved and the tolerance to dehydration stress in the plant is increased. Scientists believe that peroxidase is involved in metabolic processes such as hormone catabolism, defense against pathogens, phenol oxidation, binding to cell structural proteins and cell wall polysaccharides. Present study revealed that application of AMFs can be good strategy for reducing harmful effects of water deficit stress in plants. Research has also shown that impregnating seeds with mycorrhiza increases antioxidants and reduces the amount of reactive oxygen species, a characteristic of resistance induction that occurs by this antagonist.   ‎
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In order to investigate the effects of humic acid and mycorrhiza on gerbera cv. Dune, an experiment was performed as a completely randomized design with two factors and three replications in hydroponic conditions. First factor included humic acid at 4 concentrations (0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg L-1 as media drench). The second factor contained two levels of mycorrhizal fungi (with and without mycorrhiza at root zone). Attributes such as leaf number, rosette diameter, root fresh and dry weight, flower diameter, flower stalk diameter and number, time from bud emergence to anthesis, total phenol content, colonization percent and the activity of ascorbate peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide were measured. The results showed that humic acid and mycorrhizal fungi treatments led to increase in the leaf number, rosette diameter, fresh and dry weight of roots and antioxidant enzymes activity and decreased the time from bud emergence to anthesis comparing untreated plants. Phenol content was significantly increased compared to control plants by application of 1000 and 2000 mg L-1 of humic acid plus mycorrhizal fungi. The combined use of humic acid and mycorrhiza was effective to improve some morphological and physiological properties of gerbera and the concentration of 1000 mg L-1 humic acid plus mycorrhiza application were the most effective treatment.

 Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) is an important fruit that is consumed due to high nutritional, desirable taste and flavor. Unfortunately, most persimmon fruit producers do not use the suitable technology to preserve the fruit quality, consequently, marketing their product at lower prices. The fruit of Karaj cultivar is one of the best and highest quality cultivars in Iran but this fruit is sensitive to chilling injury and shows drastic softening and reduced nutritional value as chilling damage. Appliacation of effective treatments for reducing chilling symptoms and preserve quality can lead to the increase of shelf life in this fruit. Ascorbic acid is an important nutrient that it is required for the functioning of several enzymes and is important for immune system function. It also functions as an antioxidant. Recently this treatment has gained much attention for use as an environmentally friendly technology for the maintenance of postharvest quality of many horticultural crops. In this regard, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of ascorbic acid and storage time on the postharvest life of persimmon fruit.

 Persimmon fruit (cv.‘Karaj’) was first harvested at physiological maturity stage from a commercial orchard in Karaj city, then immediately transported to the postharvest laboratory at University of Zanjan. Fruit selected for uniformity of size, shape, color and free from disease or mechanical damage. The treatments included ascorbic acid at three levels (15, 30 and distilled water as a control mmol.L-1) and storage time at three levels (15, 30 and 45 day). Fruit was dipped in solution of Ascorbic acid 15 and 30 mmol.L-1 and distilled water (control) for 10 min. After treatment, the fruits were stored at +4°C and 85-90% relative humidity for 45 days. Fruits were sampled during storage after (15, 30 and 45 days) and 24 hours maintaining at room temperature and fruit firmness, weight loss, TSS, TA, vitamin C, total flavonoids, total phenol, soluble tannins, total carotenoids, antioxidant capacity and MDA were measured at the end of each period. Persimmon fruit samples were weighed before and after the storage to calculate weight loss (%) during storage by using the formula of [(weight of fruits before the storage − weight of fruits after the storage)/weight of fruits before storage] × 100. Fruit firmness was determined using OSK 1618 penetrometer equipped with an 8 mm tip at 3 equatorial points, and the results were expressed as kg/cm2, Soluble tannin was measured by using the method of Tiara (1996). Total carotenoid was measured based on wang et al (2006), Total soluble solid (TSS) was measured by using refractometer, Ascorbic acid content was determined by using the method of Jalilimarandi (2000) and Antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring the scavenging activity of the examined extracts on the 2,2-diphenylhydrazil (DPPH) radical as described by Dehghan and Khoshkam (2012). Statistical analysis was performed using SAS V9 software and the treatment means were separated by Duncan’s multiple range tests.

 Results showed that all treatments showed significant effect on evaluated traits. All treatments preserved vitamin C and antioxidant activity of fruit compared with control. Ascorbic acid 30 mmol.L-1 significantly preserved firmness, soluble tannin, total phenol, flavonoid, antioxidant capacity. Based on current results that ascorbic acid 15 and 30 mmol.L-1 treatments were the most effective in delaying decrease weight loss by reduced metabolic activity, delayed senescence, and maintained better cellular integrity thereby worked in an integrated manner to reduce fresh weight loss of persimmon fruit. Increasing Ascorbic acid suppressed oxidative damage possibly by quenching hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion. Therefore, positively correlated with higher membrane integrity and less MDA of persimmon fruit. Ascorbic acid is not only an important nutraceutical compound but also a critical antioxidant that positively eliminates certain reactive oxygen species and preserve antioxidant compounds such as phenol, flavonoid, carotenoid and vitamin C in post-harvest. Ascorbic acid 15 and 30 mmol.L-1 treatments used in this experiment had no effect in changes TSS and total carotenoid. So ascorbic acid can improve effectively the quality and increase shelf life of fresh persimmon fruit in post-harvest.

 In conclusion, our research indicates that ascorbic acid could prolong postharvest life of persimmon fruit by maintaining fruit quality attributes. Ascorbic acid treatment significantly is effective in preserving, firmness antioxidant compounds, quality properties and increasing the storage time of persimmon fruit of Karaj cultivar without harmful for human health. Hence, ascorbic acid treatment is a safe and applicable method of increasing the shelf life and preserving the quality in persimmon during cold storage.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of postharvest polyamine application on the physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity of sweet lime fruit. The fruits were dipped in putrescine (2 and 4 mM), spermidine (1 and 2 mM), spermine (1 and 2 mM), or distilled water (control) for 10 min. Evaluations were conducted after 2 and 4 months of storage at 10 °C and 85% relative humidity. In general, treatments had no effect on the total acid and pH of the fruit juice. Using polyamines led to lower rates of weight loss or decreases in juice total soluble solids, and treated fruits had a better taste index when compared to the control. The content of ascorbic acid in fruit juice increased with storage time, but total phenol content and antioxidant activity decreased. When compared to the control, polyamine-treated fruits had higher levels of ascorbic acid, total phenol, and antioxidant activity in the juice. The treatment with both concentrations of spermine had the greatest efficacy in maintaining the juice taste index and ascorbic acid content than the other treatments. Fruits treated with spermine and spermidine had the same taste index. Moreover, spermine-treated fruits had the same amount of ascorbic acid as fruits treated with 2 mM spermidine and putrescine. Finally, dipping in 1 mM spermine was found to be the most effective treatment for reducing weight loss and preserving juice total phenol content and antioxidant activity, and is recommended as the best treatment for preserving sweet lime fruit quality.

Pomegranate (punica granatum L.) is one of the subtropical fruits and sensitive to chilling injury, so preservation of that in cold storage is associated with some limitations. In this study the impacts of Aloe vera gel (0, 40 and 80 %) on chilling injury, nutritional quality and decay of pomegranate fruit, during 90 days at 4 ºC and 85-90 % relative humidity were evaluated. Sampling to determination of intended criteria were done at 30, 60 and 90 days of cold storage. Results showed that Aloe vera gel decreased the chilling injury and decay incidence significantly and the lowest level of chilling injury (11.6 %) and decay incidence (18.66 %) were observed in fruits with 80% of Aloe vera gel treatment after 90 days of storage. Also this treatment controlled well the levels of malondialdehyde (as an indicator of membrane lipids peroxidation), electrolyte leakage, and weight loss. Furthermore, 80% of Aloe vera gel treatment enhanced the antioxidant capacity and the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase and preserved the ascorbic acid content at higher level. High levels of total phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins were observed in Aloe vera gel treated pomegranate fruits, as a result of a higher activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and a low activity of polyphenol oxidase. In conclusion, applying of Aloe vera gel in 80 % concentration, as an natural cover, could increase cold stress tolerance and preserve nutritional values of pomegranate fruits during the storage period.

The use of bio-fertilizers plays a key role in production of organic crops. In order to evaluate the effect of biological and chemical fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. cv. Ahlam) fruit under drought stress condition, the experiment was performed with the use of factorial split in block completely randomized design in three replicates. In this study treatments included drought stress, bio and chemical fertilizers. Drought stress was applied in three levels: 100, 75 and 50% of field capacity; (FC) the fertilizers (NPK) were applied in four levels (0, 60, 120 and 180 Kg h-1), Nitroxin was used in two levels of control (no consumption) and 100% application. The results revealed that the presence of the drought stress and fertilizer type had a significant effect on the yield components and quality of muskmelon fruit. Fruit firmness, TSS and vitamin c content showed the direct relation with the reduction of plant water requirement. On the other hand, the total phenol content was increased with the consumption of nitroxin and 60 kg/h chemical fertilizer. Additionally, application of nitroxin with the 180 kg/h chemical fertilizer showed the highest a*and b* color values in pulp and peel of fruit under 50% of F.C. In general, biofertilizers can be replaced with chemical ones, alleviated drought stress damages and improved fruit quality.

Heavy metal contamination has become a serious environmental problem. The effects of 0, 30 and 60 mgL-1 Cu in the irrigation water and, 0, 2 and 4 mgL-1 sea algal extract (Ascophyllum nodosum) foliar applications on the growth and some physiological characteristics of Lepidium sativum were studied. The experiment was factorial based on RCBD. Malondialdehyde content was affected by 60 mgL-1 Cu treatment. Plant dry weight, total phenolic content and proline, Cu2+, K+, Mg2+, Fe2+ contents as well as catalase and peroxidase activity were influenced by the interaction effects of Cu treatment and foliar application of A. nodosum. For proline content, Cu control × 2 and 4 mgL-1 foliar application of algal extract was the treatment of choice. The lowest amount of total phenolics content was recorded with control plants. Peroxidase and Cu2+ content hold the top quantities at Cu of 60 mgL-1 × non foliar applications. Plant dry weight had the highest data for Cu control × 2 mgL-1 foliar application and Cu of 30 mgL-1 × 2 mgL-1 algal foliar application. The data clearly shows that algal extract; due to the abundance of some nutritional elements reduces the toxic effects of Cu metals on plants.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of combined treatment of sodium alginate and ascorbic acid on the shelf life of strawberry fruits stored at 4±1 ° C. The treatments included control (distilled water), ascorbic acid (1%) with sodium alginate (1, 2 and 3%) and storage period for 7 and 14 days with 4 replicates. During storage, brightness index, chroma index, firmness, total acidity, vitamin C, phenol content, antioxidant activity and anthocyanin content were decreased, but the application of coatings preserved these indices as alginate 2% + ascorbic acid 1% was more effective to preserve these traits during storage. During storage period, polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity (50%), weight loss (2.8%) and pH (33%) increased. While the application of sodium alginate+ ascorbic acid preserved the lower levels of pH and the activity of polyphenol oxidize enzyme, it also controlled weight loss for 14 days.

Drying is one of the most important post-harvest techniques for medicinal plants. Pelargonium graveolens (known as geranium) is an important, high-value perennial, aromatic shrub that can reach a height up to 1.3 m and a lateral growth of 1 m. The essential oil of P. graveolens is extensively used in the perfumery and cosmetic industries. Medicinal plants produce antioxidant compounds, which defend cells against degenerative effects of reactive oxygen species produced during oxidative stress and metabolism. Antioxidants are molecules that scavenge free radicals and reduce/prevent their damages. Therefore, the identification of natural antioxidants as preservative agents plays a pivotal role for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different drying methods (microwave-drying, oven drying and ambient-drying) on drying time and some phytochemical properties of P. graveolens.

In order to evaluate the effect of different drying methods on drying time and some phytochemical properties of Pelargonium, an experiment was conducted at the faculty of agriculture of Lorestan University (Khorramabad, Iran) in 2017. The experiment was carried out based on completely randomized design with 12 treatments and three replications. The drying treatments were microwave-drying (300, 600 and 900 watts), oven-drying (45, 55 and 65 °C), ambient-drying (shade-drying at room, shade-drying in the field, sun-drying for five hours and then transfer to the room shade, sun-drying for 10 hours and then transfer to the room shade, and sun-drying) and fresh samples (as control). In all drying methods, the drying process continued until the moisture content of samples reached to 12% based on dry matter.

The results of analysis of variance showed the significant effect of drying methods on total phenol and flavonoids contents, antioxidant activity and essential oil content of the plants. The minimum and maximum of drying time (4.05 min and 6 days, respectively) was related to microwave-drying (900 watts) and shade-drying in the field, respectively. The highest total phenol (14.78 mg GA per 100 g dry matter) and flavonoid (12.83 mg quercetin per 100 g dry matter) contents were observed in plants dried at room shade and field shade, while the highest antioxidant capacity (IC50=1.02) was related to the fresh samples. The plants dried in the oven (45 °C) also had a notable phenol and flavonoid contents with high antioxidant activity. On the contrary, the samples dried in the microwave and sunshine showed the lowest amount of phenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity. The highest essential oil content was obtained from oven-drying at 45 °C (0.2 %w/w based on dry mater), followed by shade-drying in the field (0.17 %w/w based on dry mater), and oven-drying at 55 °C (0.15 %w/w based on dry mater). While, the lowest essential oil content occurred with microwave-drying at 900 W (0.04 w/w based on dry mater). In this study, the amount of essential oil in the microwave-drying plants was significantly reduced by increasing the power of the microwave. The decrease in essential oil content with increasing oven temperature was also observed.  The decrease in essential oil content with increasing oven temperature has also been reported in other species such as peppermint, dill, tarragon and sage and could be due to evaporation of the essential oil along with moisture losing during drying process. The results of Hamrouni Sellami et al. (2012) showed that drying in microwave at 800 w increased total phenol and flavonoid levels of sage (Salvia officinalis L.). Their results showed that as the microwave power increased from 600 to 800 watts, the total phenol content increased significantly. In research by Arslan et al., (2010), the lowest total phenol content was observed in the oven dried samples, whereas the highest total phenol content was obtained from the oven-microwave treatment and sun drying. The researchers explained that this increase was probably due to the release of phenolic compounds during drying and the reason for the decrease in phenolic compounds in the oven was attributed to the high temperature. Besbes et al., (2004) also reported that with increasing drying temperature, the amount of total phenolic compounds decreases, which may be due to the destructive effect of high temperatures on phenolic compounds. In general, it could be concluded that drying in high temperature of oven and high power of microwave reduces the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, antioxidant activity and essential oil content of P. graveolens. While, shade-drying and oven-drying at 45 °C showed the least reduction in these traits compared to the fresh samples.

It can be concluded that shade-drying at room, shade-drying in the field and oven-drying at 45°C are more suitable for the P. graveolens .While drying treatments in the microwave and sunshine are not suitable for the species. In addition, the results showed that there was a significant relationship between total phenol content and antioxidant activity in both assays.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara L.) from Asteraceae family is a perennial plant. T. farfara is native and widespread from Europe to Western and Northern Asia and North Africa. Coltsfoot distributed in wet mountainous regions of Iran, such as Azerbaijan, Tehran and Northern provinces. Its flowers and leaves have been used traditionally for the treatment of cough, bronchitis and phlegm disorders. T. farfara leaves and flowers have expectorant activity and are used for chronic dry cough and various pulmonary diseases. The extracts of T. farfara were shown to exhibit various activities, such as antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Biologically active agents of T. farfara have been studied due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant characteristics.

For morphological study, the rhizomes of seven Iranian coltsfoot populations were collected in August 2016 from different regions of Iran including Pol-e zangholeh, Damavand, Firoozkooh, Nur, Deylaman, Kaleybar and Namin. The collected samples were planted in the same condition during 2016-2017 in research field of Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran (51º10ʹ23ʺ N, 35º44ʹ17ʺ E), with a randomized complete block design experiment and three replications. The average annual rainfall and temperature of cultivating place is about 220 mm and 16.4 ºC. In order to study the morphological characteristics between different samples, traits such as the number of flowers per plant, stem height, flower length, flower diameter, flower dry weight, root length, root dry weight, leaf area and leaf dry weight had been measured. Morphological traits were measured under the same conditions and for this research, were used ruler, caliper and balance. The leaves and flowers were prepared for phytochemical studies. DPPH method has been used to evaluate the antioxidant activity, and the IC50 was used to compare the antioxidant properties. The absorbance of the samples was measured at 517 nm with ELISA reader. The radical scavenging capacity (RSC) was calculated by the following formula: % In=[(Ab-As)/Ab]×100, where In is DPPH inhibition, Ab is the absorbance of the blank, As is the absorbance of samples including extracts and BHT as a positive control. The phenolic contents of different extracts were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method and the aluminum chloride method was used to measure total flavonoid.

Analysis of variance showed that there is a significant difference between all evaluated traits in studied populations (p ≤0.01). Pol-e zangholeh population of T. farfara, has shown the best performance for all morphological traits. The results of the flowers per plant showed that the Pol-e zangholeh population was the highest and the Deylaman population had the lowest number of flowers. The maximum length of the stem was related to the Pol-e zangholeh population while the population of Namin had the smallest amount. Comparison of flower diameter showed that the Pol-e zangholeh population had the largest diameter and Nur population of all the smaller. The results of the flower length showed that the maximum flower length was related to the Pol-e zangholeh population and Deylaman population had the smallest amount of flower length. Comparison of mean of flower dry weight showed that the Pol-e zangholeh population of T. farfara had the highest value while the population of Nur had the smallest amount. Pol-e zangholeh population of T. farfara, considered as superior populations and its flowering time were earlier than the others. It was found that there is a significant difference (p ≤0.01) between different populations. This variation may be due to Population differences of People, either due to differences in environmental conditions or sometimes due to the interaction of the population and the environment. Our results also indicate the presence of comparable genetic potentials of T. farfara in these population for any further cultivar development. Analysis variance showed that there was significant difference between populations for total phenol, flavonoid and antioxidant activity (p ≤0.01) and the Nur population had the highest total phenolic content and highest antioxidant activity. Comparison of antioxidant activity of different extracts from leaves and flowers of T. farfara showed that the most antioxidant activity was related to leaf extract of Nur population with IC50 271 µg/ml closer to BHT (33 µg/ml) as a synthetic and industrial antioxidant. The least amount of this activity was related to Kaleybar leaf extract with IC50 888 µg/ml. Nur population showed the highest total phenol content with 242 mg GAE/g dried weight. Damavand population showed the highest total flavonoid content with 40 mg QE/g DW extract.

Our results indicate the presence of comparable potentials of T. farfara in these populations for any further cultivar development. Study of antioxidant activity in different habitats shows that Nur habitat is a suitable place for the cultivation of T. farfara to increase the amount of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity.

Maintenance of soil fertility as a permanent bed for continuous production of agricultural products is one of the most important issues affecting the sustainability of food production. In order to achieve healthy food production, application of ecological inputs such as organic fertilizers are inevitable. Organic fertilizers are fertilizer compounds that contain one or more kinds of organic matter. They can improve the soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients. They create a beneficial environment for earthworms and microbial organisms that break the soil down into rich, fine humus. Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost can greatly enhance the physical structure of soil. The addition of compost may provide greater drought resistance and more efficient water utilization. Vermicompost is the final product of composting organic material using different types of worms, such as red wigglers or earthworms, to create a homogenized blend of decomposed vegetable and food waste, bedding materials and manure. Vermicompost helps store nutrients and keeps them safe from leeching and irrigation, functioning to balance hormones within plant physiology, and adding beneficial biology to soil. Vermicompost improves soil aeration, enriches soil with micro-organisms (adding enzymes such as phosphatase and cellulose), attracts deep-burrowing earthworms already present in the soil and improves water holding capacity, enhances germination, plant growth and crop yield, improves root growth and structure. Cow manure is an excellent fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients. It also adds organic matter to the soil which may improve soil structure, aeration, soil moisture-holding capacity, and water infiltration. Plant density is the number of individuals of a given plants that occurs within a given sample unit or study area. Planting density can impact the overall health of plants. Plantings that are too sparse (the density is too low) may be more susceptible to weeds, while planting that are too dense might force plants to compete over scarce nutrients and water and cause stunted growth. Despite of many researches on the effect of organic fertilizers and plant density on different crops, information on the effects of these factors for many medicinal plants is scarce, therefore, in this study effect of organic fertilizers and plant density on morphological characteristics and yield of Echium amoenum in a low input cropping system was studied.

In order to evaluate the effect of different fertilizers on quantitative characteristics of Echium amoenum at different plant densities, a factorial experiment based on RCBD design with three replications was conducted in 2011-2013 growing seasons, in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Experimental factors included three plant densities (10, 5 and 3 plant per m2) and five different types of organic and chemical fertilizers (municipal waste compost, vermicompost, cow manure, chemical (urea) fertilizer and control).

The results showed that with reduction of plant density, effect of organic fertilizers on increasing the flower yield was exacerbated and at the lowest density, municipal waste compost, vermicompost and cow manures increased flower yield 112, 79 and 223% compared to control, respectively. In all studied densities, length of lateral branches in conditions of organic fertilizers application was more than control. Municipal waste compost, vermicompost, cow manure and chemical fertilizer increased total phenol 106, 54, 66 and 173% compared to control, respectively. In plant mean density (5 plant per m2), application of municipal waste compost, vermicompost and cow manure increased total anthocyanin 83, 74 and 57% compared to control, respectively. In general, result of this study showed that application of organic and chemical fertilizers at optimal plant densities, can improve growth characteristics and quantitative and qualitative yield of Echium amoenum.Organic fertilizers are the most significant resources for development of agricultural soil quality and increase in the yield of different medicinal plants. It has been reported that this ecological inputs provide favorable conditions for plant growth and development through improvement of physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, therefore, it can be concluded that improvement of the most studied traits in the present study were due to use of organic fertilizers. Fallahi et al., (20) have reported the positive effects of organic fertilizers on the improvement of quantitative and qualitative characteristics in chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.). It seems that plants compete with each other over scarce nutrients and water in high plant density and cause stunted growth. Some other studies have reported that suitable plant density can increase the growth and yield of some medicinal plants such as coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), Ajwain (Carum copticum L.), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) and anise (Pimpinella anisum L.).

In general, results of this study showed that application of organic and chemical fertilizers at optimal plant densities, while improving growth and yield characteristics of Echium amoenum flower can be ensured health of production of this important medicinal plant.

Different concentration of salicylic acid foliar spraying on antioxidant system and postharvest quality attributes of kiwifruit were investigated. For this purpose, Hayward cultivar was used and SA treatment, at 0 (control), 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mM, were applied at two times of final steps of during [A1] fruit development (125 and 145 days after flowering). Fruits were harvested at commercial maturity (TSS=6.2 Brix) and stored at 1.5±1°C and 90±5% relative humidity for 14 weeks. Different characteristics of the fruit were evaluated at 0 (before storage), 11 and 14 weeks after harvesting. The results show that, the highest firmness of fruit tissue was related to 1.5 mM SA and its lowest was related to the control. In addition, kiwifruit treated with SA has higher significantly total chlorophyll content, L*, and b* values and lower a* value, pH and total soluble solids (TSS) than the control. Preharvest SA treatment reduced the microbial activity (log CFU g-1) of kiwifruit during storage. Also, the higher amount of total phenol, ascorbic acid was related to 0.5 mmol SA and the higher amount of antioxidant capacity was related to 1 mmol SA, in which SA improved the antioxidant compounds of kiwifruit. Ultimately, it seems that preharvest treatments with SA could be a promising strategy to maintain postharvest quality and improve the health benefits of kiwifruits consumption by increasing the antioxidant capacity.

Water deficit stress is a major environmental limiting factor for plant growth and crop productivity. In present investigation, to study the effects of jasmonic acid on reducing the damage caused by drought on growth parameters, some physiological and antioxidant responses on Salvia officinalis L., a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications was conducted at the University of Zabol. The experimental treatments included drought stress (irrigated in field capacity, depletion of soil water content up to 50% and 75% of FC condition) and foliar jasmonic acid spray (0, 75 and 150 mg.l-1). The results showed that spraying with a concentration of 150 (mg. l-1) jasmonic acid under drought stress increased the height (% 10.02), fresh and dry weight (27.88% and 12.81%), relative water content (21.04%) and chlorophyll a and b content (12.15% and 10.34%). The highest phenolic content (34.13 mg-1fw), proline concentration (5.52 mg-1fw), essential oil yield (2.1 mg-1fw) and the activities of peroxidase (3.15 mg-1fw) and guaiacol peroxidase (0.76 mg-1fw) were obtained in plants sprayed with 150mg.l-1 jasmonic acidand in depletion of soil water content up to 75% of FC. On the other hand, the highest ascorbate peroxidase (0.76 mg-1fw), superoxide dismutase (5.64 mg-1fw) and catalase (5.12 mg-1fw), were obtained in plants sprayed with 150 mg -1 jasmonic acid under drought stress (depletion of soil water content up to 75 and 50% FC). Based on our results, it seemed that Jasmonic acid, with increasing antioxidant defense and accumulation of osmotic regulators (such as proline), reduced the oxidative stress in plants under drought stress. Moreover, maintaining the relative water content and photosynthetic pigment improved growth conditions of sage plants in drought conditions.

In order to evaluate the effects of methyl jasmonate on quality of ‘Rabab’ pomegranate, an experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with 3 replications. Trees were sprayed with different concentrations of methyl jasmonate (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 mM) at four different stages of fruit development including full bloom, 30, 60, and 90 days after full bloom.Control trees were sprayed with distilled water. Some quality attributes of the fruit including fruit fresh weight, soluble solids content, pH, total acidity, total phenolics, total antioxidant activity, color index, and ascorbic acid content were evaluated. Methyl jasmonate at a concentration-dependent manner enhanced fruit quality attributes including phytochemical compounds. MeJA at 0.5 mmol L−1 significantly (P≤0.05) enhanced fruit fresh weight, pH, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, and ascorbic acid content and reduced total acidity of fruit juice. Fruits sprayed with 0.5 mmol L−1 caused a significant increase of ‘a’ and chroma indexes. The higher values of L, b value and Hue angel were observed in fruits pretreated with 0.1 mmol L-1 MeJA and control fruit. According to the findings of this study, foliar spraying with 0.5 mmol L−1 MeJA may be considered as an effective nonchemical method for enhancing pomegranate fruit quality attributes and phytochemical compounds.

In this research, the effect of chitosan, nano-chitosan, methylcellulose, and pectin on maintenance of bioactive compounds and storability of pomegranate aril cv. Rabbab-e-Neyriz were studied during storage time. Arils were treated with 1.5% chitosan, 3% methylcellulose, 3% pectin and pure nano-chitosan (100%) solutions and then stored at 5 °C for 16 days and sampling of stored arils was done at 4 days intervals. After 16 days of storage at 5 °C, fungal contamination was observed in all samples except for those treated with 1.5% chitosan. The most and the least weight loss in arils obtained in the control and those treated with 1.5% chitosan, respectively. The edible coatings especially chitosan significantly prevented from degradation of anthocyanin and ascorbic acid. Total phenoland antioxidant activity of juice decreased during storage; however chitosan coating significantly led tomaintain these bioactive compounds. Edible coating treatments and especially chitosan maintained the TSS, TA, flavor index in comparison with control. Overall, chitosan effectively reduced water loss, aril losses and maintained bioactive compounds during storage.

Replacing irrigation water sources with refined sewage water is increasing due to water scarcity challenge for producing horticultural crops. In this research, changes in morphological, biochemical and essential oil components of summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) plants irrigated with well water, refined sewage water and combination of well water and refined sewage water with the ratio of 1:1 investigated in a completely randomized design with 3 replications in 2018. The results showed that irrigation had a significant effect on measured parameters. The highest and the lowest total fresh weight, root fresh weigh, shoot and root length and also plant height were obtained in plants irrigated with well water and refined sewage water, respectively. The most fresh and dry weights and biomass of aerial parts were obtained in well water + refined sewage water. The highest stem diameter was obtained in refined sewage water. The most and the least leaf area and essential oil yield (2.84%) were obtained with well water + refined sewage and well water treatments, respectively. The most leaf chlorophyll index (44.75) and total phenol (1.96 mg GAE 100 g-1) were obtained in refined sewage water. Analyses of essential oil components resulted in detection of 47 components. Carvacrol (53.27%) was the dominant components that obtained in refined sewage water treatment. Overall, the use of combination of well water and refined sewage water is recommended for savory production due to improvement in growth characteristics, increasing the amount of essential oil and also reducing water consumption.

The red color due to anthocyanin improves the quality attributes of blood orange fruit. Monitoring of physicochemical and physiological changes such as anthocyanin content during blood orange fruit ripening can help to predict the best harvest time with the best quality. In order to investigate the changes of physicochemical and bioactive compounds in blood orange fruit ‘Sanguine’ during fruit ripening, a randomized complete block design with four replications was conducted at three harvesting times (255, 285 and 315 days after full bloom). The results showed that fruit firmness decreased at the third stage of sampling, which did not have a significant difference with the second stage of sampling (285 days after full bloom). Total anthocyanin content increased during experiment, and then decreased, indicating the onset of anthocyanin degradation in fruit stored on tree so that the total anthocyanin concentration decreased 37% at third stage compared to the second stage. Antioxidant activity, total phenol and ascorbic acid content of fruit increased significantly during three stages of sampling. Overall, by extending the maintenance of fruit on the tree, anthocyanin may degrade and decrease the fruit quality. Therefore, for harvesting blood orange fruit ‘Sanguine’ with the highest quality, it is necessary to consider physicochemical attributes and bioactive compounds especially anthocyanin other than flavor index.