وزن هزار دانه

Oilseeds are the second main source of human food after cereals. Safflower is an oilseed crop with favorable and unique characteristics that make it a valuable oilseed crop. Safflower due to having long roots and the high ability for absorbing water from deep soil layers, is considered as a low water-tolerant plant; but after the rosette stage, it becomes more sensitive to water stress such that since the first signs of inflorescence emergence up to the middle of the grain-filling period, it shows more sensitivity to this kind of stress. Increasing need for oil production on one hand and increasing levels of drought due to world climatic changes on the other hand makes it necessary to seek for more water stress tolerant plants such as safflower with relatively high yield capacity under low water content areas. Meanwhile the area under cultivation of safflower should increase. Agricultural and environmental factors can affect safflower seed yield and seed oil content. Therefore, it is important to investigate different environmental factors and their effects on growth and yield performance of safflower plants. Limitations of water resources makes it more difficult to grow safflower plants. Furthermore increasing levels of per capita oil consumption in Iran indicates that oilseed production must increase. Therefore, One of the objectives of this research was to identify and evaluate species and cultivars resistant to water stress and to find the plant stages sensitive to water stress.

In order to evaluate the effects of water stress on some morphological, yield and yield components of different safflower cultivars, an experiment was carried out as split plots based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications at the experimental field 56° 58' E; 30° 15' N; 1754 meters above sea level of Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar university of Kerman, Iran during 2019-2020 growing season. Water stress applied at three levels including 40, 60 and 100% of full crop water requirement in the main-plots and 6 Iranian safflower cultivars including Faraman, Goldasht, Golmehr, Parnian, Padideh and Sina assigned to the sub-plots. Physical and chemical properties and nutrient elements content of the soil before planting were measured using samples taken from of 0-30 cm soil depth of experimental location. Seeds planted manually and plots fully irrigated immediately after planting. Thereafter, plants irrigated throughout the growth period based on the calculated values of the water requirement of the plant.

Based on results, the treatment 40% of the plant water requirement had a significant reduction effect compared to other treatments of water stress on the studied traits in all investigated cultivars. The results Data analysis showed that water stress had not a significant effect on lateral branch number, but it causes a significant reduction in all traits, Including the plant height, number of heads per plant, number of seed per head, head diameter, 1000 seed weight, seed oil content, oil yield and seed yield. Significant differences found among cultivars in term of all other plant characteristics. Meanwhile, Highest values of 1000 seed weight (37.2 g), oil yield (461.8 kg.ha-1) and seed yield (1592.6 kg.ha-1) observed in Faraman cultivar. The Interaction effects between irrigation treatment and cultivar were significant in case of number of heads per plant, number of lateral branches, oil yield and seed yield. However, the Faraman cultivar had more grain yield potential in water stress conditions than the other investigated safflower cultivars.

Generally, results showed that the reaction of the six cultivars investigated in terms of plant height, number of heads per plant, number of seed per head, number of lateral branches, 1000 seed weight, head diameter, seed oil content, oil yield and seed yield were affected by water stress. The highest values of 1000 seed weight, oil yield and seed yield among the investigated safflower cultivars were related to Faraman cultivar. Meanwhile, cultivar Faraman showed higher seed yield potential under water stress conditions compared to the other cultivars. Therefore, to achieve higher yield, Faraman recommended to be grown under low soil water content condition.

Despite the long history of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) cultivation in Iran, the problem of seed shattering during ripening stage and lack of mechanized harvesting is the biggest problem for the development of sesame cultivation in modern agriculture of Iran and other parts of the world (Kadkhodaie et al., 2014). New indehiscent sesame commercial cultivars have made it possible to mechanized harvest of sesame and develop the cultivation of this valuable crop. In this regard, due to the need for optimal use of nitrogen in the cultivation of indehiscent sesame cultivars (Patel et al., 2014)‎ as well as the lack of sufficient information about the appropriate density of the crop and a detailed investigation of on nitrogen and plant density effect s on some morphological traits and seed yield of new indehiscent sesame cultivars‎, this experiment was carried out.

To study the effect of nitrogen and plant density on some morphological traits and seed yield of indehiscent sesame cultivars‎, a field experiment was carried out as strip-split plot arrangements in randomized complete block design with four replications in Shahid Rajaee Agro-Industrial Company in Dezful, Iran, in 2021 and 2022. Experimental factors included nitrogen fertilizer at three levels (46, 69 and 92 kg ha-1 in the first year and 69, 92 and 115 kg ha-1 in the second year, from urea fertilizer source), plant density at three levels (25, 50 and 75 plants.m-2) and four sesame cultivars (Mohajer, Chamran and Barkat as new indehiscent sesame commercial cultivars and local dehiscent cultivar of Dezful as control). For local control cultivar, due to the dehiscent capsules, the green harvest was done before harvest ripening, and in the indehiscent cultivars, the harvest was done at the stage of harvest ripening.

The results showed that the studied treatments affected the morphological characteristics and seed yield of the sesame cultivars in both years. In the first year, the application of 69 and 92 kg of nitrogen levels led to 28% and 41% increase in seed yield, respectively. In the second year, the increase in application of nitrogen fertilizer from 69 to 92 and 115 kg increased the seed yield by 15% and 29%, respectively. Among the plant density levels, the 50 plants.m-2 compared to the 25 and 75 plants.m-2, in the first year, increased seed yield by 38% and 12%, respectively, and in the second year by 24% and 11%, respectively. The highest seed oil content was achieved at density of 25 plants.m-2. Mohajer cultivar had the highest seed yield with an average of 924 kg.ha-1 followed by the cv. local Dezful (897 kg.ha-1), cv. Barkat (852 kg.ha-1‎) and cv. Chamran (643 kg.ha-1). In the second year, the highest seed yield was related to cv. Mohajer (1953 kg.ha-1) followed by cv. Barkat (1828 kg.ha-1), cv. Chamran (1700 kg.ha-1), and cv. local Dezful (1102 kg.ha-1). The highest oil content (46.45%) was observed in cv. Mohajer, and generally the oil content of the non-shatternig sesame cultivars was significantly higher than the control cultivar.

In general, the sesame cultivars demonstrated a favorable relative response to increased nitrogen levels that significantly increased seed yield and oil yield. Split application of 69 to 92 kg.ha-1 of nitrogen fertilizer at three stages (base, 8-leaf stage and at the beginning of flowering) produced the highest oil yield in indehisent sesame cultivars.  In addition, the optimal density for maximum seed yield was 50 plant.m-2. The new indehiscent sesame commercial cultivars, especially cv. Mohajer and cv. Barkat had high seed yield and oil yield.  These two cultivars are suitable for being considered in summer cropping pattern of regions with similar climatic conditions of Dezful in the north of Khuzestan province, Iran.

Legumes are one of the most important sources of protein, minerals, and calories in the diet of people in developing countries. Chickpea is known as one of the most important legumes influenced by management and genetic factors. Accordingly, the current research aimed to assess the effect of planting density on improving economic yield and yield components of rainfed chickpea cultivars in Khorramabad County at the research farm of Lorestan University in 2023. Factorial arrangement of the treatments was set up as a randomized complete block design with three replications. Factors included plant density in five levels (20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 plants per square meter) and cultivars in three levels (Adel, Saeed, and Mansour). Based on the obtained results, the interaction effect of density and cultivar on the distance of the first secondary branch from the ground, the distance of the first pod from the ground, the number of secondary branches, the number of pods per plant, the number of seeds in a pod, and the number of seeds per plant was significant at the level of 1% and was not on economic and biological yields and 100-seed weight. However, the simple effect of density was significant on economic and biological yields at the level of 5%. Also, the simple effect of cultivar was significant on economic and biological yields at the level of 5%. Based on the mean comparison, the highest economic yield (3390.5 kg/ha) was obtained at a density of 50 plants per square meter and the lowest (2678.3 kg/ha) at a density of 20 plants per square meter showing 26.6% superiority. By comparing the regression between economic yield and different densities for various cultivars, the best economic yield of Adel cultivar (3394 kg/ha) was obtained at a density of 44.98 plants per square meter (approximately 45). Also, the maximum economic yield for the Saeed cultivar (3264 kg/ha) was at a density of 59.83 plants per square meter (approximately 60), and for the Mansour cultivar (3430 kg/ha) at a density of 37.85 plants per square meter (approximately 38). Accordingly, the Mansour cultivar with a density of 40 plants per square meter is recommended for the growers in Khorramabad.

With the aim of evaluating the vegetative growth and yield of three Iranian safflower cultivars in the hot and dry region of Fars province, during the years 2019 and 2020, a factorial split-plot experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design in three replications. The treatments include four levels of irrigation (control, interruption of irrigation at the stages of stem growth, flowering and grain formation) in the main plots, three levels of silicon foliar application (concentration of 100, 150 and 200 mg.l-1) and three varieties of safflower (Faraman, Goldasht and Golmehr) were in sub-plots. The results indicated that the experimental treatments had a significant effect on the studied characteristics. Stopping irrigation during the flowering stage led to a 23% decrease in diameter heads, 58% in number of grain and 28% in 1000 grain weight. Foliar spraying of silicon with concentrations of 150 and 200 mg.l-1 increased the studied characteristics compared to the concentration of 100 mg.l-1. In general, cutting irrigation in the stem stage led to a decrease in the vegetative characteristics of the cultivars and water stress in the stages of reproductive growth, especially flowering, led to a decrease in yield. Also, silicon foliar application in a concentration between 150 and 200 mg.l-1 is sufficient to increase the yield of cultivars in the region and also to reduce economic and environmental costs. Among the varieties, Faraman and Goldasht were the best varieties.

To survey the effects of hand weeding and different densities of dragoon’s head on yield and yield components, a field experiment was conducted in the 2015-2016, at the research station of the faculty of agriculture, university of Tabriz. The experiment was a two-factor factorial in the basis of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental factors included: different planting densities and weed control. The interaction of experimental factors on all studied traits were significant. Chenopodium album L., Amaranthus retroflexus L., and Asperugo procumbens L., were the predominant weeds of dragon’s head and that’s had the highest number and dry weight in density of eight plants per m2. In weeding conditions, increasing the plant density to 24 plants.m-2 reduced the number and dry weight of weeds and increased biological yield of dragon’s head (17.7%). Density of 16 plants per m2 in weed control condition, due to high grain and biological yields, number of capsules and seeds per plant and 1000-seeds weight (25.5 g), had a high harvest index. Among the studied traits, the number of seeds per plant showed the highest positive correlation with yield and harvest index. The Dragoon’s Head produced significant yields even when weeds were not controlled, especially at densities of 8 and 16 plants.m-2. Therefore, the density of 24 plant.m-2 and hand weeding can be considered as agronomic and managerial strategies in control of weeds and the density of 16 and 24 plants.m-2 as the optimal density to increasing the production of dragon’s head.

Using compounds such as salicylic acid as a plant growth regulator that can help plants against environmental stress is one of the most important and innovative strategies in agricultural science. Also, today, the planting of cover plants in order to reduce the use of herbicides has received a lot of attention. Therefore, cover plants are one of the effective tools in non-chemical management of weeds in sustainable agriculture. Sesame with the scientific name Sesamum indicum from the Pedaliaceae family is one of the oldest oil seeds that mankind has known and used. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of foliar spraying of sugar alcohols and salicylic acid and types of living mulch on the quantitative and qualitative yield of sesame. Based on this, a factorial field research was carried out in the form of a basic design of randomized complete blocks with three replications in the year 1400 in Sosangerd. In this experiment, the main factor of foliar spraying of anti-stress substances with four levels (sorbitol (concentration 6%), mannitol (concentration 6%) and salicylic acid (concentration 0.08 mM) and non-use (control) was considered as the first factor. And the secondary factor of cover plants included: cowpea, mung bean, purslane and no cover plant (control). The results showed that the effect of foliar spraying and cover plants and their interaction on morphological traits, yield and yield components at the level of 1% significance Dar. The highest amount of investigated traits was observed in the conditions of foliar spraying with salicylic acid, and in the control treatment (without use), the amount of these traits reached their minimum. Among the investigated plants, bean and mung bean plants had the highest yield. This The plants had higher number of capsules, number of seeds per capsule, weight of 1000 seeds, oil percentage, oil yield, seed yield, biological yield and protein percentage. The results of the interaction showed that the most investigated traits were under the conditions of foliar spraying with salicylic. The acid was applied to beans and mung bean and in the conditions of foliar spraying with sorbitol and mannitol to beans.

Soybean is a valuable industrial plant worldwide because of its high protein content, high quality unsaturated oil, and many direct and indirect uses. Seed yield is determined by many vegetative and reproductive traits in different amounts. In some cases, the improvement of a specific trait is accompanied by simultaneous changes in one or more other traits, which provides the possibility of using indirect selection. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between phenotypic traits and yield components, propose cause-and-effect relationships for grain yield components, and determine the direct and indirect effects of traits on soybean seed yield. In this study, 13 pure lines obtained from breeding programs with two control varieties, Amir and Saba, were cultivated during the agricultural year of 2019/2020 at the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Ardabil (Moghan). The experimental arrangement was a randomized complete block design with three repetitions. Correlation coefficients were used to understand the relationships between traits, path analysis was used to estimate the direct and indirect effects of traits on seed yield, and factor analysis was used to explain the correlation between variables and selection of the desired lines was done using factor analysis and cluster analysis. Based on the results of variance analysis for testing differences in composite variables, the genotypes had significant differences in terms of vegetative traits, yield components, and seed yield. Correlation between phenotypic traits showed that the number of nodes per plant was positively and significantly correlated with the number of pods per plant and the number of seeds per plant. In addition, the correlation of the number of seeds per plant with seed yield was positive and significant (r=0.76**). The results of path analysis showed that traits related to the number of seeds per plant, such as the number of pods per plant, showed a high direct and indirect correlation with seed yield. The direct effect of seed number on yield was positive (0.66), whereas the weight of one hundred seeds had a high negative direct effect (-0.44) on seed yield and a positive indirect effect through the number of days to flowering (0.24). Factor analysis showed that the first factor justified 41.2 of the total variation, and the highest positive factor coefficients belonged to plant height, number of nods, total pods and number of seeds per plant. The second factor explained 21.78% of the total variation, day to of flowering, days to maturity, number of branches per plant and one hundred seed weight had the highest coefficients. Factor analysis was able to identify high yielding and earliness lines, which were placed in group 2 of cluster analysis. Factor analysis showed that four factors explained 62.98% of the total variance. According to path analysis, among the yield components, the number of seeds per plant has the largest contribution in determining the yield, and the trait of the number of pods per plant, which causes the production of more seeds in soybean lines, should be prioritized in breeding programs and selection of superior lines. Lines G14, G5, G2, G10 and G8 were placed in the group of lines with high performance and early maturity groups.

In order to investigate the effect of different tillage systems and planting density on yield and yield components of some of barley cultivars, an experiment was conducted at the Research Farm of Agricultural and Natural Resources Campus of University of Tehran in 2016-2017. Experiment was conducted as split-split plot experiment based on completely randomized blocks design with four replications The main plot was the different systems of tillage and the sub-plot were included three barley cultivars (Bahman, Nik and Nosrat) and the sub-sub plot included three planting densities (320, 400 and 470 plants per m2). the Nik cultivar in conventional tillage (9765 kg.ha-1) and no-tillage (9030 kg.ha-1) and Bahman cultivar in the reduced tillage system (8574 kg ha-1) had the highest grain yield. Even though Nusrat cultivar had more 1000 seed weight (38.4 g) than Nik cultivar and Bahman, but due to the lower number of fertile tillers, the number of seeds per spike and the number of fertile spikes per plant, that had lower the yield and harvest index in different tillage systems and planting densities. In the density of 320 and 400 plants per m2, no significant difference was observed in harvest index, and with the increase in density from 400 to 470 plants per m2, the harvest index decreased from 50.7 to 46.3%. Therefore, the cultivation of Nik in conventional tillage and no-tillage systems and Bahman in reduced tillage system and at the optimal density can lead the way in increasing grain production in Alborz province.

Studies have shown that the use of some compounds whose importance is often neglected by researchers and farmers can have a significant effect on the growth and yield of plants and increase the amount of essential oil production in medicinal plants. Therefore, this research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of Selenium and Silicon foliar application and zeolite soil application on the yield and components of seed yield and the percentage and yield essential oil of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Miller.).

 This experiment was carried out in the form of a split split plot (twice chopped) based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Khosrowshahr Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center in the 2019 crop year. The first factor included foliar spraying of calcium (zero and 4 gr/L) and the second factor included foliar spraying of selenium (zero and 4 gr/L) in the main and secondary plots, respectively, and the third factor was the application of zeolite (zero, 5 and 10 tons/ha) were placed in sub-sub-plots. In the full ripening stage, plants were harvested from one square meter of each plot and the dry matter of the whole plant, number of seeds per umbels, number of seeds per plant, 1000-seed weight, seed yield, percentage and essential oil yield were measured.

The results showed that the seed yield increased with the application of these treatments, which resulted in an increase in the yield of fennel essential oil per unit area. Based on the results of the average data comparison, the use of all three compounds of zeolite, selenium and silicon caused a significant increase in the yield of fennel essential oil and increased this attribute by 24, 23.1, and 22.5 percent, respectively. Silicon and selenium increased the yield of essential oil by increasing the seed yield. In addition, zeolite had a positive effect on seed yield through the number of seeds, while silicon and selenium increased both characteristics of yield components, including 1000-seed weight and number of seeds.

Finally, the yield of fennel essential oil was affected by the use of zeolite, selenium and silicon. In most cases, all three compounds were effective on the evaluated traits, and therefore, it can be concluded that these three compounds were effective in increasing the yield and yield components of fennel with different mechanisms. Therefore, it can be concluded that these three compounds work through different mechanisms to enhance the yield and quality of fennel essential oil, positioning them as effective tools in sustainable agriculture and the optimization of medicinal plant production.

Little is known about growth and cultivation of black cumin in cold winter regions of Iran. This research aimed to study the effect of sowing dates on agronomic and morph-physiologic traits of black cumin cultivated in Meshginshahr-Ardabil. The experiment was performed at the research farm of Meshginshahr College of Agriculture based on RCBD with three replications during 2021-2022. The seeds of black cumin were cultivated on four dates of sowing: 17 October, 22 December, 3 March, and 15 April. Results showed that the effects of the date of sowing were significant on grain and biological yield per plant, number of capsules as well as grain per plant. The highest values of these traits were observed in the fall and winter dates of sowing whereas the opposite was found in the spring date of sowing. Hundred-grain weight, test weight, and partitioning of dry matter to the different organs were not affected by the date of sowing. A positive and significant correlation was found between grain yield and biological yield per plant (r=0.96). Similarly, grain yield per plant correlated positively and significantly with the number of capsules (r=0.92) and grain per plant (r=0.96). No significant association was found between grain yield per plant and hundred-grain weight (r= –0.01), suggesting that grain yield in black cumin is regulated more by grain number than grain weight. According to the results, there is the possibility for autumn cultivation of black cumin in the area with cold winters. In case, the seedling of black cumin is established on time, they will be able to tolerate the freezing conditions.

Broad bean (Vicia faba L.) which belongs to the Fabaceae family, is an herbaceous plant, with indetermined growth, wide range of adaptation and the highest amount of storage protein. Broad bean is considered as a cheap protein source for human and a good option in rotation with cereals and oilseeds due to the high level of nitrogen bio fixation and breaking the cycle of diseases. In this research, the effect of foliar feeding of sucrose and amino acid glutamine on the yield and yield components of tannin-containing (Barket and Shadan) and low amount of tannin (Mehta) varieties of broad bean was evaluated.

The experiment was conducted as a factorial with two factors based on randomized complete block design in three replications and as a field experiment in Behshahr city. The first factor was broad bean cultivars (Barkat, Shadan, and Mehta) and the second factor was four nutritional levels including control (spraying with distilled water), glutamine amino acid (200 mg), sucrose (5000 mg/l) and amino acid + sucrose. All of the nutritional treatments were sprayed three times with an interval of 15 days from the beginning of flowering.

The results showed that feeding with glutamine had a significant effect on pod yield, but sucrose treatment did not have any significant effect on the yield characteristics. The pod yield of Barkat cultivar was significantly higher than the other two cultivars with an average of 26,043 kg of pods per hectare. Also, the Barkat cultivar showed the highest fresh and dry seed yield. In the nutritional value, the highest amount of antioxidant activity was seen in the Mehta+glutamine treatment, which was significantly superior to the Mehta+control, but there was no significant difference with the Mehta+combined nutrition treatment. In two cultivars Barkat and Shadan, the applied treatments could not increase the antioxidant activity compared to the control of these cultivars. The highest amount of starch was seen in Barkat+sucrose cultivar, which was not significantly different from Shadan-+glutamine cultivar. In terms of the amount of soluble protein, Shadan+combined nutrition showed the highest amount, which was significantly superior to all other treatments.

Among the various traits related to yield and yield components, only pod yield was affected by glutamine treatment and other nutritional treatments have no significant effect on yield and yield components. The comparison among the three studied cultivars also showed that Barkat cultivar had superior values in terms of traits related to yield as compared with other two cultivars. In general, if the goal is to produce broad beans with high starch and protein, we can recommend the Barkat variety with sucrose treatment and the Shadan variety with combined treatment (sucrose+glutamine), respectively.

False chinch bug (Nysius cymoides (Hem: Lygaeidae)) is one of the most important pests of canola in Iran and causes  significant damage to this crop annually. In order to evaluate the resistance of canola cultivars to this pest, 12 cultivars included Arshitect, Okapi, Nafis, Atura, Nima, Gabriella, Koodiak, Garo, Brotus, Rohan, Deffusion, and Traviana were studied in a completely randomized design in the research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture of Kurdistan University in 2020 and 2021 years.  In this study several parameters related to the false chinch bugs (Weight and population density of the pest) and several plant parameters (secondary branches number, diameter of the main branch, pod length, flowering branch length, seeds number per pod, 1000 seed weight and seed yield) were evaluated. The results of data analysis showed that there was significant difference between cultivars in terms of some parameters including seed weight, plant length, pod length, number of seeds per pod, 1000 seed weight, and yield at a 5% probability level. Also according to the multivariate analysis of variance, there was no significant difference between the type of trap and the type of cultivar, but there was a significant difference between the types of traps. In total, using cluster analysis by Ward's method and based on Euclidean distance, 12 studied cultivars were divided into four groups: resistant, semi-resistant, susceptible, and semi-susceptible.

The highest concentration of protein is found in plant-based sources, whereas animal protein production tends to be more challenging and costly compared to plant-derived proteins. Within plant sources, legumes emerge as a primary reservoir of protein. A notable proportion of protein compounds within legumes boast relatively high nutritional value. The amount of protein in most plants of the legume family, including beans, is reported between 18 and 32%. guar or cluster bean (Cyampsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.) is an annual plant from the legume family, which is cultivated in dry plains as an alternative crop due to its high tolerance to drought and salt conditions. This plant, like most legumes, is important in the balance of soil mineral elements in agricultural systems due to its ability to symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Planting date and optimal plant density are two effective factors to achieve the potential performance of plants. Considering the importance of guar as an edible, industrial, fodder and medicinal product, it seems necessary to conduct research on the growth response of this plant to management factors, especially the date and density of plant planting. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of planting date and row spacing on guar plant as an alternative plant for the climatic conditions of southern Kerman and other similar climates, in order to achieve the highest yield and grain quality.
 

The experiment was carried out as split plots based on the completely randomized blocks design with three replications in the research farm of South Kerman Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center (Jiroft) in two years 2018-2019. Jiroft region has a latitude of 57 degrees and 32 minutes north and a longitude of 28 minutes and 32 degrees east and is located at an altitude of 628 meters above sea level. The experimental treatments include planting date as the main factor in six levels (10 and 25 May, 9 and 24 June, 9 and 24 July) and seed planting intervals as secondary factors in four levels (20, 30, 40 and 50 cm).
 

The results showed that the maximum dry weight of leaves and stems, the number of leaves in the secondary stem, the height of the plant and the length of the pod were observed on the date of 24 June and the row spacing was 50 cm, and in all planting dates, increasing the row spacing led to an increase in the mentioned traits. The comparative analysis of average planting dates reveals that the highest metrics were achieved on June 9th. This includes a 43% increase in the number of pods per plant, a 23% increase in the number of grains per pod, a 66% increase in biological yield, a 45% increase in grain yield, and an 18% increase in harvest index. The highest leaf surface index (15%) and number of leaves in the main stem (91%) was observed on the 24 June. In general, with the delay in planting after early June (9 June) to late June (24 June), the yield and yield components of guar gradually decreased and reached the lowest value. The results comparing the mean effect of row spacing showed the highest number of pod per plant and seeds per pod at 50 cm row spacing, but the highest grain yield was obtained at 30 and 40 cm row spacing.
 

In general, among the planting dates, guar planting in June to early July in Jiroft region is the best planting date. While, early planting (May) and late planting (late July) were not favorable for guar and led to a decrease in plant yield. Therefore, in order to obtain the best yield and agronomic characteristics of guar plant in the south of Kerman province and similar conditions, it is recommended to cultivate this plant from early June to early July and at a row distance of 30 to 40 cm, because in the mentioned dates and row spacing, the plant makes the best use of environmental factors and with the reduction of competition between the plants, its performance and components increase Because.

Khuzestan, as one of the most important corn-producing provinces of Iran, lacks improved cultivars compatible with extremely hot and dry conditions and relies on foreign cultivars, including the old single cross 704 variety. To prepare suitable cultivars for Khuzestan, lines should be produced and evaluated in the region that can be used in the production of hybrid and open-pollinated cultivars.

To identify and improve the important and effective traits on maize grain yield, 289 corn lines, which were bred in Khuzestan, were crossed with the hybrid single cross 704 and evaluated in two cropping seasons (summer 2016 and spring 2017). The experiment was carried out with a simple lattice square design of 17 × 17 and two replications at the Safi-Abad of Dezful Agricultural Research Center in 2016 and 2017. The traits measured from the growing stage to harvest were plant height, tassel length, tassel branch number/plant, stem diameter, number of leaves / plant, ear diameter, grain depth, ear length, number of rows/ear, grain number/row, 100-grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, and harvest index based on the guidelines of the corn and fodder plant department of the Iranian seed breeding and preparation research institute. The yield based on 14% seed moisture along with other traits was measured and calculated from the two middle lines of each experimental plot. The genetic parameters in this research were calculated using the mathematical expectation of the mean square as the basic design of random complete blocks in the form of genetic relationships. To analyze the correlation between the traits and to identify the common factors affecting the studied traits, decomposition into factors was used with the principal component analysis and varimax rotation. Eventually, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) of data and calculation of correlation coefficients between variables were done using SAS Ver 9.20 software and analysis into factors with StatGraphics Ver 19.0 software.

The results of ANOVA showed an acceptable genetic diversity among promising maize lines in terms of all studied traits, except for ear length, number of rows/grain, and number of grain/row. The results of the composite analysis in two cropping seasons revealed that the effect of genotype was significant on all studied traits at the level of 1%, suggesting significant genetic diversity among the studied genotypes for all traits. The significance of the genotype × season interaction effect for all studied traits at the 1% level indicates the different responses of genotypes in summer and spring. The highest and the lowest genetic and phenotypic variances in summer and spring belonged to biological yield and seed depth traits, respectively. The ranges of genetic diversity in the studied traits in summer and spring ranged from 1.96 to 32.72 and from 7.63 to 29.88, respectively. Among the studied traits, the highest genetic and phenotypic diversities were observed in the number of tassel branches/plant trait (32.72 and 33.35, respectively). The highest heritability rates in spring were observed for biological yield (97.69%), grain yield (97.43%), grain depth (97.06%), ear length (96.30%), and plant height (95.74%). On the other hand, the highest amount of heritability along with the highest amount of genetic improvement was observed for the biological yield and grain yield traits, both of which can be considered the most important criteria for selecting parental lines in breeding programs based on this study. The results of the analysis of correlation coefficients for the studied traits in summer indicated that the grain number/row (0.81), biological yield (0.72), ear diameter (0.62), and grain depth (0.52) produced medium to high grain yields among the studied traits. In spring, the biological yield (0.86), 100-grain weight (0.65), grain number/row (0.64), ear length (0.64), and ear diameter (0.63) had medium to high effects on the seed yield.The results of analysis in the factor analysis in summer and spring revealed that five hidden and independent factors justified 71.40 and 72.27% of the total data changes, respectively. Five hidden factors for summer were the share of grain yield from the total dry matter (33.10%), plant height factor (15.80), ear diameter component factor (8.80), tassel height factor (7.50), and grain weight factor (7.20).

The two factors, namely the share of grain yield from total dry matter and the plant height factor, account for more than 61% of the total justifiable variation of 14 traits in 289 lines. These two factors enable us to define and recognize differences and similarities between the lines that grow in spring conditions in Khuzestan.

The production of oilseeds plays a significant role in saving currency, accelerating the process of economic development, security and food independence of the country. Camellia (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) from Brassicaceae family, is able to grow in different weather and soil conditions and requires less water, fertilizer and pesticides than other oilseeds. Therefore, the current research was conducted with the aim of introducing this plant and evaluating its yield potential and cultivation compatibility in Mazandaran.

This experiment was carried out as factorial based on randomized complete block design in four replications at Bayekola Agricultural Research Station (Mazandaran Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Training Center). Six sowing dates (November 5, November 21, December 5, December 21, January 4 and January 19) and five planting distances (15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 cm) were selected as the study factors.

The results of analysis of variance showed that the treatments of planting distance and planting date had a significant effect on different traits of camellia plant. Plant height, number of sub-branches and biological yield were influenced by the interaction effect of the studied factors. The highest plant height values were observed on the planting date of November 15 and at 20 and 30 cm intervals (125.5 and 124.75 cm, respectively). Also, the characteristics of seed yield, days to flowering, days to maturity, the number of seeds in a pod and 1000 grain weight were affected by sowing date factor, and the traits of days to flowering, days to maturity and 1000 grain weight were affected by planting distance factor.

In the field of seed production and obtaining more seed yield, although the planting dates of November 5 to December 5 did not have significant differences with each other; but the planting date of November 21 is the best possible planting date due to the highest seed yield and the higher number of seeds in the pod. Also, the treatment combination of planting distance of 25 cm and planting date of December 5 with high biological yield can be a suitable treatment combination.

Drought is one of the most important non-living stresses that has an adverse effect on crop production and their quality and leads to osmotic, ionic, and nutritional limitations as well as growth delay, metabolic disorders and oxidative stress in plants. Iran has a dry and semi-arid climate and the occurrence of drought stress during the growth period of plants is inevitable. Presently, the production of legumes in the country is mostly under rainfed conditions and drought stress is one of the main factors reducing the yield of legumes. Mung bean is a small grain of valuable legume. Evaluation of the performance of different cultivars is considered a starting point in identifying drought-resistant cultivars. Cycocel is one of the most important growth retarders for tampering with growth and performance. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of foliar application of cycocel on quantitative traits of mung bean (Vigna radiata) genotypes under water deficit conditions.

In order to investigate the effect of foliar application with cycocel and water requirements on quantitative traits of mung bean (Vigna radiata) genotypes, experiental desing of split-split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in research farm of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Experimental factors included 3 levels of drought (non-stress, mild stress, and severe stress), 3 levels of cycocel foliar spraying (0, 400, and 800 mg/L), and 2 levels of mung bean cultivars (Hendi landrace and Zarbakhsh). Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.4 and comparing the means was based on the LSD method at a 5% probability level. 

The experimental results showed that the effect of drought stress, cycocel, genotype, and the interaction of drought stress and cycocel as well as drought stress and genotype on the number of pods per plant were significant. The results showed that drought stress reduced the number of pods in the plant and cycocel increased it. The number of pods in the plant of the Hendi landrace genotype decreased more than that of the Zarbakhsh genotype due to drought stress. Also, drought stress, cycocel, genotype, and the interaction of drought stress and cycocel as well as drought stress and genotype on the number of seeds in the pod, were significant. The results showed that cycocel increased the number of seeds per pod, while drought stress decreased the number of pods per plant. It was also found that at all levels of drought stress, the Zarbakhsh genotype had more seeds in pods than the Hendi landrace genotype. Drought stress, cycocel, genotype, and the interaction of drought stress and cycocel as well as drought stress and genotype had a significant effect on the 1000-seed weight. The results showed that the 1000-seed weight increased due to the application of cycocel, while drought stress decreased this trait. In addition, it was observed that the 1000-seed weight of the Hendi landrace genotype decreased more than the Zarbakhsh genotype due to drought stress. Drought stress, cycocel, genotype, and interaction between drought stress and cycocel had a significant effect on grain yield. The results showed that the grain yield in the Zarbakhsh genotype was significantly higher than in the Hendi landrace genotype. It was also observed that drought stress decreased and the application of cycocel increased grain yield. Drought stress, cycocel, and genotype had a significant effect on biological performance. Drought stress caused a significant decrease in biological yield. The use of cycocel increased the biological performance and increasing the concentration of this substance increased the biological performance. The results of variance analysis of data showed that the effect of drought stress, cycocel, genotype, and the interaction of drought stress and cycocel, drought stress and genotype as well as cycocel and genotype on harvest index were significant. In addition, it was observed that the harvest index of the Hendi landrace genotype decreased more than the Zarbakhsh genotype due to drought stress.

According to the results of this study in the presence of drought stress, it showed a decrease in yield and its components. Among the studied mung bean cultivars, the Zarbakhsh cultivar showed superiority in tolerance to water shortage conditions compared to other cultivars. The use of cycocel reduced the negative effects of drought stress on the plant. It appeared that the use of cycocel under drought stress conditions improved the plant better plants performance.

In order to study the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus biofertilizers on photosynthetic pigments, grain yield, yield components and grain protein content of two pea (Pisum sativum L.) varieties under different irrigation regimes; a split-split plot experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at a field in Farsan, southwestern Iran, in 2021. The main plots were allocated to irrigation treatments including: irrigation after 50, 75 and 100 mm (I1, I2 and I3, respectively) cumulative evaporation from class A evaporation pan and the sub plots were allocated to different sources of biofertilizers treatments including: control (no biofertilizer application), Azotobarvar-1(nitrogen), Phosphatebarvar-2 (phosphorus) and Azotobarvar-1 + Phosphatebarvar-2 (nitrogen + phosphorus). Sub-sub plots were allocated to two varieties of peas (Majarestani and Wolfholland). Results showed that in Majarestani variety mild drought stress increased chlorophyll a and b contents, but severe drought stress decreased them. In Wolfholland variety, both mild and severe drought stress decreased chlorophyll a and b contents. In both varieties, mild drought stress increased carotenoid contents, but severe drought stress decreased them. Biofertilizers were effective in improving chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid contents, particularly under drought stress conditions. The drought stress reduced the grain yield and yield components of both pea varieties but application of biofertilizers moderated the effects of drought stress. The highest value of grain yield was obtained from the Majarestani variety when grown under full irrigation conditions (I1) and nitrogen biofertilizer application. Under the mild and severe drought stress (I2 and I3), the highest value of grain yield was obtained from Majarestani variety in the presence of phosphorus and nitrogen + phosphorus biofertilizer application, respectively. Majarestani variety outranked the Wolfholland in terms of  pods/plant, grain/pod and grain yield under both stress and normal conditions, but the latter variety indicated a greater 1000-grain weight. Therefore, Majarestani variety is a more suitable cultivar, particularly under drought stress conditions. Grain protein percentage was not affected by variety. The highest percentage of grain protein content was achieved with I2 irrigation and nitrogen + phosphorus biofertilizer treatments, averaged over the examined varieties. To conclude, given the prevalence of water scarcity in the semi-arid regions of Iran’s type, further examinations of more drought resistant varieties such as Majarestani and application of biofertilizers may prove suitable for reducing the adverse effects of drought stress.

In order to evaluate the effect of intercropping of Roselle (Hibiscus Sabdariffa L.) on the yield and yield components of peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) at different levels of nitrogen fertilizer in the form of split plots experiment in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications, in The research farm of Zabol University was implemented in the crop year of 2013-2014.The experimental treatments include nitrogen fertilizer levels as the main plot (0, 100, 200 and 300 kg.ha-1) and replacement series of intercropping as the sub plot included (pure Roselle, pure peanut, 50% Roselle + 50% peanut, 75% Roselle + 25% peanuts, 75% peanuts + 25% Roselle). Based on the obtained results, different levels of nitrogen and intercropping showed a significant effect on the number of seeds per plant, the number of seeds per seed, the weight of one 1000 seeds, economic yield, biological yield and harvest index. The interaction effect of experimental treatments was significant on economic, biological yield and harvest index. The highest of economic yield of peanuts (5995.33 kg. ha-1) was obtained in sole crop of peanut and consumption of 200 kg. ha-1 nitrogen fertilizer. The results showed that the highest of land equivalent ration was obtained in intercropping of 75% of peanuts plus 25% of Roselle (1.73), which indicated the usefulness of intercropping compared to sole crop planting.

This experiment was conducted in order to investigate the agronomic value of one new variety of white bean named "Hidajdor" which were introduced by the private sector with the aim of registering the named variety in the national list of plant varieties. This bean cultivar "Hidajdor" along with 4 domestic control cultivars (Almas, Dorsa, Pak, and Shokufa) were studied in 3 different locations (Karaj, Zanjan, and Khomein) based on complete randomized block design in three replications during two crop seasons (2019-2020 and 2020-2021). Results showed that flowering occurred significantly earlier in candidate cultivar "Hidajdor" than control cultivars (6 days earlier than mean of control cultivars). As the same way, physiological seed ripening in candidate cultivar occurred earlier than control cultivars (4 days earlier than mean of other cultivars). In candidate "Hidajdor" cultivar, despite the lower height of the plant compared to control cultivars, the height of the first pod was higher than control cultivars (5.5 percent). Although the number of seeds in the plant of "Hidajdor" candidate cultivar was lower than control cultivars (19.6 percent), but this cultivar produced bigger seeds, so that the average weight of one hundred seeds of this cultivar (46.72 g) was significantly higher (37.8 percent) than the control cultivars (29 g). Finally, the candidate cultivar "Hidajdor" can play an effective role as new germplasm in the country's beans production due to its erect growth type and ease of harvesting, early maturity, and production of larger seeds (marketability).

 Among the macro-elements needed for plants, potassium has a fundamental role, such as osmotic adjustment, maintaining turgor pressure, stomatal function, enzyme activity, protein synthesis, oxidant metabolism, photosynthesis, and resistance to environmental stresses (humidity and heat) at the end of the dryland wheat growth period. Although about 80% of the potassium required by the plant is provided by diffusion, because the diffusion of potassium ions in dry soil is reduced 100 times compared to wet soil, therefore, with water limitation and moisture stress conditions, the absorption of this element by the plant is significantly reduced. Therefore, to solve the limitations of the absorption of this element through the roots in the conditions of moisture stress and heat at the end of the season, the present experiment was carried out by spraying potassium compounds on dryland wheat at different stages of growth.        

 The experiment was conducted on dryland wheat (Rijaw cultivar) as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in the Dryland Agricultural Research Sub-Institute during the 2021-2022 cropping seasons. The factor of the growth stage in the main plots included pregnancy (booting stage), the beginning of flowering, and the spraying factor with four levels in the sub-plots included the control treatment (without spraying), potassium sulfate solution spraying at a concentration of 1%, potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) at a concentration of 1% and potassium sulfate at a concentration of 1% + 1% urea. The volume of spraying solution for each experimental treatment in a sub-plot with an area of 100 square meters was calculated for 500 liters per hectare. It was performed after adding the spraying soap (surfactant) in cool and calm weather (wind speed less than 8 km/h) before 9 am. 

 The main effect of foliar application time on biological yield, grain yield, yield components, straw yield, and percentage of protein and potassium of Rijaw wheat grain was insignificant. However, the main effect of foliar spraying on biological yield, grain yield, the thousand seeds' weight, the number of seeds per spike, and seed protein percentage were significant. The highest biological and grain yield were obtained from foliar application of 1% potassium sulfate with values of 4495 and 1604 kg/ha, respectively, which, despite the difference of 365 and 248 kg/ha, had not significantly different from the biological and grain yield of potassium dihydrogen phosphate as foliar application. The lowest biological yield and grain yield were also related to the control treatment with values of 3588 and 1175 kg/ha, respectively. Foliar spraying of different potassium compounds could increase the thousand seed weight and the number of seeds per spike by 4.5 grams and six seeds, respectively. The highest increase for thousand seeds weight with 40 grams was attributed to potassium sulfate + urea foliar spraying and the highest number of seeds per spike with 32.5 seeds was allocated to potassium sulfate foliar application, which did not show a significant difference with potassium sulfate + urea foliar application. The interaction effect of foliar application time with different foliar application treatments was also significant only on seed potassium percentage. The highest increase in seed protein percentage of 4.8 units was related to potassium sulfate treatment, which was not significantly different from the other two treatments of potassium sulfate + urea and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. 

 Overall, the foliar application of potassium compounds increased the grain yield by 211 kg per hectare. As grain yield and protein percentage among the tested treatments have increased, foliar application of potassium sulfate is recommended.