نشریه علوم باغبانی
سال سی و پنجم شماره 4 (پیاپی 52، زمستان 1400)

Cherry tomatoes, all over the world, have become a popular product because of the favorable characteristics (a good source of vitamins A and C, soluble solids, flavor, low calorie and fruit formation at high temperature). Cultivar selection is one of the most important managerial decisions and, despite thousands of available varieties, it can be daunting task. Cultivars are different in attributes such as color, shape, size, taste, taste, growth, consumption, planting time, and resistance to pests and disease.

This study was carried out from the autumn of 2014 to spring of 2015, at the research greenhouses of the University of Shahid Chamran, Ahvaz, Iran. The study was performed in randomized complete block design with three replications. During the cultivation period and at the end of the experiment, the number of clusters in the plant, the number of fruits in the cluster, the number of fruits in the plant, the total function in the bush , the number of marketable and unmarketable fruits in plant, the harvest index, vitamin C and soluble solids were evaluated. In addition, nitrate content, nitrite, fruit lycopene and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, chlorophyll a to b ratio, total chlorophyll, carotenoid and chlorophyll to carotenoid ratio) and the SPAD index were measured.

According to the comparison of the means, there were the highest number of clusters in Baby Tom (16/44) and then in Belize (15/88), which were not statistically significant and the lowest number of clusters were observed in cultivar Sogno (12.77). The highest and lowest number of fruits in the cluster were found in the cultivars of Sogno and Belize (29.82 and 17.73), respectively. The highest number of fruits in the plant (295) were observed in Sogno and the Belize cultivar had the lowest number of fruits (193.56). The highest average of single fruit weight related to the Cherry Belle (11.13 g) and the lowest in Sogno (8 g) were observed. The lowest and the maximum percentage of the unmarketable fruits were obtained in Baby Tom (09/09 %) and Sogno (32 %), respectively. The maximum yield was observed in the Cherry Belle (2929 g) and then in Sogno (2482.4 g) and Baby Tom (2077.6 g) and the minimum yield (1637.7 g) in the Belize cultivar. The highest and lowest marketable yield were obtained in Belle (2928.6 g per plant) and Belize (1636.6 g per plant) cultivars, respectively. The maximum amount of soluble solids was observed in Baby Tom (4.86 °Brix), which had no statistically significant differences with the Belle and Sogno and the lowest soluble solids was found in Belize (3.15 °Brix). There were the highest and lowest vitamin C content in Cherry Belle (28.24 mg per 100 g FW) and Belize, respectively (23.1 mg in 100 g FW). According to the results, the maximum and lowest content of lycopene were observed in the Cherry Belle and Baby Tom, with an average of 32.411 and 19.402 mg/kg, respectively. The maximum content of nitrate in fruits was observed with 0.67 mg/gr DW in the fourth cluster and the lowest content of nitrate with 0.198 mg/gr DW in the tenth cluster. The highest indices of leaf SPAD were found in Belize (28.9) and lowest in Cherry Belle (16.32).

The selection of high - yield or high - quality cultivars in a greenhouse culture is critical to the economic efficiency of this product. The difference in yield is mainly related to the genetic variation among varieties. Study of yield and yield components of four samples of tomato in the environment and similar culture showed that the Belle Cherry was the best result for yield, harvest index, and vitamin C, so this cultivar is recommended to grow in Ahvaz greenhouses.

Red-fleshed apples (Malus spp.) are one of the rarest apple genotypes in the world and the accumulation of a high amount of anthocyanin, is the main cause of the redness of their fruit flesh. Anthocyanins are among important flavonoids and due to antioxidative activity, scavenge reactive oxygen species, and hence, are considered as one of the health-promoting nutraceuticals in the human diet. The amount of anthocyanins depends upon the expression of the transcription factors that are regulating their metabolic pathway. Among these transcription factors are the members of the MYB gene family. MdMYB10, belonging to this gene family in apple, has been shown to have a significant role in controlling the amount of anthocyanin production and redness in fruit flesh. The expression of MdMYB10 and consequently, the production of MdMYB10 proteins has positive feedback on its own expression. This happens due to a 23 bp microsatellite tandemly repeated 5 times in its promoter region (called allele R6) which is a target sequence for MdMYB10 acting as a positive regulator. This structure invokes the overexpression of MdMYB10 which in turn increases the expression of anthocyanin producing enzymes and finally the amount of anthocyanin in all organs of the apple plant including fruit flesh. The apple Malus pumila var. Niedzwetzkyana and its derivatives have been reported to have such a structure in the promoter region of the MdMYB10 gene. The length of the R6 allele is 496 bp, while the R1 allele is only 392 bp long. However, in some cases, a locus linked to the S3 allele of the S-RNase gene has been proposed to be responsible for the redness of the fruit flesh in some genotypes. It has been reported that even the offspring of these plants have had red-fleshed fruits. 

To study the mechanism of the redness of the fruit flesh in some local genotypes, genomic DNA was extracted using the CTAB method from the leaf samples obtained from 9 red- and white-fleshed apple genotypes including Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Miandoab, Makamik (Khalatpoushan), Bud 9, Varzighan, and Ivand. Then the allelotype of the promoter region of the MdMYB10 gene as well as the existence of S3 allele at S-RNase locus was investigated using polymerase chain reaction. For amplification of the target sequences, MdMYB10 and S3 specific primers were exploited and 1% agarose gel electrophoresis of the amplified fragments was used for observing and scoring the bands. All steps were repeated seven times.

The results in this research showed that the white-fleshed genotypes (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith) were lacking any R6 allele at the promoter region of the MdMYB10 gene and were R1R1 homozygotes, while the red-fleshed genotypes (Miandoab, Makamik (Khalatpoushan), Bud 9, and Varzighan) had at least one R6 allele at the mentioned promoter region as well as a S3 allele in the self-incompatibility locus S-RNase. These results were in accordance with the previous reports. Therefore, these samples could be traced back to Malus pumila var. Niedzwetzkyana. Evaluating the S-RNase locus in these genotypes illustrated that Granny Smith (as positive control), Golden Delicious (as positive control), Makamik (Khalatpoushan), Miandoab, Varzeghan, Bud 9 and tissue culture sample, showing a band around 500 bp (smaller) had S3 allele, while for Ivand and Red Delicious (as negative control) no S3 band was obtained. For the tissue culture sample which was R1R1 at the promoter region and S3 at S-RNase locus, it was postulated that flesh-redness may be due to the locus linked to the S3 allele. We also got an unknown R band for the Ivand genotype when analyzing for the MdMYB10 promoter region. The sequencing of in the future studies, may help to unravel the mechanism by which shoot-redness happens in this genotype.   

The development of highly potent and novel cultivars for the fast-evolving market is indispensable in the plant breeding field. In this way, breeding apple plant, as an important temperate fruit with a long postharvest life, for redness of fruit flesh can be considered as a noticeable case. We could confirm in this research that in the endemic, red-fleshed apples, R6 may be responsible for their high anthocyanin production. However, the S3-RNase-linked locus should also be considered in marker-assisted breeding methods for this trait. Therefore, these red-fleshed genotypes are highly recommended to be employed in the national breeding programs for increasing the anthocyanin content of apple fruits.

The Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) is a summer flowering biennial plant that is native to China and belongs to the Malvaceae family. It is one of the most valuable ornamental plants, whose 36 species are cultivated in Iran. It is an increasing garden escape, especially in urban areas, and is usually found at foot of walls, in ruderal areas, and in cracks of pavements and old walls. Also, it is sometimes seen on riverbanks (for instance on dikes of the river Maas), dumps or road- and railway banks. Alcea rosea has been used as an herbal plant in folk medicine for treatment of different diseases such as common cold and cough. This plant is antiphlogistic, astringent, demulcent, diuretic and expectorant. Drought is the most significant environmental stress in agriculture worldwide, and improving yield under drought is a major goal of plant breeding. Seed germination and early seedling growth are potentially the most critical stages for water stress. When subjected to drought stress, plant metabolism is interrupted or inhibited by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation, resulting in reduced germination, weaker root and shoot growth and even mortality. Plants have evolved oxygen-scavenging systems consisting of non-enzyme antioxidant metabolites, such as proline and various antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase.

In order to examine the effect of drought stress on germination indexes, various antioxidant enzyme changes and non-enzyme antioxidant metabolites in Alcea rosea, an experiment was conducted in complete randomized design with three replications. The drought stress treatment was conducted in five levels with osmotic pressures 0, -2, -4, -6, and -8 bar and with using PEG (Poly Ethylene Glycol 6000) on two ecotypes of Alcea rosea (ecotype 1= Mashhad and ecotype 2= Tehran). The seeds are at first sterilized with hypo chloride sodium for two minutes and then washed superficially three times with distilled water. 25 seeds were transferred to a glass petri dish with 10 cm diameter, and for the duration of the experiment, 5 ml solution with different levels was added to each petri dish. After 14 days at 25±1 ºC temperature, the number of geminated seeds in each day was counted and recorded. In the first part of the experiment, after the end of the germination period, the following growth parameters were measured: germination percentage, germination rate, root and shoot length, and the fresh weight of seedling. In the second part, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde content, lipid peroxidation in terms of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and proline index were measured.

The ecotype, drought treatments and their interaction had significant effects on growth parameters (germination percentage, germination rate, radicle and plumule length, and seedling fresh weight), as well as physiological and biochemical parameters (SOD, POD, CAT, MDA and proline). The highest germination parameters were recorded at Mashhad ecotype. Germination percentage and germination rate were severely affected by drought. Maximum percentage of germination (36) was recorded at control group followed by 32.1 at -2 bar and -4 bar PEG treatments in ecotype 1. Germination percentage in two ecotypes further declined to 33% at -8 bar compared to the control treatment. In both ecotypes, plants had the highest germination rate in control media (zero osmotic potential) but germination rate decreased significantly by decreasing water potential. Germination rate of control seeds of ecotype 1 was 11.7, while that of ecotype 2 was 8. 3. Germination rate in two ecotypes further declined to 56% and 38 %, at -8 bar compared to the control treatment, respectively. Ecotype 2 displayed a significant reduction in radicle and plumule length compared to the ecotype 1. Generally, the radicle and plumule length decreased significantly in relation to the drought stress caused by PEG. Ecotype 2 in -8 bar PEG treatment had the highest (41 and 32%) decrease in radicle and plumule length compared to the control temperature. In two ecotypes (Mashhad and Tehran) of Alcea rosea, increasing PEG concentrations resulted in a decrease in fresh and dry weights. Water absorption is the first germination stage. Due to the probable resistance of the ecotype one, water absorption rate is higher, and as a result, the percentage and rate of germination have increased. Ecotype 1 exhibited higher leaf SOD activities in response to -2 bar compared to -8 bar, but the SOD activities in ecotype 2 showed a general increase trend with increases in the PEG concentration. Drought stress resulted in lower antioxidant enzyme activities (POD) in leaves of both ecotypes compared to that observed at the control treatment, but the activity of CAT increased with the increase of drought stress. In both ecotypes, exposure to -8 bar resulted in significantly higher leaf MDA activities. Plants exhibited higher proline in response to -8 bar treatment compared to the control. By increasing the PEG concentration from control to -8 bar, proline content increased about 90 percent. In this experiment, drought stress reduced the rate and germination percentage and delayed subsequent plant deployment. When plants are subjected to drought stress, their metabolism is interrupted or inhibited by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation, resulting in reduced germination, weaker root and shoot growth and even mortality. The recent experiment showed that the activity of two superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzymes decreased with increasing drought stress, and the activity of the catalase enzyme increased; this is in agreement with the results reported by other studies. On one hand, the increase in the activity of the catalase enzyme indicates that it is perhaps the most important enzyme involved under drought condition, which increased over the course of 14 days. On the other hand, limiting the activity of enzymes and increasing the amount of proline showed that increasing the resistance to drought stress in the plant depends on the accumulation of contaminating substances such as proline.

Due to the higher resistance of the ecotype 1 and increase in water absorption, the percentage and rate of germination were increased. If water absorption is disturbed by the seed, the germination activity is slowly applied and the later growth of the roots will decrease the germination rate. Therefore, it seems that Mashhad ecotype with increase of catalase and proline has the highest drought tolerance compared to the other ecotype at germination stage. There was a significant correlation between germination percentage with SOD and POD.

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) as an important fruit crop belongs to the Amygdaloideae in the Rosacea family and is grown in regions with Mediterranean climates in the world. Apricot species were classified into six eco-geographical groups including: Central Asian, East Chinese, North Chinese, Dzhungar-Zailij, Irano-Caucasian and European. Iranian genotypes which belong to the Irano-Caucasian group are mostly self-incompatible with low chill requirement. The high level of genetic diversity in Iranian apricots is due to sexual reproduction by seeds during the years. In Iran, many of apricot local varieties have been relocated between provinces and subsequently, in some cases their names, have been changed over the years. Hence, to determine the genetically different cultivars and detection of synonyms, screening of apricot germplasm seems necessary in Iran.

Thirty eight commercial genotypes of apricot with five biological replications were collected from 14 nurseries in West Azarbaijan, East Azarbaijan, Esfahan, Semnan, Alborz, and Tehran Provinces in Iran. Additionally Orang Red apricot (Porteghali) included in the study as an outgroup sample. Also DNA sample of previously registered apricots in national list were used in this study. Young and healthy leaves of each cultivar were sampled and stored at -70 °C. Samples were powdered using mortar and pestle in presence of liquid nitrogen. CTAB extraction buffer was used for nucleic acid extraction. Quantity and quality of extracted DNA were measured by spectrophotometry and agarose gel electrophoresis.Thermal cycles were done in Eppendorf thermocycler and the cycling program were set on one cycle of 94°C for 4 minute, 30 cycles of  94°C for 30 seconds, annealing temperature of each primer for 30 seconds and 72°C for 30 seconds followed by one cycle of 72°C for 5 minutes. PCR products were resolved on 10% polyacrylamide gels in 1x TBE buffer. GelRed (Biotium) was applied for gel staining and amplified bands were revealed by UV (300 nm). Eight SSR markers which showed more diversity were selected and scored. Polymorphic alleles were scored as one for presence and zero for absence. For detection of off types, samples were classified by Paired Group method and Euclidean algorithm in PAST software. Then the data of off-types were removed from the dataset and samples were reclassified by the method. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) was carried out using PAST software. Genetic diversity indices were evaluated in Popgene 32 software.   

Eight SSR loci produced 124 alleles with the average 15.5 allele per locus. Nei’s gene diversity and Shannon’s information index were 0.32 and 0.48, respectively which showed high level of diversity in this collection. Distance matrix based on Nei’s gene diversity showed that the most genetic distance (0.74) was between Askar Abadi and Zodras, Mahali Goushti Zodras and Nasiri cultivars. Clustering of samples indicated that some samples including 19 (Shahroudi), 59 (Nakhjavan), 107 (Shahroudi), 127 (Soltani), 137 (Ghavami), 144 (Tabraze) and 156 (Daneshkade) were off-types.For identification of synonyms the off-type samples were disregarded. Cluster analysis illustrated that some local cultivars with different names had same genetic backgrounds. Thus, the names of these samples should be unified in the germplasm. Depicted graph based on first and second coordinates in PCoA demonstrated that the 38 collected groups of apricots are genetically 26 distinct cultivars and there are some duplicates in the germplasm. Results showed that three loci including UDP98-021, UDP98-409 and UDP98-411 were able to distinguish all 26 genotypes. To check the genetic identity of saplings with the same name, some cultivars including Jahangiri, Askar Abadi, Shamlou, Saltanati, Shahroudi, Shams, Tabarze and Rajab Ali were collected from two different nurseries. Surprisingly, the results showed that Nasiri, Tabraze and Shahroudi which were sampled twice from distinct nurseries and provinces, despite of identical names, had different genetic backgrounds.

Detected off-types among five biological replications of local varieties propagated asexually by nurseries showed that there was not sufficient attention in the selection of propagating material in the nurseries. In this context, establishment of foundation blocks by public sector and mother orchards by private sector of economy from Iranian apricot local varieties can be an effective solution so that nursery operators can provide certified propagating material for production of certified nursery stocks. Moreover, seed and plant certification and registration institute should made inspection and testing procedures in mother orchards and nurseries to ensure that propagated trees are healthy, genetically uniform and original.

Oranges are the second most widely consumed fruit in the world after apples. The quality of citrus fruits depends not only on the appearance of the fruit size, shape, color and absence of disease and any surface damage, but also on the flavor, richness of food, vitamins, seedlessness and fruit aroma. The present study investigated the fruit qualitative differences between the ten orange varieties (Thomson Navel, Tarocco, Mars Early, Frost Novel, Local, Italian, Khorram Abadian, Hamlin, Morbeld and Moro Valencia) that grafted on sour orange rootstock, in the Jiroft region. The aim of this study was introducing the fruit qualitative characteristics and nutritional value of ten orange cultivars on the sour orange rootstock in climate conditions of Jiroft region, for fresh uses and processing. Also, determine the capabilities of each cultivar in antioxidant content and antioxidant capacity to introduce the properties of these cultivars to researchers in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Fruit weight was determined by digital scales. The volume of the fruit was obtained by moving the water. The 0.1 mm caliber device was used to measure skin thickness, length and fruit diameter. To measure the thickness of the fruit skin, a cut was first separated from the middle part of the fruit and its thickness was recorded in mm. The total number of hollow and healthy seeds was counted and was recorded as seed number. The juice percentage was calculated by calculating the percentage of juice mass to fruit mass. A manual refractometer was used to measure the total soluble solids, and thesodium hydroxide titration method was used to measure the titration acidity. The flavor index or maturity index was obtained from the TSS/TA ratio and technology index was calculated by multiplying the percentage of TSS in the percentage of juice. Vitamin C measured by the iodometric method. The antioxidant activity of juice was determined based on the DPPH method. Carotenoid and chlorophyll pigments in juices and skins, were calculated using the Liechtensteiner pigmentation method. The experiment was done as a randomized complete block design in three replications. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SAS software and means were compared using Duncan's multiple range test at 5% of probability level.

The results showed that Thomson Novell, Frost Novell and Italian cultivars had the highest freshness quality in terms of appearance characteristics (fruit weight, volume, and length, number of seeds, and fruit shape index) among the ten cultivars evaluated. All cultivars were in the physiological maturity stage and were suitable for the juice industry due to their high technology index. The range of vitamin C varied 57 - 109 mg per 100 ml juice and the range of antioxidant capacity varied 65 - 94%. Morbeld, Valencia Morocco, Frost Novell and Mars Early cultivars had higher nutritional value due to higher vitamin C, and Hamlin, local, Tarocco and Frost Navel had higher antioxidant capacity. Khorramabadian cultivar had higher carotenoid pigments in juice and skin.

Therefore, most of the studied cultivars had high freshness and nutritional value, but among them, Frost Novell cultivar, considering the amount of vitamin C, antioxidant capacity, technology index and appearance characteristics in the higher statistically groups  and was in the lower statistical group in terms of number of seeds, therefore was selected as the best cultivar.

The deficiency of organic matter in the soil is one of the factors limiting cultivating and growing of plants. While the organic matter is the main factor of soil fertility and the ideal organic matter content of agricultural soils is about 4-6% according to the experiments performed, this amount is very low in arid and desert areas such as those  in Iran. The significant capability of humic fertilizers in the rapid improvement of soil fertilization level is quite recognizable. Humic acid has a direct role in determining the producing potential of the soil. Humic substances can have a positive effect on plant growth in different ways. Humic acid results in an increasing nitrogen uptake by plants and stimulates and enhances the uptake of Ca, Mg, P, and K. By enhancing the resistance to environmental stresses, increasing chlorophyll concentration and thus affecting photosynthesis, amino acids are effective in plant growth and yield. Given the conditions that agriculture faces, drought is the main limiting factor of agricultural production in the present and future. Research has reported that the improvement of plant growth under stress conditions by application of humic substances and amino acid. The use of these factors that increase plant growth in stressful conditions and improve yield is a useful and effective method. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of organic fertilizers on growth traits of cucumber plants under drought stress.

In order to explore the effect of drought stress on cucumber plant, an experiment was carried out in the research field of agriculture faculty of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 2015-2016. This study was performed as a factorial design in a completely randomized block design with three replications. The first factor was fertilization at four levels (control, humic acid application (200 ppm), glycine amino acid and glutamic acid application (6 liters per hectare), and combined application of humic acid (200 ppm), glycine amino acid and glutamic acid (6 liters per hectare), and the second factor was irrigation at three levels of 3, 5 and 7 days. Furrows with 2 m apart, 40 cm deep, 50 cm wide and 20 m long were created. Following the soil irrigation, the cucumber seeds were planted on the edge of the experimental hills (4-5 seeds per hill) that were spaced 50 cm apart. The treatments were applied via irrigation at specified concentration. At the end of the experiment Morphophysiological traits were measured.

The results showed that drought stress reduced fresh and dry weights of plant, a number of branches, root length, stem length, and internode length. The amount of available water to plants affects their growth traits. Increasing irrigation interval decreased vegetative growth parameters in this plant, which is undoubtedly due to the lack of water available to the plant. Drought stress leads to stomata closure, plant wilt, swelling reduction, and reduced water content and total potential of the leaf, resulting in decreased cell division, especially in shoots and leaves. As a result, the first effects of dehydration in plants can be seen in their smaller leaf size and lower height than normal conditions. The highest level of drought stress (7 days) decreases all the traits. Unfortunately, the use of humic acid and acid amine had no effect on the highest levels of stress (7 days). The application of humic acid alone could improve the effects of drought stress on the plant. Humic acid enhances plant growth by affecting plant cell metabolism as well as chelating power, increasing nutrient uptake, and increasing nitrogen content. Experimental studies have shown that glycine betaine strengthens enzymatic structures and activities and protein components, and cell wall stability against the damaging effects of environmental stresses is considered to be one of its activities. It seems that organic matter and humic compounds including humic acid through positive physiological effects including effects on plant cells metabolism, increased leaf chlorophyll concentration, increased metabolism within cells, and increased durability of photosynthetic tissues (Increasing leaf durability) leads to increase of production performance and biomass production in plants.

The use of humic acid alone led to improved leaf area, root length, and other traits. These factors caused an improvement in the photosynthetic rate in the plant, resulting in improved yield and growth under drought stress conditions (increased irrigation intervals). The protective and moderating role of the humic acid application under drought stress is one of the reasons for growth improvement by these compounds. In general, the combined application of humic acid and amino acid in the form of irrigation fertilizer in cucumber under drought stress improved growth traits and prevented yield reduction.

The tendency to produce aromatic and medicinal plants and the demand for natural products is increasing especially in the world. Ecological agriculture (Agroecology) of medicinal plants guarantees their quality and reduces the possibility of negative effects on their quality and yield. Evaluation of different plant nutrition systems is one of the most important principles in the production planning of medicinal plants in order to achieve high yield and quality of effective ingredients. Proper fertilizer management is one of the most important factors in agricultural production. Identification of fertilizers which are compatible with nature and are suitable for plant growth could have favorable effects on quantitative and qualitative indices of the plant. Organic fertilizers are genuine and risk-free products that could be suitable for agricultural sustainability. Soil organic matter improves fertility and water retention, provides proper ventilation, long-term storage of plant nutrients and microorganisms, so replacing chemical fertilizers with fertilizers such as vermicompost and biofertilizer can reduce the above-mentioned effects. Biofertilizers are one of the operations that is nowadays in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture for soil fertility. Biofertilizers include the compost of one or more types of useful soil organisms or as metabolic by-products of these organisms that are used to provide the plant with the nutrients it needs in an agroecosystem.

In order to investigate the effect of biochar, organic and biological fertilizers on the quantity and quality of Ocimum bacilicum L., a factorial experiment was done in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Experimental treatments included two levels of biochar (0 and 20 ton ha-1) and five levels of fertilizers (vermicompost (10 ton ha-1), Mycorrhiza, Azotobacter, Pseudomonas and no fertilizer application). Prior to planting sweet basil seed, biofertilizers and vermicompost were mixed with soil to the depth of 15 cm. Mycorrhizal fungi were mixed with seed. Azotobacter and Pseudomonas bacteria were also incubated with seeds (seed inoculated). It should be added that in this study no chemicals were used to control weeds and pests.

According to the results, the highest plant height and number of main branches were obtained in biochar application with vermicompost (49.37 cm and 7, respectively), which was significantly better than other treatments. The interaction effect of biochar and fertilizer had a significant effect on fresh and dry weight of leaf and stem. Mean comparison of treatments showed that the highest leaf and stem fresh weight were obtained in biochar + Pseudomonas application (792 and 876 g m-2, respectively), which had no significant difference with biochar + vermicompost; and also, the maximum leaf dry weight and stem dry weight were obtained in biochar with Pseudomonas application (166 and 175 g m-2, respectively). The interaction between biochar and fertilizer on phenol, flavonoids and antioxidant activity of basil showed a significant differences between treatments.

In general, the results showed that the use of biochar and biological and organic fertilizers could be effective in both the quality and quantity of sweet bail, where, the use of the bacterium Azobacter and Pseudomonas with biochar had the greatest effect on the quality and quantity of sweet bail. Finally, it could be concluded that the combined use of biochar with biological fertilizers had significant impacts on the quantitative and qualitative traits of sweet bail in ecological or low input agricultural.

Saffron is an annual plant that grows based on underground organs of the plant as corms and can be used for several years under farming conditions. This plant is the main source of income for many farmers in rural areas of eastern Iran. Khorasan Razavi province with 76% of cultivation area and 74% of production has the first place in saffron production. Among the different cities of Khorasan Razavi province, Torbat Heydariyeh city with a cultivation area of about 8 thousand hectares out of 87 thousand hectares of the whole province has an area equivalent to about 10%. Contrary to the level of cultivation, the average yield in Khorasan Razavi province is 3.4 kg / ha, which is 0.22 kg / ha lower than the national average. Considering that the level of saffron that is increasing in many parts of the country and on the other hand, according to the long-term average statistics, its yield has decreased significantly. The need for continuous monitoring of planting level and yield is one of the most issues for managers and programs. This research was conducted using the information of referral letters issued for guaranteed purchase of saffron in the Torbat-e Heydariyeh Kadkan town to analyze and evaluate the performance of saffron in 2017 and 2019.

In order to study saffron cultivation and its yield in the Kadkan town, cultivation data and yield data in the years 2017 and 2019 were analyzed. Guaranteed purchase information of saffron was used to collect data. In 2017, 95 people (at the level of 132 hectares) and in 2019, 173 people (at the level of 257 hectares) of saffron farmers in the Kadkan town to deliver saffron to guaranteed shopping centers (Rural Cooperative Office of Torbat Heydariyeh) to Jihad Agricultural Center. They came to Torbat-e Heydarieh Kadkan and received a letter of introduction. The information of these referrals (area under cultivation, dry stigma yield, production rate, village name and amount of saffron delivered) was used to analyze saffron cultivation in Torbat-e Heydariyeh, Kadkan town in 2017 to 2019.

Based on the results of saffron yield in the Kadkan town in 2017 and 2019, 5.17 and 8.64 kg of dry stigma obtained, respectively. The amount of saffron delivered to shopping centers in 2017 and 2019 was 532 and 1270 kg, respectively. According to the results of saffron yield in 2017 compared to 2019 due to climatic and managerial conditions, has increased by 67%. Fitting of cultivation and yield data of 95 saffron farms in 2017 using a linear model showed that with increasing the area under saffron cultivation, yield decreases R = 0.26 **. Also in the polynomial model. Second degree, with increasing the area under cultivation to the level of five hectares, the yield decreased and since then showed a slight increasing trend (R = 0.26 **). Fitting of cultivation data and yield of 173 saffron farms in 2019 based on the second degree polynomial model R = 0.24 24 ** showed that with increasing the area under cultivation up to seven hectares, the yield has decreased and since then it has an increasing trend. In the third degree polynomial model R = 0.28**, like the second degree of yield, decreased to seven hectares and then increased and then was fixed. Considering that the cultivation area of the most farms in Kadkan town was between 0.1 and 2 hectares and farms up to two hectares in the villages of Kadkan townt, it is non-mechanized, therefore, in these farms, the management of smaller farms could be done more easily and the increase in yield for these farms was predictable.

According to the results of the present study, the yield of saffron in 2017 and 2016 was 5.16 and 8.64 kg / ha, respectively. Considering that the average yield of saffron in the country is 3.62 kg per hectare (Statistics of the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture, 2018), the yield of saffron in the Torbat-e-Heydariyeh Kadkan town can be considered as high yield in the country, which is probably due to climatic conditions and is managerial. 67% increase in yield in 2019 compared to 2017due to climatic reasons (increased rainfall) and management (nutrition, agriculture, training, irrigation, proper planting date, use of corms with appropriate weight, disinfection of corms at planting, Summer irrigation, weed control).

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an annual herbaceous plant from labiatae family. The amount and chemical composition of essential oil of sweet basil depends on genetics, growing season, environmental factors and plant growth stage. Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients required by plants. This element plays an essential role in the synthesis of amino acids and proteins and is part of the structure of leaf chlorophyll and some plant hormones. Nitrogen application can significantly increase the growth and yield of medicinal plants in different climatic conditions and affect the quantitative and qualitative properties of essential oils. The results of various studies have shown that nitrogen significantly alters the amount of essential oils in basil. Despite the positive effect of nitrogen on improving plant growth and yield, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer can have a negative effect on the absorption of other elements. On the other hand, high amounts of water-soluble nitrogen lead to groundwater pollution. Therefore, determining the appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer in proportion to the nutritional needs of crops, in addition to improving the quantity and quality of yield, reduces damage to agricultural systems and the environment. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer on vegetative yield and quantitative and qualitative characteristics of essential oil of four basil cultivars and to introduce the best cultivar in Khorramabad climate.

This experiment was performed as a factorial split plot in time in a randomized complete block design with three replications during 2016 growing season in the Agricultural Research Station of Khorramabad. Experimental treatments included four sweet basil cultivars (Italian Large Leaf, Cinnamon, Sweet Thai and Mobarakeh), three levels of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 100 and 200 kg ha-1 chemical nitrogen fertilizer) and three harvests. Nitrogen fertilizer (from urea source) was added to the plots in two stages (half of the fertilizer before seeds planting and the rest after the first harvest) based on the treatments. Basil plants were harvested three times at the beginning of flowering. Traits measured in this study included chlorophyll index, leaf/stem ratio, leaf dry weight, total plant dry weight, percentage and yield of essential oil and determination of chemical composition of essential oil. To extract the essential oil, water distillation method and Clevenger apparatus were used. To determine the main constituents of essential oil, all treatments related to a given repetition were chosen in second harvest were used. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometer was used to identify the compounds of basil essential oil. Analysis of variance of data was done using SAS ver. 9 and mean comparison was performed based on the Duncan's multiple range test at 5% probability level using MSTAT-C software. Figures were drawn by excel software.

The results of the present research showed that the highest leaf/stem ratio (1.8) was obtained from applying 100 and 200 kg ha-1 of urea fertilizer in Italian Large Leaf cultivar in the first harvest. Among the studied basil cultivars, Italian Large Leaf cultivar had the highest leaf dry weight, total dry weight, percentage of essential oil and essential oil yield. The maximum leaf chlorophyll index was related to Sweet Thai and Cinnamon cultivars and the minimum chlorophyll index, percentage of essential oil and essential oil yield was related to Mobarakeh cultivar. Consumption of urea fertilizer was associated with a significant improvement in vegetative growth and as a result, basil yield increased. Although the essential oil percentage of basil cultivars under control treatment was higher than plants that were fed with nitrogen fertilizer, but the highest essential oil yield was obtained from application of 100 kg ha-1 urea fertilizer, which shows the greater effect of dry yield on essential oil yield compared to the percentage of essential oil. In all studied traits, the maximum value was related to the second harvest and the minimum amount (except the essential oil percentage) was allocated to the first harvest. In chemical analysis of essential oils obtained from young leaves and shoots of basil cultivars under different fertilization treatments, 29 to 35 compounds were identified. The maximum concentration of major constituents of essential oils (except 1-8-cineol, methyl cinnamate and methyl chavicol) was related to the control treatment (no fertilizer application).

Since there was no significant difference between the levels of 100 and 200 kg ha-1 of urea in terms of total dry weight and the highest essential oil yield was obtained from the treatment of 100 kg ha-1 of urea fertilizer, Italian Large Leaf cultivar and consumption of 100 kg ha-1 of urea fertilizer can be used in environmental conditions similar to Khorramabad.

Nowadays, due to the decrease in rainfall and groundwater level, the cultivation of crops with low water requirements should be given priority. Different regions of Iran, especially the region of East and West Azerbaijan, have faced a decrease in rainfall in recent years, compared to previous years. Saffron could have relatively stable production in these areas due to low water demand and suitable economic efficiency. Special properties of saffron such as low water requirement, irrigation in non-critical times, water requirement of other plants, possible operation of farms for several years after one planting, ease of transportation and storage of the product, possibility of high employment, possibility of cultivation in areas that lack industrial talents and limited agricultural water, having medicinal properties and also, suitable domestic and foreign sales market has made this plant for cultivation. On the other hand, saffron cultivation in the Iran could increase employment and non-oil exports.If we pay attention to its production and processing processes, it could provide a significant currency to the country. Today the cultivation of saffron is under development in areas such as Azerbaijan. On the other hand, due to the harmful effects of the using synthetic antioxidants in the food and pharmaceutical industries, special attention has been paid for using of natural antioxidants. Considering the importance of compounds in saffron quality and the effect of climatic conditions in different years on the amount of secondary metabolites and antioxidant properties of this valuable plant, the present experiment were evaluated the yield and quality of saffron and compared antioxidant activity of different parts of saffron during two cropping years.

The effect of climate of Marand city of East Azarbaijan province in different years on quality and antioxidant characteristics of different parts of saffron was investigated in this region. So, the climatic factors governing this region during two consecutive years of 2014 and 2015 in terms of temperature, rainfall and humidity were studied using meteorological data. Saffron yield in the region were obtained by using a questionnaire from saffron producers in the region. Meanwhile, the amount of crocin, picocrocin and safranal and the antioxidant activity of different parts of saffron, including stigma, style, stamen and petals, were examined.

The results showed that the Marand city was classified as semi-arid in accordance the amount of crocin metabolites in 2014 (maximum: 306 mg/g in the stigma), picocrocin in 2015 (102.15 mg/g in the stigma), and Safranal in 2015 (highest: 49.95 mg/g in saffron petals) and the antioxidant activity of saffron and saffron petals were the highest in 2014 (30.43% and 88.32%, respectively). The results showed that the quality of different parts of saffron varied in different years. Due to the quality of different parts of saffron in different years, different parts could be used for exploitation.

The amount of active ingredients in the plant were not constant at all and varied according to the growth and climatic conditions and harvest time. Changes in the amount of active ingredients in the plant over consecutive years or even hours a day emphasized the importance of collecting the medicinal plant when the plant contained the maximum amount of active ingredient. The quality of saffron depended on the amount of crocin, picrocrocin and safranal compounds and antioxidant activity. These compounds varied in different organs of saffron (stigma, style, stamen‎ and petals) and over consecutive years. Bonab of Marand ‎region of East Azerbaijan is suitable for saffron cultivation due to the climate change. The quality of different saffron organs were different in consecutive years of multi-year cultivation. The highest amount of crocin in the first year of cultivation in the stigma and its antioxidant activity in the stigma and petals were the highest and in the following year the amount of picrocrocin in the stigma and safranal in the petals were the highest. Therefore, different metabolites could be harvested according to the need in the maximum number of years.

Biochar is a carbonaceous substance obtained from heating plant residues and wastes in an oxygen-containing medium with or without oxygen. Thermal decomposition of biomass in an oxygen-free medium is called thermophilicity (pyrolysis). Temperature is one of the factors influencing the characteristics of biochar. One of the objectives of this experiment is to investigate the effect of different temperatures on the biochar characteristics of cattle manure. The use of biochar as a soil conditioner and source of organic carbon in agricultural soils with minimal environmental damage is considered. Marigold is an annual plant that is used in industry and pharmacy in addition to food. Another aim of this experiment is to investigate the effect of biochar use from different temperatures on marigold under salinity stress.

For biochar preparation, after collecting cattle manure from Bardsir farms, air drying and sieving were used for pyrolysis process for four hours at different temperatures (300, 400, 500, 600 °C). Then pH, EC, carbon stability, ash and biochar performance were measured. In order to evaluate the effects of biochar resulting from different heat-treated temperatures on salinity tolerance of marigold, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in the greenhouse. The two factors studied included salinity levels (0, 4, 8 and 12 dS.m-1) and biochar resulting from different thermocouple temperatures (0, 300, 400, 500 and 600 °C). The biochar rate was considered to be 20%. One month after salinity treatment, seedlings were evaluated for osmotic metabolites activity and growth characteristics of marigold seedlings.

The results of ANOVA showed that all biochar properties were significantly affected by temperature factor. With increasing the pyrolysis temperature from 300 to 600 °C, pH and EC increased by 16.29% and 60.37%, respectively, and the ash content increased by 1.5 folds, but biochar performance and bulk density decreased by 52.28% and 48.1%, respectively. The highest carbon stability was observed at 500 °C, which increased by 20% compared to 300 °C. The results showed a significant negative effect of salinity stress on stem height, number and area of marigold leaves, so that with increasing salinity to 12 dS.m-1, 31.09, 17.28 and 45.7% decrease were observed in these traits, respectively. The physiological characteristics of marigold were significantly affected by the simple and interaction effects of salinity and biochar stress. In salinity treatments (0, 4, 8 and 12 dS.m-1) with increasing pyrolysis temperature from 300 to 600 °C 2.2, 2.04, 1.97 and 1.92 folds increase in leaf potassium concentration and 1.54, 2.26, 3.00 and 2.45 folds less than the control treatment in the amount of leaf proline was observed,  respectively. The activities of catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase enzymes were also significantly affected by the interaction of salinity stress and heat temperature. The highest enzyme activity in biochar was from 600 °C, which increased up to 8 dS.m-1 for catalase and up to 4 dS.m-1 for ascorbate peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase.

In general, biochar salinity is its most important undesirable properties, which increases with increasing pyrolysis temperature, so the recommendation of biochar application in saline soils requires further studies. In the present study, the use of biochar under salinity stress did not have a significant positive effect on the development of marigold resistance and salinity stress tolerance.

The availability of water for irrigating crops is one of the serious challenges at present and the future of the world. Drought stress has harmful effects on plant growth and productivity, though bringing some serious changes in plant physiology and biochemistry. Drought reduces plant growth and yield by having negative effects on plants water potential, cell division, photosynthesis activity, chlorophyll content, and protein synthesis. Although olive naturally tolerates drought, studies had shown that drought undermines its growth, yield and photosynthesis. Employing some appropriate transpiration-reducing approaches could induce olive tolerance towards water deficiency. In this regard, kaolin, through raising light reflection and diminishing the rate of transpiration, is able to lessen leaf temperature in the stressed plants. Salicylic acid (SA), as a strong signaling molecule in plants, regulates physiological and biochemical functions effective in defense mechanisms and also boosts biological and non-biological factors involved in augmenting plants.. The major roles of SA in drought- stressed plants are as follows: activation of antioxidant defense system, production of secondary metabolites, synthesis of osmolytes, optimization of mineral status and maintenance of proper balance between plant photosynthesis and growth. Although some information over effects of SA and kaolin individually on stressed plants is available, to the best of our knowledge, their simultaneous effects on plants under stressful conditions has not been investigated yet. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate different applications of SA and kaolin (i.e. individually and simultaneously) on field-grown olives under drought condition.

This research was conducted in Dalahu Olive Research Station located in Kermanshah province. This experiment was designed as a factorial experiment in the form of a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Factors included different foliar spraying (i.e. control, 1 mM SA, 2.5% kaolin, and a combination of them in the mentioned concentrations) and irrigation at three levels (i.e. 100, 75, and 50% of water requirement). Irrigation was performed based on three-day interval schedule according to the above method by measuring daily evapotranspiration and required volume of water by considering the plant coefficients of olives and by drip irrigation.

Although olive tree is a drought-tolerant plant, drought diminished its yield. The results of this study demonstrated a decrease in total yield of olive trees due to water deficit in different years. In this regard, water deficit under high temperature and low atmospheric humidity are believed to bring about a reduction in yield of drought-stressed olive. The results of this research showed that the foliar application of SA and kaolin on olive trees led to a reduction in ionic leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) and an increase in RWC, chlorophyll content, phenol and total yield, as compared to the control. Foliar application of SA caused a significant increase in proline content and total carbohydrates, while kaolin had no significant effect on aforementioned traits. It seems that a reduction in oxidative damage and an increase in yield of olive cultivars under different irrigations manifested several defense mechanisms induced by exogenous application of SA and kaolin. In this context, kaolin was found to protect leaves and fruits from harmful ultraviolet rays and this remarkably improves the performance of drought-stressed plants by a decrease in the ambient temperature of plants in order to mitigate deleterious effects of drought such as oxidative damage, chlorophyll degradation, and lowering RWC. These results have been substantiated for different olive cultivars at different parts of the world under this condition.In the present study, SA increased chlorophyll content, RWC, proline content, carbohydrate and total phenol; as a result, the yield of SA- treated plants was higher than that in control plants. Similarly, Brito et al (5) reported that applying SA on drought-stressed olive improved osmolate accumulation, photosynthesis activities, RWC and chlorophyll content. The accumulation of phenolic compounds in SA-treated plants is believed to protect plants against stressful conditions. Therefore, the role of SA and kaolin in alleviating drought in favor of enhancing plants yield represents their efficiency under such condition. In the present study, we also employed a combination of SA and kaolin and the results showed no synergistic function between them on most traits. Therefore, to reduce the effects of drought on olive tree, it is recommended to utilize SA or kaolin separately.

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a diploid plant (2n= 24). Eggplant cultivated as perennial in the tropics regions and grown as an annual in temperate areas According to the statistics of FAO, the area under eggplant cultivation in Iran were about to 21.3 thousand hectares, with an average yield of 31.4 tons per hectare. Eggplants grow into large plants that causes too much plant canopy, so pruning the plant is a good way to reduce the number of branches, leaves and to increase fruit set. Normally, pruning is not done on the eggplant plant and only 2 plants per square meter could be grown in the field and also greenhouse conditions. However, pruning operations should be performed in greenhouse conditions and plants might be kept with 2 to 4 branches. A study was conducted to evaluate the best method of eggplant pruning in greenhouse conditions in the Netherlands and the plants were pruned into one or two branches. Plants were pruned again from the second branch in different cases including the first, third, sixth and ninth nodes. The results showed that severe pruning had a positive effect on plant conditions and fruitset was better in heavily pruned plants.

This experiment was conducted in 2018 and 2019 in greenhouse conditions in Varamin city. This area located 40 km from Tehran with an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level, an area of approximately 1500 square kilometers, longitude 50 degrees and 51 minutes, latitude 19 degrees and 35 minutes and the amount of first and second-degree agricultural lands 75 thousand Hectares. The average long-term annual rainfall is 120 mm, and the prevailing wind direction is southeast to northwest. The combined analysis based on a randomized complete block design experiment with three replications conducted and the treatments included three methods of plant pruning (two-branch, three-branch and four-branch). The seeds of Bellen variety planted in culture trays containing enriched peat moss and placed in an environment with a temperature of approximately 27 °C and relative humidity of 80%. After germination of seeds, the ambient temperature decreased to 24 °C during the day and 18 °C during the night. After the seedlings reached 3-4 leaves, they transferred to the main greenhouse. Pruning and guiding the plant on the scaffolding began with the first flower appearing on the meristem axis. All the male branches removed before the mentioned flower and the sub-branches branching from the main axis were allowed to grow above the first flower position. After data collection, data analyzed by SAS software and the means compared by Duncan test.

The effect of year on yield and yield components of eggplant were not statistically significant (Duncan 5%). Effect of pruning treatments on yield components, number of fruits in the first cut and early maturity index at 5% level and on total yield, the total number of fruits and number of fruits per plant were also statistically significant at 1% level. Two-branch and four-branch pruning treatments were statistically superior to three-branch pruning treatments, but considering the yield in the first four harvests, two-branch pruning treatment with the production of 5.33 t  ha-1, compared to two three-pruning treatments and four branches showed a significant increase. Earliness index of plants that pruning in two, three and four plant branches were 12.21, 9.5 and 8.83%, respectively. The total yield in three pruning treatments of two, three and four branches were 44.45, 46.67 and 49.87 t ha-1, respectively. The results showed that branch pruning had positive effects on eggplant yield and based on the purpose of the research, including early crop production or higher total performance, the type of pruning will be different. Examination of the correlation coefficients of the traits measured in the experiment also showed that the relationship between pruning (branch removal) and yield in both totals (0.69*) and the first four harvests (0.80**) was significant. The correlation between the number of branches and eggplant yield has reported in some other studies nevertheless in some studies has not the different relationship between performance and number of plant branches. In reviewing the performance and diversity of morphological traits of some local varieties of Iranian eggplant relationship between fruit yield and number of fruits per plant were positive and significant.

In fact, drought is stress that restricts the plant photosynthesis and also it causes of chlorophyll content changes and damage to photosynthetic structures. One of the important reasons that environmental stresses such as drought reduce the growth and photosynthesis ability of the plant is a disturbance in the balance between production and removal of free oxygen radicals. Transpiration is a necessary process for photosynthesis and growth of plants but depending on the conditions that may be harmful in some cases. Therefore, the use of anti-transpirant can be one of the most effective methods for reducing the amount of water lost through transpiration and adjustment the reduction of the yield due to water deficiency in arid and semi-arid regions. Climate change happened on earth and the intensification of stresses caused by it, especially drought stress in arid and semi-arid regions such as Iran. Therefore, finding strategies that can reduce the effects of water shortages on plant growth and yield can be very important. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of irrigation regimes and application of different concentrations of tragacanth (naturally dried exudate from some Astragalus species) on black cumin plant.   

This research was carried out in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replications in a greenhouse of the Agriculture College of Kurdistan University in 2018. The experimental factors were including irrigation at three levels of 100% (full irrigation), 70% (mild drought stress), and 40% (severe drought stress) of field capacity of soil and spraying with tragacanth extract at six concentrations of 0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 g/L. Spraying of this material was done using a back sprayer (Shark model) with a constant pressure of 2.4 bar and a volume of 250 liters of water per hectare., The normality test was performed using the Mini Tab software, before the data were analyzed. After ensuring the normality of data, analysis of variance was performed using SAS ver. 9.3. LSD (Least significant difference) was used to compare the mean of treatments. The graphs are drawn using Excel software.   

The results showed that increased drought stress intensity (irrigation reduction) led to the reduced leaf relative water content, Total chlorophyll content, efficiency of photosystem II, plant height, number of capsules per plant, mean number of seeds per plant, biological yield and grain yield. The positive effects of tragacanth consumption on reducing and modifying the effects of drought stress on different levels of irrigation and different concentrations of tragacanth were different. In the present study, under full irrigation conditions, lower concentrations of tragacanth were useful, while in drought stress conditions, higher concentrations of tragacanth (except 10 g/L) were useful. In full irrigation, the concentration of 1.25 g/L was positive for all studied traits. In mild drought stress, the use of higher concentrations of tragacanth up to 5 g/L had the best effect and more concentrations resulted in a reverse effect on studied traits. In severe drought stress, the use of more concentrations of tragacanth extract was beneficial and improved the studied traits up to 7.5 g/L, but 10 g/L had a negative effect on these traits.

The results of this study indicated that the different effects of various concentrations of tragacanth material in different levels of irrigation on studied traits of black cumin. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of different concentrations of tragacanth gum was completely dependent on the plant's water status. Therefore, using higher concentrations of tragacanth gum in drought stress conditions had a more positive effect on the plant, and vice versa, using a lower concentration of this material was useful in full irrigation. The effect of tragacanth gum on reducing and modifying the effects of drought stress in different plants requires further studies and extensive research. Tragacanth gum can be introduced as a new anti-transpirant agent with natural origin and its application can be useful and recommended in areas exposed to drought stress.

Ornamental foliage plants are commonly used for beautifying indoor spaces. Consequently, determining the best method of mass propagation in a short time, is necessary for these plants. For this purpose, an experiment was designed and performed to micropropagate the Singonium ornamental plant.

For the first stage, the effect of different plant growth plant growth regulators on the regeneration of nodule explants was evaluated. In this experiment, 1 cm nodal explants were placed in semi-solid MS culture medium containing different concentrations of BA and Kin (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/l) in combination with 0.2 mg/l IAA. This experiment was performed as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with four replications. The first factor included different types of cytokinin (BA and Kin) and the second factor included different concentrations (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/l). In the second stage, the effect of different types of culture medium and its different concentrations on plantlet proliferation was investigated. This study was performed as a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with five replications. The first factor included the type of culture medium (MS and B5) and the second factor was the different concentrations of culture medium (0.5 and 1). In the third stage of the experiment, the acclimation of in vitro plantlet was investigated. This experiment was performed as a completely randomized design with three replications. The experimental treatments included different culture media: vermiculite, peat moss, vermiculite + peat moss, perlite + peat moss, perlite, coco peat + vermiculite, coco peat + perlite, coco peat and rock wool.

According to the results of the first experiment, it was found that the use of cytokinin in MS culture medium is effective on plant regeneration. The highest number of regenerated plantlet was observed in culture medium containing 4 mg/l BA with 0.2 mg/l IAA. It is noteworthy that with increasing BA concentration in the culture medium, the plant height decreased, but in contrast, the number of produced plantlets increased. Benzyl aminopurine (BAP) has been introduced as the most important and effective cytokinin in inducing and increasing branching in plants. Research has shown that the use of external benzyl adenine affects plant growth by affecting plant cells or by controlling the accumulation of a number of cytokinin compounds. As a result, the use of cytokinins in culture medium under in vitro culture conditions is necessary to induce and increase cell division. According to the second experimental results, produced plantlets in MS culture medium had higher height, number of roots and root length compared to B5 culture medium. Results also demonstrated that the use of ½ MS in the propagation stage of this plant is appropriate due to the improvement of growth traits such as plantlet height and root length. The use of optimal and suitable culture medium is very effective in the success of plant micropropagation. In the present study, the use of MS culture medium showed better performance compared to B5 culture medium. The appropriate amount of components, better ion strength and more minerals in this culture medium compared to B5 culture medium are probably the factors influencing its superiority in in vitro culture. In the acclimation stage, the use of vermiculite + peat moss culture medium led to 100% adaptation of plants and improvement of growth traits in the plant.

The results showed that the type and concentration of cytokinin had a significant effect on the most of the evaluated parameters. With increasing the concentration of cytokinin in the culture medium, the number of regenerated plantlet was increased, but on the other hand, the height of regenerated plantlet also decreased. The use of culture medium containing BA compared to KIN had a more pronounced effect on increasing the number of regenerated plantlets. Application of MS medium compared to B5 medium was more effective in increasing plantlet height, root length, number of roots and number of produced plantlets. Also, half-strength MS medium, increased plantlet height and root length. Therefore, at this stage of propagation, the application of ½ MS culture medium is recommended. In the acclimation stage, it can be stated that the use of vermiculite substrate in combination with peat moss is a suitable option considering 100% compatibility of syngonium plantlets and improvement of growth traits in comparison with other substrates.