International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology
Volume:9 Issue: 4, Autumn 2022

This study was carried out to estimate the genetic diversity and relationships of 74 Iranian blackberry accessions assigned to 5 different species using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) marker analysis and morphological trait characterization. Sixteen traits were analyzed, including phenological, vegetative and reproductive attributes (in 57 out of 74 accessions), and 10 ISSR primers were screened (in 74 accessions).  The yield and leaf width had the highest and lowest genetic diversity, (diversity index = 62.57 and 13.74), respectively. Flowering and ripening date were recorded as traits with the strongest correlations (r = 0.98). Ten ISSR primers were selected and produced a total of 161 amplified fragments (200 to 3500 bp), of which 113 were polymorphic. The highest, lowest and average PIC values were 0.53, 0.38 and 0.44, respectively. Principle component analysis (PCA) was based on morphological traits and showed that the first six components explained 84.9% of the variations among the traits. Meanwhile, the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) was based on ISSR data and implied the first eight principal coordinates which explained 67.06% of the total variation. Cluster analysis was based on morphological traits and ISSR data ultimately classified all accessions into two and three major groups, respectively, so that the distribution pattern of genotypes was mainly based on species and the geographic origins.

The indeterminate behavior of evening primrose is a frequent limitation in its cultivation. Controlling the final growth of plants at a certain stage is important. In the present ‎experiment, different plant extracts were compared functionally with ‎cycocel at different times of application. The experiment was performed as a factorial experiment based on a ‎randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments included normal water ‎‎(control), cycocel (zero and 100 ppm), walnut (Juglans regia L.) leaf extract (zero and 25%), oak ‎fruit extract (Quercus castaneifolia L.) (zero and 25%), and cotton ‎capsule extract (Gossypium hirsutum L.) (zero and 25%). Evaluations were made on the seeds, oil yield and yield-components. The foliar application significantly reduced stem length (43-80%) and plant height (13-‎‎33%), but increased the percentage of oils (18.75%) and free fatty acids (67.5%). The highest ‎oil content (35%) occurred in response to a combination of walnut, oak, cotton extracts, and cycocel.‎‏ ‏The highest amount of free fatty acids (23%) indicated more immature‏ ‏seeds and ‎was obtained under the treatment of cotton extract. Natural extracts increased the oil percentage, but reduced ‎the free fatty acid percentage and the stem length. It seems that further studies in this ‎regard can help control non-terminal growth of evening primrose without having a need for breeding ‎programs.

Bellis perennis is an ornamental, medicinal plant with a beautiful appearance. The current study aimed to assess the potential of daisy flowers cv. ‘Habanera’ to synthesize secondary metabolites after being affected by nano-phosphorus. The experiment was performed using a completely randomized design with three replications in greenhouse conditions. To achieve the research objectives, a range of parameters were observed, including total phenol content, total flavonoid content, and free radical scavenging activity in different organs (i.e. flower, leaf, and root), as well as photosynthetic pigments, anthocyanin, and quercetin contents. The results indicated that nano-phosphorus had significant effects on the said parameters (p< 0.05 and 0.01). Chlorophyll A, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids reached maximum content in response to the 1.5 g L-1 treatment. Nonetheless, the total phenol content in petals, free radical scavenging capacity, anthocyanin content and quercetin content were adversely affected by the nano-phosphorus treatment and, in fact, the said parameters showed higher contents in the control treatment. The application of nano-phosphorus fertilizer (3 g L-1) caused the highest flavonoid content in the leaves. At a concentration of 0.5 g L-1, it increased total flavonoid content and total phenols significantly in the roots. Phosphorus is necessary for producing primary and secondary metabolites, phospholipids, and nucleic acids in plants. Thus, its functions can vary greatly in plant organs.

Seed priming is an established approach to the aim of accelerating germination and increasing germination percentage, which can be followed by high-quality seedlings and optimal plant growth. Culture media can influence the growth and nutritional status of seedlings at the nursery stage. In order to study the impact of seed priming and culture medium on germination performance and seedling growth, two separate laboratory and greenhouse experiments were planned in which the seeds and seedlings of sweet pepper and eggplant were subjected to various chemicals (i.e. growth regulators and nutrients) in the culture media. The results showed that the chemicals had a significant effect on seed priming by improving seed germination and root length in both plants. While putrescine improved seed germination, the highest germination percentage and root growth of both plants were observed in the salicylic acid treatment. Seed priming by humic acid was more effective than ZnSO4 and KNO3 in encouraging seed germination. The application of peat moss (solely or in combination with other culture media such as cocopeat and perlite) improved the growth parameters and nutritional status of commercially ready seedlings. The highest shoot weight (fresh and dry) in both plants were observed in seedlings grown on peat moss. Apart from improvements in vegetative features, peat moss enhanced the uptake and accumulation of nutrients such as N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, compared to cocopeat and perlite. In general, the results indicated that salicylic acid was the best priming treatment and peat moss was the best culture medium for the commercial production of eggplant and sweet pepper seedlings.AbbreviationsC: Cocopeat, Pe: Perlite, PM: Peat moss, P: Phosphorus, N: Nitrogen, Mg: Magnesium, K: Potassium, Ca: Calcium, SA: Salicylic acid, HA: Humic acid, GP: Germination percentage, Put: Putrescine, KNO3: Potassium nitrate, ZnSO₄: Zinc sulfate, DW: Distilled water, PAs:

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have a mutualistic relationship with a great number of plants. This can offer promising approaches to managing arid ecosystems. In the present study, the effects of native AMF inoculums were evaluated on morphological and physiological traits of Cercis siliquastrum and Prosopis cineraria seedlings under drought stress conditions. The study was carried out in two independent experiments as a full factorial design with two factors: AM fungal (non- AMF and AMF) and three levels of drought stress (80%, 50%, and 30% of field capacity). The results showed that shoot dry weight and root growth were reduced in response to an increase in drought stress levels on Prosopis cineraria. In C. siliquastrum, however, the shoot dry weight, root volume and root dry weight increased moderately as a result of AMF but decreased in response to severe drought stress. Native AMF inocula increased proline content by about two-fold, while also increasing root and shoot dry weight and root volume of the inoculated plants of both species. Drought stress increased proline content in both AMF plants and in uninoculated C. siliquastrum seedlings. The native AMF colonized the roots of C. siliquastrum and P. cineraria, by at least 80% and 70%, respectively, which was significantly higher than AMF from soils. Drought stress reduced catalase activity (CAT) in P. cineraria, but this was lower in inoculated plants than in uninoculated plants. In response to moderate and severe drought stress, ascorbic peroxidase (APX) activity increased by over 29 and 44%, respectively, compared to well-watered and inoculated P. cineraria seedlings. P. cineraria seedlings tolerated drought stress by both enzymatic and non-enzymatic ways, while C. siliquastrum accumulated osmotic solutes such as proline under drought stress. In conclusion, both species were recommended for xeriscaping purposes, although mesquite proved to be more reliable in adverse conditions.

As a micronutrient, zinc (Zn) plays an essential role in various physiological processes of plants. Here, acclimatized samples of valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), withania (Withania. coagulans) and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.) were evaluated under aeroponic system conditions in order to explore the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). The plants were foliar sprayed with ZnO NP biofertilizer (0, 1, 2 and 3 g L-1) for 20, 40 and 60 days after transplanting. The experiments were performed based on a completely randomized design with five replications. The valerian showed that 3 g L-1 ZnO NPs caused the highest plant height, root length, leaf number per plant, root volume per plant, as well as fresh and dry weights of roots and shoots. The mean values in chicory showed that the plants that were treated with ZnO NPs (3 g L-1) had the highest amount of biomass and photosynthetic pigments. Based on the results of mean values in purple coneflower, ZnO NPs (3 g L-1) caused the largest increase in morphological values. Furthermore, comparing the mean values in the withania showed that the highest plant height, root length, leaf number per plant, root volume per plant, fresh and dry weights of roots and shoots were observed in plants treated with 3 g L-1 ZnO NPs. Therefore, Zn is considered as an essential micronutrient in the growth of these plants and could be prepared in nanosized form.

The efficiency of sulfur in controlling pistachio pests, especially psylla, has been documented in the available literature, but it is essential for pesticides not to affect the quality of the product. In this study, movento (0.5 L/1000 L), confidor (0.4 L/1000 L) and refinery micronized (R) and mineral (M) sulfur (30 and 60 kg/1000 L in water) were sprayed twice on pistachio trees of the cultivar ‘Ahmadaghaei’ (in mid-May and 50 days thereafter). Pistachios were harvested in late September and were stored at 4 °C for 25 and 50 days to evaluate the effects of pesticides on the quality of hulls and kernels. The taste, aroma, appearance, respiration rate, firmness of hull and kernel, a* (red-green), b* (blue-yellow) and chroma of hull and kernel declined over time, while L* (lightness) and the hue angle of the hull and kernel increased. Ethylene production remained stable over time. Chemical pesticides stimulated hull firmness. Refined micronized sulfur at both concentrations caused higher L* and hue angle, but lower a*, b* and chroma in the hull and kernel (i.e. lighter and yellower in color). All sulfur treatments reduced the firmness of the hull and kernel, while also increasing the respiration rate. R30 preserved the taste and aroma after 50 days. R30 and M30 showed higher ethylene production. The R30 treatment had some positive effects on preserving the taste and aroma of pistachios overtime. Thus, it may be recommended as a reliable treatment, although the ability of sulfur in pest control could be offset by the side effects of sulfur on product quality.Abbreviations:R30: Refined micronized sulfur (30 kg/1000 L); R60: Refinery micronized sulfur (60 kg/1000 L); M30: Mineral sulfur (30 kg/1000 L); M60: Mineral sulfur (60 kg/1000 L)

The present study aimed to assess both soil and tea plant responses to acidification induced by aluminum (Al). In this way, the effects of four levels of soil acidification by aluminum sulfate were examined (A1=0, A2=500, A3=1000, A4=2000 mg kg-1 soil) on five promising tea genotypes (G1=100, G2=440, G3=444, G4=591 and G5=703). The genotypes were originally from Lahijan Tea Research Center and were tested on split plots in a randomized complete block design with three replications. A breakpoint of 250 mg kg-1 of exchangeable Al was identified as critical for the severe release of Al into the soil solution. Both soluble and exchangeable fractions of soil Al showed strong power regression relationships with soil pH measured in water as well as 1M KCl solution. The genotype with the highest yield (G3) experienced a significantly greater decline in fresh yield following treatments with Al, compared with the genotype having low yield (G4) (22% vs. 6%, on average). Acidification adversely affected all morphological parameters but no significant impacts were detected on selected biochemical parameters (i.e. caffeine, total polyphenols, and chlorophyll index). Leaf Al concentration, followed by shoot weight and leaf thickness showed significant relationships (p<0.01) with soluble and exchangeable fractions of Al in the soil. The highest and the lowest leaf Al concentrations were obtained in G4 (837 mg kg-1 DM, on average) and in G3 (623 mg kg-1 DM, on average), respectively. Based on all morphological traits, the most tolerant genotype to soil acidification was G4, which is a low-yield tea with a relatively high Al accumulation affinity.

In most procedures that involve gene cloning, after the amplification of a target gene by PCR or by Real-time PCR, the purification of the trappedgene on agarose gel is a crucial stage. There are various methods for extracting genes from agarose gel by removing other contaminants. We isolated the amplified PqHMGR gene (derived from Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)) from agarose gel by a quasi-electrophoresis device (similar to electro-elution technique). Moreover, the efficiency of this new approach was compared with that of the commercial kit ‘Silica Bead DNA Gel Extraction’ (Thermo Scientific American Company). Ligation to the PTG-19 plasmid and cloning in E. coli bacteria were also done. The results showed successful isolations of targeted DNA, along with a high efficiency in producing recombinant DNA and in concluding a successful cloning procedure through this new device. The invented method provided a better purification ability than the commercial kit, but because of using the TAE 1X buffer as the purified gene storage solution, the plasmid and bacterial transformation rates were slower than the commercial kit method. It was found that using the new method for the purification of nucleotide sequences by electrophoresis and electrophoresis buffer is feasible, and that these purified fragments can be applied in cloning and sequencing. Using the TAE 1X buffer instead of distilled water did not cause problems in gene binding to PTG-19 plasmid. It also allowed a successful transformation of E. coli bacteria by the modified plasmid. Nonetheless, using TAE 1X buffer reduced the modification rate of the PTG-19 plasmid and decreased the rate of E. coli transformation by the modified plasmid.Abbreviations:5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (X-gal), Complementary DNA (cDNA), Diethyl Pyrocarbonate (DEPC), Escherichia coli (E. coli), Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Isopropyl ß-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), LB (Luria Broth), Optical density 260 (OD260), Optical density 280 (OD280), Panax quinquefolius HMGR (PqHMGR), Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Tris/Borate/EDTA (TBE), Tris-acetate-EDTA. 1X (TAE).

Various markers can be used for accurate identifications of plant genotypes and cultivars. Since microsatellite markers of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are abundant and reliably reproducible, 14 pairs were used for evaluating polymorphic levels among 33 apple genotypes. All 14 pairs of primers had high degrees of polymorphism, ranging from three alleles (in the case of primers CH01h01 and CH02d12) to 12 alleles in primer CH05d04. In total, 83 polymorphic alleles appeared in these 14 SSR loci (with an average of 5.92 alleles per gene locus), and the polymorphic information content averaged 0.71. Dendrograms for molecular data were drawn based on the UPGMA method, and genotypes were divided into six main groups. The genotypes of Shahrood 20 and Shahrood 21 (95%) had the highest similarity with each other, while Shahrood 3 and Palestinian Malayer (14%) had the lowest. Principal component analysis confirmed the results of cluster analysis to determine relationships between the genotypes.