مجله تغذیه گیاهان باغی
سال پنجم شماره 1 (پیاپی 9، بهار و تابستان 1401)

Introduction :

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.; Apiaceae), an aromatic annual herb, is known as an important medicinal plant. It has been recommended due to its significant nutritional and medicinal properties. The fresh shoots of this plant are used as a food condiment in many places in the world. However, the application of agrochemical fertilizers is a main source of soil, water and environmental pollution which can harmfully affect human health. Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) can be considered as an effective way to meet sustainable agriculture by reducing agrochemical fertilizers usage (Bakhshandeh et al., 2015). Since a limited number of studies are available to investigate the effects of PGPB on coriander growth, thus, this study aimed to evaluate different treatments of zinc sulfate on coriander along with and without zinc solubilizing bacteria.

Two separate experiments were carried out under greenhouse conditions to study the effect of native zinc solubilizing bacteria (Burkholderia cepacia) and zinc sulfate (ZnSo4) on the emergence, some vegetative and phytochemical characteristics of coriander. The first experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design to evaluate different methods of inoculation (non-inoculation as control, seed inoculation and soil inoculation). While the second was performed as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design. The factors were two inoculation methods (non-inoculation as control and seed inoculation) and five treatments of ZnSo4 (99%) application (without application of ZnSo4 as control, 1.5 and 3 g/L for foliar application and, 5 and 10 mg/kg soil for soil application). Three replications were made in both experiments. The experiment was carried out under optimal conditions. The seedlings were harvested when they had six fully expanded leaves. Emergence characteristics, photosynthetic pigments, plant dry weight, phenol content, flavonoid content and antioxidant enzymes activity were measured in this study.

Based on the results obtained in the first experiment, the amount of all studied traits were remarkably increased by applying B. cepacia, except for antioxidant enzyme activity which was not significantly affected. Since there was no significant difference between the inoculation methods (soil and seed inoculations), thus, the seed inoculation method was selected as the best treatment for improving coriander growth in experiment I. In experiment II, the maximum emergence percentage and rate, chlorophyll a, b, total and carotenoids, phenol content in the leaves, flavonoid content in the leaves and root, guaiacol and superoxide dismutase enzymes activity increased by 16.5, 7.73, 9.63, 17.7, 3.94, 11.1, 3.24, 31.6, 23.5, 61.1 and 7.18% in the presence of B. cepacia as compared to the control (non-inoculation). While among the ZnSo4 treatments, higher amount of the studied traits was found in the foliar application at a concentration of 3 g/L and soil application at a concentration of 5 mg/kg soil. Furthermore, the interaction effect between the B. cepacia inoculation and ZnSo4 treatments was not statistically significant. In general, PGPB can improve plant growth and productivity in several ways: nitrogen fixation, solubilizing insoluble minerals such as phosphorus, potassium and zinc, plant hormone production, decreasing the inhibitory effects of biotic and abiotic stresses. The mechanisms mentioned above are fully described in Ahemad and Kibret (2014).

Our findings indicated that B. cepacia could be used in both inoculation methods (seed and soil inoculations) to improve the growth of coriander. Furthermore, foliar application at a concentration of 3 g/L and soil application at a concentration of 5 mg/kg soil by ZnSo4 along with B. cepacia inoculation were the best treatments for increasing quantitative and qualitative characteristics of coriander.

Choosing an efficient and light weight growth media is one of the most important issues in the implementation of interior green walls. In recent years, the use of soilless culture in the world, including Iran, has been developing. In this regard and considering the use of agricultural organic biodegradable waste in culture media can play an important role in achieving a sustainable environment in addition to its economic advantages. Therefore, this study aimed to compare common media with agricultural organic waste (novel/composition) on growth characteristics of Peperomia plant.

The effect of five different growing substrates ratios (60:40 v/v%) were as follows: 1) peat moss + perlite; 2) compost composition (rice husk compost + tea waste + leaf soil+ rice hull) + perlite, 3) leaf soil compost + perlite, 4) rice hull compost + perlite, 5) tea waste compost + perlite, was conducted in form of a completely randomized design with t replications for Peperomia. In this study, growth traits such as leaf number, shoot count, shoot and root fresh and dry weights; physical properties of media, such as bulk and particle density, water holding capacity, and chemical indices including organic matter percentage, pH and porosity of the substrate, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, organic carbon percentage and cation exchange capacity and C/N ratio were measured.

The physicochemical analysis of the substrates combined showed that the composition of tea waste and perlite had superiority over the other media in terms of nitrogen content, water holding capacity, organic matter and organic carbon percentage as well as cation exchange capacity (Table 1). In addition, the lower bulk density in waste tea and perlite (0.15 g/cm-3) compared to the other studied media, can be an ideal indicator for application in the interior green walls (Table 1). Results of analysis of variance showed that different growing substrates have a significant effect (P ≤ 0.01) on the growth characteristics of Peperomia ornamental plant (Table 2). So that, Peperomia grown on compost composition (rice hull compost+tea residues+leaf compost) showed superiority in all measured traits in comparison with other media (Table 3). One of the important indicators for evaluating the advantage of substrates is the shoots dry weight (Golestani et al., 2020). In this study, plants grown on compost composition (rice hull compost+tea residues+leaf compost) had higher shoot dry weight and leaf number, which could be due to higher percentage of nutrients (N, P and K) in this media (Table 3). In contrast, the plants grown in the media of rice husk compost + perlite had the lowest growth characteristic compared to other treatments (Table 3). The decrease in growth parameters in this substrate can be attributed to the low percentage of nutrients, water holding capacity and cation exchange capacity. The results presented here are in agreement with the results of Padasht Dehkaei and Gholami (2009) on Dracaena marginata Ait. and Beaucarnea recurvate and the results of Mahbob Khomami and Dehkaei (2010) on Ficus benjamina plant cv. Starlight.

According to the results of this study, compost composition (rice hull compost+tea residues+leaf compost) due to its proper nutritional characteristics, low substrate weight and cost as well as abundance of these substrate in North regions of Iran, can be a good substitute for common peat moss for interior green walls and sustainable green space development.

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) with high production potential in acidic soils and adapted to soil and climatic conditions of Guilan province, is a calcareous, thermophilic and moisture-loving plant whose leaves are the main part of this plant in terms of economy and utilization (Taiefeh et al., 2013). Various studies have shown that the yield of green tea leaves and its physiological and biochemical properties depend on factors such as soil type, altitude, season, climatic conditions, and the amount of water available to the plant and the consumption of macro and micro elements (Owuor and Bowa, 2012). One of the prominent issues in the production of crops and orchards, including tea orchards, is strengthening their resistance to dry conditions, and among them, water deficite stress is the most common type of environmental stress that affects plant growth and production (Kirigwi et al., 2004). The element copper is very important in the growth and production of quality tea, so that by interfering with the oxidation of green tea leaves, it directly affects the taste and color of tea (Singh and Singh, 2004). Zinc as a major factor in the activity of many enzymes involved and play a major role in the structure of proteins that regulate transcription in leaves of tea plays, hence, reduce the concentration of zinc in the tea plant reduced stomatal conductance and transpiration rate and adjust the performance of antioxidant enzymes (Upadhyaya et al., 2013). This study was conducted to investigate the effect of application of copper and zinc nano-fertilizers and irrigation water deficiency on different morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of tea plant in garden conditions. This research was carried out as a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications in selected tea research gardens of Rudsar city under the supervision of Tarbiat Modares University Department of Agronomy in 2018. Factorial combinations of three treatments of water deficit stress (15% (un-stressed control, IR1), 30% (moderate stress, IR2) and 45% (severe stress, IR3) of FC depletion) and four foliar application (FA1: use distril water, control, FA2: Copper nano-chelate (0.5 mg per one liter of distilled water), FA3: Zinc nano-chelate (2.5 mg per one liter of distilled water) and FA4: Copper nano-chelate + Zinc nano-chelate) were considered. The applied drought stress levels were determined between the field capacity and the permanent wilting point of the soil in the tested area to determine the plant response to different soil water levels (Mokhtassi-Bidgoli et al., 2013). The amount of chemical fertilizers required was determined based on the results of soil test (Table 1) and the amount of nutrients harvested by tea plants (Table 2) (Sedaghathoor et al., 2003). The results of this study showed that the interaction of irrigation regimes and foliar application on green leaf yield, photosynthesis rate, proline concentration, catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity were significant. Under moderate stress conditions, optimal green leaf yield and plant photosynthesis rate were obtained from the combined foliar application of copper and zinc nano-fertilizers. Also, under severe stress conditions, the highest amount of antioxidant activity and proline concentration was observed in the combined spraying of copper and zinc nano-fertilizers. Total chlorophyll decreased fewer than 62.5 and 75 % under moderate and severe stress conditions compared to the control treatment. In general, it can be concluded that the application of combined foliar application of copper, zinc foliar application and foliar application of zinc increased 58.40, 32.54 and 31.28% of green tea leaf yield compared to the control under moderate stress conditions, respectively, that Demonstrates the ability of copper and zinc micronutrients to increase green leaf yield, photosynthetic rate, photosynthetic pigments, soluble carbohydrate and protein concentrations, as well as increase the activity of antioxidants in stress conditions and in resistance to tea plant and reduction of dehydration damage in tea gardens is very effective.

Due to the fact that it is not possible to remove chemical fertilizers in agriculture at once and also the use of organic fertilizers alone cannot fully complete the nutritional needs of plants, especially annuals plants, so the use of organic fertilizers with optimal use of Chemical fertilizers can play an important role in maintaining the physical and chemical structure of soil, increasing crop yield and reducing the negative environmental effects of chemical fertilizers. In the southern region of Kerman province, potatoes have been cultivated in autumn and winter for more than a decade. According to the studies on the amount and type of fertilizers used in autumn cultivation in the region, it seems that there is excessive consumption of fertilizers, especially urea, which, while producing a problematic crop, has destroyed soil fertility and polluted groundwater. One of the effective actions to reduce or stop this wrong process is the optimal use of chemical fertilizers and the use of organic fertilizers. This study was conducted to evaluate the application of poultry manure and urea fertilizer in potato production in the south of Kerman province.

The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with five treatments, in three replications and for two years in Jiroft. The research treatments were: 1- Control (as in the region), 2- Recommended optimal urea limit for the region crop + Optimal consumption of other nutrients based on soil test, 3- Urea consumption 25% more than the optimal limit + Optimal consumption of other nutrients based on soil test, 4- Consumption of urea 25% less than the optimal limit + five tons of poultry manure per hectare + optimal consumption of other nutrients based on soil test and 5- Consumption of urea 25% less than the optimal limit + ten tons of poultry manure per hectare + Optimal consumption of other nutrients based on soil test. At the end of each year, the performance of each treatment was measured. Also, random samples were prepared from the tubers and leaves of each plot and potassium, iron, zinc, manganese and nitrate were measured in the tubers and leaves.

The results showed that the control treatment had the lowest yield (20 t / ha) and the highest nitrate concentration (293.3 and 639.5 mg/kg dry matter, respectively) and the lowest concentrations of potassium, iron, zinc and manganese in tubers and leaves. While treatment number five had the highest yield, which shows an increase of 74% compared to the control. Treatment number four had the lowest amount of nitrate, which had 48.8%, 14.6, 32.3 and 13.8% less nitrate in the tuber than treatments one, two, three and five, respectively.

The results showed that the application of treatment number five caused the production of about 35 tons per hectare and reduced the concentration of nitrate in the tuber (30% less than the critical level in Iran). Also, in terms of economic importance, the application of the recommended treatment, while reducing the consumption of urea fertilizer by 50% and increasing production by 75%, resulted in an income of about 50% more than the control treatment.

Nano fertilizers prevent the reaction of nutrients with soil by releasing nutrients from nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers and their uptake by plants. Borago officinalis L. is a medicinal plant of the Borage genus, herbaceous and annual. The leaves of this plant are simple and covered with coarse fibers and its flowers are blue. Borage extracts have excellent antioxidant properties and these effects are related to its phenolic compounds. Drought stress is also one of the most important performance limiting factors in the world. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of nano-biofertilizers and NPK application on yield and physiological characteristics of Borago officinalis L. under drought stress. The present study was conducted in the form of split plots in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the 2014-2015 crop year at the Agricultural Research Institute of University of Zabol. The main causes of drought stress including: irrigation based on 90%, 70%, and 50% of crop capacity in the entire growth period were examined. Sub-factors of fertilizer application including: no fertilizer application (control), application of 1 kg/ha of nano biofertilizer, application of 5 kg/ha of NPK nano fertilizer and combination of 50% of each were also examined. Other properties such as soluble carbohydrates, percentage of mucilage, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, flavonoids, and antioxidant enzymes including catalase, guaiacol peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase and dry yield were examined. TDR device was used to apply drought stress. The data were analyzed using SAS software and the means were compared by L.S.D. The results showed that the interaction effect of drought stress and fertilizer on the amount of soluble carbohydrates, potassium, sodium, flavonoids, ascorbate peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase was significant. As the intensity of stress increased, the amount of carbohydrates, sodium, flavonoids, antioxidant enzymes and mucilage increased and the amount of potassium and dry yield decreased. The application of nano-fertilizers also increased the studied properties. The highest dry yield (2.45 ton/ha) was obtained from the control irrigation area. The highest amount of flavonoids (about 38% more than the control) and soluble carbohydrates (40% more than the control) was obtained from the application of integrated fertilizer treatment at a 50% stress of field capacity. Furthermore, the highest activity of antioxidant enzymes was in severe stress and no fertilizer application. In general, results show that as the drought stress increase, dry matter yield in borage decreases. However, irrigation increased at 90% of field capacity and also with the application of nano-fertilizers dry matter. In general, it can be mentioned that the use of nano-fertilizers moderates the effects of drought stress on borage.

The use of manure in sustainable agriculture as a cheap and valuable resource is a common practice. Vermicompost has characteristics such as high cation exchange power, high porosity, high field capacity and is Free of unpleasant odor and pathogens and contains microbial metabolites that act. Salicylic acid (SA), a plant phenolic compound is considered as a plant growth regulator and its role in the defense mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stresses has been well characterized. It can act as a secondary metabolite stimulant in plants. Therefore, its application is an appropriate method for increasing the production of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants and plays an important role in the secondary metabolite production cycle. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of vermicompost, cow manure and different concentrations of salicylic acid on growth traits, essential oil yield and physiological characteristics of medicinal plant dragonhead under Miandoab saline soil. Experiment was carried out in a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications.

The experiment was carried out as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized block design with three replications and two fertilizer factors (at three levels manure 30 ton/ha, vermicompost fertilizer 10 ton/ha and control treatment) and salicylic acid (at four levels zero, 5, 10 and 15 mM) were administered. Seeds were prepared from Isfahan Pakan Bazr. seeds were sown in plots 2 m long and 1.5 m wide. Seedlings were thinning in three to four leaf stages after emergence. Salicylic acid treatment was sprayed in three stages, two months after planting and ten days in a row. Irrigation was carried out using a siphon twice a week. In this experiment the traits included plant height, fresh weight of shoot, dry weight of shoot, leaf number, crown diameter, internode length, flavonoid, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid and essential oil yield were measured.

Analysis of variance showed that the effect of organic fertilizer and salicylic acid concentration on measured traits was significant at 1% probability level. Mean comparisons showed the highest plant height, leaf number and chlorophyll a in vermicompost treatment and 1.5 mM salicylic acid. The highest total chlorophyll and carotenoids content was obtained in cow manure and 1.5 mM salicylic acid treatment. and the highest flavonoid content was obtained in cow manure and 0.5 mM salicylic acid treatment. This study showed that organic fertilizer treatment increased the quantitative and qualitative traits of the plant relative to the control treatment, which may be due to the presence of phytohormones in organic fertilizer and high nutrient content, especially important growth elements such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.The slow release of nutrients from organic fertilizers, high soil water storage capacity, increased uptake of nutrients by plants, and overall improved chemical and physical structure of crop yields due to increased crop yields. Organicity has a stimulatory effect on the accumulation of phenolic compounds in plants. The large amount of flavonoids in plants is related to the role of organic fertilizers in the biosynthesis of substances that induce the gastric acetate pathway, thereby producing more flavonoid and phenolics. Therefore, it can be said that in order to reduce the use of chemical inputs and achieve sustainable agricultural goals, part of the nutrient requirement of the plant can be met, especially in saline fields of the Midandab region using organic fertilizers.

The results of this study showed a positive response of the Dragonhead to the application of organic fertilizers and salicylic acid. Therefore, it can be said that in order to reduce the use of chemical inputs and achieve sustainable agricultural goals, part of the nutrient requirement of the plant can be met, especially in unsuitable saline soils such as miandoab saline soils by using of organic fertilizers and salicylic acid.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an annual plant of the Labiateae family and native to tropical regions. The plant is most commonly used fresh in recipes. Many diverse activities such as antifungal, antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiinflammatory, antiarthritis and anti-stress have also been observed in O. basilicum (Shahrajabian et al., 2020(. Nutrient deficiencies in soil culture crops and impossibility of appropriate managements are the important reasons for low crop productivity in farm. Micronutrients (e.g. iron, boron, manganese, zinc and copper) are required in very small amounts by the plant, but play an iprominent role in plant growth and development (Nayak et al, 2020). In hydroponic system, the yield and quality of horticultural plants can be significantly improved compared to conventional soil culture (Putra and Yuliando,2015). Development of new agricultural systems for horticultural crop cultivation is necessary. The present study was conducted to compare the growth, biomass and morpho-physiological characteristics of Iranian purple basil in farm and greenhouse cultivation (soil and hydroponics cultivaion). In addition, the effect of foliar application of five micronutrients on the plant was investigated.

In this research, three cultivation systemes (conventional soil culture in farm, soil pot culture in greenhouse and hydroponics cultivaion) was compared. The experiment was done in the research farm and greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Lorestan University in 2019. In all cultivation systems, a randomized complete block design with three replications was performed. Foliar application of micronutrients was applied in six levels (control, foliar application of iron, zinc, copper, manganese and boron). Iron sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, and boric acid were used as micronutrient sources. In studied cultivation systems, micronutrients wewe sprayed three times (eraly vegegative stage, late vegegative stage and early flowering stage).

Resuls showed that plants grown in the field had higher crown diameter, number of nodes, number of leaves, stem dry weight, number of lateral branches and carotenoid content. However, cultivation in hydroponic system led to growing plants with higher plant height, internode length, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, leaf area, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductivity and photosynthesis rate. Generally, basil plants had shown the highest growth and yield in hydroponic system, followed by greenhouse soil culture. In comparison between foliar application of nutrients, the results showed that the application of zinc resulted in obtaining the highest leaf dry weight, but there was no significant difference with the treatment by application of copper, iron and boron. However, foliar application of nutrients led to different results in each cultivation system. In field cultivation, maximum of plant height, internode length, crown diameter, number of lateral branches, leaf area and stem dry weight were observed in iron spraying. In greenhouse soil cultivation, the highest plant height and internode length were obtained using boron and iron application. In hydroponic system, the highest plant height and internode length was obtained by application of boron. In field cultivation and soil cultivation in greenhouse, the highest photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductivity was observed in iron spraying treatment. In hydroponic culture, however, the photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductivity was higher in copper and iron foliar application in compare to other nutrients.

In the present study, basil plants grew up in the fields not only had shown lower growth and yield, but also had rough leaves that lower their edible quality as vegetable. While, leaf to stem ratio and freshness of leaf tissue was the highest in the hydroponic system. The response of plants to the micronutrients application was different in each cultivation system. Application of zinc in all three cultivation systems resulted in the highest leaf dry weight. In the field cultivation, the best results were obtained by foliar application of iron. In soil greenhouse cultivation, the use of iron and boron had more positive effects on plants.

Recycle and reuse nutrient solutions of closed hydroponic systems can reduce environmental problems and economic costs. It not only prevents groundwater pollution but also decreases water consumption during the growing season. Most producers discard the nutrient solution every week and use the new solution and do not have a proper strategy for replacing the used nutrient solution. Some vegetable producers analyze nutrient concentration, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC) of nutrient solutions with sensors. But the use of sensors has decreased due to high costs and disruptions in operation. Adjusting the EC of nutrient solution is one of the nutrient management methods under hydroponic conditions. In this method, mineral nutrient absorbed by the plant from nutrient solution is replaced by adding mineral nutrients and the EC of the solution must be kept constant. We tested and compared the new method of nutrient replacement according to plant demand with two previews methods.

This experiment aimed to compare the effect of three nutrient replacement methods (complete replacement, EC based replacement, plant demand-based replacement) on a floating hydroponic system on three lettuce cultivars (Chinese lettuce, red lettuce, and Kazeroon lettuce) in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design, in 3 replicates. Under complete nutrient solution replacement treatment, the nutrient solution was replaced every 4 days. Under partial replacement according to EC, nutrient solution EC was adjusted at 2.3 ds m-1 by adding predetermined amounts of potassium sulfate, calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate every 48 hours. Microelements were applied to the nutrient solution every 10 days, while under treatment of partial replacement according to plant requirements, the concentration of potassium nitrate was used as a standard solution but the concentrations of calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate concentration in nutrient solution were decreased to half strength. The concentrations of K were measured by a flame photometer (Jenway, model PFP7, UK). Analyses of Ca, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu were carried out with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (GBC Avanta, Australia) and phosphorus concentration was determined using a spectrophotometer. Total nitrogen concentration was measured according to the Kjeldahl method and expressed as a percent of DW.

The results showed that nutrient solution consumption was more than 60% lower in plant nutrition according to plant demand and EC of the nutrient solution compared to the complete replacement method. The concentration of nitrogen, potassium, and calcium in Chinese lettuce decreased under the EC control method. Leaf magnesium concentration increased in all cultivars nourished according to EC control and plant nutrient demand compared to the complete nutrient replacement method. The highest concentrations of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and manganese were observed in the complete nutrient replacement method in all three lettuce cultivars. The results also showed that the amount of Fe and Mn in the leaf of red lettuce cultivar and zinc concentration in the leaf of Chinese lettuce and Kazeroon decreased significantly under nutrient replacement according to the EC control and plant nutrient demand.

Water deficit is the most important stresses that limit the production of many crops and fruits worldwide (Fattahi et al., 2021) and severely impairs plants growth and development through alterations in the physiological, morphological, biochemical, and molecular attributes. As well as, Proline is one of the active amino acids in the osmotic regulation phenomenon and it has an effective role in reducing cell damage and improving drought tolerance. Different plants use different strategies to deal with drought stress which one of them is the use of osmotic substances such as proline. Through foliar application, which reducing significantly the destructive effects of stress on plants. Among these, the use of proline exogenous has been an effective way to reduce the adverse effects of stress (Soroori et al., 2020). The aim of this study was influence of exogenous application of proline on growth and root and leaf nutrient content of drought-stressed UCB1 plants.

The experiment was carried out in factorial format based on completely randomized design in greenhouse conditions of Shahrekord university (in 2019) with 3 replications and 3 samples. The first factor was drought stress in three levels (100% as the control, 70% and 40 % of field capacity as the treatments) for 60 days and second factor was proline application in three levels (0 as the control, 75 and 150 mg. l-1 as the treatments). To measure the dry weight of the aerial and root organs, the samples were kept in an oven at 70 °C and the weight was measured by a digital scale with 0.01 g accuracy. Proline was determined following Bates et al. (1973). The absorbance of the organic phase was recorded at 520 nm. The phosphorus amount was determined by measuring the absorbance at 470 nm using a spectrophotometer (Olsen et al., 1954).

Water limitation reduced the leaf area, leaf and root DW, also under drought stress conditions, the mineral content (P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn) of the UCB1 rootstock markedly decreased. The accumulation of minerals in the leaves and roots of sprayed plants was significantly higher than in the non-sprayed plants with proline. Proline foliar application (150 mg. l-1) improved the nutritional status (K, Ca, Fe, Zn in the leaves and roots of the pistachio rootstocks) of the UCB1 under stress conditions (Table 1&2). The significant (p < 0.05) decrease in leaves area, leaf and root dry weights of UCB1plants (Table 1) under drought stress conditions could be due to the reduction of water absorption from the soil and consequently to decreased cell division and elongation as well as plant growth. On the other hand, reducing the stomatal conductance, reducing carbon stabilization, limiting water absorption and nutrients. Increased growth by proline in drought stress is likely due to increased proline accumulation, which not only protects the enzymes and structures of proteins and organ membranes, but also provides a source of energy for growth and helps plants survive through resistance to stress.

Foliar application of proline increased the dry weight of leaf and root organs, leaf area, as well as improved the nutritional status (P, K, Mg, Ca, Fe and Zn) of the UCB1under stress conditions. drought stress also reduced all traits except proline. In general, it can be suggested that foliar application of proline (150 mg L-1) can be used as a defense factor in plants under drought stress.

The lisianthus flower with the scientific name of Eustoma grandiflorum is a relatively new product that has quickly become one of the top ten cut flowers in the world.

This study was performed to investigate the effect of LED light and seaweed extract (SWE) on seedling growth of two cultivars of Lisianthus Arena and Mariachi in factorial form in multi-factor statistical designs with control and completely randomized with eight replications with treatments of blue LED lights 100%, red 100%, blue-red 70:30%, white 100% and five concentrations of 125, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 ml/l of seaweed extract (SWE) to evaluate the effect Light quality and seaweed extract were measured on seedling growth. According to the results of the first stage, Arena cultivar had a significant increase compared to Mariachi cultivar in most traits such as leaf diameter, leaf width, internode length and stem length.

The highest leaf width and stem diameter were observed in blue light and the highest leaf diameter was observed in red-blue hybrid light. Different concentrations of seaweed extract had longer internode length than the control treatment. Plant genetics play an important role in influencing the wavelength of light and SWE, so that the highest leaf diameter was observed in Arena cultivar and combined light blue-LED and the highest internode length was observed in Arena cultivar and different concentrations of SWE and According to the results of the second stage, Arena cultivar had a significant increase compared to Mariachi cultivar in most traits such as lighter and drier shoots, wetter and drier roots, leaf area, root surface and soluble sugar content. At this stage of the experiment, plant genetics also played a significant role in the effect of light wavelength and seaweed extract (SWE), so that the highest weight and dry aerial parts in Arena cultivar, concentration of 125 ml/L of SWE and blue light and the highest soluble sugar content was observed in Arena cultivar, concentration of 125 ml/l of SWE and combined light blue and red, and the highest content of starch in Mariachi cultivar, concentration of 125 ml/l of SWE and blue light was observed.

To sum up according to the results obtained in this study, Arena cultivar can be recommended under the treatment of blue light and a concentration of 125 ml/l of seaweed extract (SWE) to produce a better product.

The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is cultivated mainly as an ornamental plant for its variegated leaves. This is a perennial rhizomatous plant with often short and indistinct rhizomes, while having thicker or slightly fleshy roots. . Nitrogen is an essential macro element for plant growth that is involved in many physiological reactions and is one of the elements that the plant needs in all its activities. The effect of nitrogen form on plant growth depends on plant species and soil nitrogen levels. Plants absorb both ammonium (NH4 +) and nitrate (NO3-) from the soil solution, and these two minerals are their most important sources of nitrogen. Most plants seem to have the best performance in a certain ratio of nitrate to ammonium. This ratio seems to regulate the distribution of absorbed nitrogen between the branches and roots. It may also vary between species. The optimal ratio may also depend on environmental conditions such as pH, light intensity and root zone temperature. This study was conducted to determine the effect of different levels of nitrate on growth and yield factors and the ornamental aspect of the spider plant as an ornamental product. The use of nitrate increases the yield and quality of these plants. However, despite the importance of the nitrogen in the performance of this ornamental plant (Chlorophytum comosum), the desired amount of nitrogen for its growth and quality has not yet been reported. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of nitrate on the growth and physiological characteristics of spider plant to find the best level of application of nitrate fertilizer as an easily available source to increase the growth and visual quality of this plant.

In order to evaluate, the effect of different levels of nitrate in nutrient solution on the morphological and phytochemical characteristics of Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), an experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments and three replications. Treatments including four levels of nitrate of 2.5 (control), 5, 7.5, 10 mM were considered in nutrient solution by the source of ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate and potassium nitrate. Nutrient solutions were applied in the form of fertigation twice a week. Desired factors such as morphological characteristics (plant height, leaf number, pot weight, fresh weight, dry weight, root fresh weight, root dry weight, root depth, root volume, root length, leaf area) and physiological characteristics (total chlorophyll, total protein, Shoot nitrate and proline) were measured. Soil analysis was performed before starting of the experiment.

The results indicated that the application of nitrate fertilizer significantly improved most of the studied traits. Supplying nitrate fertilizer at desired level meet the nitrogen demand of spider plant during the growth and improved production of further biomass. Maximum height, leaf number, shoot fresh and dry weight, root fresh and dry weight, root volume, root length and leaf area observed in 7.5 mM of nitrate level. The amount of protein, shoot nitrate, nitrate drainage water, total chlorophyll and proline were increased by increasing nitrate level of the supplied solution. According to the results of the experiment, treatment of 7.5 mM nitrate level increased growth and yield factors and the ornamental aspects of spider plant as a desired ornamental crop.

According to the results of the experiment, application of nitrogen fertilizer had a positive effect on growth, and consequently led to increase the plant vegetative yield. 7.5 mM nitrate treatment increased the growth and yield factors and the ornamental aspects of the spider plant as a desirable ornamental product. The use of 7.5 mM nitrate level is recommended to achieve acceptable quantitative and qualitative yield in this plant.

Recently addition of cheap and available organic compounds to soils has attracted attention of many researchers. Mineral salts are an important plant stress factor, having adverse impacts on urban trees and road verges where salts are used for de-icing.

Here we investigated the effects of biochar (0, 5, 10 ton/ha) and wood vinegar (0, 2000 and 4000 L/ha) to mitigate salt-induced stress (0.4, 2.1 and 4.2 dS m−1), simulating road salt additions in a factorial glasshouse experiment in the university of Mohaghegh Ardbili.

Results showed that increasing slat stress reduced flower number, flower size, flowering period and total phenolic compound and leaf relative water content, whereas electrolytic leakage and total phenolic compound were increased. Wood vinegar reduced electrolyte leakage in comparison to biochar and control, increased relative water content, flower number and stem diameter, but wood vinegar did not affect flowering period and flower size. Plants treated with biochar showed an increase in all vegetative traits and relative water content, while there was a significant decline in electrolyte leakage. The highest plant dry weight was recorded in plant treated with 10 ton/ha of biochar under 0.4dS m−1 . Under severe salt stress (4.2 dS m−1) the highest dry weight was recorded in plant treated with biochar and 4000 L/ha of wood vinegar. Leaf chlorophyll content and chlorophyll stability index (RSI) under both normal and salt stress condition in biochar-treated plant were significantly higher than control plants. Increasing salt levels significantly increased enzyme activity of peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase. Under low stress condition treatment did not affect enzyme activity, while under high salinity stress condition biochar and wood vinegar reduced enzyme activity.

Results of present experiment showed that biochar and wood vinegar are able to mitigate salt stress in marigold pants. It seems these compounds alleviate salt stress by optimizing plant water relations and soil conditions.

Proper nutrition in the cultivation of cut flowers, including polianthes is extremely important. It is necessary to achieve quantitative and qualitative standards for the cultivation and production of this flower. It has been shown that, due to the lack of many secondary roots and shallow roots, the bulb plants are more sensitive to the lack of nutrients (such as phosphorus) compared to the other horticultural and agricultural crops. Plant growth regulators are particularly important in increasing the quantity and quality of flowers and ornamental plants, one of the most important of which is the positive effects of gibberellins in ornamental plants. Phosphorus (P) plays a key role in photosynthetic activities, flower formation and production of reproductive organs of greenhouse crops. The present study will examine the effects of gibberellin as a plant growth regulators and different concentrations of phosphorus) on the growth characteristics and flowering indices of marigold under hydroponic conditions.

An experiment was implemented to investigate the effect of gibberellic acid and various concentrations of P in nutrient solution on the growth and flowering of polianthes. The experiment was factorial based on a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The cuttings were immersed in 0 (distilled water), 100 and 200 mg/L of gibberellin concentration for 30 min before cultivation. Four levels of different P concentrations (7.75, 15.5, 31 and 62 mg/L) were prepared by monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4) fertilizer and their effects were evaluated under different levels of gibberellin. Growth, flowering and physiological indicators were measured and evaluated during and at the end of the growing season. All data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the SAS 9.1 software (SAS Inc., Cary NC). Duncan’s multiple-range test was performed at p = 0.05 on each of the significant variables measured.

The findings of this research showed that the highest values of fresh and dry weight of leaf and stem, number of bulbs and number of buds were observed in the concentration of 31 mg L-1 of P and the treatment of mg L-1 of gibberellic acid. In the combined treatment of 31 mg L-1of P and 200 mg L-1 of gibberellic acid, in comparison with the control treatment, exhibited the length of flower branches increased by 26.06%, the number of flower branches increased by 99%, and the vase life of polianthes flowers increased by 58.47%. Also, the shortest harvest time (105.74 days) was observed in the treatment with 31 mg L-1 of P and 200 mg L-1 of gibberellic acid compared to the control (122.24 days). One of the important findings of this research is that there is no significant difference in the time required to harvest flowers in the treatments of 15. mg L-1 P and 200 mg L-1 gibberellic acid and the control treatment; In fact, despite a 50% decrease in the concentration of P in the nutrient solution, application of 200 mg L-1 gibberellic acid was able to make a significant contribution to the emergence of the flower buds of polianthes. In fact, in reduced P treatments, the gibberellin hormone had an effective role in stimulating the reproductive phase and improving flowering indicators of polianthes with a synergistic effect. The use of gibberellin may improve growth by increasing endogenous gibberellin content, removing oxidative stress and maintaining cell integrity. Furthermore, applications of GA3 together with P fertilizer lead to more biomass production than fertilizer alone (Ullah et al., 2017).

Application of 31 mg L-1 of P and the impregnation of the bulb with the concentration of 200 mg L-1 of gibberellic acid is recommended to accelerate the harvest elongated branches, to enhance the number of branches and the vase life of polianthes flower under hydroponic cultivation.Keywords: Number of branch, Gibberellin, Phosphorus, Vase life, Nutrient solutions.