Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume:25 Issue: 1, Jan 2023

There is a growing concern in countries around the world, including Iran, about the effects of extreme climate change, diversification, and events on food production, food security, and livelihoods. The link between climate change and food security in the Iranian food system is the subject of this article. This review, based on the available literature, used the food system approach to achieve a broader view on issues related to food security in Iran. To this end, this study investigated climatic challenges facing food security in Iran with a focus on two essential products in Iranians’ food basket, namely, wheat and rice: Decreased agricultural productivity, food losses along production and distribution chains, postharvest loss, low resilience of poor people in rural areas, and the prevalence of malnutrition among children. The results showed that in addition to measures, such as making food production systems resistant to climate change and the necessary changes in existing food systems to adapt to the consequences of climate change, achieving food security requires a long-term vision to transform the Iranian food system. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a climate-smart agriculture system that encompasses all aspects of food system security. Except for investigating the productivity of some essential components of this food basket, the results showed that there are scant studies on the effects of climate change on the food system of Iran.

Farmers’ satisfaction with agricultural water management can be used as a measure of the fairness of water distribution and the performance of an irrigation scheme. Therefore, the assessment of farmers’ satisfaction in this respect could provide useful insights contributing to the sustainable governance of irrigation water. In this study, the population of interest consisted of residents in district of Lajan using the public irrigation network in Piranshahr Township, Iran. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s table and following a simple random sampling method, 110 individuals were selected as the research sample. Questionnaire [based on the European Performance Satisfaction Index (EPSI)] was the main tool for data gathering. The validity of the questionnaire was verified by a panel of experts. To assess its reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was calculated for the main scales of the questionnaire (α= 0.74 to 0.86). According to the obtained data, the main factors influencing farmers’ satisfaction included the perceived image of irrigation governance, expectations of farmers from irrigation governance, and the perceived quality and value of irrigation. According to the results, farmers believed that irrigation management by the government was a solution for reducing local conflicts in relation to agricultural water use and justice in the distribution of irrigation water. However, they were not satisfied with the irrigation scheme governance.

Considering the agriculture sector's progress in the recent years and emergence of new innovative kind of businesses such as agricultural startups, it is compulsory that educational programs are precisely evaluated and especial attention is paid to entrepreneurship and startup education. For this purpose, it is very vital to know the exact current situation of entrepreneurship education in agriculture. Thus, the main objective of this paper was to analyze the entrepreneurial and startup education status in Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Iran through investigating students’ perspectives. In this research, respondents' insights were obtained via following a survey approach. The study instrument was a questionnaire in which its reliability and validity were carefully confirmed. The results indicated that for all components of entrepreneurial and startup knowledge, students scored less than average. Also, only 6.1% of the respondents had high entrepreneurship and startup knowledge; while, 51.3% had moderate, and 42.6% had low knowledge. The average score of less than 3 indicates that the majority of students did not have a positive attitude towards running entrepreneurship and startup activities in the country and found it to be very difficult. The findings pointed out that the students’ families and parents, internets and virtual networks, as well as entrepreneurs were the most important sources of impact on starting new startups or entrepreneurship activities by students, respectively. According to the results, in students' opinion the importance of entrepreneurship curriculum was significantly higher than its degree of performance. Similarly, there was a statistically significant difference between importance level and implementation level regarding the entrepreneurship and startup programs. The conclusions of this analysis could provide a valuable starting point for educational policies and promoting entrepreneurial skills in agricultural universities.

Surfaces of the toothed harrow were improved by using different coating materials and methods. Four different coating methods and special alloy powders were used as coating materials. TiCN was applied with PVD, and the WC-Ni-Co-Cr-Si-Fe-B powder mixture was applied with HVOF. The coating thicknesses was 2 µm and 5 µm in PVD, 500 µm in the HVOF, and 500+2 µm in the application where HVOF + PVD were used together. The wear trials were carried out in the laboratory, at a 50 km distance, in a double-speed trial pattern that converted circular motion to linear motion. The trial model was used to simulate the wear that occurs under real operating conditions in the soil. As a result of the wear trials carried out under the same operating conditions, a total material loss of 3.99 g occurred in the control (uncoated) harrow, the wear resistance increased, and less material loss was observed in the coated harrows. The sample coated with the PVD method had the lowest value with a material loss of 0.14 g. Material loss for other coated samples PVD-5µ, HVOF-500µ, and PVD-2µ+HVOF-500µ was 0.19, 0.28, and 0.18 g, respectively. When the amount of wear in the uncoated sample was 100%, the proportional loss in PVD-2µ, PVD-5µ, HVOF-500µ, and PVD-2µ+HVOF-500µ coated samples was calculated as 3.41, 4.85, 7.16, and 4.57%, respectively.

This work aimed to study the antibacterial activity of various Essential Oils (EOs) against food borne pathogens as well as the effect of their incorporation at different concentrations on vacuum-packed ground ovine meat, experimentally inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes, during 12 days of storage at 4°C. In summary, pathogenic bacteria, particularly L. monocytogenes, Salmonella enteritidis and Escherichia coli, showed high sensitivity towards citrus, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon and oregano EOs due to their richness in bioactive compounds. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of various EOs against L. monocytogenes and E. coli were about 0.5% for oregano and thymus EOs and 0.7% for cinnamon EO. Besides, addition of EOs at different concentrations resulted in the improvement of biochemical and microbiological qualities of ground vacuum packed sheep meat, during refrigerated storage. High concentrations of oregano (1%) and cinnamon (1.4%) EOs had the most efficient antilisterial activities compared to the control and other meat samples. The treatment of ovine meat with oregano or cinnamon EOs preserved a better content of proteins, a high ratio of PUFAs and a favorable balance between w-6 and w-3 PUFA, resulting in the production of healthier meat.

Gluten is a structural protein for bakery products and its lack causes undesirable changes in the texture, color, and porosity of these products. Therefore, the use of gluten alternatives such as hydrocolloids, enzymes, and proteins, are essential in providing these products. The aim of this research was to evaluate the properties of gluten-free bread (physicochemical properties such as specific volume and porosity, stiffness, extensibility, and color parameter, as well as sensory properties) in the presence of 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5% concentrations of gums including Cress seed gum (C) and Basil gum (B) compared to Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC) (H). The results indicated that adding gums to bread decreased stiffness and color parameters and increased specific volume, extensibility, and sensory properties. Based on the comparison between C, B and HPMC, basil gum could improve volume, porosity, and sensory score more than C and H. Also, the HPMC was more effective on the color parameter of gluten-free bread. Based on the results, addition of basil gum to the gluten-free bread recipe could improve the crumb texture, specific volume, sensory properties, as well as overall quality of the product. Basil gum as a novel gum increased water absorption, texture, and the best results were obtained in 1% basil gum. The results of bread quality parameters indicated C0B1H0 had high specific volume and porosity. Therefore, basil seed gum can be a novel and useful gluten substitute for gluten-free bread baking purposes.

The persistence effects of Silica Nanoparticles (SNPs), namely, Nanosav and Aerosil®, were evaluated on several pulses for controlling Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). For this purpose, one kg of each pulse was treated with four concentrations (50, 100, 200, and 300 mg kg-1) of each SNPs. The sampling was tested after 0, 2, 4, and 6 months’ storage period following the treatment. Adults were introduced to these samples and the number of dead adults was counted 1, 2, and 4 days after the exposure to the treated pulses. The percentage decrease in F1 progeny was calculated 42 days later. The mortality was 100% in black gram, cowpea, green gram, and chickpea when treated at a concentration of 300 mg.kg-1 of both SNP formulations in 0-month post-treatment four days after the exposure. No progeny was observed in lentil treated with 300 mg kg-1 of Nanosav in 0-month post-treatment. Another experiment was conducted to calculate SNPs adherence to the seeds. The highest adherence was on the black gram with 86 and 99.5%, in Nanosav and Aerosil®, respectively. Our results indicated that two SNPs had insecticidal activity against C. maculatus and can be used effectively in integrated pest management program of C. maculatus in stored pulses.

Cross-acclimation of mild drought stress and cold acclimation may additionally increase the chickpea’s cold tolerance due to transferring sowing date from spring to winter in Mediterranean high lands. Two weeks after sowing in greenhouse, chickpea seedlings were subjected to the following treatments in a controlled environment: (i) Well-Watered under an optimum temperature regime (WW); (ii) Well-Watered under a Cold temperature regime (WWC); (iii) Drought Preconditioned under an optimum temperature regime (DP); and (iv) Drought Preconditioned under a Cold temperature regime (DPC). After three-week acclimation period, plants were frozen on the thermogradient freezer, then, recovered for three weeks in a greenhouse. In the acclimation period, with decreasing temperatures, a clear decrease of the electrolyte leakage (EL) were observed for both genotypes: 51% for cold tolerant MCC252 and 36% for cold sensitive MCC505. Cold acclimation induced the greatest accumulation of proline and MDA contents (about 75% for both genotypes) and drought preconditioning most consistently induced an increase in soluble carbohydrate content (25% for MCC252 and 51.7% for MCC505) during the acclimation period. The survival percentage increased 9.3% for MCC252 and 21.25% for MCC505 by both cold and drought acclimation under freezing conditions. Generally, drought preconditioning had a synergistic effect on the cold acclimation period to improve freezing tolerance (as indicated by the lowest LT50el and LT50su) and leading to an increase in the freezing tolerance for the cold sensitive genotypes (MCC505). Thus, the greatest gains in freezing tolerance for both genotypes were associated with cross-acclimation treatment (DPC).

Saffron is an important medicine, spice, dye, and cosmetic plant, and weeds limit its production and increase the related costs of management. This study aimed to determine effective control methods against weeds in saffron cultivation and find the effects of weed control on crown development, stigma yield, and daughter corm yield and quality. The study was established in the production periods of 2019-2021, at Hatay Olive Research Institute, Hassa Station, Turkey, based on completely randomized blocks design with 14 treatments and 3 replications. Results indicated that the highest effect (100%) on weeds was recorded for U5 (pine sawdust+benfluralin) and U6 (textile mulch) applications and the lowest effect was obtained from U13 (2,4-D amine) application at the first and second year of the study. The best quality criteria of saffron were achieved in U6 and U4 (pine sawdust) applications for corm production, and U6, U5, and U4 applications for quality daughter corm production.

The objective of this study was to assess changes in proline, Glycine Betaine (GB), photosynthetic pigment concentration, Membrane Stability Index (MSI), and grain yield of wheat cultivars induced by Supplemental Irrigation (SI) in the terminal growth stages. Two field experiments with four irrigation levels (rainfed, SI at booting stage, SI at booting and anthesis stages, SI at booting, anthesis, and grain filling stages) and five cultivars (Rejaw, Sardari, Homa, Azar2, and Sirwan) were conducted during the 2015-2017 growing seasons. Results indicated that, overall, SI increased cultivars' chlorophyll concentration, MSI, and grain yield. Proline and GB highly accumulated under drought stress, but rapidly decreased after SI; the severity of the decrease in proline concentration was more remarkable. Sardari and Azar2 cultivars exhibited greater MSI, proline, and GB accumulation during drought stress and more rapid recovery from drought. Our results suggest that the ability of the wheat cultivars to maintain functions during drought and recover after SI during the terminal growth stage is essential for determining final grain yield.

Saffron (Crocus Sativus L.) is a medicinal plant with high nutritional, medicinal value, and anticancer properties that have great cytotoxic effects on cancer cells. To evaluate the anticancer effects of stamen and tepal extracts of saffron on human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized block design with three replications was conducted at the Agricultural Research Field of the University of Birjand, Iran. The treatments included field age (one-, two-, and three-year-old farm), as well as organic and conventional cultivation with different levels of manure and chemical fertilizer (low, medium, and high levels of chemical fertilizer and manure), respectively. The studied traits including Total Phenolic Content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and cytotoxicity were evaluated by using, respectively, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), and A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenylte- tetrazolium bromide (MTT) tests. The results showed a significant difference among the phytochemical, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties of the extracts obtained from organic and conventional conditions, the highest of which was obtained from organic cultivation. In addition, the content of antioxidants and therapeutic compounds in the extracts increased by increasing the level of manure. The result of the MTT test showed that both tepal and stamen extracts of saffron had an anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells, with stronger anti-cancer properties for stamen extract. Therefore, the use of stamen extract as an effective and inexpensive source for the pharmaceutical industry would open up new dimensions to prevent the therapeutic challenges of breast cancer.

Tomato fruit (cultivars Hisar Arun and BSS-488) harvested at turning stage were treated with salicylic acid and evaluated for physicochemical traits and antioxidant system during storage at ambient temperature. The increase in the physiological loss in weight, lycopene and β-carotene content were significantly delayed by salicylic acid treatment and delayed the decrease in fruit firmness for both tomato cultivars. Compared with the control fruits, salicylic acid treatment significantly altered activities of SOD, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and lipooxygenase enzymes, whereas delay in increase in the MDA content and H2O2 content was observed during storage period. Our results revealed potential of salicylic acid treatment on tomato fruits in delaying biochemical changes and amelioration of oxidative damage during storage. The exogenous application of salicylic acid may thus be an effective approach in enhancing the quality characteristics and antioxidant potential of tomato fruit stored at ambient conditions.

Elevated temperature negatively affects the production of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) especially under North Indian plains where the temperature is above 40°C during summers. In the present study, the effect of exogenous application of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) viz. Salicylic Acid (SA) and 24-Epibrassinolide (EBR) on biochemical parameters and antioxidant system of bell pepper cv. Royal Wonder was evaluated. PGRs were applied exogenously 30, 60 and 90 Days After Transplantation (DAT). All the concentrations of PGRs i.e SA (0.10, 0.20, and 0.50 mM) and EBR (0.05, 0.10, and 0.20 µM) were effective in ameliorating the heat shock-induced effects, which enhanced thermotolerance in terms of increased proline content, soluble proteins, total phenols, total soluble sugars and starch content, improved antioxidant system (CAT, APX, POX, SOD and GR) with reduced lipid peroxidation and cellulase enzyme activity at high temperature, and, ultimately, improving total fruit yield. Application of 0.20 mM SA improved thermotolerance most efficiently at all growth stages, specifically when spray was done at 30 and 60 DAT. It resulted in a significant enhancement in biochemical parameters and antioxidant enzyme system as compared to the untreated control.

Wheat is the main crop in the world. Tan spot caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr) is a destructive disease in wheat-producing areas. Accumulation of phenolic acids at the onset of the fungal infection induces plant’s resistance to tan spot. This study evaluated the effect of phenolic compound accumulation on the resistance to tan spot in wheat–pathogen interactions. Five different wheat cultivars including Glenlea, Salamouni, Moghan 3, Morvarid, and Bolani were studied at three different time points after inoculation with Ptr. The composition and concentration of phenolic acid including ferulic acid, p-coumaric acids, vanillic acid, chlorogenic acid, and rutin were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography and analyzed according to standard curves. Results showed considerable accumulation of ferulic acid, p-coumaric acids, vanillic acid, chlorogenic acid, and rutin in treatment with Ptr during 7 days post-inoculation in resistant and partially resistant cultivars compared with the susceptible ones. Ferulic acid was the most abundant phenolic compound in Salamouni (16.77±0.16 mg g−1 dw), Moghan 3 (17.76±0.00 mg g−1 dw), and Morvarid (23.11±0.00 mg g−1 dw) at 7 dpi. The obtained data indicated that the identified phenolic acids had enhanced and improved the wheat resistance to the fungal pathogen. Linear Pearson’s coefficient analysis showed a positive correlation between some phenolic acids concentration and also between them and flavonoid rutin in wheat cultivars during infection. These findings highlighted the capacity of phenolic compounds as potential tools for the identification of resistance in wheat–pathogen interactions.

Research on natural compounds provides new alternatives for effective and sustainable control of plant viral pathogens. Herein, we prepared and investigated the in vitro antiviral activity of 60 plant species from 22 families. The hydroethanolic extracts of Rhus coriaria, Chenopodium quinoa and Ailanthus altissima have strong inhibitions on Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) infection. Hydroethanolic extract of C. quinoa with half-maximal Effective Concentration (EC50) value of 1.64 mg mL-1 exhibited the highest inhibitory effect against TMV. The extracts of R. coriaria and A. altissima with EC50 values of 2.82 and 4.42 mg mL-1, being compared with C. quinoa, showed an anti-TMV activity at higher concentrations, respectively. The systemic assay indicated that all of the three extracts reduced the symptoms and negative effects of TMV on tobacco plants. The chemical analysis of C. quinoa extract demonstrated a rich profile of saponins and anthocyanins, while A. altissima and R. coriaria extracts were rich in phenolic compounds. These results displayed that C. quinoa, R. coriaria, and A. altissima extracts had significant antiviral activity, and could be used as suitable sources for discovering new antiviral agents.

To date, only the complete genome of one malva vein clearing virus (MVCV) has been sequenced worldwide. Here, for the first time, the genomic sequence of an isolate of MVCV affecting Malva sylvestris in Iran was determined, using RNA deep sequencing confirmed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing. The sequence of IR1 was 11,055 nucleotides in length and contained a single open reading frame of 10,527 nucleotides encoding a large polyprotein of 3,508 amino acids with predicted molecular weight of 395,08 KDa. The sequence contained nine putative proteolytic cleavage sites and motifs conserved in homologous proteins of other potyviruses. The P1 of the IR1 was 1236 nucleotides longer than that of the only recently reported sequence from China (MVCV-SX, MN116683). The complete genome sequence obtained from the study showed 81.24% and 91.93% identities to its Chinese counterpart at the nucleotide (nt) and deduced amino acid (aa) levels, respectively. The low nt and aa sequence identity with known MVCV isolate seems to indicate that IR1 is a novel strain. Phylogenetic analysis of the coat protein gene also showed that the Iranian isolate was most closely related to the Dutch isolate NAKT-NL (FJ539084), with identities of 94.06 (at nt level) and 96.04% (at aa level). The results of this study will be useful for understanding the global molecular epidemiology of MVCV.

The photosynthetic activity of maize plants (Zea mays L.) grown at different concentrations of a synthetic NPK fertilizer was evaluated and compared to explore an effective dosage criterium. The plants were grown under greenhouse conditions in a sterile medium to ensure controlled provision of nutrients. The Stomatal Density (SD) and Stomatal Index (SI) of the plants were estimated through micrograph analysis; while the rate of oxygen evolution, the absorption spectral curves, and the thermal diffusivity of the plant leaves were measured using the Photoacoustic Technique. The results regarding photosynthetic activity and thermal diffusivity indicated an oscillatory pattern of behavior during the growth period, and the characteristics of these oscillations were affected by the application of the NPK fertilizer. The photoacoustic spectroscopy analysis served to show that the treatment with the highest dosage of NPK fertilizer caused a decrease in the absorption of the chlorophyll a and b. Based on the results, the proposed methodology and used technique could have practicality in monitoring quantifiable variables to evaluate the influence that a fertilizer has on plants such as maize, which allows the determination of appropriate dosage.

Leptus (Leptus) hajiqanbari sp. nov. (Acari: Erythraeidae), detached from unknown Noctuidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from Jahrom City, Fars Province, Iran, is described and illustrated based on the larva. This species belongs to the anomalus species group and iguacuicus species subgroup which can be identified based on the characters as follows: Palpal femur with one seta, palpal genu with two setae, four setae between coxae II and III and sensillary setae setulose throughout the length. A key to species of iguacuicus species subgroup is presented.