فصلنامه پژوهش های تولید گیاهی
سال سی‌ام شماره 2 (تابستان 1402)

The conditions and processes which ecosystem and the species that make up their structure ensure the continuity of human life and meet their needs are defined as the ecosystem service. Evaluating the ecosystems services is the best way to pay the attention of the community and policy makers and try to maintain and improve them. Ecosystem goods and services are generally classified into four groups: provision, regulating, supporting and culture. The aim of this study was to evaluate and quantify some short time ecosystem services in a faba bean agroecosystem of Gorgan region condition. A field experiment was carried out as a randomized complete blocks design with three replications on research farm of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, during 2019-2020. In this experiment, five faba bean cultivars including Feyz, G-faba1-2, Boroujerd, Shadan, and Mahta were considered as experimental treatments. From the during the growth season, some short time ecosystem services were measured and quantified. In order to estimate the provision sevices, were harvested an area by a quadrat 0.5×0.5 m2 at 70% of pod maturity stage. Also, plant diversity sampling was done from each plot using quadrat 0.25×0.25 m2 randomly. Data were analyzed using SAS software version 9.1 and the means were compared using LSD test at a probability level of 5%. The results showed that some services were different in the studied cultivars. According to the results, faba bean cultivation increased soil organic matter in most plots, but there was no significant difference between cultivars in terms of carbon accumulation in plant biomass. Results showed that different faba bean cultivars had significant effects on supply of provision services such as green pod and total biomass in the level of 1% probability. Based on obtained results, Feyz and G-faba1-2 cultivars had the highest value and Boroujerd cultivar had the lowest value of provision services. Also, the amount of grain protein in Mahta (28%) was higher than other cultivars. The results showed that coarse and medium grained-groups had the highest biomass compared to fine grained group due to producing a large volume of foliage, more sunlight absorption and that resulted the more photosynthesis potential. By assassmet the weeds diversity in the experimental plots, we were identified 10 weed species belonging to 8 families. Sinapis arvensis L., Phalaris minor, Veronica persica and Polygonum convolvulus had the highest relative abundance. In general, coarse bean cultivars along with Mahta medium-grain cultivar provided more ecosystem services than other cultivars. Therefore, these cultivars can be considered in terms of providing more agroecological services for production in Gorgan region.

Soil and water salinity are considered as the main factors limiting plant growth. The effect of salinity will affect root spread before it appears in the over ground parts. In saline conditions, the plant tries to increase the absorption potential of key elements, especially potassium, by increasing the number of roots as well as the root length. These changes are accompanied by shrinkage of the aerial parts. Therefore, the stronger the plants appear in this category, the more powerful they will be in relation to salinity.The increasing trend of soil salinity increases due to the imbalance of precipitation and annual evaporation on saline soil surfaces. Therefore, increasing the area under salinity-resistant plants or using conservation techniques will be very important.Stevia, despite its importance, is sensitive to soil and water salinity. Today, the role of biotic and abiotic stimulants in the adaptation of plants, especially medicinal plants to adverse environmental conditions is very important. In the present study, the effect of endophytic fungi and melatonin on stevia root changes in treatment with saline under hydroponic conditions will be investigated.

The present study was performed as a factorial study in a completely randomized design with six replications under greenhouse and hydroponic cultivation. This experiment was repeated twice to obtain more reliable results. Treatments used included endophytic fungi isolated from yew (in three levels of fungus-free control, strain TB20, strain TB2-3), melatonin spraying (in three levels of melatonin-free control, 0.5 μM pure melatonin and 0.5 μM Thymus vulgaris extract) And three salinity levels of NaCl (no salinity, medium salinity of 80 mM and high salinity of 150 mM irrigation water). In both experiments, the first foliar application was performed seven days and the first irrigation with salinity levels was performed 10 days after planting. Experimental plants were examined in terms of root traits. The over ground biomass yield was also examined.

In both experiments, similar results were obtained and showed the positive effects of melatonin and endophytic on the improvement of root growth characteristics under salinity stress. The best treatments used included thyme extract and TB20 endophytic fungus under salinity conditions. Most of the measured traits such as root volume, root length, fresh and dry weight of roots increased 2.5, 1.5-2 and 1.2-2, respectively, compared to the control using fungal and melatonin treatments. Although salinity increased the root traits to a moderate level, but with increasing salinity, the amount of these traits decreased sharply and significantly. A similar trend was observed in over ground biomass yield.

Since the use of melatonin and endophytes, especially TB20, has reduced the growth limitations of stevia in salinity conditions, it is suggested that in these salinity conditions, plant extracts containing melatonin be further studied.

Agriculture is one of the most important economic activities highly dependent on climatic conditions more than any other factors. Climate change significantly affects crop production. Due to the limitation in production factors, inputs, climatic and geographic properties of different provinces, identification of the comparative advantage of crops is essential. Lack of knowledge about comparative advantage would lead to improper and non-optimal use of resources. Therefore, knowledge about comparative advantage in different regions is useful to plan and exploit the resources. The present study was conducted to identify the comparative advantage of some important rainfed winter crops.

In the agronomic section of this study, the yield of rainfed crops including wheat, barley, chickpea and lentil in Ardabil, Fars and Khorasan Razavi provinces were simulated using the SSM-iCrop2 model. Long-term meteorological data were used to decrease climatic fluctuations and more precise estimation. Economic evaluations were performed using policy analysis matrix (PAM), domestic resource cost (DRC) and social cost-benefit index (SCB) methods. Also, nominal protection coefficient (NPC), effective protection of crops (EPC) and nominal protection input (NPI) were measured. In the agronomic section of this study, the yield of each region was simulated according to the climatic conditions and using the SSM-iCrop2 model (to determine the production potential of each region). For this purpose, long-term weather data were used and simulation was done for a 30-year period from 1986 to 2015. Under the moderate production conditions (moderate agronomic management or unsuitable climatic conditions), 50 percent of the yield potential, and under the optimum production conditions (optimum agronomic management or good climatic conditions), 70 percent of the potential yield is attainable. Therefore, 50 and 70 percent of yield potential were simulated using the SSM-iCrop2 model and their effect on comparative advantage and social profit were investigated.

The results indicate that according to the DRC index, Ardabil in wheat, chickpea and lentil production, Khorasan Razavi in chickpea and lentil and Fars in chickpea production have a comparative advantage. Based on the SCB index, the production of wheat in Ardabil, chickpea in all three provinces and lentil in Ardabil and Khorasan Razavi provinces have social profit. According to the results, increase yield leads to improved comparative advantage and social profit so that all three provinces will have social profit in crop production (rainfed, wheat, barley, chickpea and lentil) provided that the farmers attain at least 50 percent of the yield potential (exploitable yield). According to the results of the simulation, Fars and Ardabil had the highest exploitable yield in wheat production, and regarding barley, chickpea and lentil, the highest exploitable yield was related to Ardabil province. Based on the actual yields, only Ardabil province had high yields and was superior to other provinces in terms of the economic indices.

Wheat, barley, chickpea and lentil crops had higher yield in Ardabil province due to the suitable climatic conditions of this region. One of the reasons for the advantage of crop production in Ardabil is its higher yield which has increased the income of growers compared with the other two provinces, and production of rainfed crops in this province has led to benefits.

Chromium (Cr) is a toxic metal usually found in many regions and countries, because of excessive discharge of Cr-containing effluents resulting from industrial and agricultural activities. In higher plants, Cr is not essential to plant growth. Exposure to Cr may cause tissue necrosis and limit chlorophyll production. In particular, it is usually involved in electron transfer and induce production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) e.g., hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals, resulting in oxidative stresses and damages to plant cells and tissues. Symbiosis fungi significantly accelerate plant growth by improving water and nutrient uptake, early flowering, seed production and greater photosynthetic rate. These fungi change the production of secondary metabolites and enhance adaptation and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. this study aimed to investigate the role of mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi (Glomus intradises and P. indica) as possible tools to reduce the phytotoxicity of Cr.

In order to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of Cr (0, 3 and 15 mg L-1), and symbiotic fungi on growth and physiological properties of lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. Little Jem), an experiment was carried out as factorial split plot based on Completely randomized design with four replications as soilless system at research greenhouse of University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, in 2021. In this experiment Cr and nitrogen content, root colonization, root and shoot dry weight, leaf number, stem and leaf dry and fresh weight, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, stomatal conductance, electrolyte leakage, ascorbate peroxidase and catalase activities, hydrogen peroxide and were measured.

The results showed that with increasing the concentration of Cr in the symbiotic colonization percentage, nitrogen content, dry weight of roots and shoots, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, stomata conductance and soluble protein decreased. While the content of electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide and ascorbate peroxidase and catalase activity increased. Plants inoculated with symbiotic fungi P. indica and G. intradises were able to reduce the negative effects of Cr toxicity by reducing chromium uptake and increasing nitrogen uptake, root symbiotic percentage, chlorophyll content and activity of ascorbate peroxidase, catalase and hydrogen peroxide.

In general, it is concluded that with increasing the concentration of Cr in the nutrient solution, lettuce growth decreased and the use of symbiotic fungi could improve the morphological characteristics and yield of lettuce under Cr stressKeywords: Mycorrhiza , Soilless system, Chromium, Lettuce

Dates are one of the most important and strategic fruits in Iran that play a major role in providing employment and livelihood to the people and some of them are exported abroad. Improving the quality of date fruits through foliar application of plant growth regulators and various nutrients can be effective in both improving livelihoods and increasing exports. This study aimed to improve the quality of date fruit Mazafati cultivar by studying some responses of date fruit and also some physiological traits of date tree to foliar application with plant growth regulator salicylic acid and silica element.

This study was conducted in 2019, as a factorial design in a completely randomized design with three replications in a commercial date garden in Iranshahr city of Sistan and Baluchestan province. The studied date trees were Mazafati cultivar, all of which were 14 years old and were located at a distance of 7 × 7 meters from each other. Salicylic acid and silica included three levels of 0, 200 and 400 mg L-1 and 0, 100 and 200 mg L-1, respectively. After applying the treatments, fresh samples of date leaves and fruits were transferred to the Plant Physiology Laboratory of Kerman University of Graduate Studies and Advanced Technologies and some morphological and physiological traits of date tree leaves were measured. In addition, some traits related to the quality of date fruit were measured.

The results of data analysis showed that the interaction effect of salicylic acid and silica was significant for all studied traits and significantly improved the quality of date fruit. Date fruit characteristics such as cluster weight and fruit weight are affected by the interaction of 200 mg/L salicylic acid and 200 mg/L silica levels by 34 and 36%, respectively, and fruit length, kernel weight, and kernel size are affected by 200 mg/L silica. They increased by 16, 5 and 14 percent respectively. In addition, the physiological traits of photosynthetic pigments, free amino acids, reducing sugars, soluble proteins, and enzymatic antioxidants were significantly increased by the interaction of salicylic acid and silica. The interaction effect of 400 mg /L salicylic acid and 100 mg /L silica had the greatest effect on the quality of date fruit and physiological traits of date palm and can be used to improve the quality of date fruit.

Foliar application of plant growth regulator salicylic acid and silica significantly improved the quality of date fruit, part of this effect was direct and the other part was indirect through the effect on the physiological traits of tree leaves. Increasing photosynthetic pigments, free amino acids and reducing sugars in palm leaves under the influence of salicylic acid and silica, leads to more photosynthesis and increased leaf nutrients. This will lead to better nutrition of date fruits and ultimately increase their size. The results showed that the interaction effect of 400 mg L-1 salicylic acid and 100 mg L-1 silica had the greatest effect on fruit quality and physiological traits of palm leaves.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is considered as the third most important type of legume in the world. This plant is considered as a low-cost crop in the agricultural systems of semi-arid tropical regions and is important because of its ability to adapt to a wide range of environmental and soil conditions such as marginal lands. This research has been carried out with the aim of obtaining high-yielding lines with desirable quantitative and qualitative agricultural traits such as standing and grassy plant type (to facilitate mechanized harvesting), grain coarseness and early maturity compared to the control cultivars.

In order to achieve the superior line or lines in terms of grain yield under dry conditions, 12 advanced dry white chickpea lines obtained from the breeding programs of the Maragheh Rain Research Institute, along with two control varieties named Samin and the local variety Jam in the form of The statistical design of completely randomized blocks was investigated in 4 repetitions at Ekbatan station of Hamedan province agricultural and natural resources research center in 1400 and phenological and morphological traits were measured.

The results of analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference at the 1% level between the lines for all traits, except the number of days to 50% germination. The greatest variation was observed between the traits of one hundred seeds, the number of diseased branches, the average number of pods per plant, the height of the plant and the number of primary branches. There was a positive and significant relationship between the number of pods per plant, the number of secondary branches and the total weight of seeds in each plot, and there was a negative and significant relationship between the above traits and the traits of days to germination, flowering and pods. Broad heritability for days to 50% flowering, plant height, days to pod formation and full maturity were 87, 78, 81 and 73%, respectively, which indicates low environmental effects on these traits. The highest height of the plant belonged to line 1 (45.50 cm) and due to the general heritability above 50% of the plant height, it is possible to breed from line 1 as a parent in the next programs in order to produce grassy varieties suitable for mechanized harvesting of seeds. Line 7, despite the low height of the plant (33.25 cm), was superior to other lines in terms of the number of primary and secondary branches and as a result the highest number of pods per plant (18 pods). Line 7 also had one of the highest values of 100 seed weight (32.02 grams), which made it have a relatively high seed yield (520.35 grams).

The results of the present research indicated the presence of significant genetic diversity for the traits of hundred seed weight, number of diseased branches, average number of pods per plant, plant height and number of primary branches, which provides the possibility of using the existing diversity in the next stages of chickpea breeding. High values of broad heritability for days up to 50% of flowering, plant height, days until pods and full ripening indicate the low environmental effects on these traits and therefore these traits can be exploited in selection processes in the next generations. Also, if mechanized harvesting of chickpeas is not desired, Line 7 can be one of the suitable options for planting in Hamedan province or regions with similar climate.

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh) is the sixth most important legume crop in the world. This plant is multi-purpose which is used as unripe seeds and pods, splits and fodder, it is also suitable for cultivation in tropical and subtropical regions and it is compatible with poor soil and dry areas. The seeds of this plant are rich in protein (containing more than 30 percentage of seed weight). In this study, the genetic diversity of different Pigeon pea genotypes has been investigated using morphological traits.

This study was carried out in order to investigate agronomic and morphological characteristics of different genotypes of pigeon pea collected from Sistan and Baluchistan province in 2019. 27 Agronomical and morphological traits related to leaves, flowers, pods and seeds were investigated in 30 different genotypes of pigeon pea available in the collection of the Iranian National Plant Gene Bank. the data were analyzed using SPSS and STAR statistical softwares. Correlation and principal components analysis were done and, cluster analysis was done by Ward's method for classifing genotypes.

The results showed that the number of seeds per pod, number of secondary branches, and number of seeds per plant had the highest coefficient of variation, and among the investigated qualitative traits, the highest Shannon index was observed in the pod color, petal vein color, and seed color, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between most of the measured traits. According to the results, the highest correlation was observed between the weight of the plant with the weight of pods and the number of days until the beginning of flowering with the number of days until maturity. In the cluster analysis, the 30 studied genotypes were divided into four main clusters at distance of five. The results of principal components analysis showed that five components which justified 89.4% of the variation. The biplot diagram obtained from the principal components for the evaluated traits was consistent with cluster analysis grouping. In this diagram, the four groups from the cluster analysis were well separated. totally, the results of principal component analysis and cluster analysis confirmed the existence of high genetic diversity between the studied genotypes.

The results of this research showed that different pigeon pea genotypes had a wide range of morphological characteristics, which shows the diversity and high genetic potential of this product. In this research, genotype 19, with 95 days, and genotype 23, with 193 days, were the earliest and the latest maturity genotypes. Genotype 5 had the highest amount with 230 pods per plant and genotype 30 had the lowest amount with 33 pods. Genotype 11 had the highest amount with 968 seeds per plant and genotype 30 had the lowest amount with 132 seeds.By collecting different populations of this plant in the country and identifying its high genetic capacity, it can be used in the breeding programs and agricultural system of the country. Also, by considering that pigeon pea is one of the most drought-tolerant legumes and has eleven different maturity groups, it is possible to develop the feasibility of its cultivation in country

One of the important strategies for using agricultural waste is to use the biological capacity of medicinal fungi. Agricultural wastes are produced in most parts of Iran as a result of agricultural, horticultural and forestry activities. And every year, thousands of tons of waste materials are burned or thrown away, which leads to environmental pollution and health hazards. In addition to being accessible, the substrate should create lower financial costs for the producer and also create a suitable performance. The aim of this research is to investigate different substrates (various wastes of agricultural and industrial products) for the cultivation of G. resinaseum. By choosing the right substrate and checking the balanced ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the substrates, it is possible to improve the desired quantitative (performance) and qualitative (nutritional value) traits in G. resinaceum.

This study was performed in a completely randomized design with 3 replications with Iranian isolate of G. resinaseum in 2020. After collecting the mushroom from the forest, the pure culture of the sterilized basidiocarp was carried out, and then the spawn of the Iranian G. resinaceum was produced. Experimental treatments include 7 types of substrates including 1. Poplar sawdust + Rice bran (90+10) 2. Poplar sawdust + Soybean meal (90+10) 3. Poplar sawdust + Wheat straw (60+40) 4. Poplar sawdust + Rice straw (60+40) 5. Poplar sawdust + Date palm sawdust (70+30) 6. Poplar sawdust + Banana tree waste (70+30) 7. Poplar sawdust (100).

The results of this study showed that the highest yield (210.06 g / 2000 g substrate), total dry matter (95.35 g / 2000 g substrate), total polysaccharide (15.95 mg / g dry matter) and Biological efficiency (10.5 persent) of G. resinaseum belongs to the combination of wood chips with rice bran. And the highest amount of total nitrogen of fruiting body (3.67 mg/100 g dry matter) and the protein (22.93 mg/100 g dry matter) is related to the substrate of wood chips with soybean meal. also, the shortest time for spawn running (28.66 days), pinhead formation (41 days) and precocity (65 days) were recorded for wood chip substrate with rice bran.

Adding organic supplements is one of the appropriate methods to modify the substrate and reduce the ratio of carbon to nitrogen. according to the results of this study, it is recommended to add rice bran supplement, soybean meal and use of wheat straw, rice straw, date palm wastes and banana tree wastes to the wood chip.

Rice is one of the important crops that is sensitive to salinity stress, especially in the early stages of growth. Today, the use of plant growth regulators such as salicylic acid has made plants resistant to environmental stresses such as salinity.The purpose of this research was to study the effect of salicylic acid application on some morphological and biochemical characteristics of rice plants under salt stress. For this purpose, factorial plant stabilization based on completely random design with 5 levels of salinity (0, 25, 50, 75, 100 mM sodium chloride) and 3 levels of salicylic acid (0, 0.5, 1 mM) was performed in 3 repetitions. The measured traits included germination percentage, length of shoot and root, amount of total protein, malondialdehyde, proline and activity of some antioxidant enzymes. The results of this research showed that salinity caused a significant decrease in germination percentage, stem and root length, and decreased protein activity, while in plants treated with salicylic acid, the amount of this reduction is moderated. The highest germination percentage was observed in control and 25mM salt stress treatment and decreased by increasing salt treatment up to 100 mM treatment. The highest shoot length observed in 25 mM salt with salicylic acid in 0.5 mM concentration. The highest and the lowest root length derived by 75mM salt stress with 1mM salicylic acid and 100 mM salt stress without any salicylic acid treatments respectively. Protein measurement in different treatment indicated that increasing of salt stress cause decreasing the leaf protein content especially in 100 mM salt concentration. In all salt treatments, salicylic acid increased the leaf protein content, and raising the salicylic acid from 0 to 1 mM cause increasing the leaf protein content. The highest leaf protein content was measured in without salt treatment with 1mM salicylic acid. Salt stress caused rising the malondialdehyde content in 100 mM salt treatment rather than other treatments, but salicylic acid application in 0.5 and 1 mM concentration decreased it. On the other hand, the increase in the amount of biochemical traits including proline, antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase) shows the role of one millimolar salicylic acid consumption in increasing the tolerance of this plant against salt stress. While the salinity stress, the activity of malondialdehyde, the activity of the antioxidant enzyme (catalase) increased, the use of salicylic acid reduces the oxidative stress by reducing the activity of these traits, which increases the resistance of the plant under stress.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are soil bacteria that colonize the rhizosphere of plants, enhance plant growth and may alleviate environmental stress, thus constituting a powerful tool in sustainable agriculture. In the present study, we compared the effect of selected PGPR strains on growth promotion and alleviating the salinity stress in liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) plants.

An in vitro experiment was designed with two factors: salinity (control without salinity (NS), 60 mM (S1), 120 mM (S2) and 180 mM (S3)) and PGPR inoculation (control without inoculation, inoculated with Pseudomonas fluorescens, inoculated with Pseudomonas putida and inoculated with Azotobacter chroococcum). 15-day-old inoculated or non-inoculated seedlings were grown in jars containing MS plant growth medium and NaCl treatments. Plants were grown in the growth chamber for 35 days and then assessed. Fresh weight, dry weight, length of root and shoot, photosynthetic pigments, proline, malondialdehyde and some antioxidant enzymes were evaluated.

Salinity decreased liquorice growth, regardless of the PGPR treatment and the salt stress level. The plants inoculated with P. fluorescens had significantly greater shoot biomass than the control plants at all salinity levels, whereas the A. chroococcum inoculation only was effective in increasing shoot biomass at the higher salinity level and P. putida had no significant effect on shoot growth. Root length decreased in all bacterial treatments under salinity. P. fluorescens treatment showed a significant and increasing effect on root length at all salinity levels. The salt tolerance index was significantly higher in PGPR-inoculated plants at 120 and 180 mM NaCl. The effect of P. putida was more significant in the improvement of total chlorophyll content rather than other species. Salt stress induced malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline production in both inoculated and non-inoculated plants, however inoculation with Pseudomonas species significantly reduced MDA content and increased proline content, especially at 60 and 120 mM NaCl treatments. Moreover, the activity of superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase raised significantly, as the salt level increased. PGPR inoculation induced a higher increase in these antioxidant enzyme activities at all salt levels. The salinity stress decreased the concentration of K and K/Na ratios. Bacterial inoculation significantly increased K concentration under severe salinity stress and promoted a higher K/Na ratio.

Inoculation with all PGPR species at 120 and 180 mM NaCl led to the enhancement of salinity tolerance of liquoric through increased production of proline and antioxidant enzymes and maintaining a higher K/Na ratio. Results indicate that inoculation with selected PGPR, especially Pseudomonas species could serve as a useful tool for alleviating salinity stress in liquorice.