مجله علوم باغبانی ایران
سال پنجاه و چهارم شماره 2 (تابستان 1402)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of organic amendments, phosphorus and amino acid as a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications on Akbari cultivar of pistachio. Treatments include six levels of organic and chemical fertilizers (no application (F1), 20ton/ha cow manure (F2), 15ton/ha cow manure+5ton/ha poultry manure (F3), 10ton/ha cow manure+4ton/ha poultry manure+6ton/ha pistachio waste biochar (F4), 20ton/ha cow manure+300kg/ha of diammonium phosphate (F5), 20ton/ha cow manure+300kg/ha of triple superphosphate (F6)) and three levels of amino acid foliar application (0 (AA0), 60 (AA60) and 120ppm (AA120)). The results showed that the simultaneous application of F6 and AA120 led to a significant increase in chlorophyll, number of spikes, fresh and dry weight of pistachios, number of seeds per spike, concentration of phosphorus and potassium and decrease in Na/K compared to control and their separate application. F6 treatment led to a significant increase in branch length and diameter, leaf area, weight of hundred seeds, laughing percentage and relative water content (17.6, 41.9, 52.8, 21.7, 38.1 and 51.9%, respectively) significantly decreased number of pistachio in one ounce and percentage of emptiness (10.9% and 42.8%, respectively). Application of AA120 significantly increased leaf area compared to the control. Mixing cattle, poultry and biochar fertilizers of pistachio wastes (F4) along with AA60 and AA120 had a positive effect on number of cluster, fresh and dry weight of pistachios. Simultaneous application of cow manure, superphosphate triple and amino acid seems to have a positive effect on pistachio yield.

Pollen and Pollination is a critical process in date fruit production that may affect the quality, quantity and yield of the fruit. Application of compatible pollen can lead to an acceptable level of fruit set. Five pollinator genotypes including 7001 (as control), 7004, 7013, 7030 and Boyer 11 (derived from tissue culture) were selected to investigate the effect of pollen source on the commercial production of tissue culture-derived Medjool cultivar. This research was performed on 15 twelve- year- old trees of Medjool cultivar derived from tissue culture in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment was carried out in Jahrom Research Station during 2019 and 2020. Pollen source had a significant effect on the percentage of fruit set and characteristics of the fruit. Bunches pollinated with pollens from genotypes 7030 and 7013 showed the highest percentage of the fruit set (56.80 and 56.10%, respectively), while bunches pollinated with pollen from genotype 7004 showed the lowest percentage of the fruit set (about 49.38%).The results indicated that the bunches pollinated with pollens obtained from genotype 7013 showed the highest fruit and seed length, fruit weight, fruit flesh, fruit volume, bunch weight and yield. Based on the results, the best pollen for Medjool cultivar in terms of fruit set and quantitative characteristics is pollen from genotype 7013. This study made it possible to identify the fruit characteristics, according to the pollen used. These results can be used to achieve high yield in Medjool dates.

Casing soil is an important input in the production of the button mushroom, which is usually prepared from non-renewable organic sources (e.g., peat). In order to introduce a suitable alternative to peat, and also the effect of different casing soils on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of button mushroom this study was carried out.The reaserch was conducted in a completely randomized design with 20 treatments and three replications on an industrial scale in Negin Fasl Agro-industry Company. In this respect, different alternative materials, such as mixed cow manure, spent mushroom compost (SMC), cow manure vermicompost, and SMC vermicompost in different volume ratios with peat )preaperd from north of Iran, north peat) were utilized to produce different casing soil, which used in the process of button mushroom production. Commercial and total yield traits, biological efficiency, piece weight, dry matter percentage, and mushroom earliness were determined in the applied treatments.The results showed that there was a significant difference in yield, biological efficiency, dry matter percentage, and earliness traits among the treatments. The highest total yield and biological efficiency were related to the mixture of north peat and cow manure vermicompost (50% and 50%v/v), and the mixture of north peat and SMC vermicompost (50% and 50%v/v), with 16 kg/m2 yield., In cow manure (100%), and the mixture of north peat and cow manure (25% and 75%v/v) treatments no growing mycelial occured. The lowest total yield was achieved from north peat (100%), with 9.8 kg/m2.Overall, the results showed that replacement of cow manure vermicompost, and SMC vermicompost with peat and conventional casing soil treatments could lead to save the costs, and preservation of natural resources.

Anthurium is commonly cultivated through soilless culture in greenhouses, owing to its specific thermal and nutritional requirements. However, the high costs associated with conventional substrates necessitate the use of available, domestic, and inexpensive alternatives. In this study, light expanded clay aggregates (LECA) and its mixture with locally available materials such as rice husk, tea waste, and charcoal were utilized as substrates. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three replications. After four months of cultivation, various morphological traits, including plant height, flower stem length and number, flowering time, flower stem fresh weight, leaf length and number, spadix length and diameter, spathe length and diameter, as well as physical traits such as bulk and particle density, humidity, water retention capacity, and porosity, were evaluated. Additionally, biochemical properties such as pH, EC, nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, and calcium of the substrates were assessed. The results indicated that the substrate containing a mixture of tea waste and LECA yielded the maximum plant height (35.5 cm), flower stem length (22 cm), number of flower stems (3.9), and number of leaves (15). Furthermore, this substrate exhibited the most appropriate physical properties, including the highest bulk (0.81 g/cm3), particle density (1.54 g/cm3), and humidity (66%). Conversely, the mixed substrate of LECA with rice husk demonstrated the maximum values of electrical conductivity (9.2 μS/cm), nitrogen (1.1%), and potassium (0.21%). Overall, the substrate composed of a mixture of tea waste and LECA not only reduces the costs associated with soilless systems but also enhances the quality and quantity of Anthurium cut flowers in greenhouses.

Water deficit is one of the most fundamental problems of agricultural systems throughout the world, which influences both yield and quality of the products. Applying compounds such as salicylic acid (SA) can improve plant resistance against environmental stresses. The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of drought stress and SA application on quantitative and qualitative traits of holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), based on a factorial experiment in the form of a completely randomized design in three replications. The experimental treatments included drought stress at three levels (100, 70, and 50% FC) and foliar application of salicylic acid at three levels (0, 0.75, and 1.5 mM). Obtained results showed that water deficit caused a decrease in plant growth factors, RWC, and the amount of photosynthetic pigments, while foliar application of salicylic acid increased the above-mentioned parameters. Drought stress and foliar application of salicylic acid increased proline content, total content of phenolic compounds, flavonoid compounds and DPPH free radicals inhibition. In addition, the percentage of essential oils increased under drought stress. Also, plants that were sprayed with salicylic acid, showed a significant increase in essential oil percentage compared to the control. By reducing irrigation water, the percentage of eugenol in essential oil was decreased, but foliar spraying with a high concentration of salicylic acid increased the percentage of this compound. The experimental treatments also had a significant effect on the percentage of 1, 8-cineole and estragole compounds. Therefore, the application of a proper amount of SA can be considered a practical and simple strategy for increasing the quality and quantity of holy basil in arid and semi-arid areas.

Selenium is one of the useful chemical elements for plants growth which, in addition to its beneficial effects on plant growth, is known as an essential substance for human and animal health. This research was carried out to investigate the effect of different levels of sodium selenate and selenite on some growth and physiological traits of peppermint in a completely randomized design with 4 replications. Plants were grown in a soilless culture system in the research greenhouse of the faculty of agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, The treatments included different levels of sodium selenate (4, 8 and 12 mg/L) and sodium selenite (4, 8 and 12 mg/L), equal to 0.02, 0.04 and 0.06 M of selenate and selenite sodium, respectively in Hoagland solution. The control treatment was a Hoagland solution without selenium application. Based on the results of the analysis of variance, the effect of sodium selenate and sodium selenite on all measured traits was significant. The results showed that the highest dry weight of aerial parts was observed in the treatment with 4 mg/L of sodium selenate. The relative water content of the leaf (6.6%) and guaiacol peroxidase activity (29.02%) were increased with the treatment of 4 mg/L of sodium selenate, compared to the control. The treatment with 12 mg/L of selenite and selenate sodium increased the ion leakage percentage, malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide concentrations. According to the obtained results, the treatment of 4 mg/L of selenate and selenite sodium is recommended to increase growth and improve some physiological characteristics in peppermint plant.

Environmental stresses could cause changing in plants growth and development. Drought stress is one of the most common stresses that threaten a large part of the world’s lands. Tamarix is a native plant to Iran which could tolerate different environmental stresses. This plant is very suitable for use in the landscape. This study was performed as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design to investigate the effects of ecotype and hormone type on the rooting of tamarix cuttings native to Ardabil province, with 10 replications. In this research, the measured traits included branch number, branch length, primary root number, primary root length, longest root length, plant height, rooting percentage, branch fresh weight, branch dry weight, and root fresh and dry weight. The results of the analysis of variance showed that ecotype significantly (P≤0.01) affected all measured indices except root dry weight and branch fresh weight. The results of the also revealed that the interaction effects of ecotype and hormone on rooting percentage, branch number and plant height were significant at the 1% probability level. Means comparison showed that the highest and lowest rooting percentage were obtained from ecotypes 6 and 7, respectively. Although, the Indole Botyric Acid hormone affected all measured indices better than the Indole Acetic Acid, there were no significant differences between them. In general, this study showed that, in most investigated traits, ecotypes 4, 5 and 6 were the strongest ecotypes, which could be introduced as the most successful ecotypes for future adaptation studies.

Cantaloupe is one of the most important vegetable crops in Iran. In recent years, due to some problems, such as low sweetness and fruit yield, plant death diseases, and the indiscriminate introduction of foreign commercial hybrid cultivars, the genetic resources of this product have been severely eroded. Therefore, in this research the crossing of important local cultivars such as Saveh and Niagara with the commercial and selected F1 cultivar Galia was considered to combine the best traits and select the best genotypes of the F2 generation by pedigree selection method and continuity of generations. This experiment was carried out in the Faculty of Agricultural Technology (Aboureyhan Campus) University of Tehran research farm. The selection of the best genotypes was done in three stages (natural screening in the field for disease, virus, and mite resistance, evaluation based on qualitative traits in the laboratory, and final selection of genotypes based on the results obtained from multivariate analysis of quantitative traits). The results showed that in Niagara × Gallia (NGF2) population, general heritability was high for all the evaluated traits except the fruit shape index. In the Saveh × Gallia (SGF2) population flesh thickness, soluble solids and fruit harvest date had the highest heritability. The results showed that the traits included in the stepwise regression model accounted for 90.3 and 80.3 percent of the total changes related to fruit weight in NGF2 and SGF2 populations, respectively. Based on the principal component analysis, in NGF2 and SGF2 populations, two principal components explained 71.88 and 71.31% of the data variance, respectively. Based on the results of the bi-plot analysis, 30 NGF2 and 53 SGF2 genotypes were selected, and cultivated in order to continue generations and reach pure parental lines in the F3 generation.

Spinach is one of the most important vegetables consumed in the world. Despite spinach high nutritional value, the accumulation of non-nutritive compound oxalate is considered one of the main challenges in the production of this plant. Moving towards the production of cultivars of this plant that have less oxalate accumulation, or a neuter form of oxalate accumulation in terms of nutritional hygiene, is considered one of the modern breeding goals. The present study was conducted with the aim of introducing and explaining the action of genes involved in creating the total oxalate accumulation trait in the form of a 7x7 complete diallel cross. Heritability of total, soluble and insoluble oxalate, and ascorbic acid as the main components in oxalate accumulation were evaluated using the first method of model I of Griffing's. In addition to confirming the possibility of successful interspecific crosses in spinach, the obtained results showed that total oxalate was controlled by genetic factors by more than 50%, and the possibility of its improvement in the next first generations after applying breeding methods is certain. Ultimately, based on the obtained Baker's coefficient results (0.43), both of the gene actions, additional and dominance, are almost equally effective in creating this trait, although the tendency towards dominance is more. Hence, it can be concluded that the approach towards modification through hybridization, in order to produce new cultivars, is preferred to modification by selection methods.

Salinity stress is one of the most important factors that affects the quality of crops. In order to investigate the influence of salinity stress on physiological and biochemical characteristics of different quinoa varieties, an experiment was conducted as split plots based on a randomized complete block design with three replications, in Yazd city in the agricultural year 2017-2018, under field conditions. Irrigation with saline water (0, 10 and 17 dS/m) was considered as the main plot and varieties (Nsrcqe, Nsrcqb and Titcaca) as the sub-plot. The results showed that salinity and varieties significantly affected DPPH radical scavenging activity, phenol, flavonoid, anti-inflammatory and Na+/K+ ratio, as well as seed protein and saponin contents. Irrigation with saline water at 17 dS/m level increased the antioxidant activity of DPPH (19%), the antioxidant activity of grain measured using the copper ion reduction method (25%), the antioxidant activity measured by the iron reducing power method (50 %), grain protein (30.5 %), and the anti-inflammatory activity (30.5 %), whereas it reduced the grain saponin content (15%), and the sodium to potassium ratio (73.6 %) compared to the control. Results indicated that the salinity also elevated the content of collagenic acid, paracoumaric acid, quercetin acid and camphor acid in quinoa grains. Among the studies varieties Nsrcqb showed the highest amount of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity but had no significant difference with the Titcaca in most examined traits. The results of this experiment showed that cultivation of Nsrcqb variety and irrigation with saline water at 17 dS/m can increase the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of quinoa.