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Introduction: Soil pollution by heavy metals, especially in industrial regions is one of the main environmental problems. Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that causes oxidative stress in plants and has many destructive effects on product quality. Nowadays, various methods are used to reduce the negative effects of high concentrations of heavy metals in the soil. In this regard, using biochar is a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly method and its influence on the reduction of heavy metals bioavailability of soil is an important advantage. Biochar is a carbon-rich material obtained by pyrolysis of biomass, such as agricultural residues and manures in conditions without oxygen or with limited oxygen content. Material and Methods: In this study, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized blocks design with three replications on Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) medicinal plant with six levels of Cd (0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 mg/l) and three levels of biochar (0, 1.5, and 3 w/w). The effect of experimental treatments was investigated separately and combined on the morphological (wet and dry weights of aerial parts and roots), physiological (the amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid), and biochemical (soluble sugar, catalase, peroxidase, and proline) characteristics of this medicinal plant. Means comparisons were done by Duncan's multiple range test at a probability level of 5%. Results and Discussion: The results showed that different concentrations of Cd decreased the wet and dry weights of roots and aerial parts of the plant. The most reduction effect was related to the concentration of 10 mg/l of Cd. The interaction effect of biochar and Cd was significant only on the dry weight of aerial parts. The effect of stress caused by increasing the concentration of Cd on the plant's physiological processes was different. Considering that the first effect of Cd on the plant is the reduction of photosynthesis and chlorosis of the leaves, at the highest level of Cd, the amount of total chlorophyll decreased by 40% compared to the control sample, but the amount of carotenoid increased by 50% (p

Objective The objective of this study was to assess the genetic diversity of some commercial apple cultivars in Khorasan Razavi province using 40 RAPD primers. Materials and methods DNA was collected from fresh leaves of apple samples studied and extracted based on dellaporta method. In order to investigate polymorphism, the PCR analysis was performed for each primer and the marker indices were calculated. The genetic similarity and distance were evaluated using Jaccard coefficient by UPGMA method and PcoA analysis by NTSYS-PC ver 2.2, respectively. The genetic structure analysis was performed using STRUCTURE software ver 2.3. Results The percentage of polymorphic bands was different from 37.5% for OPJ13 marker to 100% for OPA7 markers. The highest and lowest PIC parameter was related to OPA4 (0.48) and OPM6 (0.2), respectively. With respect to cluster analysis, the samples were grouped into two main clusters and five subgroups. The highest similarity was between Golab Esfahan-Golomkani, Margenduft-Low Red Roem Beauty and Alimori Khorasan Dalago, while the lowest similarity was between Golab Esfahan-Fuji Rossa and Golab Esfahan-Low Red Roem Beauty cultivars. The classification based on PcoA analysis was different with UPGMA. In addition, the obtained result of Bayesian analysis showed lack of admixture of the apple cultivars studied. Conclusions According to the results of RAPD analysis, this marker can be used for recognition of polymorphic regions, assessment of genetic distance and management of apple genotypes and cultivars. Citation: Gerami M, Karimi Shahri MR, Majidian P, Sharafdar Kolahi S, Nikbakht R (2019). Evaluation of Genetic Diversity of Commercial Apple Cultivars (Malus domestica L.) in Khorasan Razavi using RAPD Technique. Agricultural Biotechnology Journal 11 (1), 119-134. Agricultural Biotechnology Journal 11 (1), 119-134. DOI: 10.22103/jab.2019.12697.1076 Received: November 10, 2018; Accepted: February 21, 2019 © Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman-Iranian Biotechnology Society

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmentally polluting metal that has a negative effect on plant growth and yield. In this study, to understand the role of salicylic acid (SA) in alleviating cadmium toxicity in Sage (Salvia officinalis L.), the changes of biochemical and physiological indexes in Sage seedlings exposed to 0, 100, 200 or 300 ppm Cd with or without 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mM SA for 30 days was investigated. The results showed that Cd treatment reduced the growth, photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars and activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes, while increased proline content, phenolic compounds, MDA and H2O2. However, SA pre-treatment improved the growth and increased content of photosynthetic pigments, proline, soluble sugars and phenolic compounds at all levels of cadmium. Furthermore, SA pretreatment increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes catalase and peroxidase, and reduced MDA and H2O2, which reduced the cadmium-induced oxidative stress and, consequently, increased Sage tolerance to cadmium. According to our results, it seems SA might regulate the antioxidant defense activities, increase osmolyte and secondary metabolite compound in Cd-treated Sage, thereby improving growth and tolerance of Sage to Cd stress.