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Background and Objectives: Vermicompost increases the ability to absorb water and has a great effect on improving the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. The present study investigates the effects of salinity stress and vermicompost on Euphorbia tirucalli L. in pot culture conditions. Materials and Methods: Plants were cultivated under three salinity treatments of 4, 8 and 12 dsm-1 alone and with the use of vermicompost at the levels of 10, 20 and 30% of the soil were tested factorially in the form of a completely randomized design. Growth parameters including length, dry and fresh weight (whole plant, root and shoot) and content of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars and proline were measured in the plant. Results: According to the obtained results, the increase in salinity levels had a negative effect on the growth parameters, while the combined use of vermicompost fertilizer increased the length and dry weight of aerial parts at all salinity levels. Regarding the root dry weight, an upward trend was observed at the highest salinity level (12 dsm-1) at all vermicompost the use of levels. According to the results of this research, the use of salinity stress reduced chlorophyll pigments, but the use of vermicompost fertilizer at the highest level (30 percent vermicompost) reduced the negative effects of salinity on them and increased their amount despite the high concentration of salt. In the case of carotenoid pigments, severe salinity (12 dsm-1) decreased their amount, but the use of vermicompost at this level of stress increased it. Also, the results of this research showed that the amount of anthocyanin pigments in medium and severe salinity (8 and 12 dsm-1), increasing the level of vermicompost decreased the amount of this compound in the aerial parts of the plant. The amount of proline and soluble sugars of shoots and roots also went up under the influence of different salinity levels. In the case of soluble sugars, the use of vermicompost at low levels of salinity caused an increase, and at higher levels of salinity, the use of 30% vermicompost treatment decreased these compounds. In the case of proline, the use of fertilizer in high amounts led to the reduction of this compound at higher levels of salt. Conclusion: In general, the results of this research showed that the use of vermicompost, especially at higher levels, could reduce the negative effects of high salt concentrations on Euphorbia tirucalli L. and improve the plant's morphophysiological responses to salinity stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Iran is positioned as the 11th largest producer of tomatoes globally, yielding in excess of 3 million tons. Therefore, providing enough water to produce this amount of product will be one of the challenges of the near future in the agricultural sector due to the drought problem in Iran. Reuse of fish waste in agriculture is one of the important dimensions of water resources planning. Recycling drainage water from aquaculture farms is one of the necessities because it is rich in substances that can be useful in agriculture. World population and food security is one of the most difficult challenges that most of the countries are facing, because the world population is increasing rapidly and will reach 9.6 billion people by 2050. In this situation, the food supply should increase by 70 to 100%. Considering these challenges, it is necessary to conduct applied research to make maximum use of effluents and wastewaters in the production of greenhouse products. Materials and methods The treatments of this experiment included 3 types of nutrient solutions (Resh nutrient solution, fish pond water and modified fish pond water) and 3 promising greenhouse tomato lines (AZ4, AZ5 and V4). The experimental design was factorial arranged in complete block design with 3 replications. At the end of the experiment, the plants were removed from the pot and the roots, leaves and stems were separated from each other. Their fresh and dry weight and the number of leaves were recorded separately for each treatment. To check yield indicators, ripe tomato fruits were harvested during the growth period, counted and weighed with a scale with an accuracy of 0.01 g. The firmness of the fruit tissue was measured by a firmness meter, and the pH and EC of the fruit extract were measured by a pH meter and an EC meter, respectively. The measurement of chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll was done using a spectrophotometer in mature leaves developed according to the method suggested by Arnon (1967). Result and Discussion The results of this experiment showed that V4 and AZ4 cultivars had the highest stem and leaf weight compared to AZ5 cultivar. Also, the results showed that the Resh solution and modified pond water had the highest root dry weight (58 and 56 g, respectively) compared to the fish pond water treatment (47 g). The findings of this study showed that the use of Resh nutrient solution and modified pool water compared to the treatment of fish pool water increased the number of leaves of tomato plants by 23.88% and 18.69%, respectively. It seems that irrigation with modified pool water and Resh solution increases the growth and development of the plant due to the increase in the level of nutrients. The highest amount of total chlorophyll was observed in the Resh solution and modified pool water with concentrations of 2.3 and 2.2 mg/g, respectively. The results of Silva et al (2021) showed that in irrigation with fish waste, greater availability of magnesium in plant tissue increases the content of chlorophyll b in leaves and increases plant chloroplast pigments. The highest total yield was observed in cultivar V4 and in the treatments of Resh nutrient solution and modified pool water. The results showed that modified pool water had the highest EC of tomato extract (1.9 dS/m). Also, the results of the interaction effect of cultivar and nutrient solution showed that the highest fruit firmness was observed in Resh solution and fish pond water in V4 cultivar. Also, the lowest fruit firmness was observed fish pond water in AZ5 cultivar. It seems that, in the present study, the reduction of calcium absorption in fish pond water caused the reduction of firmness of tomato fruit (Kaab omeir et al., 2020). Conclusion It seems that according to the above results, it is possible to use pool water with a high density of fish after modification and changes in the amounts of its nutrients in greenhouse tomato cultivation. Among the tested cultivars, the promising line V4 can be recommended for cultivation in the greenhouse for the use of modified fish pond water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of kaolin particle film on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of important commercial varieties of apple trees (Golden Delicious and Red Delicious) in the orchards of Bonab and Shahre Jadide Sahand, East Azerbaijan. This experiment was randomized complete block design with 4 replications at 4 levels of thin membrane (control, 2, 4, 6%) on 2 apple cultivars (Golden Delicious and Red Delicious) in 2 locations for two years. The measured indicators included sunburn percentage, photosynthesis rate, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll b and chlorophyll a, fruit surface temperature, fruit firmness at harvest, leaf calcium and phosphorus levels, and yield. The results showed that with increasing levels of kaolin concentration in both regions and cultivars, the amount of damage, burn percentage and fruit surface temperature decreased. The lowest temperature limit (37.16 degrees Celsius) in the treatment with 4% concentration and the highest limit. The temperature (40.25 degrees Celsius) was observed in the control. The highest percentage of burn damage was related to the control treatment (19.95%) and the lowest was related to the 4% kaolin treatment (14.2%). Total chlorophyll, chlorophyll b and chlorophyll an indices, fruit firmness at harvest, fruit calcium content, photosynthesis rate and yield increased significantly with increasing kaolin levels. The highest amounts of chlorophyll b and a were observed, respectively, 0.97 and 1.95 mg per gram of fresh weight, and in the treatment of 2% and 4%, and the lowest amount of these plant pigments was observed in the control (chlorophyll b and a, respectively, 1.28 and 58/mg/g fresh weight). The highest amount of photosynthesis related to the treatment of 6% kaolin (9.44 mM CO2 m-2 g-1 ) and the lowest amount of photosynthesis was observed in the control treatment (7.92 mM CO2 m-2 g-1 ). The highest amount of calcium, phosphorus and yield (respectively 55/ 1 mg/kg, 0.154 mg/kg, 80.62 mg/kg) in the 4% kaolin treatment and the lowest of these values in the control (1.55 mg/kg, 0.154 mg/kg respectively) per kg, there was 67.67 kg) and there was no significant difference between the two regions and cultivars in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment examined how potassium humate affects the salinity tolerance of the groundcover plant Phyla nodiflora L., focusing on its morpho-physiological characteristics. A split-plot design was used for the greenhouse experiment, which included two factors arranged in randomized complete blocks with three replications. The main plot involved NaCl salinity at 5 different levels (0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 dS m-1 ), while the subplot consisted of three levels of potassium humate (0, 500, and 1000 mg L-1 ). The results showed that regardless of the fertilizer treatment, the shoot fresh weight and visual quality showed a significant decrease of 19.02% and 24.34%, respectively in the salinity treatment of 16 dS m-1 compared to the control plants. The Phyla plant had a relatively favorable state of plant pigments in the salinity treatment of 16 dS m-1, another positive feature for the plant during salt stress. In addition, the visual quality showed a strong and positive correlation with shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weight, and root fresh weight. Overall, the results showed that Phyla experienced reduced growth characteristics under salinity stress. While high salinity conditions may compromise visual quality, Phyla's vibrant green hue is preserved despite the stress. Based on the results of fresh and dry shoot and root weights, leaf relative water content (RWC), and visual quality, it is evident that Phyla plants thrive best up to a salinity level of 8 dS m-1. There is no need to utilize potassium humate treatment at this stress level. At salinity levels of 12 and 16 dS m-1, the morphophysiological characteristics of the Phyla decreased. As a result, at higher salinity levels such as 12 and 16 dS m-1, to improve the overall condition of the plant, the use of potassium humate is recommended. Therefore, the application of 500 mg L-1 of potassium humate enhanced the shoot length, lateral shoot number, and RWC at a salinity level of 16 dS m-1. Furthermore, the use of 1000 mg L-1 potassium humate led to enhanced plant pigments under a sodium chloride salinity treatment of 12 dS m-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity is one of the main environmental stresses that affect the establishment of seedlings and the performance of landscape plants. The application of silver nanoparticles in abiotic stresses in several ways improves the tolerance of plants against stresses. For this purpose, to investigate the effect of silver nanoparticles on the growth, and morpho-physiological traits of French Marigold under salinity stress, a factorial experiment was conducted under a completely randomized design with 4 replications. The first factor included salinity treatment at 4 levels (0, 25, 50 and 100 mM) and the second factor was the foliar application of silver nanoparticles at four levels (0, 10, 50, and 100 mg L-1). In this study, the treatment of silver nanoparticles at 50 mg/L without salinity (0 mM) resulted in the maximum height of the plant (20 cm), the diameter of the stem (3.98 mm), the diameter of the flower (65 5.5 mm), the number of flowers per plant (11), the number of side branches (8), the relative water content (86.40%) and the lowest ion leakage (30.36%). Increasing the salinity level from 0 to 100 mM led to smaller plants with less pigment content and reduced growth traits. Weekly application of nanosilver not only significantly improved all evaluated parameters but also partially reduced the destructive effects under salinity conditions (50 and 100 mM). This gradual effect of nanosilver was more prominent when it was applied at a concentration of 50 mg L-1, so that the foliar application of nanosilver increased the ornamental characteristics of Marigold, including the number of lateral branches (by 25.81%), the number of flowers (by 27.27%), flower diameter (by 10.27%) and fresh and dry weight of flowers (by 10.29 and 28.68%, respectively) under salinity stress conditions. Also, the present results showed that Marigold is sensitive to high salinity (100 mM) and is not able to produce large flowers under high salinity conditions. In general, the use of silver nanoparticles was useful in improving salinity tolerance in French Marigold and its application may stimulate the defense mechanisms of plants against salt toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Halophilic microorganisms have the potential to produce new biomolecules, including anti-cancer compounds, for medical applications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-cancer properties of pigments extracted from native Iranian halophilic Archaeon. Materials and Methods: Pigment extract of Haloarcula sp. previously isolated and identified from Aran-Bidgol Lake was extracted. The effect of the extracted pigment on MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell line was tested by MTT method and PI and FITC staining. Cells with different concentrations of pigment extract were incubated for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Finally, the expression of apoptotic genes, including BAX, CASP3, CASP7, CASP9, P21, P53, and SOX2, was examined by Real-Time PCR. Statistical analyses of the data were performed using the t-test and Repeated-Measures ANOVA. Results: Compared to untreated cells, the pigment extract inhibited the viability of MDA-MB-468 cells significantly after 48 hours at a concentration of 45.95 μg/ml (p *<0.05). In addition, the total population of early and late apoptotic cells (44.4%) increased in the studied cell line, which was associated with a significant enhancement of the expression of the P53, BAX, CASP7, and CASP9 genes. Conclusion: Halophilic archaea can be considered a suitable source of natural pigments with anti-cancer activity and potential benefits in chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the important pulse crops in the world. Also it is valued through high protein content in seeds (23.5-28.9%). In Iran, chickpea produced under arid and semi-arid zones and usually chickpea plants during flowering and maturity stages are exposed to increasing water deficit stress. Different methods are existed in agriculture to increase plants tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Seed priming and foliar application by amino acids, proline, glycinebetaine, Salicylic acid as well as zinc, Selenium and Silicon have been considered in recent years. Selenium is not an essential nutrient for plants. Reports showed that selenium could protect the plants under abiotic stresses such as salinity, high temperature and drought. Selenium protected the plants from abiotic stresses by participate in several physiological and biochemical process such as water condition retain, increasing plant pigments and photosynthesis apparatus regulation. Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant-produced nature phenolic compound which plays an important role in the abiotic stresses tolerance. Growth and production of crops will affect by SA application. Several studies showed that salicylic acid application increased the plant tolerant to drought stress. Increasing proteins, photosynthesis pigments and sugars indicated on the role of salicylic acid in increasing the plant resistance to stress. Therefore, this experiment carried out to study the influence of foliar application of salicylic acid and selenium at different growth stages on some physiological traits of chickpea under rainfed condition. Material & Methods To evaluate the response of some physiological traits of chickpea at different growth stages to foliar application of salicylic acid and selenium under rain fed condition, an experiment was conducted as split plot based on Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications during 2013-2014 cropping season. Experimental factors were salicylic acid in three levels (0,100 and 200 mg L-1) and foliar selenium spraying in two levels (0 and 18 gr ha-1) that applicated in different growth stages (vegetative, reproductive growth and vegetative growth along with reproductive). According to the soil analysis results, 50 kg ha-1 urea and 40 kg ha-1 triple superphosphate fertilizers were applied at planting time. Each experimental plot included 30 cm distanced rows with 10 cm spacing between plants in rows. The chickpea cultivar was ‘Azad’. The seeds were sown at 6 cm depth in end of February 2013. Physiological traits measured from three replications. Relative water content was determined from five leaflet from leaves at flowering stage that were prepared immediately and weighed to measure fresh leaf weight in the laboratory at 25°C. Then, leaflet were placed in distilled water for 24 h until completely saturated. At the end of this stage, leaflet were dried with dry paper towels and reweighed. Samples were placed in the oven for 48 h at 72°C until dried and then weight of the dried leaves was recorded. Relative water content was calculated using the following relation. where RWC is the relative water content, Wf is the leaf fresh weight, Wd is the leaf dry weight and Ws is the leaf saturated weight. Photosynthetic pigments were calculated by the method presented by Arnon (1949). Samples collected from five leaflet, 0.5 gr leaves were ground in 80% acetone for determination and absorbance of the resulting extracts, recorded at 480, 510, 645 and 663 nm with a spectrophotometer. Biological and seed yield harvested from 2 m2 of middle in each plots. Data were subjected to analysis of variance using SAS program. Means were compared using the Least Significant Diffrence test (LSD) Multiple Range Test at 5% probablity level. Results & Discussion Results showed that the highest leaf relative water content observed from foliar application of selenium and salicylic acid at vegetative along with reproductive stages. Salicylic acid appli­cation at the rate of 100 and 200 mg L-1 and selenium at the rate of 18 gr ha-1 increased the leaf relative water content by 18, 42.7 and 31%, respectively as compared with control. There were reports that, application of salicylic acid improved vegetative growth rate, chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll, leaf relative water content and resistance to water deficit in lawn. The highest ion leakage (82.57%) and the lowest (75.86%) recorded from treatments of without application of selenium and foliar application of 18 gr ha-1 selenium, respectively. Foliar application of 100 and 200 mg L-1 salicylic acid along with 18 gr ha-1 selenium increased chlorophyll a content compared with control, significantly. Foliar application of 100, 200 mg L-1 salicylic acid and 18 gr ha-1 selenium alone increased chlorophyll b content by 29.4%, 32.3% and 26.4% as compared with control, respectively. The highest carotenoids content belonged to foliar application of 200 mg L-1 salicylic acid. There were reports that application of selenium decreased chloroplast damage and help to retain of photosynthesis pigments. Foliar application of 100 and 200 mg L-1 salicylic acid along with 18 gr ha-1 selenium increased productivity index at different growth stages as compared with control. The treatments interaction effects showed that the maximum biological yields (1528.86 and 1628.40 kg ha-1) obtained from treatment of 100 and 200 mg L-1 salicylic acid along with 18 gr ha-1 selenium at different growth stages, respectively. The results showed that foliar application of salicylic acid and selenium could be increased chickpea seed yield. Conclusion The positive role of application of salicylic acid and selenium under rainfed condition exerted by the effects on physiological process such as water retain in plant, membrane stability retain and improve of photosynthesis pigments. Therefore, foliar application of 100 mg L-1 salicylic acid and along with 18 gr ha-1 selenium at vegetative growth along with reproductive growth could obtain optimum yield.

Pistachio is one of the most popular nuts in the world because of its taste and nutritional properties. Mostly, its consumed dry in harvest period. Major factors limiting for shelf life of pistachios are browning and water accumulation. In this study, the effects of citric acid (1, 1.5 and 2%) and ascorbic acid (15, 25 and 35 ppm) and two types of plastic packs (polyethylene and polystyrene) on storage life (days 0, 25 and 45), Ahmad aghaie pistachio was studied. According to panelists, the use of acid treatments for 25 day of storage was able to maintain the appearance and taste characteristics of pistachio and since then there was no significant difference between treatment and the control sample. Pistachios treated with 15 ppm ascorbic acid in polystyrene pack were more favorable in appearance and browning than polyethylene pack. The maximum of phenol was related to ascorbic acid treatments (15 ppm) in polyethylene pack. Anthocyanin and chlorophyll amount decreased during storage, but carotenoids first increased and then decreased. Pistachio pigments such as chlorophyll, anthocyanin and carotenoids were preserved in polyethylene packages than polystyrene. Citric acid treatment (1.5%) had the maximum percentage of fat. Overall, the polyethylene pack and ascorbic acid 15 and 25 ppm and citric acid 1.5% concentration maintained the qualitative and quantitative properties of pistachio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roots of the madder plant (Rubinia tinctorum) contain some pigments that can be used to produce the red dyes. In order to study the effect of salinity on alterations in the amount of plant pigment an experiment was conducted according to a completely randomized design with three replications. Based on the CIE XYZ color space model designed close to human color vision, the results showed that increasing soil salinity decreased the value of The lightness value parameter (L*), but the A* (redness and greenness) and B* (yellowness and blueness) values were increased with increasing soil salinity up to the level of 8 dSm-1. There was a significant positive correlation between A* value and Ca + Mg and a significant negative correlation between L* value and Ca+Mg at the 5% level. Fitting three nonlinear regression model to data, simulated and described the variation of colorimetric specification of woolen samples dyed under different madder dyes and salinity conditions. These models proved to be an appropriate and reasonable link between madder growth conditions and colorimetric specification of woolen samples dyed such as L*, A* and B* values. Due to the high resistant characteristics of madder to salinity, increasing salinity in the madder root zone lead to acceptable quality and efficiency of pigment production and to expand the possibilities for economic production of Rubinia tinctorum in soil salinity in the central arid region of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades cultivation of plants as a tool to manage the polluted areas by heavy metals has received an increased attention. In order to evaluate the possibility of using Four o’clock plant as a phytoremediator in soils polluted by Cu and Pb, an experiment was conducted using four levels of Cu and Pb (0, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg) concentrations, as a factorial experiment based on a completely random design in the Research Greenhouse of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran. Results showed that pollution by each of these metals alters photosynthetic pigments concentration and morphological traits of plants. Stomatal characteristics were significantly decreased by these heavy metals. Significant increases were also found in concentration of reducing sugars and proline, Pb and Cu accumulation in stems and roots and also activities of antioxidative enzymes. High levels of metal accumulation were found in roots. Compared to the control condition, plants which were grown under the highest levels of pollutions accumulated 32 and 22 times more Cu and Pb, respectively, in root tissue and 6 and 3.6 times more in the shoot tissue. Superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities were also increased up to 2.7, 2.5 and 2.4 times in plants grown in the soil polluted with the highest level of both metals. Meanwhile, proline concentration increased 9 times in plants grown under the same conditions. These Results showed that this species can be used as a Cu and Pb tolerant ornamental plant in Cu and Pb polluted conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the impact of drought stress, a trail was carried out in a factorial experiment in the base of randomized complete design on traits such as pigments and photosynthesis in five Eucalyptus species (E. globulus, E. largiflorens, E .robusta, E. sideroxylon, E. tereticornis). Drought treatments contained polyethylene glycol solution with five levels (0, -1, -3, -6, -12 bar). In this investigation characteristics such as: chlorophyll and carotenoids, photosynthesis rate, leaf water potential and stomata number were studied. Most of the traits were significantly decreased under water stress condition. The highest amount of chlorophyll, carotenoids, photosynthesis and leaf water potential were related to control plants of different species. Results showed that these traits caused lower reduce under drought stress condition in E. largiflorens. Whereas these traits have positive correlation with resistance to drought, consequently E. largiflorens were most resistance species to drought stress. E. sideroxylon and E. tereticornis with high reduce in traits were sensitive species to drought under drought stress condition. E. globulus and E. robusta were relative high resistance species to drought stress.