HORTICULTURAL PLANT NUTRITION
Year:2020 | Volume:3 | Issue:1|Papers Count:12

Introduction: Nowadays, the soil contamination by heavy metals including cadmium (Cd) is one of the environmental problems which not only damage the animal and plant species but also diminish plant function, enters the food chain and endanger human health and other organisms (Sheoran et al., 2016). Phytoremediation is one of the most important methods that have been developed in the last two decades to address soil contamination, including heavy metals in various countries where planting of suitable plants is used to clean and absorb pollutants from the soil (Shahgholi et al., 2012). On the other hand, many studies have shown that the use of beneficial microorganisms such as fungi can significantly reduce the toxicity of heavy metals by bonding metals to their cell walls and consequently their immobilization (Akhtar et al., 2007). The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of application of some symbiotic fungi and iron nanoparticles on morphological and physiological traits of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L. ) under cadmium stress. Material and methods: The factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. The experimental factors included cadmium chloride in four levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 mg/kg soil from cadmium chloride source), four levels of fungal symbiosis (uninoculated and inoculated with fungi Chaetomium subaffine (SF), Trichoderma atroviride (SN) and Trichoderma longibrachiatum) and foliar spraying of iron nanoparticles in three levels (0, 0. 15 and 0. 3 g/l). Results and discussion: The results showed that the plant height and stem diameter linearly decreased (with 69. 6 and 56. 6%, respectively) when the cadmium levels incresed. Leaf area increased at zero cadmium level in plants inoculated with T. longibrachiatum, 18. 4% as compared to the uninoculated control. When 25 mg/kg of Cd was added to the soil, purslane plants which inoculated with Chaetomium subaffine (SF) showed 11. 4% more leaf area than those uninoculated plants. At all foliar concentrations of iron nanoparticles, the highest content of chlorophyll a+b was obtained at 25 mg/kg soil cadmium. Conclusions: Overall, the interaction of symbiotic fungi and foliar spraying of iron nanoparticles (especially at a concentration of 0. 15 g/l) showed a synergistic effect, hence some growth parameters and chlorophyll concentrations markedly increased in the purslane plants.

Introduction: Sulphur is an important element for garlic because all the species of the Aliaceae family, including the garlic, are sulphur friend. Garlic accumulats this element in a large extent, and respond to sulphur nutrition remarkably. Elemental sulphur requires oxidation by Thiobacillus bacteria to be absorbable for plants root and the population of these bacteria has a positive correlation with soil organic matter (Sabbagh et al, 2016). Therefore, the addition of organic matter increases the oxidation of sulphur and ultimately increases the sulphur content of the plant. Material and methods: Regarding the role of soil organic matter in increasing sulphur oxidation, a factorial experiment was carried out with two factors of sulphur (S0, S1 and S2) and organic amendments (Control: C, Humic Acid: H, and vermiwash: V). Various traits including yield and yield components, photosynthetic parameters, nutrient elements, total antioxidant activity, total phenol, total flavonoid and caffeic acid were measured. Antioxidant activity and caffeic acid were determined based on Ebrahimzadeh et al, (2010) and Hu and Kitts, (2000) respectively. Data analysis was performed using SAS software and mean comparison by Duncan's multiple range test at 1 and 5 percent probability levels. Results and discussion: The results showed that the highest total yield of garlic plant was observed in S1V treatment, although, had no significant difference with S1C and S2C treatments. The highest single garlic weight was obtained in S1C treatment, which was significantly more than all other treatments. The maximum garlic length was observed in S2C treatment, which did not show significant differences with S1V and S1C. The highest photosynthesis rate (A) was recorded in S1C treatment, which was significantly higher than all other studied treatments. The highest amount of sulphur in the edible part of garlic was observed in S1H treatment, which was significantly higher than control and all other treatments. The highest amount of antioxidant capacity in the edible part of garlic was observed in S2C treatment. The content of total phenol in the three treatments S0V, S1V and S1C was significantly lower than the control, while the rest of the treatments did not differ in comparison with the control. The concentration of caffeic acid varied from 11. 36 to 20. 46 mg/kg; which had the highest amount of caffeic acid in the organic amendments factor were control and vermiwash with no significant difference. It seems that with increasing soil organic matter, some natural stresses in soil may be reduced and, as a result, the amount of some antioxidantrelated substances such as caffeic acid decreased. Conclusions: In general, the use of sulphur with a moderate concentration and no organic amendment increased the yield of garlic. In order to generalize the results of this study to other farms, it should be noted that the soil used in this experiment contained a fairly high percentage of organic matter (3. 80%). So in soils with the same amount of organic matter there is no need for extra organic modifiers and sulphur nutrition alone is sufficient. As the results indicated, increased nitrogen and phosphorus absorption took place in humic acid and vermiwash treatments that is very important from a nutritional point of view.

Introduction: Studying the fertilizer requirement and replacing biological fertilizers (mycorrhizal fungi) instead of chemical fertilizers is one of the great valuable issues in sustainable agriculture. Mycorrhizal fungi as biological fertilizer has applied to absorb nutriotion elements from the soil to increase plant growth. The researchers indicated that mycorrhizal fungi cause to change the metabolism of host plant by mycorrhizal inoculation and this modification in metabolism, produce defensive compounds in plant. Furthermore, mycorrhizal fungi improve plant growth by enhancing nutritional and water conditions of plant with changing the root morphology and increasing absorption area with their root development in the soil and stimulating gas interchanging via enhancing the sink capacity, which can be in consequence of nutritional conditions and water relationship enhancement by that fungus. Calendula officinalis is an annual plant from Asteraceae family, one of the well-known medicinal plants that nowadays uses lot in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and hygienic industries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of various mycorrhizal fungi species on some growth characteristics, photosynthetic pigments, secondary metabolites amount (flavonoid and carotenoid) in maigold flower. Material and methods: This study was performed as a completely randomized design with three replications. The treatments comprised inoculation of different mycorrhizal fungi species included Glomus fasciculatum, Glomus claroideum, Glomus versiform, Glomus geosporum, Glomus caledonium, Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradicese Glomus etanicatum, Glomus gigaspora and without fungal inoculation. The inoculation media of mycorrhizal fungi included vegetative organs and the spores of mycorrhizal fungi. In the experimental treatments 200 g of this media used for 5 Kg soil each pot. The seeds of pot marigold were cultivated in the cultivation tray containing equal ratio of perlite and cocopeat, then at four leaves stage, three seedlings were transferred to each pot. After about three months from applying the treatments and at flowering stage, the plants harvested and the studied characteristics included plant height, branchlet number, inflorescence number, stem diameter, flower dry weight, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid and total chlorophyll), relative water content, flavonoid and carotenoid of flowers were measured. The data were subjected to statistical analysis by Minitab 18 software and the means were compared with Bonferroni test at P < 0. 05 Results and discussion: Results and Discussion: The results of analysis of variance showed that the effect of different types of mycorrhizal fungi on all of the studied characteristics in this experiment were significant at 1% probability level. Among the nine mycorrhizal fungi species that used in this study, application of G. mosseae had the highest effect on improving the most growth indices of pot marigold such as plant height, branchlet number, inflorescence number and flower dry weight. Also it had positive effect on enhancing photosynthetic pigments, so that total chlorophyll content increased 67% in this treatment compare to control. The highest relative water content and flower carotenoid also observed in this treatment. After that G. etanicatum and G. geosporum fungi provided the best conditions for pot marigold. Furthermore, the highest fungus colonization percentage (76. 7%) with marigold root was observed at G. intraradicese and there was no significant differences with G. mosseae (71%) and G. geosporum (70. 66%) and the lowest colonization percentage (33%) was obtained at control and after that among different mycorrhiza species G. gigaspora showed 53% colonization. Therefore, among the studied mycorrhiza species in this research, G. mosseae, G. etanicatum and G. geosporum can provide the best conditions for growth and desirable production of secondary metabolites in pot marigold as medicinal plant and suitable replacement for chemical fertilizers in organic agriculture. Conclusions: Most mycorrhizal fungi species used in this research had high symbiosis with pot marigold root, therefore the measured characteristics in the most inoculated plants with mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased in comparison with control that can be in consequence of improving water relationships of plant and probably better nutrition absorption by mycorrhizal fungi. Of course G. gigaspora and G. claroideum in comparison with the other mycorrhizal fungi species that studied in this experiment, could not create good colonization with pot marigold root and therefore had not good effect on growth improvement and yield of marigold. Based on the obtained results of this study, G. mosseae, G. etanicatum and G. geosporum can provide the best conditions for desirable growth and production for pot marigold and as biological fertilizer are suitable replacement for chemical fertilizers.

Introduction: Aromatic Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L; Lamiaceae) is a valuable and common medicinal plant in traditional medicine. Due to its main composition, thymol, is used in the food, pharmaceutical, health and cosmetic industries. Among the different species of Thyme, Thymus vulgaris is cultivated and produced in many parts of the world, including Iran (Omidbaigi, 2000). Water stress can decrease leaf height, number and leaf area, dry weight, stomata closure, chlorophyll content reduction and root growth in medicinal plants. Therefore, it is important to deal with the damaging effects of drought in different ways such as the use of biofertilizers. Material and methods: To investigate the effects of irrigation interval at three levels including 1 w =7(Control), 2 w =12 and 3 w =17 days irrigation interval as a main plot and bio and non – bio fertilizers at five levels including 1 B = control (without fertilizer), 2 B = Endo mycorrhizal (Glomus), 3 B = Azospirillum bacteria, 4 B = Pseudomonas bacteria and 5 B = chemical fertilizer(NPK) were considered as a sub plot on flowering branches yield, percentage of essential oil and some biochemical compounds in Thymus vulgaris, An experiment was conducted in a split plot design with randomized complete block design with three replications in 2017 in Asgarya agricultural field in Yazd. Finally, the data were analyzed through SAS statistical software and Excel software was used to draw charts. Means comparison was performed through LSD test at 5% probability level. Results and discussion: The results showed that the highest of flowering branches yield and total phenol were observed in control of irrigation ( 1 w ) and NPK treatment ( 5 B ), the highest of biological yield and number of lateral branches were observed in control of irrigation ( 1 w ) and mycorrhiza treatment ( 2 B ), the highest of protein was observed in control of irrigation ( 1 w ) and Azospirillum treatment ( 3 B ), the highest of soluble carbohydrates was observed in 2 w and pseudomonas treatment ( 4 B ), the highest of height was observed in control of irrigation ( 1 w ), The highest of proline and the percentage of essential oil were observed in W3. In terms of fertilizer treatment, the highest of height, proline and the percentage of essential oi were observed in pseudomonas treatment ( 4 B ), NPK ( 5 B ) and mycorrhiza ( 2 B ). In general, the results in this experiment can be expressed, in terms of water deficit stress, use of biological fertilizers, especially mycorrhizal, can partly reduce the adverse effects on this plant. Conclusions: In general, it can be concluded that the use of bio fertilizers, especially mycorrhiza, can reduce the side effects of this plant in water deficit conditions. According to the results of this study, it is concluded that accumulation of proline and carbohydrates in Thyme aerial parts in the face of water deficit stress, is one of the mechanisms of drought resistance in this plant. Rapid accumulation of osmotic pressure-regulating substances such as proline and carbohydrate decrease the osmotic potential of plant cells and thus water absorption of the plant. Also, similarity of yield increase and yield components of flowering shoots in Thyme with biofertilizers especially Mycorrhiza under stress conditions has positive effects of this fertilizer by improving physiological traits in the plant. Therefore, it seems that if the water deficit stress does not lead to a significant decrease in the economic performance of this plant, biofertilizers can be reduced on this plant.

Introduction: Among the plant nutrients required, nitrogen is the most limiting plant growth factor and the key nutrient for achieving optimum yield in most crops, especially in arid regions (Seilsespour and Momayezi, 2005). Therefore, the most widely used fertilizer among the fertilizers is nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Nitrogen is present in the structure of amino acids, nucleic acids, purine bases, alkaloids and chlorophylls. The amount of nitrogen needed by plant depends on the species of plant and soil. It is absorbed by the plant in the form of ammonium and nitrate. Plants mainly prefer nitrate ions for uptake (Dordas and Sioulas, 2008). Nitrate in the human body is converted to nitrite and, in combination with amines, is converted to nitrosamine, which is one of the main causes of cancer. In the neonatal stomach, nitrate is resuscitated to nitrite and, in the bloodstream, oxidizes hemoglobin iron and converts divalent iron to trivalent iron. Thus, hemoglobin pigments disrupt oxygen delivery to the infant's body and eventually lead to choking and death of the infant (Fewtrell, 2004). Nitrate accumulation in vegetables is often dependent on the amount and type of nutrients in the soil and is closely related to the amount and timing of fertilizer use, so that the amount of chemical fertilizer applied is one of the factors affecting it. Vegetable and vegetable products, including leafy vegetables, are of great importance in many countries because of their high nutritional value (Menard, 2008). Vegetables have been suggested by the World Health Organization to prevent no communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (FAO / WHO, 2003). However, despite the importance and nutritional value of vegetables, research has shown that about 80% of the nitrates that enter the human body are from vegetables and fruits (Kiani and Gheytasi, 2016). Due to the adverse effects of nitrate on human health, much attention has now been paid to the accumulation of this ion in vegetables and has been considered as a qualitative biological indicator in vegetables (Chen et al., 2004). Due to the lack of information on the nitrate concentration of leafy vegetables produced in the major vegetable production areas of Varamin plain, this study was conducted to determine of nitrate concentration in leafy vegetable and evaluation of nitrate risk assessment for vegetables consumers. Material and methods: To investigate the nitrate concentration in leafy vegetables, this study was conducted in 2014 in the agricultural lands of Varamin district (Varamin, Pishva, Pakdasht), which are the hub of vegetable production in Tehran province. The leafy vegetables studied were savory, parsley, coriander, fenugreek, leek, cress, dill, mint, cabbage, celery, spinach and lettuce. Sampling was done for each crop from 30 different farms. . Di azo method (Emami, 1996) was used to determine nitrate concentration. The mean nitrate concentration in each leafy vegetable (at 30 field level) was compared with the maximum permissible nitrate level (National Standard No. 16596) by means of T-test. According to the World Health Organization (Human Health Fact Sheet, 2005) guidelines, which set the daily nitrate uptake for humans to be 3. 6 mg. kg-1 body weight, the maximum daily allowable nitrate uptake through each leafy vegetable for a person with 80 kg weight was calculated. Results and discussion: Among the leafy vegetables, lettuce with average 3909 mg/kg fresh weight had the highest accumulation of nitrate and fenugreek with an average of 641 mg/kg fresh weight had the lowest nitrate accumulation per kg. The mean nitrate concentration of each vegetable was compared by Ttest with maximum nitrate concentration for each vegetable. In all samples of lettuce, spinach and celery studied, nitrate concentration was significantly higher than the maximum, while in all fenugreek and coriander samples, nitrate concentration was significantly lower than Maximum allowed. Considering the maximum allowable daily intake of nitrate for humans (3. 86 mg/kg body weight) and the average nitrate content in the studied vegetables, the maximum daily intake of each vegetable species were calculated. The results showed that daily consuming of 76 grams of lettuce or 94 grams of spinach by a person with 80 kg weight, would maximize the amount of nitrate in the body and increase the risk to health. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that some of the leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach contained high levels of nitrate base on the national standard of Iran. The average nitrate concentration in the leafy vegetables was 1458 mg/kg fresh weight. Maximum daily uptake of nitrate for adults is about 190 mg and more uptake, can cause harmful on the body. It is worth noting that this issue is more important for children. Therefore, it seems that the use of nitrogen fertilizers should be revised in the leafy vegetables fields. In this regard, nitrogen fertilizer application based on soil test and soil nitrate is recommended.

Introduction: Guar or cluster bean belongs to leguminosae family. It is an annual plant and tolerant to salinity and drought. Guar is a drought resistant plant which is cultivated as a forage and seed crop and vegetable in warm and dry regions of Asia and Africa (Momen Keykha et al., 2018). The use of organic matters as fertilizer on agricultural soils can reduce the effects of soil compaction and provide the nutrients for the plants (Mohammadnejad et al., 2015). The research on the use organic fertilizers on guar under different plant densities has been scant. Thus the present study was carried out in order to assess and survey the effects of nutritious factors and density on growth indices, yield and yield components of Guar under Isfahan climatic conditions. Material and methods: Experiment was conducted as factorial using randomized complete blocks design with three replications. This research was carried out during the growing season of 2015-2016 in the center of agricultural research of Isfahan province. First factor included: chemical fertilizer (two levels of 60, 70, 70 and the other 90, 100, 100, kilograms per hectare respectively nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous), animal manure (in two levels 10 and 20 tons per hectare) and vermicompost (at two levels of 300 and 600 kilograms per hectare) and density as the second factor consists of three levels of 60, 75 and 90 plants / m2. Growth indices were LAI, CGR and RGR. Also plant height, number of branches, pod number per plant, grain number per pod, length of pod, 1000-grain weight and grain yield were measured. The data were statistically analyzed by SAS software. Comparison of means was performed using LSD test at the 0. 05 level of significant. Results and discussion: The highest LAI belonged to chemical fertilizer 2 and the lowest to vermicompost 1. 60 and 90 plants per square meter had the highest and lowest LAI respectively. The highest and lowest CGR belonged to chemical fertilizer and vermicompost respectively. CGR peaked in all the treatments by appearance of pods and reduced while pods were filling. This can be due to increasing shades and lack of light (Emam and Niknejad, 2011). RGR was almost linear and declining. They decreased to zero and negative The results showed that the effect of factors were significant on all traits except grain number per pod and 1000-grain weight. Based on the results, the plant height, number of sub branches, number of pods, pod length and grain yield in nutritious treatments and plant density were significant, but the interaction between fertilizer levels and density, except for the number of pods, were not significant. The maximum number of sub branches (6. 13), pod number per plant (46. 32), 1000-grain weight (33. 55 g) and grain yield (3646. 3 kg/h) was observed in density of 60 plants per square meter. Rezvani Moghaddam et al., (2010) reported that the seed yield was increased by increasing plant density, but decreased the plant height, number of capsule per plant, plant biomass, seed yield and weight and number of seed per plant, significantly. 1000-seed weight, harvest index and weight of seed per capsule had no affected by treatments. Asadi et al., (2013) reported that organic input application could be considered as a sustainable approach for improving growth and yield of medicinal plants such as isabgol in agroecosystems that will increase nitrogen efficiency and reduce environmental pollutions due to slow release of nutrients. Conclusions: As a whole the density of 60 pl/m2 was preferred in most of traits. In most of the yield components, preference is to chemical fertilizer, but in the some traits, vermicompost was at the same level or sometimes superior to other treatments. So at the same condition, it is advisable to use 60 plants per square meter and to get a better result in cropping and to decrease the negative environmental effects, it is advisable to use a combination of chemical fertilizer and vermicompost.

Introduction: Roselle is the English name for Hibiscus sabdariffa L. that is an annual or perennial medicinal plant. Roselle is specific to the warm and indigenous climate of Africa (Rahbarian et al., 2011). Roselle is one of the most important crop plants due to its medicinal properties and use in local and industrial foods (Sanoussi et al., 2011) in some countries. Also, its leaves as edible vegetable and its seeds have been used as enhancers and a rich source of protein (Maksoud and Hosni, 1997). Sepal is the most important part of the plant that can be green, red or dark red and in traditional medicine use to treat hypertension, liver lesions, cancer, fever, and inflammatory diseases. Nutrients, including nitrogen, have effects on vegetative and reproductive growth and economical yield of medicinal plants. Moreover, nitrogen affect on quantity and quality of its ingredients. Plants' need for this nutrient varies according to plant type, climatic and field conditions, including plant density per unit area. Proper plant density is one of the most important factors affecting the growth and production of medicinal plants and is an effective factor in achieving optimum yield through maximum use of light and other resources (Omidbeigi and Hasani Malayeri, 2007). Material and methods: The experiment was carried out in a farm located 6 km east of Iranshahr near Iranshahr-Abtar road with 60 degrees 45 minutes east longitude and 27 degrees 13 minutes north latitude with a height of 580 meters above sea level in 2014. This research was conducted as split-plot experiment on the basis of a randomized complete block design with three replications. In this research nitrogen set as main factor with four levels (0, 100, 200 and 300 kg N ha-1) and plant density set as sub factor with four levels (5, 6. 7, 10 and 20 plants per m2). The studied traits were plant height, number of branch per main stem, stem diameter, fruit length, number of fruit per plant, number of fruits per m2, dry weight of sepal in fruit, dry yield of sepal, biological yield and harvest index of sepal. In the end, all data were analyzed by MSTAT-C statistical software and means were compared by Duncan multiple range test at 5% level. Results and discussion: Analysis of variance revealed that number of branch per main stem, number of fruits per plant, number of fruits per m2 and biological yield were significantly influenced by simple and interaction effects of nitrogen and plant density. Also, stem diameter and dry yield of sepal were significantly influenced by simple effects of nitrogen and plant density. Means comparison showed that increasing of nitrogen application from 0 to 300 kg N ha-1, stem diameter, branches number of main stem, fruit number per plant, fruit number per m2, dry yield of sepal and biological yield significantly increased by 15. 8, 135. 8, 104. 4, 108. 8 and 30. 5%, respectively. Moreover, increasing of density from 5 to 20 plants m-2, stem diameter, branch number of main stem and fruit number per plant significantly decreased by 24. 1, 76. 6 and 37. 3% respectively, but fruit number per m2, dry yield of sepal and biological yield significantly increased by125. 6, 105. 7 and 88. 5%, respectively. It seems that the reason of significant increase in number of fruit per m2 and sepal yield per unit area with increasing application of nitrogen fertilizer can be development of shoots and increasing branch number thus more uptake of sunlight and finally the assimilates production in the plant. Also, significant increase in dry yield of sepal with increasing plant density per m2 was mainly due to significant increase in number of fruits per m2. Conclusions: In general, according to the results of current study, application of 300 kg N. ha-1 and density of 20 plants m-2 can be suggested for roselle cultivation in Iranshar, Iran.

Introduction: The amount of nutrients in fruit trees and their proper nutrition is one of the most important determinants of yield. Among the micronutrients, due to the effective role of boron in germination and growth of pollen tube, it has an important role in pollination, fertilization and finally fruit set (Sharafi, 2019). Usually, the concentration of Boron (B) in plants is comparatively higher in flower, anthers, ovary and stigma as compared to vegetative parts which suggests a particular biological role of B in the reproductive phases of plants (Agens et al., 1997; Alva et al., 2015). The B necessity for normal pollen germination and tube growth has been well known in fruit trees (Yang et al., 1999). Material and methods: In this study, the effects of Boron foliar application at three concentrations of 0, 1000 and 2000 mg / l on flower buds of two cultivars of Beigi and Shahroodi apricots were investigated. After foliar application two weeks before flowering, the effect of foliar application on germination percentage, pollen tube growth, primary and final fruit set were evaluated. Results and discussion: The results were showed that 2000 mg / L Boron had the most effect on the rate of initial and final fruit set. The percentage of initial and final fruit set was 1000 mg / l Boron. The results also showed that the effect of Boron on germination percentage at stigma level and penetration rate of pollen tubes at the beginning of pistil, middle style and ovarian inlet was significant at 1% probability level. The germination percentage with 1000 mg / L Boron with 61. 82% germination and the lowest germination with 57. 91% was related to control. Also, 1000 mg / l sulfate increased the penetration of pollen tubes into the beginning and middle parts of the styles and so ovary. Conclusions: Overall foliar application of Boron increased the primary and final fruit set, and so increased germination and penetration of pollen tube to the ovary in apricot cultivars.

Introduction: Sesame is an annual plant with a history of 5, 000 years, apparently the oldest oilseed in the world. Due to the climatic conditions and characteristics of Iranian soils, it is very important to pay attention to the consumption of sulfur in agricultural lands. Lack of sulfur fertilizer consumption (such as simple superphosphate) containing in the last few years, consistent and intense cultivation of agricultural lands, the existence of sodic and saline-sodic soils, abundance and affordability of sulfur are the most important reasons for paying attention to sulfur consumption in Iran. The importance of this element in oilseed plants is more important. Sulfur must first be converted to sulfate ions to be absorbed by plants, which is caused by microorganisms such as chemoaulytotrophs, which use elemental sulfur as a source of energy. The most important of these microorganisms are Thiobacillus bacteria (Zhi-Hui et al., 2010). The realization of this depends on the existence of a significant population of Thiobacillus. Material and methods: This study was conducted as complete randomized blocks design for factorial experiment with 3 replications on a farm in Karaj city (Alborz province) in the 2017-2018 agronomic year. In this experiment, sulfur fertilizer was used at three levels (including control level (S0), 100 Kg. ha1 (S1) and 300 Kg. ha-1 (S2)); Thiobacillus bacteria was used at two levels (including no inoculation (T0) and inoculation with bacteria (T1)). Then plant height, yield and yield components and harvest index were calculated. To determine the content of chlorophyll and carotenoids before the end of the growing season, sampling of plant leaves was performed. Analysis of variance and mean comparisons of data (at a 5% probability level based on LSD test) were performed using SAS software (Ver. 9. 4). MS Excel was also used to plot the diagrams. Results and discussion: The results showed that all the studied traits were significantly affected by the main effect of sulfur fertilizer and except for the plant height, all the studied traits were affected by the main effect of Thiobacillus. So that the highest amount of all the tested properties of sulfur fertilizer was 300 Kg. ha-1 in sesame. The use of Thiobacillus bacteria also significantly increased all the studied characteristics in sesame plants except plant height. The interaction of sulfur fertilizer and Thiobacillus bacterium also had significant effects on the number of capsules per plant, the number of seeds per capsule, grain yield, biological yield, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll. Conclusions: Due to the high level of lime in the soils of our country and the cheapness of sulfur resources in Iran, to reduce soil pH use sulfur fertilizer and to facilitate access to sulfur resources, increase oxidation of this fertilizer and increase the activity of beneficial soil microorganisms using bacteria Thiobacillus is recommended.

Introduction: Medicinal plants have been one of the main natural resources of Iran from ancient times. Nutritional management has a significant impact on the quantity and quality of plants. The fastest way to supply nutrients for plant is the use of mineral fertilizers. In spite of significant and positive effect of chemical fertilizer on crops production, excessive use of them can reduce crop yield due to loss of soil biological activity, loss of soil physical properties, soil acidification, and soil nutrient imbalance. In addition, the use of chemical fertilizers can cause environmental pollutions. The use of organic manures as alternative sources of chemical fertilizer increased the yield of many plants and reduced the adverse effect of chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizers also increased soil moisture, reduced soil pH and increased the electrical conductivity and the ability of absorbing soil nutrients. Therefore to study the effects of biological and chemical fertilizers on quantitative and qualitative yield of Cichorium intybus in different densities, this experiment was conducted. Material and methods: This experiment was conducted as split split plots in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments comprised of nitrogen at three levels (0, 50, 100 kg/ha) as the main plot, density at three levels (6, 9 and 12 plants/m2) as sub plot and bio-fertilizer in three levels (non-inoculation, inoculation with Mycorrhiza and inoculation with Azotobacter) as sub-sub plot. Several quantitative and qualitative traits were measured including leaf number, root length, fresh and dry weight, flavonoid content, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Results and discussion: Analysis of variance showed the significant effects of treatments on leaves, fresh and dry weight, root length and the amount of plant flavonoids, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen consumption based on 100% fertilizer recommendations increased all traits, while the effects of density and bio-fertilizer were different on quantitative and qualitative traits. Seed inoculated with mycorrhiza showed a better result for flavonoid, phosphorus and potassium than seed inoculated with Azotobacter. Among the two-way interaction effects, the density × bio fertilizer and density × the nitrogen fertilizer were significant for plant leaf number and root length. Mean comparison of density × bio fertilizer showed that the highest number of leaves per plant was obtained at density of 6 plant/m2 and Azotobacter inoculation and the highest root length was observed at density of 12 plant/m2 and Azotobacter inoculation. Mean comparison of density × the nitrogen fertilizer showed that the highest leaf number was observed at density of 6 plant. m-2 and 100 kg ha-1 nitrogen fertilizer and the highest root length was obtained at density of 12 plant m-2 and 100 kg ha-1 nitrogen fertilizer. The interaction effect of nitrogen fertilizer, density and bio-fertilizer was significant only for fresh weight. The maximum value of fresh weight (1848. 8 g/m2) is related to the application of 100 kg/ha nitrogen fertilizer, the density of 12 plants/m2 and using Azotobacter. These conditions increased fresh weight to168 percent than conditions of lack of nitrogen and bio-fertilizers under the density of 6 plants/m2 (with 688. 5 g/m2 fresh weight). Conclusions: The results showed that the application of biological fertilizer had a significant effect on improving quantitative and qualitative yield of Cichorium intybus. Furthermore, the combined application of biological fertilizer and chemical fertilizer (based on 100% fertilizer recommendations) in the density of 12 plant/m2 significantly increased root length and weight of the plant. Therefore, biological fertilizers through the improvement of soil structure, and along with chemical fertilizers, increase greatly the quantitative and qualitative yield of plants.

Introduction: Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stresses which adversely affect crop productivity and plant growth. A good nutritional status of the plant could alleviate the adverse effects of drought stress. Zinc dificiency is one one the most predominant mineral dificiency especially in dry and semi-dry regions. Zinc has a critical role in protein metabolism, gene experssion, cell-wall integrity, other micronutrient content and carbon metabolism. Hybrid Petunias are garden standbys developed from several South American Petunia species. These sun and heat-loving annuals or tender perennials were among the first ornamentals to be bred for the bedding plant market in the 1950s. Petunia is cultivated in flower beds and pots and requires full sunlight to produce plants and flowers with bright attractive colors. Petunias are as easy to grow as they are pretty. They require ample sun and grow best in rich soil with good drainage. They bloom best with regular fertilization and will continue to flower all seasons Material and methods: seedlings grown on media containing 70: 30 garden soil: sand were spraed with diefferent concentrations (0, 5, 25 and 50 MgL-1 ) of Nanoparticles and zinc-sulfate. Spraying repeated in two weeks interval on plants after drought stress implementation (50 and 100 percent of field capacity). Morphological and physiological traits were evaluated during the growing period and after final harvest. Results and discussion: results showed that drought stress affected all of the studied traits significantly. Spraying with zinc nanoparticle had significant and positive effects on all morphological and physiological trait except stomatal conductance. Spraying with zinc-sulfate enhanced plant growth, proline accumulation, flower and leaf number. In case of flower number, no significant difference were observed among treatments under drought strss condition, while, under normal condition, plants treated with 25 mg/l of each compound produced 7 more flowers than control. Conclusions: spraying with zinc nanoparticles was more effective than zinc-sulfate on alleviation of drought stress and consequently on growth and flowering of petunia plants.

Introduction: Common purslane is one of the valuable medicinal plants for its abundant effective substances (Stephan et al., 1994). Since the use of silicon as a beneficial element (Ma et al., 2000) and methyl jasmonate as an elicitor (Creelman and Mullet, 1997) can increase some of the most desirable traits of medicinal herbs, in this study, the effect of simultaneous treatment of methyl jasmonate and silicone on different growth characteristics and photosynthetic parameters of common purslane has been investigated. Material and methods: This research carried out in a factorial format based on complete block randomized design with two factors and three replications in greenhouse conditions. The first factor was methyl jasmonate spray at three levels (M0: control, M75: 75 µ m, M150: 150 µ m) and the second factor was silicon in five levels (S0: control, Sf1: fertigation of 1 µ m, Sf2: fertigation of 2 mM, SS1: spray of 1 mM, SS2: spray of 2 mM) in one step, when the plants had six developed true leave. Morphological traits including stem fresh weight (g), leaf fresh weight (g), length and width of leaf (cm) stem length (cm) and root length (cm), and photosynthetic parameters including leaf relative humidity (rh), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (GH2O), carbon dioxide absorption rate (A), photosynthetic active radiation in top surface of the leaf (PARtop), photosynthetic active radiation in bottom surface of the leaf (PARbot), Ambient photosynthetic active radiation (PARamb) and photosynthetic pigments including chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids. Data analysis was performed using SAS software and comparison of meanings by Duncan's multiple range test at 1 and 5 percent probability level. Results and discussion: The results showed that M0Ss2, M0Sf2, M150S0 and M150Sf2 treatments had the highest stem length with no significant difference among each other (Table 2). The fresh weight of the stem was significantly higher in M75Sf1 and M150S0 compared to the control and all other treatments (Table 2). M75Ss1 treatment showed the least fresh weight of leaf, however, it was not significantly different with M0S0 and M150Ss1 treatments (Table 2). Transpiration rate (E) was significantly higher in treatments using 2 mM silicium fertilizer (M0Sf2, M75Sf2 and M150Sf2) than control (Table 4). The lowest stomatal conductance (GH2O), was seen in M150S0 treatment which was significantly less than control (Table 4). The highest chlorophyll a was observed in M150Ss1 treatment which had no significant difference with M75S0 and M150S0, and all three treatments were superior to control (Table 6). The highest amount of chlorophyll b was observed in the treatment of M150Ss1 which showed significant difference with M75Ss2 and M75Sf1 (Table 6). In terms of total chlorophyll content, M150Ss1 was significantly higher and the highest amount of carotenoids was observed in M0Ss2 (Table 6). Conclusions: As a whole, M150Ss1 treatment has been shown to improve on yield and photosynthetic traits in common purslane and it is a suitable treatment for spraying on this plant.