Background and objectives: Shrub plants, acting as living shelters, significantly influence species diversity and the stability of grazed ecosystems. Removing shrubs from rangeland plant communities without protective measures can destabilize rangeland habitats. This study aimed to investigate the protective and sheltering roles of Astragalus heratensis Bunge. and Acanthophyllum glandulosum Bunge ex Boiss. on the stability of Astragalus habitats in the eastern highlands of Iran.Methodology: The study was conducted in the Astragalus habitats of Torbat-e-Heydarieh, representing the eastern highlands. Species type and density were measured in 50 plots (2 m²) placed 10 meters apart along five 100-meter transects. Along each transect, 10 plant bases of each species (A. heratensis and A. glandulosum) with crowns intersecting the transect were selected. Height, major and minor diameters, and canopy cover were measured. Within microplots (0.25 m²) placed under the canopy of each shrub, crown cover percentage and species density were recorded. Simultaneously, at a distance of less than 2 meters from each plant base on the opposite side of the transect, a similar microplot (0.25 m²) was established in open areas to measure crown cover and species density. Species diversity indices were calculated for both under-canopy and open areas. Independent samples t-tests were used to compare species diversity between these areas.Results: Based on the results, Astragalus heratensis Bunge. has a greater protective role for sub-shrub species than Acantholimon glandulosum Bunge ex Boiss., primarily due to its superior height and canopy cover. The percentage of canopy cover, density, and species diversity indices under its crown are higher than those under A. glandulosum. Additionally, the vegetation characteristics and species diversity under the canopy of shrub plants are greater than in the open spaces between them. Most species that exhibit high density under the canopy of A. heratensis and A. glandulosum are rarely observed in open areas. This phenomenon is attributed to the favorable microhabitat conditions that shrub plants create for annual species. No significant difference was observed in the protective and sheltering roles of A. heratensis and A. glandulosum in terms of outdoor biomass production. However, the biomass production of sub-shrubs under A. heratensis was 35% higher than under A. glandulosum.Conclusion: Shrub plants, functioning as living shelters, protect species under their canopy from direct livestock grazing and create a refuge for palatable species that are sensitive to grazing pressure. Additionally, they provide favorable conditions for the germination, growth, survival, and production of edible species. In general, due to their role in sheltering and supporting annual species, shrub plants play a crucial role in the diversity, conservation, and management of grazed ecosystems. Their protective function can be utilized to enhance and restore rangeland vegetation.

In the present study four methods for shrub production measurement were compared namely: Adelaide technique, double sampling with usage of cover percentage for 20 and 25 percent direct sampling and clipping and weighing method. The result of clipping and weighing method was considered as index. Their accuracy and time consumption were compared. For this purpose four species including Artemisia sieberi, Eurotia ceratoides, Salsola rigida and Aellenia subaphylla were selected. The result showed that the best method for all shrubs (except Aellenia subaphylla) was double sampling with 20% direct sampling. The Adelaide technique can be an accurate method for Aellenia subaphylla, because this plant is big in height with sparse distribution of twigs and branches.Therefore using cover information in the double sampling method is recommended as the best method for shrub production measurement.

Medicinal plants contain active ingredients in one or some of their organs. Squalene is one of the active ingredients that prevent heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases and protect the body from some cancers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of squalene in a number of medicinal plants. In this experiment, the plant oils were extracted and measured using Bligh & Dyer with minor changes. TLC (thin layer chromatography) was used to identify squalene. Comparison of TLC of standard squalene with TLC of the investigated medicinal plant samples showed that Caryophillium aromaticus, Descurainia sophia, Portulaca Oleracea, Papaver somniferum and Nigella Sativa contained squalene. Although the percentage of Papaver somniferum and Nigella Sativa seed oil was higher than other medicinal plants, the squalane spot of clove plant had a higher intensity of color and this indicates a higher concentration of squalene in this plant.

AbstractBackground and Objectives         Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plants are critical for ecosystem function, however, these interactions remain poorly characterized in mountainous and cold environments. This research aimed to investigate the effect of three shrub species (Berberis integerrima, Onobrychis cornuta, and Juniperus sabina. ) on root colonization, spore population, and fungal species diversity in the rhizosphere of these plants. Materials and Methods   This research was conducted in the Belde highlands, Helooposhteh village, in the southern part of Nur County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. A field survey was initially performed to select 13 plots as replicates. Each plot contained three adjacent shrub species. Soil sampling was carried out in the spring of 2023. A total of 52 rhizosphere soil samples (4 samples under each shrub and 1 sample from outside the shrub canopy in each plot) and 39 root samples were collected. Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0-30 cm in each of the 13 plots. Root samples were stained using the Hayman & Phillips (1970) method to visualize fungal structures (vesicles, arbuscules, and hyphae). Also, 200 grams of each soil sample were taken, and spores were isolated and counted using a washing, wet sieving, and centrifugation method in a sucrose solution. Then, identification was performed. ResultsThe results indicated that the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was significantly influenced by the canopy of different shrub species. In the control (areas outside the shrub canopies), Diversispora aurantia was identified. Under the canopy of Onobrychis cornuta, Glomus flavisporum and Acaulospora sp. were found. Additionally, under the Berberis integerrima canopy, Gigaspora gigantea, Acaulospora colombiana, and Acaulospora jejuensis were identified, and under the Juniperus sabina canopy, Cetraspora pellucida and Glomus flavisporum were observed. The results also showed that Acaulospora had the highest abundance among these fungi, while Gigaspora and Diversispora aurantia had the lowest. Furthermore, root colonization rate and spore counts showed significant differences among the shrub species. The root colonization percentage for O. cornuta was 79. 46% with a spore count of 4038 per 200g of soil The relative abundance of J. sabina was 53. 46% (3952 spores), while B. integerrima constituted 41. 30% (3593 spores) of the total spore count. ConclusionThe results of this study emphasize the significance of species diversity in shrub communities within mountainous and cold habitats, highlighting their pivotal role in shaping fungal communities and enhancing ecosystem functions. Shrubs are recognized as key drivers in ecological interactions and in maintaining the sustainability of ecosystem processes.

In this study was purposed to investigate the absorption of zinc by Acacia victoriae. The one year old shrubs were randomly selected in 3 replications and exposed by Zinc-sulfate in four concentration (0, 50, 250, 500 mg/l). Some of the morphological and physiological properties such as plant height, collar diameter, leaf number and area, green and dry weight of plant, tolerance index, grade of growth inhibition and chlorophyll content as well as bioaccumulations of Zn in different plant tissues were evaluated. Results showed that the properties were significantly affected by Zn. However, the effect of high concentration of Zn slight had as well as tree on effects series any have didn't that, properties the in decreasethe signs of toxicity with zinc, addition In. observed not was the amounts of accumulation of Zn in the roots were higher than aboveground tissues, so that about 80% of Zn (4794. 5 mg/kg), more than 13% of Zn (797. 9 mg/kg), and about 7% of Zn (488. 35 mg/kg) were accumulated in the root tissues, the stem tissues, and the leaves, respectively. The bioaccumulation and transfer factors were also measured to higher one and lower one, respectively. Generally, the result demonstrated that the Acacia victoriae could be affected as a phytoremediation in reduction of soil pollution to Zn.

Understanding the climatic potentials of the regions is very important for the diversity and talent of agricultural products. Barberry, one of the products of Iran, suffers from climate change and anomalies. In the present study, the phonological stages of barberry tree without any basis of field observations in Ghaen synoptic meteorological station were determined. To measure the accumulation of cooling needs based on the cold clock model and the Utah unit, the statistics of 18 valid meteorological stations from 1987 to 2017 on an hourly and daily time scale were used. The results showed that barberry needs six phonological stages to complete the growth period from early April to late November. The highest temperature requirement occurs in the ripening stage until fruit development. The cooling requirement of barberry tree in different stations varies from 1050 to 1960 hours depending on climatic conditions. Field observations showed that seedless barberry does not take on a full and commercial color if it does not meet the need for sufficient cooling. The study area was zoned according to the models of the cold clock and the Utah unit, based on which Ghaen and Zahedan stations have the highest cooling needs. Based on the validation indices of different models estimating the need for cooling, the root mean square criterion was used and the results show that the cold hour (CH) model has a higher performance due to the fact that the root mean square (RMSE) is less than the other model.

More than 22% of the world's agricultural land is saline, and this trend continues to increase with climate changes. Salinity stress causes leaf color change, osmotic stress, ionic toxicity, prevents growth, photosynthesis and plant performance. Due to their size less than micron, metal nanoparticles have a great absorption and transmission power in plants. Salinity stress is a major problem in hot and dry areas under tomato cultivation. For this purpose, investigating the mutual effects of the size and type of zinc oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles on the improvement and change of growth and increasing the resistance to salt stress in tomato plants of the early urbana variety were carried out in the form of a completely randomized and factorial design with 4 replications, at a significant level of 5%. In this research, zinc oxide nanoparticles in 25 and 50 nm sizes, iron oxide in 25 nm sizes and sodium chloride in 0 and 75 mM levels were used. Nanoparticles and salinity treatments were both applied to the plants. The results showed that salt stress led to a decrease in plant growth parameters such as shoot and root length, leaf area, RWC, ion leakage. Also, NaCl led to an increase in the accumulation of prolin and other aldehydes, sodium, iron and zinc. The application of nanoparticles had a slight effect in stress-free conditions, but in stressed conditions, these two nanoparticles alone and especially in combination neutralized the effect of salinity and reduced the damage caused by salinity stress.

In order to ecologically investigate Rhus coriraria L. species and recognize its existing sites in west of Iran, boundaries of these species were located on the topographic map and 8 plots with areas of 100 square meters were implemented. Soil samples were collected from 0-10 and 10-20cm depth. Using analysis Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Levene and T-test were also used to compare that with and without Sumac covering with regard to biodiversity indices. The results showed Organic matter and Potassium in depth of 0-10 cm at Sumac covered area was greater than those at adjacent (without Sumac covering) area. Sumac covered area had greater values of Organic matter, nitrogen, calcium and clay percent in depth of 10-20 cm in comparison to adjacent area. In addition, the comparison of soil ingredients in different depths of the two areas showed that Electric conductance in depth of 0-10 cm and Nitrogen content in depth of 10-20 cm of sumac covering area was greater than those of adjacent area. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that Rhus coriraria L species in regions with soil types of high amounts of N, C-O, K, Ca and Clay and located in steep lands with north directions. Therefore, in order to plant this species and enrichment of this species in its natural habitat and other dry and semi-dry regions requirements of this species must be considered.

Lycium depressum, a prickly shrub from Solanaceae family, is a native species from Iran with high salinity and drought tolerance ability. In this study, the establishments of an efficient micropropagation method for L. desressum was investigated. In the first experiment, the effects of benzylaminoporin (BAP) and thiadiazuron (TDZ) in combination with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) were investigated. In the second experiment, the effect of various organic and inorganic compounds including myo-inositol, casein hydrolysate, proline, FeEDDHA, as well as calcium chloride on the improvement of proliferation and quality of in vitro regenerated shoots were evaluated. According to the results of these experiments, BAP at low concentration (0. 5 mg / L) was regarded as the best treatment for in vitro proliferation of L. depressum. Moreover, the maximum leaf number was achieved in this treatment. In addition, increasing the concentration of myo-inositol to 200 mg/l in MS medium, enhanced shoot proliferation, leaf size and quality of regenerated shoots. The highest root number and length was obtained on full strength MS medium supplemented with 0. 3 mg/l IBA. Following rooting, the developed plantlets were hardened and established successfully in culture room with 95% survival rate. Overall, this experiment resulted in an efficient micropropagation protocol for L. depressum. The findings of this study can facilitate the path to more extensive research program on various aspects of domestication of this valuable medicinal and landscape species.