Explore the vast range of titles available.

To study the effects of foliar application of putrescine (distilled water (0), 0.75, 1.5, and 2.25 mM) and water deficit stress (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% available soil water depletion (ASWD)) on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular attributes of Salvia officinalis L., a factorial experiment was performed in a completely randomized design with three replications in the growth chamber. The results of Real - Time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that putrescine concentration, irrigation regime, and the two-way interaction between irrigation regime and putrescine concentration significantly influenced cineole synthase (CS), sabinene synthase (SS), and bornyl diphosphate synthase (BPPS) relative expression. The highest concentration of 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-thujone, β-thujone, CS, SS, and BPPS were obtained in the irrigation regime of 80% ASWD with the application of 0.75 mM putrescine. There was high correlation between expression levels of the main monoterpenes synthase and the concentration of main monoterpenes. The observed correlation between the two enzyme activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) strongly suggests they have coordinated action. On the other hand, the highest peroxidase (PO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentrations were obtained with the application of 0.75 mM putrescine under the irrigation regime of 40% ASWD. Putrescine showed a significant increase in LAI and RWC under water deficit stress. There was an increasing trend in endogenous putrescine when putrescine concentration was increased in all irrigation regimes. Overall, the results suggest that putrescine may act directly as a stress-protecting compound and reduced H 2 O 2 to moderate the capacity of the antioxidative system, maintain the membrane stability, and increase secondary metabolites under water deficit stress.

Salinity stress is one of the main limiting factors of medicinal plant growth and may affect their characteristics and chemical composition. In order to evaluate the response of different species of Iranian mint to salinity stress, an experiment was designed in greenhouse conditions. In this experiment, six Iranian mint species were cultivated in pots under different salinity stress including 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 dS/m. The chlorophyll indices (a, b, total, and a/b ratio), carotenoids, total anthocyanin, total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, dry matter yield, and essential oil content were measured in two different harvest stages. Salinity stress affected various measured traits. The results showed that despite the negative effect of salinity stress on photosynthetic pigments, in some ecotypes and species, photosynthetic pigments were not affected by salinity stress. The amount of total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and total anthocyanin increased in response to salinity stress. The dry matter decreased under salinity stress, but the content of essential oil increased as a result of salinity stress increment. The results of PCA biplot showed that the E16 and E18 ecotypes were separated by a large distance. Among the various ecotypes, E18 had the most desirable traits which can be recognized as a salt‐tolerant ecotype. Also, piperita species was the best among the species in all salinity stress levels. Among the various ecotypes, E18 accounted for the most desirable traits in most of the studied traits and was recognized as a salt‐tolerant ecotype.

Background Drought impairs growth, disturbs photosynthesis, and induces senescence in plants, which results in crop productivity reduction and ultimately jeopardizes human food security. The objective of this study was to determine major parameters associated with drought tolerance and recovery ability of fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), by examining differential biochemical and phenological responses and underlying enzyme activities as well as melatonin roles during drought stress and re-watering for two contrasting landraces. Moreover, the relative expression of three key genes involved in the biosynthesis pathway of diosgenin, including SQS , CAS , and BG , was investigated. Results Depending on the conditions, drought stress enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the osmoregulating compounds, non-enzymatic antioxidants, hydrogen peroxide content, and lipid peroxidation levels in most cases. Severe drought stress accelerated flowering time in Shushtar landrace (SHR) but had no significant effects on Varamin (VR). Pretreatment with melatonin delayed flowering time in SHR and caused high drought resistance in this landrace. Furthermore, melatonin significantly enhanced drought adaptability in VR by improving plant recovery ability. Discussion Based on our results plants’ responses to drought stress and melatonin pretreatment were completely landrace-specific. Drought stress caused an increase in the relative expression of CAS gene and ultimately the accumulation of steroidal saponins in SHR. Melatonin compensated for the decrease in biomass production due to drought stress and finally increased steroidal saponins performance in SHR. Our study showed that melatonin can improve drought stress and recovery in fenugreek, but different factors such as genotype, melatonin concentration, and plant age should be considered.

One of the greatest challenges in recent years is providing enough food to feed the increasing world population, while available freshwater resources become limited. However, effective fertilizer management has also a fundamental role to improve yield quality and quantity. A field experiment was conducted over 2 years, using a split-plot arrangement in a randomized complete block design. The experiments had three water deficit severity treatments: 25% (control), 40% (mild stress), and 55% (severe stress) depletion from the available water. The subplot division consisted of six fertilizer treatments; FR1: unfertilized (control), FR2: 140 kg ha−1 urea; FR3: 105 kg ha−1 urea + 3.3 ton ha−1 vermicompost; FR4: 70 kg ha−1 urea + 6.6 ton ha−1 vermicompost; FR5: 35 kg ha−1 urea + 10 ton ha−1 vermicompost, and FR6: 13.5 ton ha−1 vermicompost. The maximum essential oil (0.97%) was observed under mild water deficit stress. The highest antioxidant activity (DPPH) and superoxide dismutase activity could be monitored under unfertilized and 140 kg ha−1 urea fertilized conditions, respectively. Vermicompost-treated soils reduced antioxidant features, total phenol, and rosmarinic acid content under water deficit. These results indicate that mild drought stress can increases the synthesis of medical compound and vermicomposting can alleviate the impact of drought by conserving soil moisture and improve nutrient uptake. Therefore, the results suggest that using vermicompost as a fast-acting nitrogen amendment can improve the leaf area index.

A two-year study has been conducted to optimize saffron cormlet production in a soilless cultivation system. Variations in the concentration of phosphate, boron, and irrigation events were assessed in the first year. Subsequently, after optimizing the substrate composition, the effects of nutrient solution volume and the concentration of nitrate, iron, and boron were investigated on the yield and weight of cormlets and leaves, photosynthetic activities, and productivity of nutrient solutions in the second year. Irrigation events in the first year significantly influenced cormlet growth, while phosphate and boron had no substantial effects. Moisture characteristics indicated an optimal substrate composition of 15% cocopeat, 15% cocochips, and 70% perlite. In the second year, increasing nutrient solution volume (225 ml/pot/week) and nitrate concentration up to 9800 µM significantly increased the weight of the leaf, total photosynthesis rate, and large-sized cormlets (> 8 g) to nearly 50% of total cormlets. Conversely, increasing iron concentration notably decreased the weight of total and large-sized cormlets. Boron concentration again showed no significant effect on the parameters. The highest nutrient solution productivity was achieved with a 150 (ml/pot/week) nutrient solution containing 9800 µM nitrogen and 25 µM iron. These findings underscore the importance of effective irrigation and nutrition management in enhancing the quantity and quality of cormlet production, potentially boosting perennial saffron yield in the following years.

Pseudomonas spp. are bacteria known for their ability to degrade various pesticides, acting as natural biofilters. Despite their widespread use, the degradation of metribuzin—a herbicide commonly applied in agriculture—by these bacterial strains remains undocumented. This investigation aims to assess the capacity of Pseudomonas spp. to alleviate metribuzin-induced stress in different wheat cultivars under precisely controlled environmental conditions, offering insights into potential bioremediation strategies. This experiment was conducted as factorial in a completely randomized design with three replications. It included varying concentrations of metribuzin (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 mg/kg), bacterial treatments (control, P. fluorescens , and P. aeruginosa ), and wheat cultivars (Pishtaz, Chamran, and Sivand). The evaluation focused on plant growth and biochemical responses, monitored at ten-day intervals starting 14 days after planting (DAP). A strong dose-dependent inhibition of plant growth was observed with increasing metribuzin concentrations. Growth reduction intensified at concentrations above 20 mg/kg, but near-complete inhibition (EC90) generally required higher concentrations, depending on cultivar and bacterial treatment. Pishtaz demonstrated the highest level of herbicide tolerance, with EC90 values in the non-inoculated treatment ranging from 23 to 107 mg/kg across growth stages. Increases in antioxidant enzyme activities and decreases in malondialdehyde levels were observed, indicating the stress mitigation capabilities of Pseudomonas spp. through biodegradation, which also led to enhanced plant growth and increased bacterial colony numbers in the soil. Variability in metribuzin sensitivity was observed among the cultivars, with Pishtaz being notably tolerant, Chamran semi-sensitive, and Sivand sensitive. P. fluorescens , in particular, showed a marked ability to reduce metribuzin’s detrimental effects, underscoring the potential of employing microbial strategies for managing pesticide stress in wheat cultivation.

The growth period, phenology, grain yield and gum content of two different guar ecotypes were studied in response to different sowing dates and plant densities. A two-year field experiment was conducted as a split-factorial in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates in the research field of Tarbiat Modares University during 2016 and 2017 growing season. Main plots consisted of four sowing dates (May 21, June 4, June 21 and July 5 in 2016 and May 10, May 26, June 10 and June 26 in 2017), and subplots including three plant densities (13, 20 and 40 plants m -2 ) and two ecotypes (Pakistani and Indian). Based on findings, the phenological traits, plant height, grain yield and harvest index were significantly affected by plant density. The effect of ecotypes was statistically significant (p<0.05) on all traits except harvest index in the first year. Furthermore, the seed sowings on May 21 and May 26 with 13 plants m -2 led to highest grain yield (3004.8 and 2826.10 kg.ha -1 for two consecutive years). The high gum content (33.68 and 33.78% for two consecutive years) was also recorded for Pakistani ecotype while for gravity, Indian ecotype showed higher value in both crop years. By and large, the Pakistani ecotype showed better response compared to the Indian one in both years, especially in 1 st and 2 nd sowing dates.

Cryo-injury reduces post-thaw semen quality. Extender components play a protective role, but existing experimental approaches do not elucidate interactions among extender components, semen samples, and post-thaw quality. To identify optimal concentrations for 12 extender ingredients, we ran 122 experiments with an I-optimal completely random design using a large dataset from our previous study. We obtained a maximum predicted total motility of 70.56% from an I-optimal design and 73.75% from a Monte Carlo simulation. Individual bull variations were significant and interacted with extenders independently. 67% of bulls reliably preferred extender formulations to reach maximum motility. Multifactor analysis suggests that some antioxidants may offer superior protection over others. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) found the highest positive loadings for glutathione in the antioxidant class, glycerol in the CPA class, and fructose in the basic compounds class. The optimal ranges for milk, water, and ethylene glycol were extremely narrow. Egg yolk, cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin, and nerve growth factor had medium-loading impacts. PLS-PM showed that CPA, osmoregulators, and basic components were the most efficient contributors to motility, while the antioxidant and extracellular protectant classes had less efficiency. Thus, ingredients, concentrations, and interactions of extender compounds are critical to extender formulation, especially when using multiple compounds with the same function.

Strigolactones (SLs) have been implicated in many plant biological and physiological processes, including the responses to abiotic stresses such as drought, in concert with other phytohormones. While it is now clear that exogenous SLs may help plants to survive in harsh environmental condition, the best, most effective protocols for treatment have not been defined yet, and the mechanisms of action are far from being fully understood. In the set of experiments reported here, we contrasted two application methods for treatment with a synthetic analog of SL, GR24. A number of morphometric, physiological and biochemical parameters were measured following foliar application of GR24 or application in the residual irrigation water in winter wheat plants under irrigated and drought stress conditions. Depending on the concentration and the method of GR24 application, differentiated photosynthesis and transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, leaf water potential, antioxidant enzyme activities and yield in drought conditions were observed. We present evidence that different methods of GR24 application led to increased photosynthesis and yield under stress by a combination of drought tolerance and escape factors, which should be considered for future research exploring the potential of this new family of bioactive molecules for practical applications.

A population of Xiphinema americanum-group was recovered in association with stone fruit trees in Isfahan province, center of Iran. A reverse taxonomic approach based upon the large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA D2-D3) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI mtDNA) gene sequences in integration with morphological studies, revealed that the recovered population belongs to Xiphinema santos. The Iranian population was mainly characterized by 1240–1868 μm long females with 60–84 μm long odontostyle, a = 37.2–51.9 and c = 42.8–54.6. It is further characterized by a lip region having a depression in junction with the body, presence of visible endosymbiont bacteria in ovaries under light microscope, dorsally convex and ventrally slightly concave conical tail with a blunt tip and three juvenile developmental stages. This population was similar to the type population in its morphology; however overlapped and extended morphometric data ranges, as well as differences in some indexes were observed. Compared to a Spanish population of this species, the Iranian population had a close morphology, similar morphometric data ranges and identical LSU and COI sequences. In LSU phylogeny, the relationship between the present and some previously sequenced isolates of the species and some isolates of three species X. georgianum, X. laevistriatum and X. citricolum was not resolved. In COI phylogeny, the clade of the Iranian and Spanish populations appeared as an independent lineage inside an unsupported clade including several species. The comparison with other populations of the species was reported and discussed. A second species, X. primum, that is native to Iran, was recovered from a new locality and characterized molecularly.