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Background Grapevine ( Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the world’s most important fruit crops, but its production is increasingly challenged by climate change and the rising incidence of spring frost, particularly in sensitive cultivars like ‘Thompson Seedless’. The selection of an appropriate trellis training system and the precise timing of management operations, particularly pruning timing, are key strategies for mitigating frost damage. This study aimed to evaluate the interactive effects of year (2023 and 2024 growing seasons), trellis training system (I, T, and Y), and sampling time (March 5, March 25, April 14, and May 5) on the physiological and biochemical indices related to spring frost tolerance in ‘Thompson Seedless’ grapevine. Results The study was conducted as a split-plot in time within a randomized complete block design. Analysis of variance revealed that the main effects of year, sampling time, and training system were significant ( p  < 0.01) for all measured indices, including frost tolerance (assessed by electrolyte leakage and budbreak assays), relative water content (RWC), soluble proteins, starch, soluble carbohydrates, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and total phenols. Among the training systems, the Y and T systems demonstrated superior performance in both years. These systems were associated with the highest levels of soluble protein (14.80 and 16.16 mg/g FW, respectively), total phenols (12.25 and 12.07 mg GAE/g FW), and frost tolerance as measured by electrolyte leakage (LT 50 of Y=-12.68 °C and T=-10.90 °C). Conversely, the I system showed greater sensitivity, marked by increased MDA content (7.34 nmol/g FW) and reduced frost tolerance in the budbreak assay (LT 50 of -7.23 °C). Conclusions The Y and T training systems enhance spring frost tolerance in ‘Thompson Seedless’ grapevine by improving the antioxidant defense system and promoting the accumulation of osmolytes. Our findings suggest that the Y and T systems, respectively, are the most effective treatments for improving spring frost tolerance by enhancing the physiological status and reducing oxidative stress in grapevine buds. These systems are recommended as a sustainable management strategy in vineyards prone to spring frost.

Dracocephalum kotschyi is a medicinal plant rich in antioxidant phytochemicals. Identifying the suitable cultivation region and evaluating the impact of environmental factors can help in choosing the best conditions for the commercial production of these herbs. The present study investigated the effect of different cultivation areas, Lasak (LSK), Saravarsu (SVS), and Sorkh Geriveh (SGV) on the glandular trichome density and phytochemicals of D. kotschyi . According to the findings, the environmental factors significantly affected the plant phytochemicals. The highest glandular trichome density (16 number mm −2 ), essential oil content and yield (0.716% and 0.45 g m −2 ), geraniol (24.3%), citral (16.2%), cis -carveol (13.2%), α-pinene (12%), methyl generate (7.2%), geranyl acetate (7.1%), PAL activity (10.104 nmol min −1 g −1 FW), total phenol (2.036 mg GAE g −1 DW), coumaric acid (0.112 mg g −1 DW), rutin (29.688 mg g −1 DW), rosmarinic acid (9.668 mg g −1 DW) and apigenin (8.089 mg g −1 DW) were recorded in the SGV region so that was up to 100-fold higher than in the LSK region. Finally, the environmental conditions of the SGV region (higher altitude, lower temperature, rainfall, and humidity, as well as some soil characteristics) strongly increased the production of phytochemicals, so this region is suggested for the commercial production of this plant and its secondary metabolites for various industries.

Pomegranate is a long-cultivated fruit tree believed to have originated in Iran. In the present study, 16 preselected nuclear microsatellite markers, or simple sequence repeats (SSRs), were analyzed in 50 pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) accessions from five regions in Fars province of Iran. Each SSR loci was polymorphic and produced 48 fragments in the studied samples. The mean expected and observed heterozygosity of the 16 SSR loci was 0.33 and 0.48, respectively. The polymorphic information content ranged from 0.18 to 0.58 with an average of 0.41. There were some differences regarding diversity indices among populations, and several private alleles were detected in different populations, indicating the importance of these accessions for genetic conservation. Cluster analysis using SSR data grouped genotypes largely based on their geographical origins. Analysis of molecular variance showed that most of the genetic variation was among populations. Genetic synonymy was observed in some pomegranate accessions located across geographical regions. A relatively high level of genetic admixture was found among accessions from different regions, suggesting that there is a high level of genetic exchange between individual genotypes. This work assesses the genetic diversity and population structure of pomegranates in Fars province, which assists in future conservation and breeding programs.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different drying methods on drying parameters and qualitative characteristics of Dracocephalum kotschyi in a completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments included shade drying as control, sun drying, cabinet drying (CD at 50 and 60°C), refractance window drying (RWD), infrared drying (IRD) at 200 and 300 W, and combination of RWD+ IRD at 200 and 300 W. According to the results, IRD, RWD, and RWD+ IRD effectively maintained valuable secondary metabolites compared to the conventional drying methods. The maximum total phenol content (2.7 and 2.66 mg GAE/g dry weight), total flavonoid content (2.26 and 2.33 mg QE/g dry weight), antioxidant activity (79% and 78.33%), and essential oil content (0.65% and 0.76%) were obtained from plants dried by RWD and IRD. Samples dried by RWD, IRD, and RWD+ IRD had high color quality, acceptable green color, and less browning. Also, RWD and IRD methods effectively reduced microbial contamination of dried plants compared to the control and other methods. The minimum aerobic mesophiles, mold, yeast, and coliforms were observed at 3.11, 0, and 1.47 log CFU/g in IRD 300 W and 3.17, 1, and 1.30 log CFU/g in RWD. D. kotschyi dried at CD 50°C had the maximum microbial contamination. Generally, according to the obtained results, RWD and IRD methods are suggested for drying of D. kotschyi and similar herbs due to shortening the drying time, preserving and improving the quality properties of dried plants. The research was conducted for the first time to compare various drying methods (refractance window drying (RWD), infrared drying (IRD), and RWD+ IRD in comparison to conventional drying methods) to select the appropriate method for Dracocephalum kotschyi with an emphasis on protecting the phytochemical characteristics accompanied by reducing microbial contamination.

An in vitro approach to the production of rosmarinic acid (RA), a medicinally important caffeic acid ester, in a cell suspension culture (CSC) of Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad (Lamiaceae) has been investigated for the first time. The CSC was established from friable calli derived from shoot tip explants in Gamborg’s B5 liquid medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose, 20 mg/L l -glutamine, 200 mg/L casein hydrolysate, 5 mg/L benzyladenine (BA) and 1 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The effect of nitrogen source (KNO 3 and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 ) and their different concentrations on the fresh and dry weight (g/L), as well as RA content (mg/g dry weight) were measured. CSC growth measurements indicated a maximum specific cell growth rate of 1.5/day, a doubling time of 7.6 days and a high percentage of cell viability (96.4 %) throughout the growth cycle. Maximum cell fresh weight (353.5 g/L), dry weight (19.7 g/L) and RA production (180.0 mg/g) were attained at day 21 of culture. Cell growth and RA content were affected by nitrogen deficiency. Media containing 8.3 mM of total nitrogen (¼ of B5 standard medium) led to a minimum cell fresh weight (243.0 g/L), dry weight (17.4 g/L) and RA content (38.0 mg/g) after 21 days. The established CSC provided useful material for further optimization experiments aimed at a large-scale production of RA.