Department of Soil Science (2011 - Present)
Contamination of tuberous vegetables such as potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) with Cadmium (Cd) and Nitrate (NO3-) due to the imbalanced fertilization may pose health risks to consumers. Potato is one of the dominant agricultural vegetables in Iran which is consumed in different ways. Excessive amounts of Cd and NO3-in potatoes can lead to organ dysfunction and various diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Zn-fertilizers on increasing yield and reducing the Cd concentration and also monitoring the NO3-content in potato tubers of Ardabil province. For this purpose, In the first phase, potato tubers were sampled from 10 most important markets in the form of imbalanced completely randomized design in 2019 and the concentr
Cotton is typically grown in warm regions in which salinity and nutrient deficiency stresses are ubiquitous and often simultaneously influence plant growth. Under saline conditions, fertilizer recommendation is highly challenging, since nutrient application may increase or decrease plant salt tolerance, which may complicate prediction of crop yield. So far, no investigations have been conducted in salt-affected soils to determine optimum concentrations of potassium (K) and zinc (Zn) fertilizers based on chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) and gas exchange (GEx) responses in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Accordingly, in this study, a factorial experiment was conducted in a complete block design with six replicates under controlled condi
A large area of Iran is located in arid and semi-arid regions; as a result, drought stress is a major problem for the growth of plants. Therefore, it is very important in crop productivity to increase plant tolerance to drought stress. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria such as Azotobacter may enhance plant growth under drought stress conditions by different mechanisms. In this study, a total of 20 Azotobacter strains were isolated and characterized from 77 rhizosphere soil samples collected from semi-arid regions. The strains were screened for the production of siderophore and IAA, solubilization of phosphate and potassium and growth under drought stress in PEG 6000. The strains were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The efficient
see more details. Among growth factors, proper nutrition plays an important role in increasing yield and the quality of wheat grain. Potassium (K) is the most abundant cation in the cytoplasm cytoplasm Subject Category: Anatomical and Morphological Structures
To investigate the effect of oxalic and citric acids on the uptake and relationship of phosphorus and zinc in corn (Zea mays L.), some greenhouse experiments were performed by individual and combined application of monopotassium phosphate [KH232PO4] and zinc sulfate [65ZnSO4. 7H2O] fertilizers in microcosm. For this purpose after planting corn seeds, solutions of phosphorus (32P) and zinc (65Zn)(14 and 2 M) and organic acids treatments (1 and 10 mM) were injected in microcosms at suitable times. Then, plants were harvested, digested, extracted, and activity of 32P and 65Zn was measured in samples. Results revealed that the highest uptake of 32P in shoots was 18.8% and observed at 10 mM concentration of oxalic acid. But no effect on 65Zn upt
Use of saline water for irrigation has shown considerable promise. However, its effect on the solubility and bioavailability of native soil nutrients is not well understood. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of salinity on the behavior of zinc (Zn) in calcareous soils. The soil samples with different physiochemical properties were collected from four locations in Khorasan province (Iran). The factorial experiment was carried out as a completely randomized design on soils with four levels of water salinity (0, 37.5, 75 and 150 mole m-3 prepared with the same equivalents of NaCl and CaCl2) and four reaction times (0, 10, 20, and 30 days) with three replications. DTPA-extractable Zn was measured in the incubated soil samples aft
Health risk from nitrate was predicted for different scenarios of vegetable consumption and nitrate contents in Iran. Finally, certain management scenarios were presented for nitrate risk mitigation under worst-case scenario considering each vegetable contribution in nitrate intake. Two fruit (bell pepper and tomato) and two leafy vegetables (lettuce and mint) were sampled in a combined randomized method from fields, greenhouses, and markets of Isfahan province, Iran during October to December 2015. To assess the potential health impacts of nitrate from the vegetable ingestion, the present status and three different scenarios of increasing vegetable consumption and/or increasing plant nitrate concentrations were considered. T
Cadmium (Cd) is toxic to animals and humans after it accumulates over decades in the kidney cortex. Food crops grown in Cd-contaminated soils are the primary sources of excessive Cd entry into humans. Although plant available Zn concentration in soil is an important factor which can greatly reduce Cd uptake by plant roots and its translocation into the edible parts, Cd: Zn ratio is suggested to be a more important factor in comparison with Zn concentration alone in determining Cd uptake by plants. In the present study, the physiological mechanisms of Cd absorption by roots and its translocation to leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) at various Cd: Zn ratios in the rooting media were investigated. For this purpose, seedlings of hydroponica
Excess accumulation of nitrate in vegetable crops is normally related to the excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers applied in agricultural fields. This study was performed to evaluate the level of nitrate concentration in onion production in Isfahan province of Iran and the potential health risks associated with high level of nitrate in this crop, as an example of a case-study. The risk was estimated by using the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) method and presented as risk maps. Additionally, the impact of an improved fertilizer management practice in selected vulnerable fields for reducing nitrate concentration in onion production was evaluated. For this assessment, four different onion fields in which onion bulb nitr
see more details stress is one of the most important factors that adversely affect plant growth and yield. The present study investigates the effect of humic and fulvic acid on wheat wheat Subject Category: Commodities and Products
Application of phosphorous (P) fertilizers to calcareous soils has some problems, because only 10-25% of P-fertilizers added to the soil are absorbed by the plant and the rest (75 to 90%) is precipitated as calcium phosphate. Research has shown that P accumulates in soils where P-fertilizer has been used for a long time. Accumulation of P has caused a number of environmental problems including reduction of surface water quality. In some parts of Iran, such as ParsAbad-e-Moghan, which are considered as agricultural pole, study of total P by environmental indicators is necessary. For this purpose, this experiment was conducted in 2016. At first, sampling grid was drawn (at 3* 3 km intervals) for agricultural lands, then soil sampling was done
Sulfur is mainly used to reduce soil pH and increasing nutrients availability in the calcareous soils. However, this process strongly depends on oxidation rate and its affecting factors (eg soil moisture content). In this research, the impacts of two soil moisture regimes (40 and 60% of saturation) and four Sulfur levels (0, 500, 1000 and 10000 kg ha-1) inoculated with Thiobacillus bacteria on sulfur oxidation rates and some chemical soil characteristics were assessed in a complete randomized blocks design with three replications and two soil types (Kharghani and Khaldar) during one year and under constant 25 Co temperature. In this research, soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), Phosphorus (P), Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn) and sulfate concentrati
In this experiment, six treatments were performed in a completely randomized block design and in three replications as follows: T1 = control (no fertilization); T2 = fertilization based on farmers conventional fertilizer use (NP); T3 = balanced fertilization (fertilizer recommendation on the basis of soil test); T4= T1+ bio- fertilizer; T5 = T2+ bio-fertilizer and T6= T3+ bio-fertilizer. Samples were taken at two- time intervals. The samples were weighed in dry content. Meanwhile, essential oil extractions were measured by Clevenger Instrument and total antioxidant extracted by DPPH method. Subsequently, data were analyzed by SAS software. The differences were shown significant at 5 percent statistical level. Average yield of dry leave weig
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