Cucumber, a vital greenhouse crop, thrives in soils with a pH range of 5.5–6.5, yet the combined effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and iron amino chelates on its growth and physiological responses across varying pH levels remain underexplored. This study used a factorial design in a completely randomized setup with three replications and was conducted at the Horticulture Department of Isfahan University of Technology. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of AMF inoculation (Glomus mosseae) and iron amino chelates on the growth and physiological responses of cucumber plants at various pH levels. Treatments included two levels of AMF inoculation (non-inoculated as m1 and inoculated as m2), three levels of iron concentration (f1: no iron, f2: Johnson’s nutrient solution, f3: Johnson’s solution with iron amino chelate), and three pH levels (pH 5 (p1), pH 7 (p2), and pH 8 (p3)). The moisture was maintained at field capacity throughout the study. The results demonstrated that mycorrhizal inoculation at pH 7 significantly improved key traits, including chlorophyll content, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, phenol content, and antioxidant activity. Mycorrhizal inoculation combined with 2 ppm of Fe amino chelate at pH 7 led to the highest improvement in shoot fresh weight of cucumber and physiological traits. However, at pH 7 without mycorrhiza, stress indicators such as ABA levels and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, CAT, and APX) increased, highlighting the protective role of AMF under neutral pH conditions. In contrast, pH 5 was most effective for enhancing root and stem fresh weight. The lower pH may have facilitated better nutrient solubility and uptake, promoting root development and overall plant health by optimizing the availability of essential nutrients and reducing competition for resources under more acidic conditions. These findings highlight the potential of combining mycorrhizal inoculation with iron amino chelates at pH 7 not only to enhance cucumber growth and resilience in nutrient-limited environments but also to contribute to sustainable agricultural practices that address global challenges in food security and soil health.
In order to investigate the effect of some substrates on uptake and concentration of nutrients in cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Cerasiforne), this non-recycling soilless culture experiment was carried out as a completely randomized blocks design with 9 treatments and four replicates, with two plants in each pot. Treatments included perlite-vermiculite 50:50 %v, perlit-zeolite 50:50 %, perlite 100%, rice husk 100%, rice husk-vermiculite 50:50 %, rice husk-zeolite 50:50 %, perlite-rice husk-vermiculite 37.5: 37.5: 25 %, perlite-rice husk-zeolite 37.5: 37.5: 25 %, and cocopeat 100%. Results of the analysis of nutrients in the substrates showed that cocopeat and zeolite had the greatest concentration of potassium (K). The highest concentration of calcium (Ca) was found in zeolite medium, magnesium (Mg) in cocopeat, manganese (Mn) in rice husk, copper (Cu) in vermiculite, zinc (Zn) in cocopeat and iron (Fe) in vermiculite. The highest concentration of K and Mg in shoots of tomato plants was found in cocopeat, while plants in the vermiculite medium had the highest Ca concentration in their shoots. No significant relationship was found between concentrations of measured nutrients, except for K, in the substrates and their uptake by plants. In general, the highest nutrients uptake by cherry tomato plants was found in the medium containing a mixture of perlite and vermiculite, which is probably due to optimum root growth conditions, particularly high porosity and high ability for retention of water and nutrients
ABSTRACT- The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of “Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi” (AM fungi) density and different growing media on the growth, photosynthesis parameters and yield of sweet pepper under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was conducted as a factorial plan based on control randomized design (CRD ( by using three growing media, Perlite (PR) and cocopeat (Co) (PR50:Co50 V:V) (C), PR25:Co50: vermicompost (V) 25 (C+V25) and PR25:Co25: V50 (C+V50), and three levels of AM fungi inoculation (0, 1000 and 2000 spores) with three replications. Results indicated that AM fungi inoculation and mixture of vermicompost increased shoot and root fresh weights,Total Suspended Solids (TSS), fruit fresh and dry weights in the C+V50 compared to other treatments. Fruit yield increased more than 100 and 94.95% with AM-fungi inoculation with 2000 spores at C+V25 and V50 treatments, respectively. Mycorrhiza dependency decreased with high application rate of vermicompost, and vermicompost dependency was the highest in non-inoculated plants. With AM-fungi inoculations, the chlorophyll level (SPAD values) was increased in C+V25 by 100%. Photosynthesis rate was increased in C+V25×M1 significantly compared to other treatments. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentrations significantly increased by mycorrhiza inoculation in the high vermicompost ratio.
Terpenoids are an important class of structurally diverse plant metabolites synthesized from C-5 precursor units (isopentyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMPP)). These precursors are produced by two alternative pathways, i.e., cytosolic mevalonate pathway (MVA) and plastidial methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP). Based on the number of carbon atoms, terpenoids can be classified into hemiterpenoids, monoterpenoids , sesquiterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, tetraterpenoids, and polyterpenoids. The majority of the terpenoids produced are common to all plants, while some of them are species-specific. Terpenoids are known for their role as accessory pigments, phytoalexins, allelopathic agents, pheromones , repellents, and attractants in plant-insect or plant-animal interaction. Their accumulation in plants is known to be affected upon encountering various biotic and abiotic stresses. Terpenoids such as zealexins are elicited 104in response to fungal infection, whereas citral induces senescence. Moreover, the induction of terpenoid production is one of the primary defense mechanisms in plants responding to herbivory attacks. This chapter provides a comprehensive account of the critical roles of terpenoids in plants in response to various environmental stresses.
Abstract This study was carried out to investigate the effect of salinity on some physiological and morphological traits of native Iranian and Afghan melon cultivars using a split-plot experiment with a randomized complete block design and three replications. Two salinity levels (2 and 8 dSm -1 NaCl) and 39 cultivars from Iran and Afghanistan were utilized. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of salinity stress on growth and yield and recommend the tolerant genotype(s). PCA comparisons were done between biochemical and morphological parameters. The sensitive and tolerant cultivar was chosen based on proximity to high yield, morphological characteristics, and distance from stress indices. The biplot results showed a high correlation between vitamin C traits with soluble solids, proline, and relative water content and a negative correlation with Fv/Fm ratio. These indices are good indicators for identifying saline resistance cultivars. Salinity stress increased electrolyte leakage, proline concentration, total antioxidant activity, Na content, vitamin C, organic acid, and total soluble solids. In addition, salinity decreased the yield, mean fruit weight, firmness, fruit length, fruit width, internal cavity length, internal cavity width, flesh thickness and fruit peel thickness, Fv/Fm ratio, greenness index, relative water content, leaf K.. The highest concentrations of Na and K were found in the G-SHI cultivar under salinity, while the highest concentrations of Na and K were found in the Tork cultivar under non-saline conditions. Based on the results, two types of Tork and Zank melon were recommended to plant in saline conditions.
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