Background and Aim: The quality of medicinal plants could be affected by different factors such a... more Background and Aim: The quality of medicinal plants could be affected by different factors such as drying methods. Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), which is native to the Mediterranean region, is cultivated for food, pharmaceutical and perfumery uses throughout the world. The aerial part of peppermint contains essential oil, phenolic and flavonoid compounds, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and salicylic acid. Materials and Methods: The impact of the drying process on the essential oil of peppermint was evaluated in an experiment with a much-randomized design using four treatments (oven drying at 40 and 50oC, shade and semi-shade drying) and three replications. The measured parameters included dry weight and oil quality as well as quantity. Results: According to the results, different drying methods had remarkable impacts on the investigated parameters at P<1%. The results indicated that the highest dry weight and essential oil content were obtained from the semi-shade drying me...
Increasing the concentration of different heavy metals, such as lead, copper, nickel and other he... more Increasing the concentration of different heavy metals, such as lead, copper, nickel and other heavy metals in air, soil and water can pose negative effects on the entire ecosystem and cause harmful health consequences for all forms of life. The major sources of pollution in many parts of world are overburdens of mine, industrial effluents, fertilizers and pesticides. In order to study the effects of different heavy metals on some of the physiological attributes of saffron such as photosynthetic pigments, Prolin and carbohydrates of leaf and the amount of crocin in the saffron stigmas, an experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications and seven treatments. The experimental treatments were control and six different heavy metals (i.e. nickel nitrate, silver nitrate, zinc nitrate, copper carbonate, lead nitrate and manganese sulfate). Before sowing the corms, all of the heavy metals were added to the soil based on the concentration of 500 mg...
Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) leave extracts are being used widely in pharmaceutical, food and ... more Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) leave extracts are being used widely in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industry. Although this plant originally is not native to Iran, its cultivation significantly increased during the last two decades. As the use of chemical fertilisers and their influence on the environment is viewed critically, bioand nano-fertilisers may become an alternative fertiliser source. In order to evaluate the effect of foliar application of nanoand bio-fertilisers on the morpho-physiological characteristics of peppermint, a completely randomized experiment was conducted with 7 treatments and 3 replications at the research greenhouse of Malayer University in 2015. Treatments were control, foliar application of 3 different nano-fertilisers (aqueous solution of nitrogen, iron and potassium at the rate of 2 g L-1) and foliar application of 3 different bio-fertilisers (normal vermiwash, enriched vermiwash (normal vermiwash + aqueous extracts of Urtica dioica) and tea comp...
In two independent experiments, acclimatized chicory plants were transferred into an aeroponic sy... more In two independent experiments, acclimatized chicory plants were transferred into an aeroponic system and to the soil. Then, the effects of biofertilizer (Nitrokara) and culture filtrate of Piriformospora indica were investigated on some plant characteristics in both aeroponic and soil cultivation system under greenhouse conditions. The plants were foliar sprayed with three different biofertilizer concentrations (1, 2, and 3 g/L) and P. indica culture filtrate (2.5, 5, and 7.5 mL in 100 mL water) following 20, 40 and 60 days after transplanting to the aeroponic and soil culture media. Results showed that the highest vegetative growth (e.g. plant height, root length, number of leaves per plant, root and shoot dry weights) and physiological traits (e.g. relative water content, proline, anthocyanin content, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b) were observed with 7.5 mL of P. indica culture filtrate in both aeroponic and soil culture media. Besides, the best results for all studied traits ...
Cadmium is a main toxic pollutant and poses a considerable threat to human health. In other to st... more Cadmium is a main toxic pollutant and poses a considerable threat to human health. In other to study the effect of Cd stress on traits of garden cress and radish, an experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design in an aeroponic system. In this study CdCl2 was used at three levels (control, 3, and 6 mgl-1). Seeds were cultivated in an aeroponic system and Hoagland nutrient solutions (with and without Cd) were used for irrigation. Morphological traits and cadmium accumulation were measured after 40 days. Results for garden cress showed the highest plant height (32.67 cm), leaf number (30.83), root length (14.5 cm), dry weights of roots (0.34 g) and shoots (1.52 g), fresh weights of roots (2.27 g) and shoots (11.3 g) in the control and the 6 mg l-1 cadmium chloride resulted in the highest cadmium accumulation in roots and shoots 2.88 and 0.11 kg/g, respectively. Also in radish the results showed the highest plant height (50.1 cm), leaf number (18.8), root length (26....
Aeroponic culture is an alternative method for optimizing growth of different plants in controlle... more Aeroponic culture is an alternative method for optimizing growth of different plants in controlled conditions. Aeroponic systems are an efficient tool for the root studies and improving medicinal root production. In order to study the feasibility of valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) production in aeroponic systems and assessing the effects of different NAA concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 mg/l) on some morpho-physiological traits of valerian, the current study was conducted based on a completely randomized design. The results indicated that the effects of the production system were significant for plant height, root length, number of leaves, volume of roots, and dry weight of the shoot and root. Application of NAA hormone had a significant effect on all of the studied traits and by increasing NAA concentration, leaf number, root length and volume, plant height, dry weight of root and shoot, root/shoot ratio, relative water content, and photosynthetic pigments increased signifi...
International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 2018
Sustainable agriculture is a holistic approach to produce food, fiber, feed and fuel in a way tha... more Sustainable agriculture is a holistic approach to produce food, fiber, feed and fuel in a way that does not damage the environment and also must meet the needs of the present and future population of the world, while considering agro-ecosystem health, social and economic equity and profitability. Therefore, the sustainable agriculture cannot be isolated from the concept of sustainable development in any country or region. The current survey was conducted in order to study the sustainability of agricultural systems in Golestan Province in the north of Iran during the period of 2002-2011. The required data were obtained from formal statistical database. The total numerical value of sustainability was calculated for individual years using 21 different indexes. Because of the diverse nature of the selected indexes and their wide range, they were normalized to facilitate their comparison. The results show that the agricultural sustainability has been increased significantly over the stud...
In other to study the effect of the production system (aeroponic and soil production system), an ... more In other to study the effect of the production system (aeroponic and soil production system), an experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with five replication. In this study plants were obtained from seed culture (Cichorium, Withania and Echinacea) in pot for 1 month in greenhouse and then, uniform plants (20 cm height, approximately) were transferred to aeroponic system and soil. The plants were harvested after six months and their vegetative traits and root characteristic were measured. The results indicated that the effects of production system were significant in terms of plant height, root length, number of leaves, shoot and root fresh and dry weights and photosynthetic pigments. The result showed that aeroponic system in comparison with soil system has produced the highest of leaf number, root length, plant height, root and shoot dry weight, root and shoot fresh weight and photosynthetic pigments. It can be concluded that aeoponic systems could be used...
Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff. belonging to the Apiaceae family, is well known for its medicinal a... more Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff. belonging to the Apiaceae family, is well known for its medicinal and nutritional importance, endemic to Iran. Seed dormancy is a major problem present in Kelussia odoratissima leading to low germination percentage; thus, improvement of seed germination and breaking seed dormancy is important. Piriformospora indica, a root-colonizing endophytic fungus, promotes plant growth, development and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In order to evaluate the effects of different treatments of P. indica on seed germination traits of Kelussia odoratissima, an experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with five treatments and three replications. The experimental treatments were application of fungal mycelium of P. indica (M), spore suspension of P. indica (S), the combination of Gibberellic acid and fungal mycelium (H+M), the combination of Gibberellic acid and spore suspension (H+S), and control (C). Based on the results the highest pe...
Enhancement of in vitro micro corm production in Gladiolus as an alternative commercial method ha... more Enhancement of in vitro micro corm production in Gladiolus as an alternative commercial method has been focus of attention. With respet to the position of Gladiolus in Iran's ornamental plants market and in order to provide the proper protocol for the proliferation of glycol corms by tissue culture method, the effect of different concentrations of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and benzyl aminopurine (BAP) in two explants and production of shoot and roots of two commercial gladiolus cultivars were investigated. In the next experiment the role of different concentrations of sucrose (in Murashige and Skoog plant growth liquid medium) in production of corms was studied and finally cold treatment in 3 times were used to break dormancy of propagated cormlets. All of the main experiments were conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design with 3 replications. The highest number of shoots (14) and roots (12) was observed in White cultivar with the treatments of 2mg/L BAP a...
Abstract To study the interaction of different concentrations of cadmium and silicon on physiolog... more Abstract To study the interaction of different concentrations of cadmium and silicon on physiological traits of Lallemantia royleana a factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design. Experimental treatments were different concentrations of cadmium (0, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg L−1) in the absence (-Si) or presence (+Si) of silicon with a concentration of 1 mmol L−1. Based on results the highest amount of shoot Cd content (84.1 mg kg−1 DW) measured in -Si treatments was measured when the highest concentration of Cd (10 mg Cd L−1) was utilized. In all of the + Si treatments shoot Cd content decreased. The highest translocation factor (0.195) was observed in 2.5 mg Cd L−1 treatment without Si application and as a result of increasing Cd concentration in plant growth medium, the translocation factor decreased significantly. In + Si treated plants the translocation factor of Cd compared with –Si treated plants significantly decreased. Increasing the cadmium concentration up to 2.5 mg.L−1 did not have a significant effect on relative water content, leaf area, Chlorophyll a, and catalase activity. At the highest concentration of cadmium, the activity of peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase in + Si plants compared with -Si plants increased about 23%, 55% and 30%, respectively. Silicon reduced the negative effects of cadmium on plant growth either by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes or decreasing Cd translocation to shoot. Therefore, application of silicon for increasing growth and to produce healthier plants under cadmium stress with a concentration of 5 mg L−1 is recommended.
ABSTRACT A field study was conducted during 2015–2017 in order to evaluate effects of the foliar ... more ABSTRACT A field study was conducted during 2015–2017 in order to evaluate effects of the foliar application of different sources and concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the yield and morpho-physiological characteristics of saffron. Experimental treatment included the foliar application of nano ZnO at a concentration of (3, 6, and 9 g L−1), foliar application of normal ZnO at a concentration of (3, 6, and 9 g L−1) and the control. Both types of ZnO had positive effects on the saffron yield and number of flowers, but the highest yield and flower number were obtained by the foliar application of 9 g L−1 normal ZnO followed by 6 g L−1 nano ZnO. Increasing concentrations of both fertilizers up to 3 g L−1 had no significant effect on crocin, but the crocin content significantly decreased at higher concentrations. Effects of experimental treatments were significant on all morpho-physiological traits. The maximum chlorophyll a (1.74 mg.g−1) was observed in normal ZnO at a concentration of 9 g L−1 followed by nano ZnO at a concentration of 3 g L−1. The increasing application of different types of fertilizers linearly increased the Peroxidase activity, but the highest activity of Catalase in normal ZnO and nano ZnO was measured after the foliar application at concentrations of 3 and 6 g L−1, respectively.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are an important group of pollutants that are widely distributed... more Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are an important group of pollutants that are widely distributed in the environment. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of salicylic acid (a phenolic phytohormone) and mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and phytoremediation ability of tall fescue in the soil contaminated by fluoranthene. The initial concentrations of fluoranthene in this study were 100, 200, and 300 mg kg-1. The experimental treatments were included: T0 uncultivated soil; T1 cultivated soil with tall fescue; T2 cultivated soil with tall fescue + salicylic acid application; T3 cultivated soil with tall fescue + application of mycorrhizal fungi; T4 cultivated soil with tall fescue + salicylic acid and mycorrhizal fungi application; and P planting tall fescue in uncontaminated soil. The removal of fluoranthene was measured after 90 days. Furthermore, at the end of the experiment, the amount of shoot and root biomass, soil bacteria, and dehydrogenase activity were measured. According to the results, in all levels of contamination, removal of fluoranthene in cultivated treatments significantly was higher than uncultivated treatments. Increasing the concentration of fluoranthene had a negative effect on the shoot and root biomass in different treatments. Salicylic acid and mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased the shoot and root biomass and also the number of soil bacteria, dehydrogenase activity, and fluoranthene removal in T2, T3, and T4 treatments compared to T1. At the highest concentration of fluoranthene, as a result of simultaneous application of salicylic acid and mycorrhizal fungi (T4), the fluoranthene removal increased by 63, 21, 13, and 16% in comparison with T0, T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Based on the results, salicylic acid and mycorrhizal fungi, either alone or in combination, have a significant effect on the improvement of phytoremediation potential in tall fescue.
Background and Aim: The quality of medicinal plants could be affected by different factors such a... more Background and Aim: The quality of medicinal plants could be affected by different factors such as drying methods. Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), which is native to the Mediterranean region, is cultivated for food, pharmaceutical and perfumery uses throughout the world. The aerial part of peppermint contains essential oil, phenolic and flavonoid compounds, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and salicylic acid. Materials and Methods: The impact of the drying process on the essential oil of peppermint was evaluated in an experiment with a much-randomized design using four treatments (oven drying at 40 and 50oC, shade and semi-shade drying) and three replications. The measured parameters included dry weight and oil quality as well as quantity. Results: According to the results, different drying methods had remarkable impacts on the investigated parameters at P<1%. The results indicated that the highest dry weight and essential oil content were obtained from the semi-shade drying me...
Increasing the concentration of different heavy metals, such as lead, copper, nickel and other he... more Increasing the concentration of different heavy metals, such as lead, copper, nickel and other heavy metals in air, soil and water can pose negative effects on the entire ecosystem and cause harmful health consequences for all forms of life. The major sources of pollution in many parts of world are overburdens of mine, industrial effluents, fertilizers and pesticides. In order to study the effects of different heavy metals on some of the physiological attributes of saffron such as photosynthetic pigments, Prolin and carbohydrates of leaf and the amount of crocin in the saffron stigmas, an experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications and seven treatments. The experimental treatments were control and six different heavy metals (i.e. nickel nitrate, silver nitrate, zinc nitrate, copper carbonate, lead nitrate and manganese sulfate). Before sowing the corms, all of the heavy metals were added to the soil based on the concentration of 500 mg...
Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) leave extracts are being used widely in pharmaceutical, food and ... more Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) leave extracts are being used widely in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industry. Although this plant originally is not native to Iran, its cultivation significantly increased during the last two decades. As the use of chemical fertilisers and their influence on the environment is viewed critically, bioand nano-fertilisers may become an alternative fertiliser source. In order to evaluate the effect of foliar application of nanoand bio-fertilisers on the morpho-physiological characteristics of peppermint, a completely randomized experiment was conducted with 7 treatments and 3 replications at the research greenhouse of Malayer University in 2015. Treatments were control, foliar application of 3 different nano-fertilisers (aqueous solution of nitrogen, iron and potassium at the rate of 2 g L-1) and foliar application of 3 different bio-fertilisers (normal vermiwash, enriched vermiwash (normal vermiwash + aqueous extracts of Urtica dioica) and tea comp...
In two independent experiments, acclimatized chicory plants were transferred into an aeroponic sy... more In two independent experiments, acclimatized chicory plants were transferred into an aeroponic system and to the soil. Then, the effects of biofertilizer (Nitrokara) and culture filtrate of Piriformospora indica were investigated on some plant characteristics in both aeroponic and soil cultivation system under greenhouse conditions. The plants were foliar sprayed with three different biofertilizer concentrations (1, 2, and 3 g/L) and P. indica culture filtrate (2.5, 5, and 7.5 mL in 100 mL water) following 20, 40 and 60 days after transplanting to the aeroponic and soil culture media. Results showed that the highest vegetative growth (e.g. plant height, root length, number of leaves per plant, root and shoot dry weights) and physiological traits (e.g. relative water content, proline, anthocyanin content, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b) were observed with 7.5 mL of P. indica culture filtrate in both aeroponic and soil culture media. Besides, the best results for all studied traits ...
Cadmium is a main toxic pollutant and poses a considerable threat to human health. In other to st... more Cadmium is a main toxic pollutant and poses a considerable threat to human health. In other to study the effect of Cd stress on traits of garden cress and radish, an experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design in an aeroponic system. In this study CdCl2 was used at three levels (control, 3, and 6 mgl-1). Seeds were cultivated in an aeroponic system and Hoagland nutrient solutions (with and without Cd) were used for irrigation. Morphological traits and cadmium accumulation were measured after 40 days. Results for garden cress showed the highest plant height (32.67 cm), leaf number (30.83), root length (14.5 cm), dry weights of roots (0.34 g) and shoots (1.52 g), fresh weights of roots (2.27 g) and shoots (11.3 g) in the control and the 6 mg l-1 cadmium chloride resulted in the highest cadmium accumulation in roots and shoots 2.88 and 0.11 kg/g, respectively. Also in radish the results showed the highest plant height (50.1 cm), leaf number (18.8), root length (26....
Aeroponic culture is an alternative method for optimizing growth of different plants in controlle... more Aeroponic culture is an alternative method for optimizing growth of different plants in controlled conditions. Aeroponic systems are an efficient tool for the root studies and improving medicinal root production. In order to study the feasibility of valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) production in aeroponic systems and assessing the effects of different NAA concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 mg/l) on some morpho-physiological traits of valerian, the current study was conducted based on a completely randomized design. The results indicated that the effects of the production system were significant for plant height, root length, number of leaves, volume of roots, and dry weight of the shoot and root. Application of NAA hormone had a significant effect on all of the studied traits and by increasing NAA concentration, leaf number, root length and volume, plant height, dry weight of root and shoot, root/shoot ratio, relative water content, and photosynthetic pigments increased signifi...
International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 2018
Sustainable agriculture is a holistic approach to produce food, fiber, feed and fuel in a way tha... more Sustainable agriculture is a holistic approach to produce food, fiber, feed and fuel in a way that does not damage the environment and also must meet the needs of the present and future population of the world, while considering agro-ecosystem health, social and economic equity and profitability. Therefore, the sustainable agriculture cannot be isolated from the concept of sustainable development in any country or region. The current survey was conducted in order to study the sustainability of agricultural systems in Golestan Province in the north of Iran during the period of 2002-2011. The required data were obtained from formal statistical database. The total numerical value of sustainability was calculated for individual years using 21 different indexes. Because of the diverse nature of the selected indexes and their wide range, they were normalized to facilitate their comparison. The results show that the agricultural sustainability has been increased significantly over the stud...
In other to study the effect of the production system (aeroponic and soil production system), an ... more In other to study the effect of the production system (aeroponic and soil production system), an experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with five replication. In this study plants were obtained from seed culture (Cichorium, Withania and Echinacea) in pot for 1 month in greenhouse and then, uniform plants (20 cm height, approximately) were transferred to aeroponic system and soil. The plants were harvested after six months and their vegetative traits and root characteristic were measured. The results indicated that the effects of production system were significant in terms of plant height, root length, number of leaves, shoot and root fresh and dry weights and photosynthetic pigments. The result showed that aeroponic system in comparison with soil system has produced the highest of leaf number, root length, plant height, root and shoot dry weight, root and shoot fresh weight and photosynthetic pigments. It can be concluded that aeoponic systems could be used...
Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff. belonging to the Apiaceae family, is well known for its medicinal a... more Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff. belonging to the Apiaceae family, is well known for its medicinal and nutritional importance, endemic to Iran. Seed dormancy is a major problem present in Kelussia odoratissima leading to low germination percentage; thus, improvement of seed germination and breaking seed dormancy is important. Piriformospora indica, a root-colonizing endophytic fungus, promotes plant growth, development and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In order to evaluate the effects of different treatments of P. indica on seed germination traits of Kelussia odoratissima, an experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with five treatments and three replications. The experimental treatments were application of fungal mycelium of P. indica (M), spore suspension of P. indica (S), the combination of Gibberellic acid and fungal mycelium (H+M), the combination of Gibberellic acid and spore suspension (H+S), and control (C). Based on the results the highest pe...
Enhancement of in vitro micro corm production in Gladiolus as an alternative commercial method ha... more Enhancement of in vitro micro corm production in Gladiolus as an alternative commercial method has been focus of attention. With respet to the position of Gladiolus in Iran's ornamental plants market and in order to provide the proper protocol for the proliferation of glycol corms by tissue culture method, the effect of different concentrations of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and benzyl aminopurine (BAP) in two explants and production of shoot and roots of two commercial gladiolus cultivars were investigated. In the next experiment the role of different concentrations of sucrose (in Murashige and Skoog plant growth liquid medium) in production of corms was studied and finally cold treatment in 3 times were used to break dormancy of propagated cormlets. All of the main experiments were conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design with 3 replications. The highest number of shoots (14) and roots (12) was observed in White cultivar with the treatments of 2mg/L BAP a...
Abstract To study the interaction of different concentrations of cadmium and silicon on physiolog... more Abstract To study the interaction of different concentrations of cadmium and silicon on physiological traits of Lallemantia royleana a factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design. Experimental treatments were different concentrations of cadmium (0, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg L−1) in the absence (-Si) or presence (+Si) of silicon with a concentration of 1 mmol L−1. Based on results the highest amount of shoot Cd content (84.1 mg kg−1 DW) measured in -Si treatments was measured when the highest concentration of Cd (10 mg Cd L−1) was utilized. In all of the + Si treatments shoot Cd content decreased. The highest translocation factor (0.195) was observed in 2.5 mg Cd L−1 treatment without Si application and as a result of increasing Cd concentration in plant growth medium, the translocation factor decreased significantly. In + Si treated plants the translocation factor of Cd compared with –Si treated plants significantly decreased. Increasing the cadmium concentration up to 2.5 mg.L−1 did not have a significant effect on relative water content, leaf area, Chlorophyll a, and catalase activity. At the highest concentration of cadmium, the activity of peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase in + Si plants compared with -Si plants increased about 23%, 55% and 30%, respectively. Silicon reduced the negative effects of cadmium on plant growth either by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes or decreasing Cd translocation to shoot. Therefore, application of silicon for increasing growth and to produce healthier plants under cadmium stress with a concentration of 5 mg L−1 is recommended.
ABSTRACT A field study was conducted during 2015–2017 in order to evaluate effects of the foliar ... more ABSTRACT A field study was conducted during 2015–2017 in order to evaluate effects of the foliar application of different sources and concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the yield and morpho-physiological characteristics of saffron. Experimental treatment included the foliar application of nano ZnO at a concentration of (3, 6, and 9 g L−1), foliar application of normal ZnO at a concentration of (3, 6, and 9 g L−1) and the control. Both types of ZnO had positive effects on the saffron yield and number of flowers, but the highest yield and flower number were obtained by the foliar application of 9 g L−1 normal ZnO followed by 6 g L−1 nano ZnO. Increasing concentrations of both fertilizers up to 3 g L−1 had no significant effect on crocin, but the crocin content significantly decreased at higher concentrations. Effects of experimental treatments were significant on all morpho-physiological traits. The maximum chlorophyll a (1.74 mg.g−1) was observed in normal ZnO at a concentration of 9 g L−1 followed by nano ZnO at a concentration of 3 g L−1. The increasing application of different types of fertilizers linearly increased the Peroxidase activity, but the highest activity of Catalase in normal ZnO and nano ZnO was measured after the foliar application at concentrations of 3 and 6 g L−1, respectively.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are an important group of pollutants that are widely distributed... more Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are an important group of pollutants that are widely distributed in the environment. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of salicylic acid (a phenolic phytohormone) and mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and phytoremediation ability of tall fescue in the soil contaminated by fluoranthene. The initial concentrations of fluoranthene in this study were 100, 200, and 300 mg kg-1. The experimental treatments were included: T0 uncultivated soil; T1 cultivated soil with tall fescue; T2 cultivated soil with tall fescue + salicylic acid application; T3 cultivated soil with tall fescue + application of mycorrhizal fungi; T4 cultivated soil with tall fescue + salicylic acid and mycorrhizal fungi application; and P planting tall fescue in uncontaminated soil. The removal of fluoranthene was measured after 90 days. Furthermore, at the end of the experiment, the amount of shoot and root biomass, soil bacteria, and dehydrogenase activity were measured. According to the results, in all levels of contamination, removal of fluoranthene in cultivated treatments significantly was higher than uncultivated treatments. Increasing the concentration of fluoranthene had a negative effect on the shoot and root biomass in different treatments. Salicylic acid and mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased the shoot and root biomass and also the number of soil bacteria, dehydrogenase activity, and fluoranthene removal in T2, T3, and T4 treatments compared to T1. At the highest concentration of fluoranthene, as a result of simultaneous application of salicylic acid and mycorrhizal fungi (T4), the fluoranthene removal increased by 63, 21, 13, and 16% in comparison with T0, T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Based on the results, salicylic acid and mycorrhizal fungi, either alone or in combination, have a significant effect on the improvement of phytoremediation potential in tall fescue.
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