@article{ author = {Naghdi, M. and Bandani, A. R.}, title = {Snowdrop Lectin (GNA) Affects Growth and Development of Spodoptera exigua (Hubner)}, abstract ={Beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua (Hubner)) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is the most economically important sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) pest worldwide. The main control method of this pest is insecticides use. Thus, it is important to develop alternative means of controlling this pest, including host plant resistance using plant lectins. In the current study, the effects of GNA (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin) on the growth and development of beet armyworm were investigated using artificial diet. The presence of GNA in the diet at a level of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0% of the total dietary protein significantly reduced larval and pupal survivability compared with the control insects (P< 0.001). When high doses of GNA (0.5 and 1.0% of dietary protein) were incorporated into the diet, no larvae reached the fourth stadium. Only the lowest dose (0.1% GNA) allowed for larval and pupal development to continue to adult. The lectin retarded larval development in a dose dependent manner. For example, developmental time of the first instar larva in the control was 2.3 days, while in 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0% GNA treatments this value increased to 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, and 2.9 days, respectively. Larval developmental time (time taken from neonate first instar larvae to pupation) in the control and lectin treatment (0.1% GNA) were 14.1 and 17.2 days, respectively. GNA also affected duration of pupal period, adult longevity, and adult emergence. In conclusion, it should be said that GNA has a good potential to be used in IPM program in order to combat this insect species.}, Keywords = {beet armyworm,Galanthus nivalis,Growth}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {469-477}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-10774-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-10774-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Sharifzadeh, M. and Zamani, G. H. and Khalili, D. and Karami, E.}, title = {Agricultural Climate Information Use: An Application of the Planned Behaviour Theory}, abstract ={Despite considerable effort in developing climate information and demonstrating the potential benefits available to farmers, use of the climate information by farmers in farming decisions has not changed. The present research employed the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as a theoretical framework to analyze the antecedents of agricultural climate information use behaviour. Fars Province wheat growers (n= 314) were administered a questionnaire survey that measured standard TPB constructs. The data and hypotheses were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) by AMOS 7. Results from the maximum likelihood estimation showed that attitude was positively related to farmers’ climate information use in farming decisions. Thus, greater attitude (instrumental and affective) toward use of information in farming decisions was associated with stronger intention to engage in behaviour. Chi-square tests and fit indices indicated good fit for the final structural models. The results of this study demonstrated that the modified theory of planned behaviour provided a significant improvement on the model fit by adding a direct causal path linking attitude to behaviour. Applicability of the theory of planned behavior for measuring levels of wheat growers’ climate forecast use and the implications for future research are discussed.}, Keywords = {Climate information use,Farming decisions,Structural Equation Modeling,Theory of planned behaviour,Wheat growers}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {479-492}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-10408-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-10408-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Maghabl, R. and Chizari, M. and Khayyam-Nekouie, S. M. and Tabatabaie, M.}, title = {Investigating the Researchers’ Attitude and the Obstacle Hampering Nanotechnology Development in the Agricultural Sector of Iran}, abstract ={Nanotechnology has been shown to have promising roles in the development of various industries including the agricultural sector. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the researchers’ attitude and the obstacle hampering the development of nanotechnology in the agricultural sector of Iran. The population of this study consisted of researchers in national research centers/institutes (N= 187) during the biennium, 2009-2010. Proportional stratified random sampling was used for sample selection in the study (123). A questionnaire was developed and its validity was evaluated by a panel that consisted of the experts in the Nanotechnology Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture, Iran, and the faculty members of Tarbiat Modares University. A pilot test was conducted to determine the reliability of the questionnaire and Cronbach Alpha coefficient was confirmed for the scales of the questionnaire (α= 0.92). The results of this study showed that the respondents’ attitude toward the significance of nanotechnology was in the range of adequate to excellent level (92%, accumulatively). On the other hand, among the 37 obstacle variables investigated, 5 factors were found to account for 69.89% of the variance of obstacle variables. These included budget hindrance, instructional difficulties, management problems, research problems, and relative-informative hardships.}, Keywords = {Agriculture,Development,nanotechnology,Obstacle}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {493-503}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-8666-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-8666-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Shahbazi, F.}, title = {A Study on the Seed Susceptibility of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Cultivars to Impact Damage}, abstract ={Mechanical damage due to harvesting, handling, and other processes is an important factor that affects the seeds quality. Seed damage results in lower grain value and more storability problem and reduces seed germination and seedling vigor and subsequent yield of crops. Tests were conducted to determine the percentage of physical damage (PPD) and percentage of loss in germination (PLG) of wheat seeds due to impact. The effect of wheat seed variety and impact velocity was determined. Wheat seed varieties selected for testing included: Kohdasht, Maron, Simereh, Sardari and Zagros. Four impact velocities: 10, 20, 30 and 40 m s-1 were used. Results showed that effects of impact velocity and seed variety on seed damages were significant. PPD to seeds was higher than PLG in higher impact velocities. It found that the total damage of seeds increased from 4.17% (0.48 PPD and 3.68 PLG) to 73.32 % (47.59 PPD and 25.73 PLG) as impact velocity increased from 10 to 40 m s-1 for all wheat varieties studied. Impact results indicated that Sardari wheat variety was more susceptible to PPD (27.39 %), while Maron seeds were more susceptible to PLG (14.70%). Among the varieties studied, Sardari wheat seeds showed the highest level of total damage i.e.sum of PPD and PLG.}, Keywords = {Handling,Harvesting,Loss in germination,Mechanical damage,Processing}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {505-512}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-749-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-749-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Momenzadeh, L. and Zomorodian, A. and Mowla, D.}, title = {Applying Artificial Neural Network for Drying Time Prediction of Green Pea in a Microwave Assisted Fluidized Bed Dryer}, abstract ={Drying characteristics of green pea (Pisum satium) with an initial moisture content of 76% (db) was studied in a fluidized bed dryer assisted by microwave heating. Four drying air temperatures (30, 40, 50 and 60ºC) and five microwave powers (180, 360, 540, 720 and 900W) were adopted. Several experiments were conducted to obtain data for sample moisture content versus drying time. The results showed that increasing the drying air temperature resulted in up to 5% decrease in drying time while in the microwave-assisted fluidized bed system, the drying time decreased dramatically up to 78.8%. As a result, addition of microwave energy to the fluidized bed drying is recommended to enhance the drying rate of green pea. Furthermore, in this study, the application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for predicting the drying time (output parameter) was investigated. Microwave power, drying air temperature, and green pea moisture content were considered as input parameters for the model. An ANN model with 50 neurons was selected for studying the influence of transfer functions and training algorithms. The results revealed that a network with the logsig (Log sigmoid) transfer function and trainrp (Resilient back propagation; Rprop) back propagation algorithm made the most accurate predictions for the green pea drying system. In order to test the ANN model, the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and standard error (SE) were calculated and showed that the random errors were within and acceptable range of ±5% with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 98%.}, Keywords = {Green pea,Fluidized bed dryer,Microwave,Artificial Neural Network}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {513-522}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-11035-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-11035-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Motevali, A. and Abbaszadeh, A. and Minaei, S. and Khoshtaghaza, M. H. and Ghobadian, B.}, title = {Effective Moisture Diffusivity, Activation Energy and Energy Consumption in Thin-layer Drying of Jujube (Zizyphus jujube Mill)}, abstract ={Jujube (Zizyphus jujube Mill), a valuable medicinal plant, is consumed either as fresh fruit or dried product in Iran. Drying jujube guarantees a longer shelf time while preserving its quality to be used in medical and pharmaceutical industries. In this research paper, the influence of several drying conditions on the effective moisture diffusivity, activation energy, energy consumption and required specific energy in the drying of jujube is presented. Temperature levels of 50, 60 and 70 ºC and hot air velocities of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 (m s-1) were used as the treatments. Effective moisture diffusivity of jujube fruit during the drying process was in the range of 1.1532-5.1895×10-10 (m2 s-1) for the first period and 0.4036–2.3064×10-10 (m2 s-1) for the second period. Also, the values of energy of activation in both periods were determined to be between 34.97 and 74.20 (kJ mol-1). The energy consumption and the required specific energy for drying were in the range of 79.1- 92.46 (kW h) and 203.59 – 900.08 (kW h kg-1), respectively. Results show that energy consumption diminished when temperature increased at each air velocity, while it increased with increasing hot air velocity.}, Keywords = {Activation Energy,Effective moisture diffusivity,energy consumption,Jujube drying}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {523-532}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-4121-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-4121-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Ranjbari, M. and Hashemi, A. and Mardani, K. and Darvishzadeh, R.}, title = {Allelic Polymorphism of Makoei Sheep Calpastatin Gene Identified by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism}, abstract ={Calpastatin (CAST) is a specific inhibiter of calpains, playing a role in meat tenderization and myogenesis. In the present study, the polymorphism of the CAST gene of Makoei sheep was investigated by polymerase chain reaction and single strand conformation polymorphism technique (PCR–SSCP). Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood samples collected from 100 sheep. A 622 bp CAST exon 1 segment was amplified by standard PCR, using the locus specific primers. PCR products were subjected to a non-denaturing gel electrophoresis. Four SSCP patterns, representing four different genotypes, were identified. The frequencies of the observed genotypes were 0.31, 0.04, 0.63 and 0.02 for AA, BB AB and AC, respectively. Allele frequencies were 0.6313, 0.3586 and 0.01 for A, B and C, respectively. The Observed heterozygosity (Hobs) value for CAST gene was 0.4728. The chi-square test showed significant (P< 0.01) deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for this locus in Makoei sheep population.}, Keywords = {CAST gene,Makoei sheep,PCR,SSCP}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {533-538}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-2531-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-2531-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Manafi, M.}, title = {Counteracting Effect of High Grade Sodium Bentonite during Aflatoxicosis in Broilers}, abstract ={The effects of Aflatoxin (AF) (0.0 and 0.5m g kg-1) and High Grade Sodium Bentonite (HGSB) (5, 7.5 and 10 g kg-1) were tested in an in vivo study including 8 dietary treatments with three replicates of 14 birds per diet per replicate, using a total of 336 broiler chicks up to five weeks. Results showed that chicks receiving AF contaminated feed had significantly (P≤ 0.05) suppressed body weight gain, which improved significantly (P≤ 0.05) with addition of HGSB to AF contaminated diet. Supplementation of HGSB at 7.5 and 10 g kg-1 to the diets containing AF significantly (P≤ 0.05) improved feed consumption by 9.97 and 9.15 g kg-1, respectively, compared to the control group. Efficiency of feed utilization decreased significantly (P≤ 0.05) with addition of 0.5 mg kg-1 AF and improved significantly (P≤ 0.05) in HGSB treated group. The relative weights of liver and kidney, which increased significantly (P≤ 0.05) with addition of 0.5 mg kg-1 AF (19.56 and 18.38 g kg-1 (compared to control group, were improved with dietary inclusion of 7.5 and 10 g kg-1 HGSB. Relative weights of gizzard and pancreas were not affected in AF fed and the control groups. The relative thymus and bursal weights were significantly (P≤ 0.05) lower at inclusion of 0.5 mg kg-1 of AF (38.99 and 31.36%( compared to the control group, but were not altered by supplementation of HGSB. The serum antibody titers against Newcastle disease (ND) and Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) vaccination, which were significantly (P≤ 0.05) depressed by AF, were restored with the inclusion of 7.5 and 10 g kg-1 HGSB. The serum concentration of uric acid and albumin in comparison with control group were not affected by treatment groups. The activity of serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) significantly (P≤ 0.05) increased in AF fed group and the addition of HGSB did not show significant reduction in the activity of serum GGT (P≥ 0.05). Activity of serum alanine amino transferase (ALT) was not affected by the treatment groups. It was found that HGSB at 10 g kg-1 level is partially effective in counteracting the adverse effects of aflatoxin in broilers.}, Keywords = {Aflatoxin,Broilers,High Grade Sodium Bentonite,performance}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {539-547}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-1342-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-1342-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Dorostkar, M. and Farajiarough, H. and Shodja, J. and Rafat, S. A. and Rokouei, M. and Esfandyari, H.}, title = {Inbreeding and Inbreeding Depression in Iranian Moghani Sheep Breed}, abstract ={The objective of this study was to determine the inbreeding depression on growth traits in Moghani sheep. Pedigree information of 8836 animals collected during the years of 1987 to 2006 by Moghani Breed Center in Jafar Abad Moghan, were used for analysis. The base population year was 1988. Analysis of the records was performed by ASReml software. Inbreeding depression was estimated as the regression of performance on the individual inbreeding coefficients via fitting an animal model. The mean inbreeding for all animals, females and males, were 0.500, 0.515 and 0.484 %, respectively. Totally, 24.22 % of all the animals were inbred. The mean of inbreeding for inbreed animals was 2.062 %. The rate of increased inbreeding per year for all animals was 0.05%. The inbreeding depression for body weight traits at birth, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age was , respectively, -0.007, - 0.291, - 0.026, -0.018 and -0.041 kg, per 1% increase in individual coefficient.}, Keywords = {Inbreeding,Inbreeding depression,Moghani sheep,Growth traits}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {549-556}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-3882-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-3882-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Hassanzadeh, N. and EsmailiSari, A. and Bahramifar, N.}, title = {Dissipation of Imidacloprid in Greenhouse Cucumbers at Single and Double Dosages Spraying}, abstract ={In this study, residues of imidacloprid (Confidor) were measured in greenhouse cucumbers in Mazandaran Province, Iran. Confidor 200 SL was applied at the recommended rate (30.0 g ai ha-1) and its double (60.0 g ai ha-1). Samples were collected at 1 h to 21 days after application and analyzed to determine the content and dissipation rate of Imidacloprid. . Analysis was carried out by the QuEChERS method using HPLC-UV. The average initial deposits of imidacloprid on the cucumber fruits were found to be 1.93 and 3.65 mg kg-1 at the single and double dosages, respectively. Results showed that Imidacloprid was rapidly dissipated in cucumbers following a first order reaction kinetics at both application rates. The amount of dissipation in 21 days was 94.48% and 99.18% for, respectively, the single and double dosages. Residues of imidacloprid dissipated below the maximum residue limit (MRL) of 1 mg kg_1 in 3 days. Half-life (T1/2) for degradation of imidacloprid in cucumber was observed to be 3.40 and 2.70 days at the single and double dosages, respectively. A waiting period of 3 days is suggested for safe consumption of cucumber. Also, results showed that the dissipation was dependent on the initial application dose and followed a first order rate kinetics.}, Keywords = {Cucumber,Imidacloprid residue,Pre-harvest interval (PHI),QuECHERS method}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {557-564}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-10441-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-10441-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Ashraf, Z. and Hamidi, Z. and Sahari, M. A.}, title = {Evaluation and Characterization of Vacuum Drying of Date Paste}, abstract ={The drying behavior and characteristics of date paste were studied at temperatures of 60, 70, and 80ºC as thin layer with sample thicknesses of 1, 1.5, and 2 cm in a laboratory scale vacuum chamber. Modeling of drying kinetics of date paste was investigated based on the specific temperatures and sample thicknesses. The experimental moisture loss data were fitted to eight thin layer drying models available in the literature. The modified Henderson-Pabis, Verma, and Jena-Das models showed better fitness to the experimental drying data compared to the other models. The effective moisture diffusivity ranged between 6.0854×10-8 and 4.868×10-7 m2 s-1. Effective diffusivity increased with the increase in temperature and sample thickness. The temperature dependence of effective moisture diffusivity was expressed by an Arrhenius type equation.}, Keywords = {Date paste,Drying characteristics,Drying models,Effective moisture diffusivity,Vacuum drying}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {565-575}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-9709-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-9709-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {BeigMohammadi, Z. and Maghsoudlou, Y and Safafar, H. and SadeghiMahoonak, A. R.}, title = {Physicochemical Properties and Stability of Oil Extracted from Three Canola Cultivars Grown in Golestan Province of Iran}, abstract ={The oil extracted from three major canola cultivars (Hyolla401, Hyolla420 and RGS003) grown in Golestan Province was analyzed for physico-chemical properties, fatty acid composition, minerals content, and stability during 16 weeks of storage. According to the results, the highest iodine value and refractive index belonged to Hyolla401. The highest saponification value was observed in Hyolla420. There was no significant difference (P< 0.05) between the relative densities of the three cultivars. Study on the mineral content showed the highest level of iron and phosphorus in Hyolla420 and the maximum sulfur content in RGS003 cultivar. Oleic acid (ω-9) was the major fatty acid in all cultivars and the highest level was found in RGS003 (include % of oleic acid here). The highest level of essential fatty acids, linoleic acid (ω-6) was found in Hyolla420 and linolenic acid (ω-3) in Hyolla401. In all three cultivars, erucic acid content was low and within the permitted level (include % of oleic acid here). The Hyolla420 had the highest content of free fatty acid, acid value, peroxide value, anisidine value and Totox value compared to the other cultivars, during storage. However, result of oil stability based on Rancimat test showed that the Hyolla420 cultivar had the highest induction time during storage, which was in agreement with its low polyene index (PI).}, Keywords = {Canola oil,Fatty acid composition,Oil stability,Physico-chemical properties}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {577-586}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-354-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-354-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Lee, J. and Kim, H. and Rhim, J. W.}, title = {Vacuum Drying Characteristics of Salicornia herbacea L.}, abstract ={Vacuum drying of Salicornia herbacea L. was performed at different drying temperatures (50, 60, 70, and 80C) to evaluate the drying characteristics and the effect of drying temperatures on the quality of Salicornia. As the drying temperature increased, the drying time decreased significantly (P< 0.05). The drying rate decreased with decrease in moisture content and increase in drying time. On the other hand, the drying rate increased with increase in drying temperature. The logarithmic model exhibited the best fit to the experimental drying data among the tested models. The drying constants estimated using the logarithmic model were found to be affected by the drying temperature. The activation energy for drying was 15.02 kJ mol-1. The surface color of the Salicornia herbacea samples was significantly affected by the drying temperature (P< 0.05). CIE L*-, b*-, and Chroma (C*)-values increased significantly, while a*- and hue angle (h*)-values decreased significantly after drying at all of the drying temperatures (P< 0.05).}, Keywords = {Modeling,Salicornia herbacea,Thin layer drying,Vacuum drying kinetics}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {587-598}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-3999-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-3999-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Ergun, M.}, title = {Postharvest Quality of ‘Galaxy’ Apple Fruit in Response to Kaolin-Based Particle Film Application}, abstract ={Kaolin-based film as Surround WP® was applied to ‘Galaxy’ apple trees to evaluate its effects on postharvest fruit quality. Following harvest, the Surround WP® on the fruit skin was either wiped off, or left unwiped, then, the fruits from these treatments along with fruits from non-Surround WP®-treated trees as the control were stored at 6°C for 100 days. Surround WP® film application reduced weight loss ratios during the period of storage while unaffecting firmness loss, sunburn index, starch conversion, and pH values. After 70 days of cold storage, fruits treated with Surround WP® film showed less diminution in soluble solids and titratable acidity. A taste panel identified minor quality differences between fruits coated with and without the film. Fruits coated with the film had the highest appearance rating, but also exhibited the lowest smoothness rating due to film residue. This study indicates that Surround WP® may be safely used for ‘Galaxy’ apples before harvest for retaining postharvest quality during cold storage.}, Keywords = {Malus domestica,Sensory evaluation,Soluble solids,Surround WP®,Titratable acidity}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {599-607}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-4511-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-4511-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {khodambashi, M. and Bitaraf, N. and Hoshmand, S.}, title = {Generation Mean Analysis for Grain Yield and Its Related Traits in Lentil}, abstract ={In order to estimate heritability and gene action for grain yield and its related traits in lentil, six basic generations were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replications in a field experiment. Besides seed yield per plant, plant height, pod length, and 100-seed weight, the number of pods per plant, primary branches, clusters per plant, nodes per main stem, secondary branches, and the number of seeds per pod were recorded. Generation mean analysis using A, B, C and joint scaling tests indicated that additive [a], dominance [d] and at least one of the epistatic effect (additive×additive [aa], additive×dominance [ad] and dominance×dominance [dd]) were involved in the inheritance of the studied traits. However, simple additive-dominance model was sufficient only for pod length. Significant dominance [d] and dominance×dominance [dd] interactions with opposite sign indicated duplicate epistasis for all traits except pod length. Narrow-sense heritability was low for seed yield per plant, pod length, number of seeds per pod and 100-seed weight and moderate for other traits. Average dominance ratio was more than unity for seed yield per plant, number of primary and secondary branches, pod length, and 100-seed weight, which showed the high importance of dominance gene effect in control of these traits. Due to the presence of greater non-additive gene effects combined with low narrow-sense heritability, selection for almost all of the studied traits in this cross, especially in early generations, would be complex in conventional methods.}, Keywords = {heritability,Lentil,Mean analysis,Seed yield,Yield components}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {609-616}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-4516-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-4516-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Méndez-Natera, J. R. and Rondón, A. and Hernández, J. and Merazo-Pinto, J. Fernando}, title = {Genetic Studies in Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) II. General and Specific Combining Ability}, abstract ={The present experiment was carried out to assess the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) of six important commercial cultivars of Gossypium hirsutum L. of Venezuela, viz., ‘Deltapine 16’, ‘Tamcot-SP-21’, ‘Cabuyare’, ‘Stoneville’, ‘Ospino’ and ‘Acala 90-1’ and their 15 F1 hybrids, respectively. The data were analyzed using Griffing’s Model I Method II. Significant differences were found for all traits evaluated, except for seeds per boll and bolls per plant. Combining ability analysis of variance revealed significant differences for GCA and SCA effects among the parents and hybrids for almost all traits except for seed cotton yield ha-1 and fiber % for GCA and boll set, seed yield, and fiber % for SCA. The results suggested the presence of additive and non-additive gene action for almost all of the traits. The ratio GCA/SCA ranged from 0.59 for fiber fineness to 5.14 for plant height. Cultivars with the best (desired) GCA effects were cv. Cabuyare for blooming initiation, seed yield, and fiber fineness; Stoneville for plant height, stem diameter, number of fruit branches, number of set flowers, and boll weight; Tamcot-SP-21 for boll set and fiber fineness; Deltapine 16 for plant height, 100-seed weight and fiber length; Ospino for fiber strength. Also, the results revealed that Stoneville was the best general combiner for most of the traits. Finally, the correlations among GCA effects of the parents showed negative and significant associations of boll set with plant height and positive and significant associations of fruit branches with plant height, boll weight, and number of set flowers; of set flowers with plant height and boll weight; and of plant height with stem diameter.}, Keywords = {Cotton,Fiber quality,General and specific combining ability,Gossypium hirsutum,Yield components}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {617-627}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-4264-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-4264-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Siosemarde, A. and Osmani, Z. and Bahramnezhad, B. and Vahabi, Kh. and Rouhi, Ebrahim}, title = {Identification of AFLP Marker Associated with Stress Tolerance Index in Sardari Wheat Ecotypes}, abstract ={Sardari is one of the most important landraces of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that is mainly cultivated in drylands and mountainous area of Iran. Moreover, it shows a high level of genetic diversity. In the present research a total of 73 Sardari wheat ecotypes were evaluated for drought tolerance. Genetic diversity was analyzed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker based on three pairs of primer combinations. Of the 2,431 AFLP bands detected, 1,582 (73.92%) were polymorphic. Cluster analysis divided all ecotypes into eight major groups. Ecotypes also showed genetic diversity for drought tolerance and were classified into three groups. The first group consisted of forty-two of the 73 landraces and had a low stress tolerance index (STI), ranging from 0.165 to 0.401, while the second (23 landraces) and the third group (7 landraces) had a medium and high STI ranging from 0.425 to 0.640 and 0.662 to 0.817, respectively. Discriminant analysis (DA) identified twenty-four markers selected from 218 AFLP markers that accounted for the difference between the three phenotypic groups. By using the selected markers, DA validated the phenotypic grouping, with a zero error rate. The results showed a high degree of genetic diversity between the Sardari ecotypes, suggesting that Sardari can be used as a germplasm source for wheat improvement toward releasing more desirable cultivars.}, Keywords = {AFLP,Discriminate analysis,genetic diversity,Sardari wheat,STI}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {629-643}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-11117-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-11117-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Ahmadi, J. and Mohammadi, A. and NajafiMirak, T.}, title = {Targeting Promising Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Lines for Cold Climate Growing Environments Using AMMI and SREG GGE Biplot Analyses}, abstract ={Genotype×environment interactions (GEIs) can affect breeding programs because they often complicate the evaluation and selection of superior genotypes. This drawback can be reduced by gaining insights into GEI processes and genotype adaptation. The objectives of this research were to evaluate: (1) the yield stability of promising wheat lines across locations and (2) the relationship among the test environments for selecting superior lines within the cold climate mega-environments of Iran. A total of 35 wheat promising lines were grown at 7 locations during the 2008-2009 cropping season. Combined analysis of variance showed that the environment (E) accounted for 75.7% of the model sum of squares. The magnitude of the GEI sum of squares was about three times larger than that for genotypes. To determine the effects of GEI on yields, the data were subjected to the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype+(genotype×environment) interaction (GGE) biplot analysis. The AMMI1 model was found to explain up to 88% of the main and interaction effects. According to the AMMI1 and GGE biplots, the lines G5 and G4 were found to produce high and stable yields across environments. There were three mega-environments (Euromieh and Ardebil as mega-environment I, Mashhad, Arak, Hamedan and Jolgerokh as mega-environment II, and Karaj as mega-environment III) according to the site regression genotype (SREG) GGE model. Application of AMMI and GGE biplots facilitated visual comparison and identification of superior genotypes for each target set of environments.}, Keywords = {AMMI,GEI,GGE biplot,Wheat,Yield stability}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {645-657}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-756-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-756-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Boulenouar, N. and Marouf, A. and Cheriti, A. and Belboukhari, N.}, title = {Medicinal Plants Extracts as Source of Antifungal Agents against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis}, abstract ={Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (Foa) is a soil borne fungus causing the most serious disease of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) called “Bayoud”. In the present study, five medicinal plants from the Algerian Sahara (Southwest of Algeria): Limoniastrum feei (aerial part, roots), Launeae arborescens (Batt.) Murb. (aerial part, roots), Fredolia aretioides Moq. et Coss. (aerial part, roots), Asteriscus graveolens (Forsk) (leaves, stems) and Acacia raddiana (leaves, bark), were used to evaluate their extracts for antifungal activity against Foa. Two parts from each plant were used for extraction by four solvents: methanol, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane and hexane. The antifungal test was conducted using disc diffusion technique and relative virulence (RV) test (on potato tuber tissue). For both tests, four extract quantities were used (200, 400, 800 and 1,600g). The relative virulence was presented as necrotic tissue weight (mg) of potato tuber tissue. Among all solvents, methanol had the best extraction yield (mean: 6.35%, minimum: 2.27%, maximum: 9.80%). The highest frequency of antifungal effect on Foa was presented by ethyl acetate extracts (32.50% of detectable effect). The best effect was observed for ethyl acetate extract of Limoniastrum feei (aerial part). The virulence test showed a decrease in RV up to 30% for ethyl acetate extract of Launea arborescens aerial part. The increase in RV was observed mostly for hexanic extract from Fredolia aretioides reflecting its high toxicity compared to the other extracts.}, Keywords = {Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Albedinis,Medicinal plants,Pathogenicity,Phoenix dactylifera L,Virulence}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {659-669}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-3393-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-3393-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Ferreira, E. P. B. and Martin-Didonet, C. C. G.}, title = {Mulching and Cover Crops Effects on the Soil and Rhizosphere-associated Bacterial Communities in Field Experiment}, abstract ={Agricultural sustainability is closely related with the efficient use of natural resources, which are primarily transformed by the action of microorganisms. Soil microorganisms are usually used as early indicators of soil quality since they rapidly respond to changes in soil management. A field experiment was carried out aiming to evaluate the effect of siratro (Macroptylium atropurpureum), bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) and mulching on the bacterial communities of bulk soil and rhizoplane of siratro and bahiagrass. DNA was extracted directly from soil samples and from bacterial cells of siratro and bahiagrass rhizoplane and analyzed by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE). Results showed that bacterial communities were affected by both types of cover crop (siratro, bahiagrass and mulch) and the evaluated compartment (soil and rhizoplane). However, the greatest similarity (76%) was observed between bacterial communities of the samples under mulch and bahiagrass rhizoplane. The cluster analysis based on operational taxonomic units (OTU) showed that rare bands were preferentially related to mulch treatment. The diversity of bacterial community of the mulch treatment was 19% and 36% greater than the bacterial communities of siratro and bahiagrass, respectively, as revealed by Shannon-Weaver index. Besides, bacterial community diversity of the soil was 12% greater than that of the rhizoplane. These results indicate a clear effect of the rhizoplane on the selection of the bacterial community, leading to lower diversity index as compared with mulch samples.}, Keywords = {Bahiagrass,PCR-DGGE,Similarity,Siratro}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {671-681}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-7618-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-7618-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} } @article{ author = {Moazallahi, M. and Farpoor, M. H.}, title = {Soil Genesis and Clay Mineralogy along the Xeric-Aridic Climotoposequence in South Central Iran}, abstract ={Topography and climate are two important soil forming factors affecting genesis and clay mineralogy of soils. Calcareous and gypsiferous soils are widely spread in arid and semiarid parts of Iran and palygorskite is a dominant clay mineral in these soils. The objectives of the study were to: (1) determine soil genesis and classification along the climotoposequence and (2) investigate clay mineralogy and mode of mineral formation in soils along the sequence. The study area is a transect located in the southwest of Kerman Province covering 1,200 km2 beginning from Kerman Plain (1,840 m above sea level) with aridic moisture regime and extending to Lalehzar elevation (3207 m above sea level) with xeric moisture regime. Soil parent material changed from recent Quaternary alluvium in north of the transect (Kerman Plain) to the materials originated from weathering of igneous granodiorites of Lalehzar Mountains in the south. Illite, high charge smectite, palygorskite, chlorite and kaolinite clay minerals were found in almost all the soils studied. Smectite-vermiculite interstratified minerals were found only in Histosols (pedon 8 at lowland geomorphic position close to Lalehzar Mountain), which are attributed to higher soil moisture in this geomorphic surface. Palygorskite bundles were associated with both calcite and gypsum crystals and they were both pedogenic and inherited from the parent material. Due to higher soil moisture at the end of the transect (Lalehzar elevation), palygorskite was not observed. A close relation was found between soil properties, topography, and climate in the studied sequence.}, Keywords = {Central Iran,Climotoposequence,Mixed interstratified minerals,Palygorskite}, volume = {14}, Number = {3}, pages = {683-696}, publisher = {Tarbiat Modares University}, url = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-2697-en.html}, eprint = {http://jast.modares.ac.ir/article-23-2697-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology}, issn = {1680-7073}, eissn = {2345-3737}, year = {2012} }