1 1680-7073 Tarbiat Modares University 9721 A Panel Data Approach for Investigation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and CO2 Causality Relationship Saleh I. b Abedi S. c Abedi S. d b Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. c Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. d Department of Energy and Environment, Faculty of New Sciences and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 9 2014 16 5 947 956 08 12 2012 04 12 2013 One of the current challenges and complications in the world is the climate change and global warming, which has numerous and varied effects and consequences in different regions. In this regard, the effects of economic activities on the increase in greenhouse gases and also the effects of greenhouse gases on economic activities have become increasingly controversial. In this study, an investigation was done upon the bidirectional causality relationship between real gross domestic product per capita and carbon dioxide emissions per capita in different countries. For this purpose, the Vector Auto-Regression Model with the micro panel application was used and the World Bank member countries were divided into different groups. Results indicated bidirectional causality relationship between Gross domestic product (GDP) and CO2 for three groups of countries. In addition, there was a one-way causal relationship from GDP o carbon dioxide volume for subgroups of countries with high average economic growth rate (HGR) and the rest of the world countries (ROW). This means that, to accomplish the international goals of decreasing the emissions of pollutant gases, collaboration between HGR and ROW group of the countries with industrial countries is indispensable. Moreover, heterogeneous non-causality test for Iran suggests that the economic activities are having increasingly negative environmental impacts on the country.
399 Identification of Factors Affecting Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices by Some Rainfed Farmers in Iran Haghjou M. e Hayati B. f Momeni Choleki D. g e Tabriz University f Tabriz University g Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran 1 9 2014 16 5 957 967 23 12 2012 23 11 2013  In recent decades, large investments have been made to introduce soil conservation methods, but most of these efforts have had limited success in achieving the goals. As a result, attempt to identify the factors deterring or promoting adoption of soil conservation practices is important. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate factors affecting adoption of soil conservation practices by rain-fed farmers.Data were gathered from 178 farmers of Izeh County in Khuzestan Province, Iran, during 2010 crop season. An ordered Logit regression model was applied to analyze the data. The results have revealed that farmers’ perception of soil erosion and their knowledge about soil conservation practices, farms size, and grant funding have a positive effect, while farmers’ levels of academic education and number of plots have negative effects on farmers’ adoption. To promote adoption of conservation practices, awarding grants, holding targeted training/extension classes to increase farmers’ knowledge about soil erosion, and methods of coping with it are suggested. 4918 Demographic Parameters of Two Populations of Trissolcus grandis (Thomson) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) at Five Constant Temperatures Nozad Bonab Z. h Iranipour S. i Farshbaf Pourabad R. j h Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran. i Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran. j Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 9 2014 16 5 969 979 21 08 2012 04 11 2013 Trissolcus grandis (Thomson) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is the most important egg parasitoid of the common sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae) in Iran. Demographic characteristics may be used for preliminary screening of parasitoid species or populations as well as for predicting their efficiency under different physical conditions in the field. In this study, the demography of two northwestern populations of T. grandis was studied under five constant temperatures including 20, 23, 26, 29, and 32±1°C, at 50±5% RH and 16:8 h (L: D) photoperiod. The two populations responded differently to the temperatures, thus, many life history parameters were significantly affected not only by temperature itself but also in interaction with population. The highest value of intrinsic rate of increase for the Marand population was 0.344±0.057 females/female/day that occurred at 26°C. The same rate for the Tabriz population increased regularly with temperature increase and the maximum value (0.368±0.063) was obtained at 29°C. Further increase in temperature led to a negligible change in the value of this parameter. As a whole, the Marand population seemed to be adapted to cooler conditions compared to the Tabriz population 4299 Effect of Inhibitors from Plant Seeds on Digestive Proteolytic Activities in Larvae of the Date Palm Fruit Stalk Borer, Oryctes elegans Prell (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Saberi Riseh N. k Ghadamyari M. l Hosseininaveh V. m Motamedinia B. n Aghaali N. o k Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Islamic Republic of Iran. l Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Islamic Republic of Iran. m Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. n Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Southern Khorasan, Birjand, Islamic Republic of Iran. o Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 9 2014 16 5 981 992 27 04 2013 23 11 2013 The date palm fruit stalk borer is one of the most important pests of date palm in the world. Biochemical properties of digestive proteases in Oryctes elegans Prell larvae were investigated in this research and optimal total proteolytic and trypsin activities were obtained at pH 9.0 and 11.0, respectively. Activity staining of protease on SDS-PAGE showed one isoform. Also, zymogram pattern of trypsin using nitro-cellulose membrane revealed two isoforms. The inhibitory effect of PMSF, TLCK, TPCK, EDTA, iodoacetate and iodoacetamide were determined on O. elegans proteolytic activity. The iodoacetamide showed the highest inhibition on total proteolytic activity. Therefore, cysteine protease accounted for the major proteases in the gut of O. elegans. Total proteolytic activity was inhibited 22.3 and 12.15% by inhibitors extracted from Vicia faba and Lathyrus sativus, respectively. However, the inhibitors extracted from seeds of Prosopis farcta, Panecum miliaceum, and Alhagi maurorum showed negligible inhibitory effects on proteolytic activities. Trypsin activity was inhibited 91.5 and 82.3% by inhibitors extracted from V. faba and L. sativus, respectively. Electrophoretic analysis showed that inhibitors extracted from V. faba reduced the intensity of total proteolytic and trypsin activities. The inhibitor from V. faba was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel-filtration, also the molecular mass of inhibitor was determined 35 kDa. This purified inhibitor was able to inhibit trypsin activity by 72.7%. In addition, the highest inhibition of trypsin activity by inhibitor from V. faba occurred at pH 11.0. Also, the stability of inhibitor from V. faba was evaluated at different pHs and temperatures. This inhibitor was stable at pH 11.0 and 30 °C. 2052 Appraising Some Iranian Maize Growers' Ecological Behavior: Application of Path Analysis Izadi N. p Hayati D. p Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 9 2014 16 5 993 1003 20 01 2013 09 08 2014 Understanding people’s ecological behaviors and the impacts of human activities on natural environment is one of the most important concepts in ecological psychology research. The purpose of this study was to investigate causal relationship between factors and maize growers’ ecological behavior concerning the application of external inputs such as water, fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and machineries based on the Comprehensive Action Determination model applied to the agricultural sector in Iran, for the first time. The ecological behavior in agriculture means cultivation with proper methods for conservation of soil, water, and other resources. Population of this study was all maize growers in Shiraz County (491 farmers). Through stratified random sampling method, 220 maize growers were selected. Results indicate that situational influences, normative processes, intentional processes, and habitual processes are effective factors on maize growers' ecological behavior. Based on the results, some recommendations are presented. 4889 Suitability Analysis for Determining Potential Agricultural Land Use by the Multi-Criteria Decision Making Models SAW and VIKOR-AHP (Case study: Takestan-Qazvin Plain) Pourkhabbaz H. R. Javanmardi S. Faraji Sabokbar H. A. Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology, Behbahan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology, Behbahan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Cartography, Faculty of Geography, Tehran University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 9 2014 16 5 1005 1016 14 10 2012 26 02 2014 Suitability analysis is a prerequisite for sustainable agricultural production and it involves evaluation of the environmental parameters. The development and creation of appropriate points for this land use without considering environmental capability will result in the appearance of several ecological, economic, and social problems. The Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Models were used for solving such problems. Takestan-Qazvin region is one of the biomes that have difficulties due to lack of a systematic administration on environmental resources. This research was done in the framework of the ecological model and by using multicriteria decision making methods such as Analytic Network Process (ANP), Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) and Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje - Analytical Hierarchy Process (VIKOR-AHP)in GIS environment with the aim of choosing the suitable locations for agricultural land use in Takestan-Qazvin Plain. However, the purpose of this study was twofold: first, it was aimed at determining the ecological capability of agricultural land use by using ANP and SAW methods. Second, the suitable agricultural alternatives in this region were ranked using the integrated VIKOR and AHP models. In these methods, the ratings and the weights of the criteria are known precisely. Ecological factors such as physical and biological parameters and economic - social factors were chosen as the major criteria affecting the agriculture land use. The research indicated that north parts of the study area were not suitable for agricultural development. Finally, the conclusion showed that the application of decision making models could be useful in environmental capacity evaluation of agricultural land use. 1352 Fluidized Bed Drying Characteristics of Soybeans Darvishi H. Khoshtaghaza M. H. Minaee S. Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Agricultural Machinery Engineering Dept., Tarbiat Modares University, Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 9 2014 16 5 1017 1031 08 06 2013 23 11 2013 The present study investigated the influence of air temperature and velocity on the drying kinetics and specific energy consumption during fluidized bed drying of soybean at 80, 100, 120 and 140ºC and airflow rates of 1.8, 3.1 and 4.5 m s-1. Six mathematical models for describing the fluidized bed drying behavior were investigated. The value of the drying rate coefficient (k) increased with increasing air temperature and velocity and thus reduced the drying time. Although the Midilli model showed the best fit, the Page’s model was selected, since it had almost a similar performance but the model is simpler with two parameters instead of four. The drying of soybean seeds took place in the falling rate period and was controlled by moisture diffusion. A third order polynomial relationship was found to correlate the effective moisture diffusivity with moisture content. Effective diffusivity increased with decreasing moisture content and increasing temperature and air velocity. It varied from 4.595×10−11 to 3.325×10−10 m2 s-1 over the temperature and velocity ranges. Values of the activation energy for moisture diffusion were determined as 35.33, 32.85 and 30.73 kJ mol-1 for air velocities of 1.8, 3.1 and 4.5 m/s, respectively. It was found that decrease in energy of activation caused an increase in drying rate. The minimum and the maximum specific energy requirements for drying of soybean seeds were determined as 26.90 and 111.05 kWh kg-1 for 140ºC with 1.8 m s-1 and 80ºC with 4.5 m s-1 air velocity, respectively. 8654 Effect of Conservation Agriculture Practices on Oat Fodder Yield, Water Use Efficiency, and Microbial Biomass C and N in Rainfed Dry Area of North- West Pakistan Mohammad W. Shah S. A. Shahzadi S. Haroon Kh. Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Soil Science Division, Peshawar, Pakistan. Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Soil Science Division, Peshawar, Pakistan. Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Soil Science Division, Peshawar, Pakistan. Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Crop Production, Agricultural University Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan. 1 9 2014 16 5 1033 1042 13 11 2012 04 11 2013 Crop productivity, water use efficiency (WUE), and microbial biomass C and N in rainfed dry area are influenced by tillage, rotation, and crop residue management. Field experiments were conducted during 2005-08 to study the effect of tillage, crop rotation, and crop residue retention on oat fodder yield, water use efficiency, and microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN) under semi-arid conditions in north-west Pakistan. The objective of the study was to identify suitable cultural practices and fodder cropping system with improved water use efficiency for a dry area. The treatments consisted of three rotations: i) oat–fallow–oat (O-F-O)-farmers’ practice, ii) oat– summer legume–oat (O-SL-O), and iii) oat–summer cereal–oat (O-SC-O). For each rotation, there were two tillage and two crop residue management treatments: i) Tillage (crop residues removed) and Tillage (crop residues retained), and ii) No-tillage (crop residues removed) and No-tillage (crop residues retained). Basal doses of N60+P60 (kg ha-1) to oat, N90+P60 to summer cereals and N20+P60 (kg ha-1) to legumes were applied. Changes in soil water storage were monitored with neutron moisture probe for calculation of WUE. The results indicated that an average maximum dry matter yield (7.78 t ha-1) and WUE (26.47 kg ha-1mm-1) was obtained under no-tillage+crop residues treatment. The tillage practices showed no-significant effect on oat dry matter yield and WUE. The oat yield and WUE was higher in O-F-O rotation compared to O-SL-O and O-SC-O. The surface soil (0-15 cm) analysis showed that MBC and MBN was consistently greater in the no-tillage+crop residues treatment. These results indicated that no-tillage+crop residue treatment was relatively more beneficial under the rainfed (dry) conditions. 2032 Physiological-based Selection Criteria for Terminal Drought in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Koocheki A. R. Yazdansepas A. Mahmadyorov U. Mehrvar M. R. Department of Cereals Research, Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Cereals Research, Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Agronomy, Faculty of plant science, Tajik Agrarian University, Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Department of Agronomy, Faculty of plant science, Tajik Agrarian University, Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 1 9 2014 16 5 1043 1053 04 05 2013 23 11 2013 Drought is the most restricting factor in agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions. This research was conducted on 19 facultative and winter wheat genotypes grown under normal irrigation (N), early post-anthesis (S1), and late post-anthesis (S2) drought stress conditions. The experiments were conducted at Karadj, Arak, and Jolgehrokh Agricultural Research Stations in Iran, during 2008-11 cropping seasons. Stress reduced grain number per spike, thousand grain weight, grain weight per spike, harvest index, biological weight, and grain yield.Effect of environment, irrigation, and genotype on most of the traits, including grain yield, was significant. Remobilization, efficiency of remobilization, and pre-anthesis photo-assimilate contribution to grain filling increased under drought stress condition. Correlation coefficients between those traits and grain yield were significantly positive under N, S1, and S2 conditions. Based ondifferent drought tolerance indices, the improved line Alvd//Aldan/Ias58*2/3/Gaspard was identified as the most tolerant genotype under anthesis and post-anthesis drought stress conditions.It also had the highest remobilization, efficiency of remobilization, and pre-anthesis photo-assimilate contribution to grain fillingunder drought stress conditions. 6878 Genetic Properties of Productive Traits in Iranian Native Fowl: Genetic Relationship between Performance and Egg Quality Traits Salehinasab M. Zerehdaran S. Abbasi M. A. Alijani S. Hassani S. Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Animal Science, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Animal Research Institute, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Animal Science, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 9 2014 16 5 1055 1062 16 04 2013 25 12 2013 The present study was conducted to estimate correlations among performance and egg quality traits in Iranian native fowl. Data were collected from 21,679 birdsat the Isfahan Native Fowl Breeding Center to derive genetic parameters for performance traits and egg quality traits were measured on eggs of 1,020 birds. Genetic correlations of performance and egg quality traits were estimated with a bivariate animal model using ASREML software. Body weight at hatch, 8, and 12 weeks of age (BW0, BW8 and BW12, respectively) positively (0.05 to 0.82) correlated with egg weight (EW), shell weight (SW), specific gravity (SG), yolk height (YH) and albumen weight (AW). BW0 and BW12 negatively (-0.10 to -0.26) correlated with shell strength (SS) and shell thickness (ST). Genetic correlations of BW8 and BW12 with albumen height (AH) and Haugh unit (HU) were highly negative (-0.45 to -0.55), whereas BW12 showed positive correlation with shape index (SI) (0.22). Shell weight showed high positive genetic correlation with age at sexual maturity (ASM) (0.75), while its genetic correlation with egg number (EN) was highly negative (-0.71). EN also showed high negative correlation with yolk and albumen weight (-0.91 and -0.75, respectively). Based on the present results, selection for higher BW will lead to production of eggs with higher internal quality. In contrast, this kind of selection will reduce the shell strength and shell thickness. Therefore, selection should be based on an index including performance and egg quality traits. This will help to develop indigenous strain of meat-cum-egg type chicken. 1979 Comparative Antioxidant Properties of Some Gingerols and Shogaols, and the Relationship of Their Contents with the Antioxidant Potencies of Fresh and Dried Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) Guo J. Wu H. Du L. Zhang W. Yang J. Analytical and Testing Center, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, Shanxi 041004, People Republic of China. Analytical and Testing Center, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, Shanxi 041004, People Republic of China. Analytical and Testing Center, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, Shanxi 041004, People Republic of China. College of Engineering, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, Shanxi 041004, People Republic of China. College of Engineering, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, Shanxi 041004, People Republic of China. 1 9 2014 16 5 1063 1072 05 03 2013 04 11 2013 Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) contains the biological properties of the major standard non–volatile pungent compounds of ginger, namely, [6]–, [8]–, and [10]–gingerols, as well as [6]– , [8]–, and [10]–shogaols. So far, the comparative antioxidant potencies among shogaols and gingerols have not been studied in detail and reported. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine and compare the antioxidant abilities of the six main compounds. Results showed that[6]–, [8]–, and [10]–gingerols, as well as [6]–, [8]–, and [10]–shogaols exhibited substantial in vitro antioxidant activities. The DPPH•, ABTS•+,and FRAP assays results showed that the antioxidant abilities of [6]–shogaol were greatest among the six gingerols and shogaols studied (P< 0.05), and those of [6]–, [8]–, and [10]–shogaols were greater than those of [6]–, [8]–, and [10]–gingerols, respectively, which can be attributed to the presence of α, β–unsaturated ketones moieties. Moreover, the observation that the antioxidant abilities of [6]–gingerol were greater than those of [8]– and [10]–gingerols (P< 0.05) indicated that the short carbon chains of [6]–gingerol and [6]–shogaol played a significant role in making them more potent antioxidants than the other four longer carbon chain compounds. This finding can be attributed to gingerols undergoing dehydration transformations into shogaols during oven drying. Our results provided some new information on the antioxidant abilities of gingerols and shogaols. 11239 Rheological Characteristics of Yogurt Enriched with Microencapsulated Fish Oil Tamjidi F. Nasirpour A. Shahedi M. Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Esfahan 84156-83111, Iran Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Esfahan 84156-83111, Iran Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Esfahan 84156-83111, Iran 1 9 2014 16 5 1073 1082 13 11 2012 03 03 2014 This study was aimed at evaluating the flow behavior characteristics of yogurt enriched with fish oil (FO) microcapsules prepared by complex coacervation method. FO was microencapsulated in gelatin-acacia gum coacervates. Then, the microcapsules were dried, and yogurt was produced from the milk enriched with microcapsules powder. Rheological characteristics (as measured using a rotational viscometer) of yogurt were evaluated in the shear rate range of 0.262-7.86 s-1 at 6˚C during 21 days of storage. Power Law model was used for calculation of consistency coefficient and flow behavior index of yogurt. As compared to the control, the enriched yogurt had higher apparent viscosity. Consistency coefficients of the enriched and the control yogurts were in the range of 24.42-28.82 and 15.31-17.76 Pa sn, respectively. Yogurt samples showed a non-Newtonian shear-thinning flow behavior. Addition of FO microcapsules to yogurt may be useful for improving its health-promoting effect and consistency. 8590 Water Binding Capacity of Rye Flours with the Addition of Native and Modified Arabinoxylan Preparations Buksa K. Ziobro R. Nowotna A. Adamczyk G. Sikora M. Zylewski M. Department of Carbohydrates Technology, Faculty of Food Technology, University of Agriculture, ul. Balicka 122, 30-149 Kraków, Poland. Department of Carbohydrates Technology, Faculty of Food Technology, University of Agriculture, ul. Balicka 122, 30-149 Kraków, Poland. Department of Carbohydrates Technology, Faculty of Food Technology, University of Agriculture, ul. Balicka 122, 30-149 Kraków, Poland. Department of Carbohydrates Technology, Faculty of Food Technology, University of Agriculture, ul. Balicka 122, 30-149 Kraków, Poland. Department of Carbohydrates Technology, Faculty of Food Technology, University of Agriculture, ul. Balicka 122, 30-149 Kraków, Poland. Department of Organic Chemistry, Collegium Medicum UJ, Marek Żylewski - Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland. 1 9 2014 16 5 1083 1095 10 04 2013 04 11 2013 Despite a highly beneficial role of water soluble arabinoxylans, the information about the effect of their addition on the properties of rye dough is lacking. The aim of this study was to check the influence of their modification methods and properties on water binding capacity of rye flour and suggest some possible explanations for the action of various fractions of arabinoxylans. Three modifications of isolated arabinoxylans were carried out: enzymatic hydrolysis, cross-linking, and combination of both. The preparations used as additives differed in molecular characteristics of arabinoxylans, as well as their rheological behavior. The addition of all preparations at 1 and 2% levels to rye flour types 720 and 1,150 resulted in an increase of water absorption. The high water absorption of the two rye flour types with the same amount of arabinoxylan preparations was mainly related to structural properties of arabinoxylans, such as molecular mass and substitution ratio. Structural properties were responsible for rheological behavior of the samples, which allow prediction of the final water absorption of rye flour. 8414 Water Desorption Isotherms of Raw and Osmotically Dehydrated Garlic Vazquez M. J. Chenlo F. Moreira R. Pacios B. Mayor L. Departament of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Departament of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Departament of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Departament of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Institute of Food Engineering for Development, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. 1 9 2014 16 5 1097 1107 22 11 2012 05 10 2013 Water desorption isotherms of raw and osmotically dehydrated (at 25ºC, for 2 hours, with 10 and 26% NaCl solutions) garlic slices at different temperatures (25, 40, 55, and 70ºC) were experimentally determined over a range of water activity of 0.05–0.90 using a static gravimetric method. Desorption isotherms can be classified as Type III. The water desorption isotherms of raw garlic clearly showed the influence of temperature i.e. increasing water activity at a fixed moisture content with increasing temperature; whereas for the osmotically dehydrated garlic the effect of the temperature was less important. The increase of NaCl content in osmotically dehydrated garlic led to a decrease in water activity at the same moisture content, and this effect was more accentuated at high temperatures. Equilibrium moisture content data at each temperature were satisfactorily fitted with Henderson model and a six-parameters equation based on Henderson model was obtained in order to correlate simultaneously moisture content with water activity, temperature, and osmotic solution concentration. A prediction model based on concentration and physical state of garlic compounds was successfully used to reproduce the experimental data. 11214 Wind Effect on Wildfire and Simulation of its Spread (Case Study: Siahkal Forest in Northern Iran) Jahdi R. Darvishsefat A. A. Etemad V. Mostafavi M. A. Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Center for Research in Geomatics, Laval University, Quebec, Canada. 1 9 2014 16 5 1109 1121 10 08 2013 03 03 2014 Lack of fire behavior studies and the immediate needs posed by the extent of the fire problem in forests of Iran require that extensive studies be conducted to develop models to predict fire behavior in the region.In this study, FARSITE Fire Area Simulator was applied to simulate spread and behavior of two real fires that had occurred in Northern Forests of Iran during 2010 summer and fall seasons in a spatially and temporally explicit manner taking into account the fuel, topography, and prevailing weather in the area. Spatial data themes of elevation, aspect, slope, canopy cover, and fuel model were prepared and formatted in GIS along with weather and wind files to run FARSITE fire behavior model. The effect of weather conditions on the accuracy of FARSITE simulations was evaluated in order to assess the capabilities of the simulator in accurately predicting the fire spread in the case study. The WindNinja model was used to derive local winds influenced by vegetation and topography. The simulations were validated with the real mapped fire scars by GPS mapping. Kappa Coefficient was used as measure of the accuracy of the simulation. The Kappa statistic was lower for spatially uniform wind data (0.5) as compared to spatially varying wind data (0.8) for the two studied events. The results confirm that the use of accurate wind field data is important in fire spread simulation, and can improve its accuracy and the predictive capabilities of the simulator.  9949 Inhibitory Activity of Plant Extracts on Aflatoxin B1 Biosynthesis by Aspergillus flavus Thippeswamy S. Mohana D. C. Abhishek R. U. Manjunath K. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Bangalore University, Bangalore–560056, India. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Bangalore University, Bangalore–560056, India. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Bangalore University, Bangalore–560056, India. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Bangalore University, Bangalore–560056, India. 1 9 2014 16 5 1123 1132 25 06 2013 30 11 2013 The inhibitory activities of aqueous and solvent extracts of twelve selected medicinal plants were evaluated against biosynthesis of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by Aspergillus flavus. The A. flavus was isolated from maize, and aflatoxin B1 biosynthesis was confirmed by comparison with standard AFB1 using TLC method. In vivo antiaflatoxigenic efficacies of activity guided solvent extracts were determined in maize model system. All the extracts showed varying degree of antifungal and AFB1 inhibitory activities, but chloroformic extract of Albizia amara, Cassia spectabilis and Solanum indicum, and methanolic extract of Acacia catechu, Albizia saman andAnogeissus latifolia showed the highest activity. Further investigations on identification of active principles from these plants are needed to develop plant based formulations for management of A. flavus growth and AFB1 contamination in food grains. 7203 Plant Regeneration from Protoplasts of Lilium ledebourii (Baker) Boiss Tahami S. K. Chamani E. Zare N. Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 9 2014 16 5 1133 1144 06 03 2013 02 07 2014 For half a century, the limitations of obtaining cross-combinations in lilies because of the incompatibility and incongruity between different varieties have been known. Somatic hybridization is one of the most powerful tools for achieving distant interspecific hybrids. For this purpose, protoplast preparation is a first and important step in efficient system for the regeneration of plants from protoplasts. Protoplast isolation method was previously developed in Lilium ledebourii (Baker) Boiss. In this study, several valuable experiments were done based on completely randomized design with 3 replications and also each experiment was repeated twice. The results revealed that cell wall and colony formation were better in a liquid medium than those on a semi-solid medium. The highest plating efficiency (1.34×106 per gr FW) and callus formation was obtained by using a medium containing 1 mg L-1 2,4-D, 0.2 mg L-1 Kin and 2 g L-1 Yeast extract. Micro calli were formed after one month of culture. Many plantlets were formed on the calli after transfer of the proliferated calli to regeneration medium. The highest plantlet regeneration (91.66%) was obtained by using a medium containing 0.5mg L-1 NAA, 1.5 mg L-1 BA. Means comparison revealed that the semi- solid MS medium containing 0.5 mg L-1 NAA and 1.5 mg L-1 BA had the highest percentage of regeneration (91.66%), bulb number (8.83), and length (0.7366 cm), root length (0.421cm) and leaf number (13.66) and length (0.5052cm). 5228 Sorbitol and Sugar Composition in Plum Fruits Influenced by Climatic Conditions Dugalic K. Sudar R. Viljevac M. Josipovic M. Cupic T. Agricultural Institute Osijek, Juzno predgradje 17, Osijek 31000, Croatia. Agricultural Institute Osijek, Juzno predgradje 17, Osijek 31000, Croatia. Agricultural Institute Osijek, Juzno predgradje 17, Osijek 31000, Croatia. Agricultural Institute Osijek, Juzno predgradje 17, Osijek 31000, Croatia. Agricultural Institute Osijek, Juzno predgradje 17, Osijek 31000, Croatia. 1 9 2014 16 5 1145 1155 28 05 2013 30 11 2013 The aim of the study was to evaluate changes of sorbitol, glucose, fructose, sucrose, and total sugars of plum fruits in different years under different climatic conditions i.e. air temperature and precipitation. The cultivars investigated in the research were: Topstar, Toptaste, Jojo, Haganta, Tophit, and Top 2000. The fruits were harvested at optimal stage of maturity in the experimental orchard of the Agricultural Institute Osijek. Content of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and sorbitol in the fruits were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Significant differences were found between sucrose, glucose, fructose, and sorbitol depending on climatic conditions and cultivar. Sucrose was the highest in almost all years. Glucose was the predominant sugar in cultivars Jojo and Top 2000. Fructose and sorbitol contents were lower than sucrose and glucose. Average sugar contents in 2008-2012 period were compared with respect to climatic conditions. A significant effect of year was found for sucrose, sorbitol, total sugar, and dry matter, whereas no effect was found for glucose and fructose contents. Individual sugar contents correlated significantly with each other. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that plum cultivars were clearly differentiated according to variability of sugar in fruit caused by climatic conditions. The obtained results highlighted that climatic conditions may have significant effect on plum fruit quality and, therefore, it is important to have adequate testing before recommending a cultivar for planting.  3229 Irrigation Planning with Fuzzy Parameters: An Interactive Approach Regulwar D. G. Gurav J. B. Department of Civil Engineering, Government College of Engineering, Aurangabad-431005, Maharashtra State, India. Department of Civil Engineering, Amrutvahini College of Engineering Sangamner, Maharashtra State, India. 1 9 2014 16 5 1157 1172 08 12 2011 09 07 2014 Decisions relating to most irrigation-planning problems need to be made in the face of hydrologic uncertainties, which make the irrigation-planning problem more complex. The uncertainties can be tackled by formulating the problem as Fuzzy Linear Programming (FLP). In the present study, Single Objective Fuzzy Linear Programming (SOFLP) irrigation planning model was formulated for deriving the optimal cropping pattern plan with the objective of minimization of cost of cultivation and maximization of net benefits for the case study of Jayakwadi Project Stage-I in Godavari River sub-basin in Maharashtra State, India. The objective function coefficients, technological coefficients, and stipulations/resources under consideration were taken as triangular fuzzy numbers. The interactive approach was used to solve SOFLP model by involving the Decision Maker (DM) in all phases of decision-making process. The SOFLP model gave better results at highest degree of the membership value by keeping balance between feasibility degree of constraints and satisfaction degree of objectives. The minimized cost of cultivation and maximized net benefits for irrigation planning for the SOFLP model proposed, was found at greatest membership degree of 0.406 and 0.331, respectively, with the consideration of balance between the feasibility degree of constraints and satisfaction degree of goal. The DM can be involved in all phases of decision process, which is very essential in real world problems of irrigation planning where the data/information is vague or uncertain.  2846 Optimizing First-order Rate Coefficients for Soil Nitrate Transformation Processes Applying an Inverse Method Zhu X. M. Shi J. C. Zuo Q. Wang L. C. Zheng W. J. Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, People Republic of China. Department of Soil and Water Sciences, College of Resources and Environment, China Agricultural University, and Key Lab. of Plant-Soil Interactions, MOE, Beijing 100193, People Republic of China. Department of Soil and Water Sciences, College of Resources and Environment, China Agricultural University, and Key Lab. of Plant-Soil Interactions, MOE, Beijing 100193, People Republic of China. Department of Soil and Water Sciences, College of Resources and Environment, China Agricultural University, and Key Lab. of Plant-Soil Interactions, MOE, Beijing 100193, People Republic of China. Department of Soil and Water Sciences, College of Resources and Environment, China Agricultural University, and Key Lab. of Plant-Soil Interactions, MOE, Beijing 100193, People Republic of China. 1 9 2014 16 5 1173 1185 03 05 2013 04 11 2013 It is extremely challenging to measure first-order rate coefficients for soil nitrate transformation processes directly, either in the laboratory or in the field. In this study, an improved inverse method was proposed to optimize the first-order rate coefficients by considering the intermediate changing processes of the integrated functions. A numerical experiment was designed to test the accuracy of the method in optimizing the coefficients. Comparisons between the optimized and theoretical results indicated that all the relative errors were within 10%. Data collected from a field experiment were used to validate the optimization procedure and to demonstrate its applications in practice. Using the established model and the estimated values by the inverse method, the simulated source-sink term (SST) distributions of September 2-12, 2007, were in good agreement, with the root mean squared error (RMSE) between them being as low as 0.00021 mg cm-3 d-1. Based on the established nitrate transformation model, the distributions of soil water content and nitrate concentration during September 2-12, 2007, were simulated, and compared well with the measured profiles, with the RMSE of 0.023 cm3 cm-3 and 0.017 mg cm-3, respectively. The improved inverse method should be useful for optimizing the first-order rate coefficients for nitrate transformation, establishing the nitrate transformation model, and simulating the nitrate transport in the soil-plant system. 4774 Spatio-temporal Variability in Distribution Patterns of Tribulus terrestris: Linking Patterns and Processes Mathur M. Plant Ecology Laboratory, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 1 9 2014 16 5 1187 1201 12 03 2013 04 02 2014 Spatial patterns are useful descriptors of the horizontal structure in a plant population and may change over time as the individual components of the population grow or die out. But, whether this is the case for desert woody annuals is largely unknown. In the present investigation, the variations in spatial patterns of Tribulus terrestris during different pulse events in semi-arid area of the Thar Desert, India, was quantified. Further ordination technique and path analysis were utilized to link the pattern and process of spatial distribution of T. terrestris. Dispersal indices like index of dispersal (ID), index of clumping (IC), Green’s Index, Lloyd’s mean crowding and Morisita’s index of dispersion (Iδ) revealed uniform distribution pattern during non-pulse events, showing intense competition among plants for limited resources. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s test of sphericity indicated the appropriate use of factor analysis and the significant relationships between variables. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) exhibited the significant correlation of the index of dispersion with the index of clumping and with the Lloyd index, while the Lloyd index correlated with the index of clumping and with the Morisita index. Path analysis suggested the association of soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and C/N ratio with the transition from clumped to uniform pattern. Further, lower soil phosphorus also supported the uniform distribution of this plant. Diversity indices like evenness and Simpson index are associated with uniform and clumped distribution patterns. Higher and intermediate level of percent cover and seed out-put of T. terrestris were also related to uniform and clumped patterns. Path analysis also indicated that salinity tolerance capacity of the species could be utilized for reclamation programme.