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Selenium, a non-essential element for plants, is essential for animals as well as human beings. Although the role of selenium in plants is yet to be properly understood, previous researches have shown that this element can affect plant growth and metabolism. In this study, the effect of foliar application of selenium nanoparticles (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg/L) and sodium selenate (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg/L) on the physiological and biochemical responses of bell pepper (Capsicum anumm L.) was investigated. The potential changes in various growth and biochemical indices were evaluated in response to the treatments. According to the results, selenium treatments at concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/L reduced the biomass accumulation in both roots and shoots. These treatments also increased the content of hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde. The foliar application of selenium led to the increase of the concentrations of soluble phenols, proline and thiols. The activity of antioxidant enzymes including catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase were increased in response to the selenium treatments. The protease activity displayed a similar upward trend following the selenium treatments.

 

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The increase of the entry of industrial effluents containing various types of heavy metals into water and soil leads to the ever-increasing spread of environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to find less expensive solutions to reduce the pollution. In this regard, in order to compare the effect of the removal of heavy elements on some of the morphological and physiological characteristics of C. alternifolius, Ch. zizanioides and Aloe vera plants, an experiment was conducted in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications for 14 months at the University of Guilan. The results showed that under the treatment of industrial wastewater, the metal accumulation indices (MAI) of zinc, chromium, lead, copper, manganese, nickel, magnesium were higher in Ch. zizanioides and Aloe vera than those in C. alternifolius. In all three studied plants, the indices of root length, shoot length, total biomass and tolerance index (TI) had a significant decrease compared with those in the control plants, and Ch. zizanioides and A. vera plants had the lowest percentage of decrease. In addition, other investigated components including absorption index (UI), total soluble sugar, total phenol content, total flavonoid, total anthocyanin, total tannin, and DPPH free radical inhibition percentage increased in all three plants under industrial wastewater treatment. The highest percentage of increase in all investigated components, except DPPH free radical inhibition percentage, was observed in Ch. zizanioides. In general, it can be said that in terms of MAI and morphological and physiological characteristics, Ch. zizanioides and A. vera were more successful than the C. alternifolius. Therefore, it is recommended to plant the studied plants in the order of priority (Ch. zizanioides ˃ A. vera ˃ C. alternifolius) in soils contaminated with industrial effluents, in order to remediate the soil.


 

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Molluscs are important pests of natural and agricultural ecosystems, by feeding on different parts of leaves, stems, flowers, buds, fruits and roots of different plant hosts, reducing the marketability of annual agricultural products and damage plant species in different habitats in the country. Moreover, they are intermediate hosts of human and cattle parasites, and therefore are of medicinal and veterinary importance. In this study, snails and slugs were sampled from nine designated stations located in the south and west regions of Tehran province, considering their natural condition, vegetation, location of gardens and fields, soil or subsoil types, from the beneath of rocks and trunks, water bodies and other areas related to the habitat of snails and slugs. Samples were made using sampling nets or gathered directly by hand from plants, shrubs and river banks. Overally, 17 species belonging to 12 genera from nine families were collected and identified. Identification was done according to morphometric characters including shape, size of shell, dextral and sinistral position of the shell, operculum, aperture, radula, mucus colour, respiratory pore, keel, renal ridge and reproduction system. The highest and lowest mollusc species diversity among the stations studied were turned to be 16 and 6 species belong to station 9 (west of Tehran province) and station 2 (south of Tehran province), respectively. The most commonly diversed family was Hellicidae with 5 species, i.e., Monacha cantiana, Euomphalia pisiformis, Helicella krynickii, Helicella derbentina, Caucasotachea atrolabiata. Also, Lymnaea truncatula is identified as the most frequent species, which has medical importance. Monacha cantiana was identified in the present study and reported for the first time from Iran. All the samples and their respective spatial and temporal information were made available in the museum of the Agricultural Zoology Research Department in Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection.

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Stachys sect. Satureoides includes four species characterized by being annual herbs having oblanceolate leaves, urceolate calyx in fruit and dense hairs at mouth and are distributed from Eastern and Southern Turkey, Syria, Northern Iraq to Western Iran. The main aim of present study is to determine the phylogenetic placement of S. sect. Satureoides based on Stachys melampyroides, as the only representative of this section in Iran. The present molecular study was conducted based on nuclear ribosomal ITS marker, using Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Inference analyses. In total, 86 accessions (including nine outgroups and 77 ingroups) were included. Our results demonstrated that sect. Satureoides was placed in Olisia clade which is one of the most heterogenous and taxonomically challenging clades of Stachys as a paraphyletic genus. Moreover, not only sect. Satureoides was not found to be phylogenetically close to sect. Neurocalyx, as had been suggested by previous morphological studies, but also it was placed as a sister group of sect Fragilicaulis which was characterized by chasmophilus species with fragile stems and yellow flowers. Our results revealed that sect. Neurocalyx could be the closest group to the Satureoides+Fragilicaulis clade. In addition, based on the nrITS phylogenetic tree, annual species of Stachys showed affinity to perennial Stachys species. Hence, it seems that “Annual habit” have been evolved among their perennial ancestors, independently.
 

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Barnacles are bottom-dwelling crustaceans that live on a variety of substrates, including rocks, mollusk shells, corals, sponges, mangrove roots and leaves, and the body surface of turtles and whales. The present study deals with the species Microeuraphia permitini on the shores of Bandar Abbas in two stations of mangrove forest and rocky beach in a period of two months, and has investigated the morphometrics of the specimens, while considering the effect of the lunar cycle on reproduction, temperature and wind speed of the environment. Five longitudinal parameters (height, basal length and width, opercular length and width) were recorded. The results showed that 90% and 70% of the samples of both stations had eggs in the second day (new moon) and eighth days of lunar months, respectively, and in the twelfth day of the lunar month (full moon) all samples contained eggs. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the height and base length of the barnacle, but the difference between the opercular length, opercular width and base width is not significant. In addition, in both of mangrove and rocky stations, there was the highest correlation coefficient between opercular length and width (r=0.84 and r=0.78, respectively). The lowest correlation coefficient in mangrove station was between base length and opercular width (r=0.5) and in rocky station between height and base width (r=0.2). The wind pattern was variable during this period and the approximate decrease of the north wind was seen during the sampling period. Air temperature changes were seen between minimum 30 °C and maximum 39 °C. In addition to the tidal cycle, wind and temperature can affect the spawning of the species as an environmental stress factor.

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The family Verbenaceae, currently consists of Verbena and Phyla genera in different parts of Iran, especially northern provinces. The frame of this family has undergone significant changes in comparison with the previous references. For example, Vitex and Clerodendrum have been defined as the genera of this family in previous references. Accordingly, in this study, the relationship among these four genera has been evaluated using morphological and leaf anatomical characters of 20 samples. For this purpose, 67 qualitative and quantitative morphological and anatomical traits were used. The analysis of data was performed using R software ver. 4.3.1. For simultaneous analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, Factor Analysis of Mixed Data (FAMD) method was applied. The results of this study indicate the high value of some quantitative traits such as main vein xylem length, seed width, style length and blade width and some qualitative traits such as blade epidermal cells shape, stomata position, two arms of blade position in relation to each other, indumentum type, main vein epidermal cells shape, petal color, blade vascular bundles number, density of indumentum, leaf margin shape and stem branches length in the clustering of the genera. Totally, Analysis of data led to the separation of these genera. In accordance with the phylogenetic studies, Vitex and Clerodendrum show more affinity to each other and are separated from the currently native members of Verbenaceae in Iran, i.e. Verbena and Phyla.

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     The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the essential oil chemical composition of Satureja bachtiarica Bunge were inoculated by spores of the arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation Glomus caledonium and foliar application of zinc chelate levels (0, 2, 4 and 8 g/L) in 2019, at Zarrin Giah greenhouse of Urmia city in West Azerbaijan Province, in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Plants were harvested at full flowering stage. Essential oils were obtained by Clevenger apparatus and were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Comparison of means by Duncan's multiple range test showed that inoculation with Glomus caldonium had no significant effect on the essential oil yield of Satureja bachtiarica flowering shoots, but the foliar application of zinc chelate had statistically significant effect. However, there was no difference among different concentrations of zinc chelate in terms of effect on essential oil yield. The treatments also changed the essential oil composition compared to the essential oil of the control group. These changes included the reduction of beta-caryophyllene, sabinen hydrate, borneol and carvacryl acetate compounds and the increase of citral and octyl phthalate in the plant inoculated with mycorrhiza, as well as the increase of carvacrol in the essential oil of plants treated with zinc chelate.  Also, inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi and zinc chelate foliar application increased the amount of sesquiterpene & diterpene and monoterpene compounds, respectively. 

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This study was conducted to investigate the ecological niche overlap of two sympatric species, Paracapoeta trutta and Capoeta damascina in the Iranian part of the Sirvan River, Persian Gulf basin. For this purpose, during the winter of 2021, sampling was done from eight stations (each with three repetitions). After identification, samples were released into the same sampling sites. Then some 10 environmental factors including depth, water velocity, river width, pH, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), Altitude, slope, and dissolved oxygen were measured and recorded. Investigating the habitat suitability indices of P. trutta  were recorded as pH 7.5-8, temperature about 10°C, TDS 150mg/liter, EC 400μS/cm, altitude 1150 m, depth 15cm, river width about 9m, velocity 1 m/s, slope 2% and dissolved oxygen 9mg/l and for C. damascina as pH 6-6.5, temperature about 10°C, TDS 180 to 200mg/l, EC 300μS/cm, altitude 1150m, depth 25cm, river width about 6m, velocity 0.5 m/s, the slope is 2% and the dissolved oxygen 8mg. The results of the ecological niche overlap showed that two species based on studied environmental factors had the highest overlap value for dissolved oxygen (0.646) and the  value for temperature (0.293). The average ecological niche overlap was 0.432 for the two species.
 

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Abstract. Seseli olivieri (Apiaceae) is an exclusive species of the Alborz Mountains, Iran. In this research, the effect of environmental conditions on the vegetative traits and essential oil compounds of this species was investigated. For this purpose, three habitats with different heights were selected and the vegetative characteristics of this species were measured. In each habitat, soil samples and flowering branches of this species were collected and analyzed in the laboratory. The relationship between the functional traits of this species and environmental factors was determined using CA and PCA. Variance analysis of functional traits and soil parameters showed a significant difference between the three habitats. The highest values of vegetative traits were related to Tuyeh habitat. In Tange Kavard habitat, the main effective substances were Apiol and cis-Cadina-1(6),4-diene; in Enzo habitat, Apiol and Bornyl acetate; and in the Tuyeh habitat, Bornyl acetate and α-Pinene. Among the environmental factors, altitude, annual precipitation, annual temperature, minimum temperature of the coldest month, minimum absolute temperature, lime and nitrogen had the most significant correlation with the functional traits of this plant. Based on the IUCN criteria, the conservation status of this species was determined in the critically endangered.
 

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In recent years, the use of machine learning methods in various fields of agriculture is increasing, and these methods provide us with very good information for predicting and checking different levels of performance in plants. In the current research, according to the results of the preliminary experiment carried out previously with specific levels of salinity stress and fertilization (salinity stress levels of zero, 75 and 150 mM sodium chloride and fertilization levels of zero and 3 grams per liter of silica) which were previously carried out and using the nonlinear regression model (NLR) and Python programming language, the morphological and physiological traits of the fenugreek medicinal plant at the newly defined levels of salinity stress and silica fertilization (salinity of up to 300 mM level and silica fertilization in two levels of 1 and 2 grams per liter) were predicted without conducting practical tests and based on the levels of salinity and initial fertilization. The non-linear regression model is a widely used algorithm in data analysis where the relationship between variables is non-linear and can create meaningful relationships between variables using non-linear functions. The results showed that the positive effect of silica on the amount of chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) can be seen from zero to 180 mM salinity level and the amount of greenness index (SPAD) from zero to 100 mM salinity level. It seems that according to the results of the present research, it is possible to use machine learning to investigate and analyze the morphological and physiological characteristics of the fenugreek medicinal plant at other defined levels of salinity stress and other defined silica fertilization with no need conduct a practical experiment.

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In order to investigate the effect of drought stress (field capacity, 50 and 30% of field capacity) and foliar spraying with selenium and carbon quantum dots nanoparticles (zero and 2 mg L^-1) on the growth and some physiological traits of rosemary; A factorial experiment was conducted in the form of  completely randomized  design in the research greenhouse of Azerbaijan Shahid Madani University during 2023. Irrigation at field capacity and 50% of field capacity with carbon quantum dot spray increased the aerial part dry weight, nitrogen, and soluble solids content in the plant. The highest malondialdehyde content was observed in the 30% field capacity in the condition without foliar spraying. The proline content was increased by 50 and 30% field capacity with the application of carbon quantum dot nanoparticles. Field capacity treatments, 50 and 30% of field capacity with carbon quantum dot foliar application increased the essential oil content. Rlative water content, carotenoid, chlorophyll b and phosphorus content increased in the field capacity and 50% field capacity treatment with both nanoparticles foliar application. Overall, the results showed that the use of carbon quantum dot nanoparticles had a positive effect on the growth and physiological traits of plants under drought stress

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ERCC5 gene, is a key components of NER pathway and encodes a key endonuclease. In this study, we analyzed the association between rs2296147 T>C polymorphism of ERCC5 gene with the risk of breast cancer in a case-control study with statistical population consisting of 100 patients and 100 healthy controls by Tetra-ARMS PCR. Statistical analysis was performed using javastat online statistics package and SPSS V.26. The frequency of CC, CT, and TT genotypes in the case group, were 11.46%, 58.33%, and 30.21%, respectively and they were 22%, 44%, and 34% for the control group. Statistical analysis showed a significant association between CC (p-value=0.049) (OR=0.459, CI 95%=0.209-1.007) and CT genotype (p-value=0.045) (OR=1.782, CI 95%=1.012-3.139) with breast cancer risk. Also, C and T alleles frequency in the case group, were 40.62 % and 59.37% and those in the control group were 44 % and 56 % respectively. There was not any significant association between T (p-value=0.499) and C (p-value=0.499) alleles frequency and breast cancer risk in Northwestern Iran. Also, there was no significant association between this SNP frequency and patient’s pathological traits. In conclusion, our study indicated that ERCC5 rs2094258 polymorphism may contribute to the risk of breast cancer in northwestern of Iran.

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Abstract. Cucurbita pepo L. seeds are very important in nutrition and pharmaceutical industries due to high amounts of oil. To investigate the effects of biochar (zero, 5, and 10 tons per hectare) and foliar spraying with zinc nanoparticles (zero, 2, and 4 milligrams/ litter), an experiment was conducted as factorial based on randomized complete blocks design, in the Farm. Fruit number and leaf Zn content were increased at 5 and 10 t/ha of biochar with both nano zinc foliar spray. Ten t/ha biochar treatments with both levels of nano Zn increased seed number per fruit, fruit yield, biological yield, harvest index, and plant oil yield. Five t/ha biochar with 4 mg/L of nano zinc and 10 t/ha biochar with foliar spraying with both nanoparticle concentrations increased hundred seed yield, biological yield, and chlorophyll index in the plant. The top amounts of phenolic content were observed in 5 and 10 t/ha biochar with 4mg/L of zinc nanoparticle spray. The relative water and anthocyanin content increased in 10 t/ha biochar. Overall, theresults of this study showed that the use of 10 t/ha biochar and foliarspraying of 2 and 4 mg/L zinc nanoparticles increased the yield and physiological characteristics of the plant.


 

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Arceuthobium oxycedri is commonly known as dwarf mistletoe and grows on and infects cypress species. The semi-parasitic plant was observed in three locations of Juniper Reza Abad in Semnan Province, Chahar Bagh Area of Gorgan and Zanjan Province. In this study, the anatomical and micromorphological characteristics of the species were evaluated to facilitate the identification of this semi-parasitic species in Golestan province. The outcomes of the analysis indicated that the estimation of infestation rate in dwarf shrub trees is unattainable through factors such as canopy percentage, stand gender, slope percentage, and slope orientation. Examination of the stem's transverse section revealed that, across all three elevations, there were no variations in brain size between the semicircular cross-section and the sink's thickness. Analysis of pollen demonstrated that every pollen grain is classified as Monad, exhibiting three to five deep and asymmetric grooves of varying sizes (tricolpate). In regards to their morphology, they exhibit an oblatespheroidal shape adorned with sharp exine decorations. Overall, given the novelty of this study on dwarf mistletoe species, the discoveries hold significant systematic implications for the identification of analogous species documented in alternative juniper habitats within Iran.
 

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Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), also known as FGF-2, is a crucial member of the fibroblast growth factor family, involved in a variety of biological functions including cellular proliferation, wound healing, angiogenesis, intercellular signalling, and cell differentiation, In contemporary stem cell research, serum-free media enriched with various additives and growth factors are employed, and among these, bFGF being particularly significant. Despite its extensive potential applications, the clinical utilization of bFGF is limited due to its instability, especially in aqueous environment. Therefore, a thorough investigation of the protein's structural integrity and stability is essential. This study focuses on the expression, purification, and characterization of bFGF for structural and stability analysis through biophysical methods. Intrinsic fluorescence measurement indicated a structural alteration surrounding the tryptophan residue, while circular dichroism (CD) analysis showed a decrease in the protein’s secondary structure. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) used for stability analysis. Furthermore, the study aims to evaluate the biological activity of the protein in cellular context. For this purpose, gold nanoparticles were synthesized. The results from the Cell Migration Assay indicated that the proliferation of HT29 cells was enhanced following treatment with bFGF in conjunction with gold nanoparticles. Also, a MTT assay was conducted.

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Plant secondary metabolites like phenols and flavonoids neutralize free radicals and are linked to antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Due to rising drug resistance in pathogens such as Salmonella paratyphi, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, medicinal herbs are increasingly explored for antimicrobial properties. This study evaluated the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial effects of Arctium lappa. TPC, TFC, and antioxidant levels were measured using Folin-Ciocalteu, Aluminum chloride, FRAP, and DPPH assays, respectively. Antibacterial activities were assessed by microdilution broth and disc diffusion methods to determine MIC50 and MBC values. Results showed that A. lappa ethanolic extract, prepared with diluted water and the boiling method, had the highest flavonoid content (7.9 ± 0.40 mg/g DW). The leaves and flowers extract, using methanol and the boiling method, had the highest phenolic content (62.13 ± 0.73 mg/g DW) and antioxidant capacity. The ethanolic extract of A. lappa leaves also demonstrated the strongest antibacterial activity, with an MBC of 0.140 mg/mL and an 8 ± 0.4 mm inhibition zone against all tested bacteria. These findings suggest A. lappa bioactive compounds, particularly phenolics and flavonoids, offer promising potential for treating bacterial infections in pharmacognostic applications.
 

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The water crisis in desert areas, including Ardakan city, has caused some industries to use industrial effluents and urban sewage as water sources to irrigate green spaces for the development of green spaces. Chadormello Industrial Complex is one of the industries that, in line with the management of this crisis, irrigates the green space created there with the water resources available at the factory site, i.e. industrial effluent and purified urban sewage. The purpose of this research is to investigate some morphological and physiological traits of a number of plants cultivated in this complex, which are irrigated with the mentioned water sources or gray water. This research is in the form of a complete randomized block design with three water treatments including three types of urban sewage treatment water, industrial wastewater and a mixture of both types of water in three replications for six plant species: olive, eucalyptus, pomegranate, Tehran pine, Egyptian silk and bitter elder. Investigating the morphological characteristics of height and diameter of the trunk and measuring the physiological characteristics including the amount of some elements including iron, zinc, manganese, copper, cadmium and lead were done. The results showed that among the three applied treatments.

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      This study aimed to assess the ecological and environmental conditions of the Talar River using epilithic and epipelic diatoms. Sampling was conducted seasonally from summer 2023 to spring 2024 at three selected stations. Simultaneous with diatom sampling, one-liter water samples were collected to measure physical and chemical parameters. Diatom samples were prepared and identified based on standard protocols. In total, 84 species from 24 genera were identified. The most diverse genera were Navicula, Nitzschia, and Gomphonema. Navicula cryptotenella had the highest cell abundance, followed by Nitzschia palea and Navicula rhynchocephala. Diversity indices such as Shannon, Simpson, and species evenness showed no significant spatial difference. The results of the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) between environmental variables and epilithic species showed that the first and second axes explained 41.09 and 14.81% of the total variance, respectively, accounting for 55.9% of the constrained variance. For epipelic species, the first and second axes explained 37.37 and 14.40% of the total variance, respectively, and together accounted for 51.77% of the constrained variance. Moreover, the analysis revealed a strong correlation between environmental variables (especially pH and phosphate) and diatom community structure in both habitats, underscoring the role of environmental factors in shaping their distribution patterns.

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The flora of a region is a key indicator of various ecosystem factors across geological periods, and plant identification is crucial for assessing natural capacity and land use. This study aimed to conduct a floristic survey of the Basiran Protected Area in Eqlid County, Fars Province. Plant samples were collected using a survey method and linear transects. From 250 collected samples, 94 species across 70 genera and 34 families were identified. Dicotyledons constituted the majority, with 82 species and 59 genera, while monocotyledons included 12 species from 11 genera. Fabaceae was the largest family (13 species), and Astragalus the largest genus (7 species). Significantly, 16 species (17%) were endemic to Iran. Phytoecological analysis revealed that 47 species (50%) were hemicryptophytes, and 59 species (63%) belonged to the Irano-Turanian phytogeographic region. The findings also highlight the adverse impacts of recent droughts, rising temperatures, and grazing pressure on the area's flora. Consequently, the study emphasizes the urgent need to reconsider current management and conservation policies, particularly concerning livestock grazing, medicinal plant harvesting, and wood collection, to ensure the long-term sustainability of this protected ecosystem.