Relationship between vigor of Iranian Prunus mahaleb L. selected dwarf rootstocks and some morphological characters

Prunus mahaleb L. and Prunus avium L. are the principal rootstocks used in Iran and world wide for sweet and sour cherries. This study was conducted at Khorasan Natural Resources and Agricultural Research Center with the main purpose of investigation of genetic variation and identification of mahaleb dwarf genotypes for cherry rootstock breeding. We evaluated morphological characters of 17 mahaleb populations. One-way analysis of variance was performed for determination of different regions genetic diversity, which indicated significant differences for most traits. Correlation coefficient showed significant correlation between tree vigor, crown width, and crown volume and size index. Factor analysis detected that in the first factor, crown height, size index, crown width, trunk circumference and crown volume had highest factor loading, bark to wood ratio, internode and chlorophyll content were the second most important and third factor was leaf area. These factors contained 57.9% of total variance. Results also showed that mahaleb seedlings had vigor variation.     

Effects of light,sucrose, and cytokinins on somatic embryogenesis in Lilium ledebourii (Baker) Bioss. via transverse thin cell-layer cultures of bulblet microscales

Summary

This is the first report describing the culture conditions necessary to induce somatic embryogenesis and plantlet regeneration from transverse thin cell-layers (tTCL) of the rare and endangered bulb species, Lilium ledebourii (Baker) Boiss. (Liliaceae). The tTCLs were transferred onto 1.0 Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) containing various sucrose concentrations [3.0, 4.5, or 6.0% (w/v)] and different combinations of two cytokinins [6-benzylaminopurine (BA) or thidiazuron (TDZ)] with 1.0 µM -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) in the dark, or exposed to light (40 µmol m^–2 s^–1). The aims of this work were to provide an improved propagation method torescue L. ledebourii, and to determine the effects of sucrose concentration, light, and different cytokinins on somatic embryogenesis. Embryogenic callus cultures were obtained only when the tTCLs were transferred onto 1.0 MS medium containing 1.0 µM NAA, various levels of BA (0.4, 1.1, or 2.2 µM), and sucrose [3.0, 4.5, or 6.0% (w/v)] after 3 months culture in the light or in darkness. Combinations of various concentrations of TDZ and NAA did not generate embryogenic calli. The highest rate of growth of embryogenic calli was achieved on 1.0 MS medium supplemented with 1.0µM NAA, 1.1 µM BA, and 4.5% (w/v) sucrose, in the light. Embryo-like structures were grown into plantlets after transfer onto 1.0 MS medium without any plant growth regulators and incubated in the light. Regenerated plants were successfully acclimatised to ex vitro conditions, with a survival rate of 90%.     

Chemical characterization of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) found in local accessions and used in traditional medicines in Iran

Ocimum species are used in traditional Iranian medicine, as a culinary herb, and as a well-known source of flavoring principles. Horticultural characteristics, including quantitative and qualitative traits along with the chemical variation of phenolic acids, of 23 accessions of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) from Iran were studied. Morphological studies of accessions showed a high level of variability in recorded traits. Quantification of phenolic acids was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and showed drastic variations between accessions. Chemical studies revealed that rosmarinic acid is the predominant phenolic acid present in both flower and leaf tissues. Unusual basil accessions were identified that can serve as genetic sources of phenolic acids for crop improvement.     

Wide genetic diversity of Rosa damascena Mill. germplasm in Iran as revealed by RAPD analysis

The genetic relationships among 41 Rosa damascena accessions from various cultivation areas of Iran and one accession from Bulgaria were analyzed using 31 RAPD (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA) primers. Each primer exhibited 3–12 banding patterns for a total of 343 scorable and 184 polymorphic bands. The combination of 11 primers was found optimal for discrimination of 42 accessions with very low values of cumulative confusion probability (9.7 × 10⁻⁵); indicating that only one pair from over 10,000 distinct pairs of accessions would be indistinguishable. Unweighted pair group method cluster analysis based on similarity values revealed 10 groups at the distance of 0.85. The Bulgarian genotype grouped with the majority of the Iranian genotypes in a main cluster. Results of molecular variance analysis (AMOVA) indicated that the major proportion (65.7%) of the total genetic variation was within collecting provinces rather than between them. The wide genetic variation seen for R. damascena in Iran indicates that Iran is a center of genetic diversity for this species and that there is a promising future for the breeding.     

Inter- and intra-specific genetic diversity among cyclamen accessions investigated by RAPD markers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to characterize genetic diversity of 26 Cyclamen persicum and Cyclamen com accessions. Eighty-four arbitrary primers tested, among which nine primers showed reliable polymorphic banding patterns and yielded 104 polymorphic markers. Jaccard's similarity coefficient among accessions ranged from 0.99 to 0.08. At a similarity of 68%, accessions were divided into three clusters. The cophenetic correlation coefficient between the similarity matrix and the dendrogram was relatively high (r = 0.9) showing the goodness of fit of the dendrogram. The RAPD analysis offered a rapid and reliable tool for the estimation of inter- and intra-specific variability in cyclamens. The wide genetic variation observed for cyclamens within Iran guarantees a promising future of breeding.     

森林生态蓄水功能的经济评价(个案研究:伊朗扎格罗斯森林)(英文)

森林生态服务直接或间接地造福人类。本文利用模拟模型和地理信息系统作为工具,分析生态因子对生态系统服务功能的作用,评估了伊朗西部扎格罗斯森林对Bazoft河流域水源保护的经济价值。应用HEC-HMS模型中的曲线数字法对降雨量-径流进行了模拟。该模型需要输入土地覆被、土壤、短期降雨和流出数据。用观测数据并分阶段校对对拟合模型的功效进行了修订。测定了森林在4种设定的土地覆盖方案中保水性和减少地表径流量的作用以及土地用途改变对该区降雨量-径流行为的影响。结果表明:方案一假定该流域全被森林覆盖,总的流出量将最小,降雨初期损失将增加。用重置成本法估算了森林水文功能之保水性经济价值。评估结果表明,每公顷Bazoft河流域的森林可以蓄存84.8立方米水,年产值0.5 US$/m3。因此,每公顷BazoR河流域的森林保水性经济评价值是43US$。说明覆被森林有利于该流域经济发展,该研究有助于决策者选择适当的、经济可行的发展策略。