This study explored early transcriptomic response in resistant (Nogal) and susceptible (Tajan) wheat cultivars two days post-inoculation (latent phase) with Zymoseptoria tritici. A total of 581 differentially expressed genes were identified, with 206 in Nogal and 374 in Tajan. These involved key antioxidant and detoxification enzymes, structural and signalling components of disease resistance, hydrolytic and proteolytic defense proteins, stress-related and metabolic regulators, and proteins involved in cellular communication and pathogen response. Gene Ontology analysis showed stress responses and cell-death-pathways uniquely enriched in Nogal, while Tajan exhibited enrichments in enzymatic regulation and transcriptional activity. Kyoto encyclopaedia of genes and genomes analysis highlighted arginine and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in Nogal, contrasting with fatty acid metabolism in Tajan. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction validated findings, confirming cultivar-specific responses. These findings shed light on early molecular differences between resistant and susceptible wheat responses, supporting improved breeding and management strategies for Septoria tritici blotch.

Improving the baking quality is a primary challenge in the wheat flour production value chain, as baking quality represents a crucial factor in determining its overall value. In the present study, we conducted a comparative RNA-Seq analysis on the high baking quality mutant “O-64.1.10” genotype and its low baking quality wild type "Omid" cultivar to recognize potential genes associated with bread quality. The cDNA libraries were constructed from immature grains that were 15 days post-anthesis, with an average of 16.24 and 18.97 million paired-end short-read sequences in the mutant and wild-type, respectively. A total number of 733 transcripts with differential expression were identified, 585 genes up-regulated and 188 genes down-regulated in the “O-64.1.10” genotype compared to the “Omid”. In addition, the families of HSF, bZIP, C2C2-Dof, B3-ARF, BES1, C3H, GRF, HB-HD-ZIP, PLATZ, MADS-MIKC, GARP-G2-like, NAC, OFP and TUB were appeared as the key transcription factors with specific expression in the “O-64.1.10” genotype. At the same time, pathways related to baking quality were identified through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Collectively, we found that the endoplasmic network, metabolic pathways, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, hormone signaling pathway, B group vitamins, protein pathways, pathways associated with carbohydrate and fat metabolism, as well as the biosynthesis and metabolism of various amino acids, have a great deal of potential to play a significant role in the baking quality. Ultimately, the RNA-seq results were confirmed using quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR for some hub genes such as alpha-gliadin, low molecular weight glutenin subunit and terpene synthase (gibberellin) and as a resource for future study, 127 EST-SSR primers were generated using RNA-seq data.

Climate change combined with drought stress, as a consequence of this global phenomenon, is among the most unfavorable factors that could limit the growth and production of crops worldwide and pose a serious threat to the production of sustainable crops. Since several plant physiological and biochemical relationships under drought conditions remain unknown, it may be possible to obtain more drought-tolerant plants by knowing these details. An effective management strategy involves the use of exogenous substances, increasing the expression of resistant genes, and increasing the production of enzymes that help the plant to withstand damaging environmental conditions such as drought. Experimental treatments consisted of four levels of irrigation regimes and foliar application of abscisic acid (ABA) at two concentrations, with three replicates. The results showed that drought in 30–40

Fusarium verticillioides corn disease is one of the most important and damaging diseases in most corn fields of the world that is exacerbated by dry weather and climate. Disease control by chemical and agronomic methods is often ineffective and increases production costs, For this reason, hosting resistance is the best sustainable and tolerable way to reduce losses. Given the importance of this plant and the need for carefull study of the genes involved in tolerating the disease, it seems necessary to obtain more accurate and complete information on genomics and transcriptomies. In this study, transcriptome analysis of two tolerance C7 and MO17 susceptible genotypes in response to F.verticillioides was performed using RNA-Seq technology and Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing system. More than 100 million sequences were obtained under controlled and treated conditions in two genotypes and the level of gene expression was assessed. As a result of transcriptum analysis, and a total of 5117 genes with significant differential expression were identified. After inoculation with F. verticillioides , a similar response was observed in both genotypes, but the severity of these changes was higher in the tolerated genotype. The highest increase in the differential expression level of genes is in genotype C7, which is enriched with 256 active in the defense pathway, such as serine / threonine kinases, protein kinases, signal transduction and peroxidases, expression of these genes indicates activation of the PTI defense pathway induced after Fusarium contamination of the grain. Also, genes active in nitrogen metabolism, terpene biosynthesis, aspartate and cinnamoacid metabolism were among the genes involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, showing significant differential expression in the C7 parent. In comparison of two genotypes, 75 transcription factors with differential expression were identified in 96 hours after inoculation the highest number were related to protein kinases also, the highest response related to messaging pathways such as WRKY , MYB and NAC transcription factor and ethylene-related defense response were identified. According to the results of analysis of biological pathways and identification of 85 metabolic pathways, in two comparisons of metabolic pathways, secondary metabolites of biosynthesis pathways of terpenoids, flavonoids, energy and carbohydrate metabolism, signal hormones and phenylpropanoid pathway were expressed in C7 genotype with the most genotypes therefore, the secondary metabolite can be the center of the defense response against F. verticillioides infection. The results of qRT-PCR experiments showed a very high diversity in the expression of different genes in two susceptible and tolerant parents of F. verticillioides and was observed in grain tissue and silk, both parents responded defensively to the pathogen and the difference is in the amount of expression of these genes, Also, the results of gene expression tests were consistent with the results of RNA-Seq, which indicates the high accuracy of this method in transcriptome analysis.

Extended Abstract Background: Soil salinity is regarded as a primary cause of damage and decrease in agricultural yields globally. Halophyte plants can withstand elevated levels of salt, which typically result in the destruction of other crops. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa, Willd), belonging to Chenopodiaceae, is a very tolerant plant to unfavorable environmental conditions that exhibits great tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Quinoa is an optional halophyte plant that can tolerate sea level salinity (40 dSm-1) and has a favorable economic performance in most areas of Iran with little annual rainfall (the country's average rainfall is about 250 mm) and cannot be cultivated due to soil salinity and drought. To explore the mechanisms of resistance to salt stress in quinoa plants, the impact of salt treatments at two different levels (6.9 and 13.8 dSm-1) and nine sampling intervals (ranging from zero to seven days) was studied in the Titicaca variety. This involved analyzing the ionic reactions and the expression of specific genes related to dealing with salt stress. Methods: to study the ionic changes and reactions of some genes involved in salinity stress, the Titicaca genotype was planted under the effect of two salinity levels 6.9 dSm-1 (1:1 seawater:double distilled water) and 13.8 dSm-1 (sea water) along with a control in two replications with the factor of sampling time using factorial (time in nine levels and salinity in two levels) based on a completely randomized design. After applying salt treatments, leaf samples were collected at 6 hours and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days after salt application. The accumulation of sodium and potassium ions along with the expression changes in four salinity-related genes, including Na+/H+ antiporter (NHX), Salt Overly Sensitive 1 (SOS1), Choline Mono Oxygenase (CMO), and Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH), were evaluated in this research. The gene expression was assessed using the QRT-PCR technique with SyberGreen dye and the GAPDH reference gene. Results: The accumulation of sodium and potassium ions in leaves was impacted by salinity, and there was a significant increase in both levels of salinity at the 1% probability level. An increase in sodium ions was associated with the increased accumulation of potassium ions, indicating that the plant attempted to counteract the negative effects of elevated sodium ions resulting from stress conditions. Additionally, by elevating the salinity level from 6.9 to 13.8 dSm-1, the potassium ion to sodium ion ratio started to increase from the third day after stress. This could serve as a crucial physiological mechanism for enhancing the plant's salinity tolerance and promoting higher productivity in saline environments. With increasing the duration of stress and the salt concentration, the activation of all four genes associated with salinity was altered in response to the buildup and existence of ions within the cell. Based on the current research, the activation of the NHX gene in quinoa was observed from the initial day under both salinity stress levels. The activation of the SOS1 gene was escalated as the stress persisted in the subsequent days. In this context, the expression pattern of SOS1 demonstrated a rise at 6.9 dSm-1 on the initial, subsequent, and third days. On the third day of stress, the activity of genes related to glycine betaine production rose at both stress levels. First, the CMO gene showed increased activity, followed by an increase in the activity of the BADH gene. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, the quinoa crop, similar to other salt-tolerant plants, employs various strategies (such as ionic balance and alterations in gene expression) to endure saline conditions. The research findings indicate that there was a notable rise in the NHX1 gene expression following the introduction of the sodium ion into the cytosol and receipt of the stress signal. Upon this heightened expression, the plant attempted to chelate sodium ions to mitigate the impact of stress in the vacuole. Additionally, it appears that the plant utilizes the SOS1 gene to initiate an alternative pathway for achieving tolerance and cell stability. This involves releasing sodium ions to the root area, storing them in vacuoles, preventing their build-up in the cytoplasm, and regulating sodium transport over long distances between the roots and leaves. The process also involves the selected loading of sodium ions from the xylem vessels. On the third day, there was a rise in the expression of the CMO gene at the same time as the notable rise of sodium ions in the cytosol, indicating the plant's effort to achieve osmotic equilibrium in the cell by generating glycine-betaine osmolyte and activating the proline synthesis pathway. Alternatively, the plant seeks to preserve the ionic equilibrium by boosting potassium intake and enhancing the stability of the K+/Na+ ratio to mitigate the detrimental impact of stress. Because of inadequate research on this crucial plant, the results of this study can serve as an appropriate blueprint for future research.

Extended Abstract Introduction and Objective: Fusarium head blight disease is one of the most important and destructive diseases of wheat in hot and humid climates, which, in addition to reducing yield, causes the accumulation of mycotoxins in the grain, which is dangerous for humans and animals. Passive resistance against Fusarium includes many morphological and phenological traits such as plant height, flowering time, heading time, number of spikes and spike density, which help to escape the disease or create a kind of resistance to Fusarium head rot disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the studied genotypes with respect to Fusarium head blight disease and to estimate the simple and canonical correlation between morphological traits and disease resistance traits. Materials and Methods: In order to evaluate 92 improved and native genotypes of Iranian bread wheat against Fusarium head blight in two crop years (2019-2022), experiments were conducted in the form of a randomized complete block design in the farm of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Morphological traits measured included plant height (PH), spike length (SL), and number of seeds per spike (TSS), and agronomic traits measured included heading time (DTH) and flowering time (DTF). Disease traits were: disease incidence (INC), disease severity (SEV), Fusarium damaged kernels (FDK), FHBdx index and ISK. Results: For all disease-related traits and morphophenological traits, a significant difference (p<0.001) was observed between genotypes. According to the result of correlation analysis, there was a positive and significant correlation (p<0.001) between DTH, DTF and PH traits with traits related to Fusarium head blight of wheat. The analysis of canonical correlation between the variables of disease-related traits and morphophenological traits showed a significant canonical correlation (0.687), which explains 81% of the total variance. According to the results of cluster analysis based on morphophenological traits and traits related to FHB disease, the investigated genotypes were classified into five separate group, the genotypes of the first group had a lower average among the other groups and the average of all genotypes in terms of all traits related to FHB disease and at the same time, compared to other groups, they were earlier. Conclusion: Rizhav, Chamran, Darya, Arta, Neishabur and Gonbad cultivars showed the highest resistance to Fusarium disease in the study and can still be used as parental cultivars to improve new wheat cultivars resistant to Fusarium Head Blight disease. Also, among the landrace, three genotypes, Larg Karaj, Parand Saveh, and Malayer, showed acceptable resistance, which indicates that some landrace cultivars are also relatively resistant to Fusarium head blight disease, and it may be possible if they have complementary gene loci of specific genes. Resistance to this disease can probably be used for breeding purposes and programs for resistance to Fusarium disease, which needs further investigation in future studies.

To better understand the mechanisms involved in salinity stress, the adaptability of quinoa cv. Titicaca—a halophytic plant—was investigated at the transcriptome level under saline and non-saline conditions. RNA-sequencing analysis of leaf tissue at the four-leaf stage by Illumina paired—end method was used to compare salt stress treatment (four days after stress at 13.8 dsm−1) and control. Among the obtained 30,846,354 transcripts sequenced, 30,303 differentially expressed genes from the control and stress treatment samples were identified, with 3363 genes expressed ≥ 2 and false discovery rate (FDR) of < 0.001. Six differential expression genes were then selected and qRT-PCR was used to confirm the RNA-seq results. Some of the genes (Include; CML39, CBSX5, TRX1, GRXC9, SnRKγ1 and BAG6) and signaling pathways discussed in this paper not been previously studied in quinoa. Genes with ≥ 2 were used to design the gene interaction network using Cytoscape software, and AgriGO software and STRING database were used for gene ontology. The results led to the identification of 14 key genes involved in salt stress. The most effective hub genes involved in salt tolerance were the heat shock protein gene family. The transcription factors that showed a significant increase in expression under stress conditions mainly belonged to the WRKY, bZIP and MYB families. Ontology analysis of salt stress-responsive genes and hub genes revealed that metabolic pathways, binding, cellular processes and cellular anatomical entity are among the most effective processes involved in salt stress.

IntroductionWheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important grains used in the world and its production is reduced in different regions due to drought stress. the plant antioxidant system can scavenge the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced under drought. Induction of mutation using gamma ray is one of the common methods for genetic modification and identification of tolerant and resistant mutants. Mutant T65-58-8 is one of these drought tolerant genotypes that has been obtained by irradiation to Tabasi wheat genotype. The wheat plant needs irrigation during the flowering stage and drought stress is very important in this stage. In this study, in the flowering stage, the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) involved in the mechanisms of tolerance to oxidative damage of ROS in the flag leaf were studied and the expression of the genes related to these enzymes was investigated using RNAseq. method.Materials and methodsDrought stress was applied based on field capacity (FC). The experiment was performed as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications. Factors studied in this experiment include genotype at two levels (Tabasi parent and Mutant T65-58-8) and drought stress at 5 levels (100% FC or control, 75%, 22%, re-sampling from control pots at 18% FC and sampling after re-irrigation to the pot when had 90% FC). Wheat growth stages can be studied by Zadoks index. SOD activity was measured by Minami and Yoshikawa method, CAT activity by Aebi method, GR activity by Foyer and Halliwell method and GPX activity by Hopkins and Tudhope method. RNA sequencing was performed using Illumina NovaSeq 6000. Gene expression was obtained based on sequencing data by Bowtie2, Tophat2, HTseq-count and Featurecount softwares. After normalization by generating FPKM, Log2FC gene expression was calculated.Results and discussionExamination of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) indices showed a significant difference (p<0.01). Comparisons showed that SOD and CAT activity was higher in the mutant genotype at all stress levels. In the Tabasi genotype, re-irrigation increased the activity of SOD and CAT enzymes compared to the activity of this enzyme in field capacity 18%. In the study of GR and GPX enzymes, it was found that in both genotypes, the activity of this enzymes ancreases with increasing drought stress. In the Tabasi genotype, irrigation reduced the activity of GR enzyme and in the Tabasi and mutant genotypes, re-irrigation did not reduce the activity of GPX enzyme. Examination of GPX activity showed that this enzyme has a constant activity in mutant genotype under drought stress conditions. Examination of 21 genes related to SOD enzymes showed that six genes named FSD3(1), CSD1(2), FSD2(2) and CCS(1) mutant genotype had significant expression changes in drought stress conditions compared to the control. 6 catalase-related CAT1(3) and CAT2(3) genes from 14 genes related to CAT also had a significant increase in mutant genotype under drought stress compared to the control. One CAT1 gene and two CAT2 genes in mutant genotype had more expression in drought conditions than Tabasi genotype. 7 genes called CSA associated with GPX from 16 genes related to GPX also had a significant increase in mutant genotype under drought stress compared to the control. H2O2, KCN, chloroform-ethanol, sodium azide (NaN3), metal ions, carbohydrates, polyethylene glycol affect the activity of SOD. NaN3, amines, potassium cyanide and salicylic acid affect the activity of CAT. Gold, vitamin-E and selenium can also affect GPX activity.ConclusionThe study shows that the activity of SOD, CAT and GPX enzymes in both genotypes has increased under drought stress conditions. However, comparison of the expression of known genes related to these three enzymes shows that only some of these known genes have been altered. One FSD3 gene, two CSD1 genes, two FSD2 genes and one CCS gene had significant expression changes in the mutant genotype under drought stress compared to the control. This could be considered as confirmation of the increase in superoxide dismutase activity in the mutant genotype under drought stress, but the difference in expression of these 6 genes in the mutant genotype under drought stress compared to the Tabasi genotype under drought stress was not significant. This indicates that other factors in the mutant genotype under drought stress have increased the activity of SOD enzyme or limited the production or activity of this enzyme in the Tabasi genotype under drought stress. from the 6 altered genes expressed in the mutant genotype under drought stress compared to the control, one gene called CAT1 and two genes called CAT2 in the mutant genotype under drought stress showed more expression than the Tabasi genotype under drought stress. These genes can be introduced as genes involved in more tolerance of mutant genotype to drought stress than Tabasi genotype under drought stress. 7 genes called CSA had a significant change in expression in the mutant genotype under drought stress compared to the control, but these genes were not significantly different in the mutant genotype compared to the Tabasi under drought stress. Comparison of glutathione reductase enzyme in mutant and Tabasi genotypes in drought condition showed that the activity of this enzyme in the two genotypes was not significantly different. The activity of SOD, CAT and GPX enzymes can be inhibited or intensified by chemical agents and compounds.

Nuclear technology is currently used as a tool in mutation breeding to improve crops by increasing genetic variation. The ionization of gamma rays produces large amounts of free radicals, simulating stressors in the natural environment. To avoid gamma-ray-induced oxidative stress, plants use antioxidant defense systems. Exposure of plants to irradiation can affect the germination, growth, and production of metabolites. Plants' sensitivity to irradiation depends on genetic and environmental factors such as moisture content. For this purpose, the effects of different gamma irradiation doses [0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 Gray (Gy)] and different seed moisture contents (7, 13, and 19%) on traits such as seed germination, seedling growth, molecular and biochemical alterations in antioxidant enzymes were examined in the current study. Based on the results, the highest seed germination percentage was observed in the interaction effect of seed moisture at 13% with an irradiation dose of 400 Gy (98.89%). Seedling survival percent and seedling length decreased with increasing doses of gamma irradiation at different seed moisture contents. Increasing gamma irradiation doses were reduced root and stem fresh and dry weight, and root and stem length. The highest level of catalase enzyme activity and expression was observed at 200 and 300 Gy irradiation doses at different moisture contents. The peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase gene expression were reduced at all contents of gamma irradiation doses and seed moisture compared to the control. It can be concluded that the dose of 200–300 Gy of gamma irradiation reduced plant growth by 30% in terms of fresh and dry weight and length of plants, as well as enhanced the expression of antioxidant enzymes. The results of this study could help plant breeders select an appropriate dose rate in wheat for further research.

One of the most important diseases of wheat is septoria leaf blotch caused by Zymoseptoria tritici. Pathogen-related proteins cause disease resistance in plants. To identify the onset time of wheat defence response against the pathogen, two wheat cultivars of susceptible (Tajan) and resistant (Nogal), were inoculated with spores of Z. tritici in the two-leaf stage. Sampling was performed and expression pattern of Ribonuclease, Cysteineprotease and Glutathione peroxidase-1 genes were analyzed by Real-Time PCR method. The results showed that these genes are good candidates for wheat defense and their expression patterns were different in both susceptible and resistant cultivars.

The medicinal plant Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is cultivated all over the world due to its economic and ornamental potential and its wide application in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. To investigate the effect of abscisic acid foliar application on increasing drought stress tolerance in Munstead Organic cultivar, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block with three replications in the Faculty of Plant Production of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran in year 2016-2017. Experimental treatments were considered at four levels of irrigation regimes (including 90-100, 70-80, 50-60, and 30-40% of field capacity(FC)) and three levels of abscisic acid foliar application (including zero, 15, and 30 mM/l). Data analysis showed that the highest percentage of the essential oil (1.18%) was obtained in 15 μM abscisic acid and 30-40%FC. While the highest yield of the essential oil (0.055 g/plant) was related to the application of 30 μM abscisic acid in 70-80%FC. The category of the essential oil components also showed that out of 26 identified components, six compounds were hydrocarbon monoterpene, 10 compounds were oxygen monoterpene, six compounds were hydrogen peroxide and four components were oxygen sedimentation. With increasing drought, stress, the amount of hydrocarbon and oxygen monoterpene compounds decreased, but hydrocarbon and oxygen sesquiterpene compounds increased. The results also showed that the highest amount of limonene (10%) was obtained from adding 15 μM abscisic acid in irrigation of 70-80%FC. The highest amounts of camphor (10.47%) and bernoulli (51.58%) were achieved in complete irrigation and non-use of abscisic acid. However, the highest amounts of cariofillenoxide (7.80%) and α-Muurolene (24.90%) was observed in 30 μM abscisic acid and 60-50%FC and in 30 μM abscisic acid and 30-40%FC, respectively. Overall, it was found that foliar application of abscisic acid under drought stress 30-40%FC, could increase the percentage of the essential oils and sesquiterpene compounds to cope with drought conditions in lavender.

We investigated the effects of salinity stress and gamma radiation on salinity tolerance in wheat crops. To this end, mutant lines were generated by exposing Arg and Bam wheat varieties at the primordial state to 150 and 200 gamma radiation doses in the field. The top 15 mutant lines were specified for cultivation in the fifth-generation under two conditions, including non-stress and salinity stress. According to Fernandez's model, the three mutant lines had high yields under both conditions. The three mutant lines were selected with their two parents, and then, cultivated in a completely randomized factorial design in a greenhouse under non-stress and salinity conditions. The mutant lines showed significantly higher osmotic adjustment, leaf relative water content (RWC), potassium ion concentration, soluble sugar content and lower proline (Pro), and glycine betaine (GB) content than the parents at both the vegetative (VEG) and reproductive (REP) stages under salinity conditions. The expression of genes involved in the Pro biosynthesis pathway, P5CS and P5CR genes, in mutant lines were less than their parents, and conversely, P5CDH in mutant lines was more than their parents. The changes in the expression of CMO and BADH genes involved in the GB synthesis pathway indicated that the mutant lines had less gene expression compared to their parent genotypes of Arg and Bam. The results indicated an increase in antioxidant activity in the mutant lines compared to their parents. Consequently, irradiated plants have probably adapted to the salinity stress by increasing the osmotic adjustment, RWC, potassium ion concentration, and soluble sugar content, as well as activating antioxidant enzymes.

Lavandula genus is a considerable medicinal plant in pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Considering increasing threat of drought in the world, it is important to identify genotypes which can tolerate drought. It is also important to characterize quantity and quality of essential oils, and tolerance indicators of these genotypes against drought stress. Therefore, an experiment was conducted in Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran, during 2017 and 2018, to investigate these factors. It was a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with two treatments, three genotypes (Lavandula angustifolia cv. Hidcote, Lavandula angustifolia cv. Munstead, and Lavandula stricta), and four levels of drought stress (irrigation regimes) (I1: 100-90% (control), I2: 80-70%, I3: 60-50% and I4: 30-40% of field capacity) which was done with three repetitions. Drought increased amount of proline in leaves, antioxidant activity, activity of catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and superoxide enzymes, malondialdehyde content, total flavonoids, total phenol, total sugar and essential oil percentage. The PCA analysis of different irrigation regimes showed that in the first component, the best traits are antioxidant enzymes CAT, SOD, APX, while in the second component, only the trait Catalase is the best trait. The results of PCA analysis in lavender genotypes showed that L. stricta exhibits the most affected physiological changes while trying to adjust to changes in the water status of the environment, under the imposed conditions and shows the highest resistance. But it reduced dry weight of aerial parts, relative water content of leaves, and efficacy of essential oil. Lavandula stricta genotype had the highest amount of essential oil, but the highest dry weight of the aerial parts and essential oil yield were related to L. angustifolia cv. Hidcote and L. angustifolia cv. Munstead genotypes. In all evaluated genotypes, with increasing drought stress, monoterpene compounds were decreased and sesquiterpene compounds were increased. Totally it was shown that drought effect on evaluated traits depends on genotype and nature of traits; this indicates that by choosing drought-tolerant genotypes in breeding programs, high quantity and quality of essential oil, as well as tolerance to drought stress can be achieved.

Investigation of wheat response to salinity stress can help to better understand the effective defense mechanisms of salinity stress tolerance. For this purpose, biochemical and physiological traits related to salinity tolerance in wheat cultivars were evaluated at Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in 2019. Experimental factors, included two wheat crop cultivars (Sarc and Chinese spring as tolerant and susceptible wheat cultivars, respectively) and sampling time series (zero or control, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h) were examined in a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three replications. Salinity stress was applied with sodium chloride at a concentration of 250 mM to uniform 10-day-old seedlings at the two-leaf stage, followed by sampling of shoot tissue. The studied traits were hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 ), chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, chlorophyllase, carotenoids, proline, and total carbohydrates. Results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated significant effects of genotype, time, and interaction of genotype × time (except H2O2 and total carbohydrates) on all the studied traits. Results of interaction of genotype × time showed although the trend of changes in the studied traits, depending on the type of cultivar and the sampling time were different, but generally, the susceptible Chinese spring cultivar contained higher levels of chlorophyllase and carotenoids than the control time at the end of sampling time and also higher H2O2 levels than the Sarc tolerant cultivar, while the Sarc tolerant cultivar, on the other hand, contained higher levels of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and proline than the control time at the end of sampling time and also greater total carbohydrates than the susceptible Chinese spring cultivar. The results confirm the higher capacity of the antioxidant defense system of Sarc tolerant cultivar than the susceptible Chinese spring cultivar. Therefore

A fungus with dark brown hyphae, thick melanized walls and slow growth was isolated from roots of Ferula ovina without any symptoms of disease. In a Bayesian inference phylogenetic analysis, the fungus clustered in a clade containing species with mostly 4-celled conidia as a sister of Ochroconis longiphorum, differing from that species in source of isolation, colony growth rate, conidial size and shape. Morphological and molecular evidence using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and nuclear ribosomal RNA regions (ITS and nucLSU) separated this isolate from other known Ochroconis species. Based on this strain, Ochroconis ferulica sp. nov. is firstly described, illustrated, and compared with similar species.

Objective Drought stress is a major problem that plagues world's arable lands and poses major limitations to plant growth and productivity. Lavandula angustifolia L. is a medicinal and aromatic plant that has great value for its essential oil. Due to the relatively resistant nature of this plant to water deficit, it can be a good substitute for plants with high water demand. To identification of some of genes involved in response to drought stress, we carried out transcriptome analysis under normal and drought condition using RNA-Seq. Materials and methods Illumina HiSeq. 2000 was applied for sequencing of flower and leaf mRNAs under control and stress conditions. Also the activity of some antioxidant enzymes and level of Malondialdehyde and Dityrosine were measured. Results Among a total of 264126 transcripts, 1083 DEGs in flower and 150 DEGs in leaf were identified in response to the drought stress. Gene Ontology Enrichment of drought responsive DEGs including catalytic activity, response to stimulus and binding were identified. KEGG analysis showed different pathways associated with stress such as biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, glutathione and proline metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction. Also some unigenes related to antioxidant enzymes were highlighted in response to drought. Conclusion The transcriptome data generated here is the first report of RNA-Seq for Lavandula angustifolia L. under drought stress. Biochemical analysis results in this study were consistent with the RNA-seq results. Our findings offer insights into the molecular networks of Lavandula angustifolia L. in response to drought stress.

Currently, a global demand exists forlavender as a significant medicinal plant and source of essential oils. Freshwater and arable lands are two major factors that inhibit extensive farming of medicinal plants in Iran. Saline water from seas and salty soil may be new resources for agricultural use, especially for medicinal plants. We sought to extend our knowledge of the Lavandula angustifolia genome and molecular basis of its salinity tolerance by using cDNA amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) to investigate the changes in plant transcriptomes in response to NaCl. All identified transcript derived fragments (TDF) were assigned as novel L. angustifolia genes related to signal transduction, regulation of gene expression, alternative splicing, autophagy, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. qRT-PCR analysis of the TDFs in response to different concentrations of NaCl revealed various levels of mRNA of the identified genes in this plant. Our findings provided primary insights into the molecular response of L. angustifolia to salinity.

Fusarium ear rot is one of the most common diseases in the most cornfields of the world which control of disease using chemical and agronomic methods is often ineffective and increases production costs, that is because hosting resistance is the best sustainable and tolerable way to reduce losses. For this purpose, an experiment was carried out at the Agricultural Research Station of Gorgan, 2015-2016, complete diallel crosses and back crosses were produced by crossing of five tolerant and susceptible crosses and then evaluating cross resistance. After evaluating the disease severity, results showed that there were significant differences among different crosses for the desired traits and then significant effects of general combining ability and specific combining ability indicated the role of dominance and additive effects in controlling the disease. The crosses were divided into three groups: semi-resistant, semi-susceptible and susceptible. Cluster analysis included 15 tolerant genotypes in one group with disease severity between 26-32%. The highest number of semi-tolerant hybrids were due to the crossing of two C7 and C5 tolerant genotypes with other genotypes. This suggests that these two lines could be good sources for the development of crosses compounds susceptible to corn fusarium ear rot.

The objective of present study was to determine the appropriate procedure to extract RNA with high resolution from Zelkova carpinifolia tissues which is known as one of near to threatened forest trees. The total RNA isolation was performed through commercially developed kits and modified LiCl precipitation method in callus, stem and leaves of Z. carpinifolia. Moreover, modified LiCl precipitation method was used as appropriate method with Graphene oxide. It was found that the modified LiCl precipitation method could result high efficiency compared to other used commercial kits. The results showed that the isolated RNA from callus was 271.2 (by modified LiCl precipitation) > 12.12 (Biozol kit) > 9.6 (RNeasy kit) > 5.16 µg/g (Biozol with PVP and β-ME). Mostly, the same trend was occurred for stem and leaf tissues, as well. The high performance of modified LiCl method was confirmed by electrophoresis technique through the clear bands compared to other mentioned methods. Also, high efficiency of used methodology was confirmed by cDNA synthesis, RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR). Graphene oxide with modified LiCl precipitation revealed better and sharp bands. Finally, an efficient method with Graphene oxide was optimized for high quality and quantity RNA extraction from woody plants.