Influence of foliar application of volk oil, dormex, gibberellic acid and potassium nitrate on vegetative growth and reproductive characteristics of strawberry cv. ‘Merak’

Application of chemicals for strawberry forcing or production in subtropical regions in autumn or winter months, inside or outside of greenhouse has been reported as a successful method. Present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of Volk oil (2.5, 5%), Dormex (0.5, 1%), GA3 (50, 100 mg. L-1) and KNO3 on vegetative and reproductive growth of strawberry cv. ‘Merak’ in subtropic conditions of Darab city in Fars province of Iran. Dormant young rooted daughter plants were potted in 3L plastic pots and after 2 weeks of establishment period the treatments were applied and then plants were grown for 3.5 months in outside conditions. Results indicated that KNO3 caused augmentation of leaf surface area, roots length, number of flowers and inflorescences. Also Dormex at 1% concentration increased flowering period and decreased number of runners. Volk oil at both concentrations improved roots length and number of achenes in primary and secondary fruits. Conclusion showed that the mentioned materials could have impact on vegetative and reproductive growth of strawberry generally. In this study KNO3 resulted in best and maximum effects on plant growth

Calcium effects on changes in chlorophyll contents, dry weight and micronutrients of strawberry (

Introduction. Today, approximately one-third of the world's irrigated lands suffer some degree of salinity. Although there are several reports about the effects of calcium treatments on strawberry growth and development under saline conditions, there are no reports demonstrating the effect on micronutrient concentrations of strawberry due to supplementary calcium applied to the salt-stressed plants. Consequently, we investigated the effects of high salinity levels, with application of supplementary calcium, on chlorophyll contents, dry weight and micronutrients of strawberry. Materials and methods. Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) plants cv. ‘Selva’ were grown in hydroponic culture in a heated greenhouse to investigate the effectiveness of calcium (Ca) added to nutrient solution applied to plants. Six treatments were applied: nutrient solution alone (= [N]); [N] + NaCl salt (35 mM) (= [NS]); [NS] + CaCl2 (5 mM); [NS] + CaCl2 (10 mM); [NS] + CaSO4 (5 mM); and [NS] + CaSO4 (10 mM). The effect of calcium (different forms and different concentrations) on chlorophyll contents and dry weight of salt-stressed plants was determined. Additionally, micronutrient contents were studied. Results. The results indicated that chlorophyll contents and plant dry weight were decreased by salinity. NaCl application increased Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe concentrations of root parts. In shoot parts, Cu accumulation decreased, while other elements increased. Supplementary calcium could ameliorate the negative effects of salinity on chlorophyll and dry mass production. However, micronutrient concentrations of plant parts as influenced by calcium had contradictory results: calcium induced high levels of zinc, manganese and iron concentrations in roots, but high levels of copper and zinc concentrations in shoots. Moreover, there were significant differences between calcium forms in their actions. Conclusion. Our results suggest that CaSO4 could be applied to improve the growth of salt-stressed strawberry plants

Molecular Variation and Distribution of Anopheles fluviatilis (Diptera: Culicidae) Complex in Iran

Anopheles fluviatilis James (Diptera: Culicidae) is one of the known malaria vectors in south and southeastern Iran. Earlier ITS2 sequences analysis of specimens from Iran demonstrated only a single genotype that was identical to species Y in India, which is also the same as species T. We identified 2 haplotypes in the An. fluviatilis populations of Iran based on differences in nucleotide sequences of D3 domain of the 28S locus of ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Comparison of sequence data from 44 Iranian specimens with those publicly available in the Genbank database showed that all of the 28S-D3 sequences from Kazeroun and Khesht regions in Fars Province were identical to the database entry representing species U in India. In other regions, all the individuals showed heterozygosity at the single nucleotide position, which identifies species U and T. It is argued that the 2 species may co-occur in some regions and hybridize; however, the heterozygosity in the 28S-D3 locus was not reflected in ITS2 sequences and this locus for all individuals was identical to species T. This study shows that in a newly diverged species, like members of An. fluviatilis complex, a single molecular marker may not be sufficiently discriminatory to identify all the taxa over a vast geographical area. In addition, other molecular markers may provide more reliable information for species discrimination