Salinity Effects on Some Physiological Characteristics of Allium ampeloprasum L.

Water and agricultural soils salinity is the major limiting factors influencing vegetable production in most Iranian areas and climates. Allium ampeloprasum L. as a leafy vegetable has been of great interest for vegetable producers in most parts of Iran. However, due to gradual increase in soil and water salinity especially at Northwest Iran, the production of this vegetable has been faced with many production constraints. For the study of the salinity effects on some growth related and physiological traits of Allium ampeloprasum, an experiment was conducted as a factorial based on RCBD with five NaCl concentrations (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 mM) levels and two local clones (\u27Tabriz\u27 and \u27Isfahan\u27) with three replications. The results revealed that there were interaction effects of salinity and clonee considering proline content and K+/Na+ ratios. The highest amounts of chlorophylls a and b, total chlorophyll content, and leaves fresh weight were recorded in control plants. Na+ accumulation, MDA, H2O2 levels, soluble sugars content and ion leakage rate were the highest with 160 mM NaCl levels. With salinity level added, the proline accumulation in the plants was concomitantly increased

The Effects of Dekap Foliar Application on Some Morphological and Physiological Traits of Cucurbita pepo L.

In order to study the effects of Dekap (0, 1, 2 and 3 L ha-1) foliar applications on some physiological and morphological treats of Cucurbita pepo an experiment was conducted based on Randomized Complete Block Design at Azerbaijan Shahid Madani University Research Farm. The result showed that the foliar application had significant effects on plant length, number of auxiliary branches, leaf number, number of female flower, total number of fruit, fruit diameter, fruit fresh weight, intact fruit number, fruit yield, number of intact and immature seeds in fruits and oil percent. The highest number of auxiliary branches, plant height, leaf number per plant and the highest data for oil percent, seed length, fruit fresh weight and fruit diameter were recorded at 1 and 2 L ha-1 foliar application. The highest data for intact seed number was recorded at 1 L ha-1 foliar application but, the highest number of immature seeds were recorded at 2 and 3 L ha-1 foliar application. The highest data for female flower number and total number of fruits per plant were recorded at 1 L ha-1 treatment. The treatment used in this experiment had not significant effects on protein content, seed dry weight, leaf dry weight, potassium and phosphor concentrations. Considering the fact that, in the present experiment there was no significant difference between 1 and 2 L ha-1 of Dekap foliar applications in some of the evaluated traits, so, we can claim that 1 L ha-1 Dekap foliar application can be recommended for the extension section

Foliar Application of Marmarin on Antioxidant Activity and Storage Time of Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum L.)

Two separate experiments were conducted to study the effects of algae extract (\u27Marmarin\u27) foliar application on growth potential and storage life of garden cress. In the first experiment, the effect of \u27Marmarin\u27 foliar application on growth characteristics (leaf length and width, petiole length, leaves number, roots dry weight, root length and leaves dry weight) was determined. The results showed the positive effects of foliar spray on roots and leaves dry weight, root length, leaves number and petiole length. In the second experiment, the impact of foliar application of \u27Marmarin\u27 on harvested plants was assayed. The results showed significant effect of foliar spray treatment and storage time on chlorophyll b, total soluble solids and chlorotic leaves number. The highest total soluble solids were obtained by foliar application of 5 ml L-1 algae extract at harvest and at 4 days after storage, as well as with 10 ml L-1 foliar application at harvest time. Foliar application treatment with 10 mg L-1 at harvest and four days after storage had significant effects on chlorophyll b content. The highest chlorotic leaves number was determined without foliar application at 12 days after storage. Chlorophyll a, anthocyanin and total phenolics content were independently affected by foliar application and storage time. The highest amount of chlorophyll a was attained by foliar application of 5 and 10 ml L-1. The highest amount of anthocyanin and total phenolics was determined at application of 5, 10 and 15 ml L-1, and 10, 15 and 20 ml L-1, respectively. The highest content of anthocyanin was determined at the harvest. Also, the highest contents of total phenolics and chlorophyll a were determined at the harvest and were statistically equal with amount determined at 4 days after harvest

The Effects of Relative Substitution of Organic Fertilizers on Elementes Content, Some Physiological Traits and Yield of Lepidium sativum L.

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of partial substitution of some organic fertilizers on the growth, yield and some physiological traits (elemental content, as well as phenolics, flavonoids and chlorophyll content of lepidium sativum as RCBD with three replications. Treatments were including control, (common soil) and different levels of vermicompost (10 and 20 %), poultry and cow manure substitution in soil. The results revealed that the highest plant height, root length, leaf widths and stem and root dry weight were observed with 10 and 20% of vermicompost. Chlorophyll a content had highest amount at 20% vermicompoust and chlorophyll b content had the highest amount with 10% vermicompost and cow manure substitution and for total flavonoids, 10 % vermicompost hold the highest data. For the elements, Zn content was affected by the poultry (120-122.7 µg/plant) and cow manure (119.7-123.3 µg/plant) substitution. Mn2+(341.8-378.6 µg/plant) and Fe2+ (733.3-800 µg/plant)compositional amounts were statistically affected by vermiconpost. K+content (7.4 mg/plant) were positively responded to cow manure and vermicompost (8.6 mg/plant) both at 20% substitution. The lowest data for Ca2+content was belonged to control (4.6 mg/plan). 20% poultry and cow manures affected N content of the plant. It seems that organic fertilizers substitution affects the soil characteristics and improves nutrients absorption and hence influences the vegetative growth, elemental content of plants tissue as well as the organic compounds pool. Finally, it is worthy of note that with the suitable management of organic fertilizers utilization we would be able to promote the yield and quality attributes of the plant in favor of nutritional and therapeutic plant properties

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Salinity Effects on Some Physiological Characteristics of Allium ampeloprasum L.

Water and agricultural soils salinity is the major limiting factors influencing vegetable production in most Iranian areas and climates. Allium ampeloprasum L. as a leafy vegetable has been of great interest for vegetable producers in most parts of Iran. However, due to gradual increase in soil and water salinity especially at Northwest Iran, the production of this vegetable has been faced with many production constraints. For the study of the salinity effects on some growth related and physiological traits of Allium ampeloprasum, an experiment was conducted as a factorial based on RCBD with five NaCl concentrations (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 mM) levels and two local clones (\u27Tabriz\u27 and \u27Isfahan\u27) with three replications. The results revealed that there were interaction effects of salinity and clonee considering proline content and K+/Na+ ratios. The highest amounts of chlorophylls a and b, total chlorophyll content, and leaves fresh weight were recorded in control plants. Na+ accumulation, MDA, H2O2 levels, soluble sugars content and ion leakage rate were the highest with 160 mM NaCl levels. With salinity level added, the proline accumulation in the plants was concomitantly increased

‏ ‏Growth and Some Physiological Characteristics of Savory ‎‎(Satureja hortensis L.) as Affected by Salinity Stress‎

The present experement was conducted as a factorial experiment based on RCBD with four NaCl levels (0, 50, 100 and 150 mM) levels and two savory native clones (Tabriz and Hamadan) with three replications, to investigate the effects of Nacl salinity on some physiological (essential oils, chlorophyll, proline, soluble sugars, ion leakage, Na+ and K+ content) and growth characteristics of savory. The results revealed that there was significant interaction effects between salinity and clone on chlorophyll a content of the plant. The highest chlorophyll a content in both clones was recorded in the control plants. Root dry weight, Na+ and K+ content, K+/Na+ ratio, soluble sugars and ion lekage were affected by NaCl salinity. The highest amounts of stem and leaf dry weights, essential oils contents, proline and chlorophyll b content, were influenced by both clone and salinity levels. The highest stem dry weight, essential oil and proline contents belonged to Tabriz clone. The highest leaf dry weight and chlorophyll a+b contents were produced by Hamadan clone. The highest amont for some other traits, like root, stem and leaf dry weights, as well as for K+and K+/Na+ ratios, were observed in the control treatment. The highest Na+ accumulation were recorded in 150 mM NaCl treatment. It was also observed that with increasing salinity levels, proline content was concomitantly increased. The hieghest ion leakage, soluble sugars and proline amounts were belonged to 100 and 150 mM salinity levels. Considering the variation patterns for the traits studied, it seems that the salinity levels in both clones routinely affected the growth and physiological characteristics of the plants. It can be concluded that to achieve economical yields of savory and proper physiologyical traits we have to select salt tolerant clones to suit saline environments

Auxin concentration and sampling time affect rooting of Chrysanthemum morifolium L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L.

Vegetative propagation is the most commonly used method for the multiplication of ornamental, medicinal and aromatic plants mainly due to the low seed germination percentage and rate as well as the prolonged time needed for the plant growth and development. Chrysanthemum morifolium and Rosmarinus officinalis are two major ornamental medicinal plants routinely used in landscape and with pharmaceutical and food industries. Owing to the constant needs for these two species, the mass production of the plants in a given short time is more demanding. For the study of the effects of PGRs; NAA and IBA (0‚1000‚ 2000 and 3000 mgl-1) and different sampling times (July‚ August and September) on cuttings rooting and the subsequent root growth a factorial experiment based on RCBD with three factors (auxin type‚ auxin concentration and sampling time) with three replications was conducted. The results revealed that the highest rooting percentage (with three sampling time) and survival rate for Chrysanthemum morifolium (in August and September) was attained with 3000 mgl-1 NAA. The greatest roots number in September and, root weight in August and September in Chrysanthemum morifolium again were belonged to 3000mgl-1 NAA. Auxin concentration had significant effect on root number‚ root fresh weight and survival rate of rosemary. For both IBA and NAA‚ 3000 mgl-1 had positive effects on root fresh weight and survival rate. In total‚ 3000 mgl-1 auxin and September were defined as the time of choice for rosemary cutting preparation and multiplication