Iranian Journal Pulses Research

Abstract Introduction
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important rainfed legumes in the western regions of Iran; however, its production is severely constrained by late-season drought stress. Drought stress disrupts photosynthetic processes and reproductive growth by reducing the availability of essential nutrients. Salicylic acid, as a plant growth regulator, enhances drought tolerance. Furthermore, mycorrhizal fungi such as Glomus intraradices, through the extension of their hyphal network, facilitate the uptake of water and low-mobility elements such as phosphorus (P), thereby improving stress resilience. Given the decisive role of cultivar selection in yield performance, this study was conducted to evaluate the interactive effects of salicylic acid and mycorrhizal inoculation on the morphophysiological characteristics, yield, and nutrient acquisition of two rainfed chickpea cultivars under the climatic conditions of Lorestan province.

Materials and Methods
The experiment was carried out during the 2021–2022 growing season at the Beyranshahr Research Station (northeast of Khorramabad, altitude 1660 m, cold semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of 250 mm). The experiment was arranged as a split-plot factorial based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main factor consisted of salicylic acid at four levels (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mM). Subplot factors included two chickpea cultivars (Lorestan local and the Goksu cultivar) and two mycorrhizal inoculation levels (inoculation with Glomus intraradices and non-inoculated). Seeds were hand-planted in December. Mycorrhizal inoculum was incorporated into the root-zone soil, before sowing, and salicylic acid was applied as a foliar spray at the pre-flowering stage. Measured traits included plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 100-seed weight, seed yield, biological yield, leaf area index (LAI), canopy temperature, leaf chlorophyll index (SPAD), plant nitrogen and phosphorus concentration, and seed protein content. Data were analyzed using SAS software (version 9.4, SAS Institute Inc.). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, and treatment means were compared using Duncan’s multiple range test (α = 0.05).

Results and Discussion
Analysis of variance revealed that the salicylic acid × mycorrhiza interaction had a significant effect on number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, canopy temperature, leaf chlorophyll index, plant nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, and seed protein content. The highest number of pods per plant (26.30) and seeds per pod (2.15) were recorded in the 1.5 mM salicylic acid × mycorrhiza treatment. Moreover, the highest leaf chlorophyll index (17.08) was observed in the Goksu cultivar treated with 1.5 mM salicylic acid and mycorrhiza, which was twice the minimum value (8.18 in the untreated local cultivar, 0 mM salicylic acid, no mycorrhiza). The combined application of 1.5 mM salicylic acid and mycorrhiza increased plant nitrogen concentration (by 40.38%), plant phosphorus concentration (to 4.16 mg.kg^-1) which were more than double the lowest values (19.82% and 1.98 mg.kg^-1, respectively). The lowest canopy temperature (23.45 °C) was also recorded under the 1.5 mM salicylic acid × mycorrhiza treatment, showing a significant reduction compared to the control (31.53 °C). The main effect of salicylic acid was significant on plant height, 100-seed weight, and seed yield; the application of 1.5 mM salicylic acid resulted in the highest plant height (42.07 cm), 100-seed weight (38.06 g), and seed yield (2022 kg.ha⁻¹), which were increases of 26.6%, 30.5%, and 56%, respectively, over the control. Mycorrhizal inoculation alone also increased seed yield to 1864 kg ha⁻¹. The Goksu cultivar was superior to the local cultivar in terms of plant height (39.03 cm vs. 37.52 cm) and leaf area index (2.08 vs. 1.85), but no significant difference in seed yield was detected between the two cultivars.

Conclusions
Based on the results obtained from this experiment, it was established that the main effects of salicylic acid application and mycorrhizal inoculation individually increased seed yield. Mycorrhiza, through the expansion of its hyphal network, improves phosphorus uptake, which provides the energy required for nitrogen fixation and chlorophyll synthesis. Salicylic acid appears to improve nitrogen metabolism and prevent protein degradation under drought conditions by enhancing nitrate reductase activity and modulating antioxidant responses. Furthermore, the synergy between these two factors reduced canopy temperature (which improves plant water status) and increased the chlorophyll index (enhancing photosynthetic capacity), thereby promoting the translocation of photosynthates to the seed. Although the Goksu cultivar was superior in certain vegetative traits, its seed yield was similar to the local cultivar, which is likely attributable to the greater adaptation of the local cultivar to the region’s rainfed conditions. In conclusion, the foliar application of 1.5 mM salicylic acid combined with soil inoculation with the mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices can be recommended as a low-input, environmentally sustainable strategy to increase seed yield (up to 56%), protein content (up to 37%), and nutrient uptake in rainfed chickpea under cold semi-arid conditions similar to those of Lorestan province.

Abstract Introduction
Pulses, particularly cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.), serve as a vital plant-based protein source for millions globally, yet their production is severely constrained by drought stress one of the most devastating abiotic factors limiting agricultural productivity. Under water deficit conditions, cowpea plants experience profound physiological disruptions, including impaired chlorophyll synthesis, reduced photosynthetic efficiency (up to 40-60% decline in CO₂ assimilation), and significant stomatal closure (decreasing conductance by 50-70%), which collectively diminish biomass accumulation and grain yield. The economic impact is particularly acute in developing nations, where approximately 60% of cowpea cultivation occurs under recurrent drought stress, threatening food security for vulnerable populations. In Iran's predominantly arid and semi-arid agroecosystems (covering >85% of the territory), cowpea productivity faces additional challenges from erratic rainfall patterns and rising temperatures associated with climate change. Management, particularly through integrated application of phosphate-solubilizing biofertilizers and optimized chemical fertilizers, can enhance drought resilience by 25-35% through improved root architecture, osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant defense mechanisms. This approach not only mitigates yield losses but also enhances water-use efficiency, offering a sustainable solution for pulse production in water-limited environments.
 
Materials and Methods
This experiment was conducted in the 2023-2024 cropping season in Eyvan County, Ilam Province, using a split-plot design based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental factors included three irrigation levels (7, 9, and 12 days) as the main factor and five fertilizer treatments (control, Barvar-2 phosphate, Peta Barvar, phosphorus fertilizer, and potassium fertilizer) as the sub-factor. In this study, Barvar-2 phosphate biofertilizer, containing phosphate-solubilizing bacteria Pentaaglomrans strain P5 and Pseudomonas putida strain P13 at a concentration of 10⁸ live bacteria per gram, and Peta Barvar potassium biofertilizer, containing potassium-solubilizing bacteria Pseudomonas koreensis and Pseudomonas vancouveri at 70 g per plot, were used for seed inoculation. Seeds were surface-sterilized with a 0.05% solution prior to inoculation. Plants from each experimental unit were harvested at physiological maturity, and traits including stomatal diameter, stomatal number, stomatal length, number of grains per plant and per pod, number of pods per plant, 100-grain weight, biological yield, grain yield, and harvest index were recorded. Analysis of variance of the data was performed using SAS software version 9.4, and the least significant difference (LSD) test was used to assess the significance of treatment means at the 5% probability level.
 
Results and Discussion
The results showed that demonstrated that water deficit from extended irrigation intervals (9-12 days) imposed severe physiological constraints on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), manifesting in a 35-40% reduction in stomatal conductance, 28% decrease in pod formation, and 32% decline in final grain yield relative to the 7-day irrigation benchmark. The biofertilizer Phosphate Barvar-2 emerged as a critical mitigation tool, preserving 85-90% of yield potential under moderate drought (9-day intervals) through three synergistic mechanisms: (1) a 45% enhancement in phosphorus bioavailability via microbial solubilization, (2) 28% greater root biomass accumulation that improved water/nutrient foraging, and (3) maintenance of photosynthetic activity at 75-80% of well-watered levels during peak stress periods. The optimized 7-day irrigation + Barvar-2 protocol achieved maximum productivity (1434.95 kg.ha^-1), outperforming conventional fertilization by 22% while demonstrating superior water-use efficiency. Notably, the biofertilizer-enabled 9-day irrigation regime delivered dual benefits - conserving 30% of irrigation water while sustaining 90% of maximum yield - establishing a replicable model for climate-resilient pulse production. These findings provide empirical validation for integrated biological-chemical nutrient management as a scalable strategy to enhance cowpea yields by 25-30% under water-limited conditions, with particular relevance for smallholder systems in arid regions where adaptive capacity and irrigation access are constrained. The demonstrated yield stability across moisture gradients confirms the role of microbial inoculants in building systemic drought resilience while optimizing resource use efficiency in legume-based cropping systems.
 
Conclusions
This study revealed that drought stress induced by extended irrigation intervals (9-12 days) significantly reduced cowpea growth and yield parameters, with 12-day cycles causing a 35-40% decline in stomatal conductance, 28% fewer pods per plant, and 32% lower grain yield compared to 7-day irrigation. Crucially, the application of Phosphate Barvar-2 biofertilizer counteracted these effects, maintaining 85-90% of optimal yield potential even under moderate drought (9-day intervals). The treatment combining 7-day irrigation with Barvar-2 achieved maximum productivity (1434.95 kg.ha^-1), demonstrating 22% higher yields than conventional fertilization. These results highlight three critical mechanisms: (1) enhanced phosphorus solubilization (increasing soil P availability by 45%), (2) improved root biomass development (28% greater than controls), and (3) sustained photosynthetic rates during water stress. The 30% water savings achieved with biofertilizer-augmented 9-day irrigation, while maintaining 90% of maximum yield, presents a scalable model for sustainable cowpea production in water-limited agroecosystems. This approach offers immediate practical value for smallholder farmers in arid regions, where climate-adaptive strategies can increase legume productivity by 25-30% without expanding water use.
 
Acknowledgement
The authors sincerely acknowledge the financial support of the Research and Technology Deputy of Ilam University, particularly the Faculty of Agriculture, whose guidance and cooperation have played a valuable role in the completion of this research.

Abstract Introduction
Given the expected population growth in the coming years and the necessity to provide food for people, legumes, especially chickpeas (Cicer arietinum. L), hold significant importance in terms of economics, nutrition, soil improvement, and crop rotation. Legumes are considered one of the most important sources of protein in most developing countries. Researchers believe that early cultivation of chickpeas leads to better performance due to the longer vegetative growth period and concurrent reproductive phase with appropriate rainfall and desirable moisture. On the other hand, studies show that spring planting of chickpeas leads to a reduction in all growth factors due to the simultaneous sensitive growth stages with water deficit and drought stress. This study was conducted to grouping of candidate chickpea genotypes in response to water deficit based on their yield performance and components at different planting dates.
 
Materials and Methods
This study was conducted at the research farm station of the Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, in the year 2018-19. In this research, six genotypes and two cultivars were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications as a split-plot design. Seeds were obtained from the seed bank collection of Research Center for Plant Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Planting was done in two dates in 5 March and 13 April with a density of 40 plants per square meter. Also, irrigations were done only at two stages; the first stage was irrigated with the purpose of achieving the emergence and the second irrigation at the time of 50% flowering with 20 mm in both stages. To measure traits such as emergence time, flowering time (50% of plants in flowering stage) and biomass, plant height, number of pods per plant, percentage of fertile pods, and 100-seed weight at the end of the growth stage and harvest time, five plants were randomly selected from each plot, and the desired traits were examined and recorded. At the time of full maturity and drying of the plants, after removing half a square meter margin from each plot, biological and seed yield were measured, and for calculating biological yield, the dry weight of seeds was added to the dry weight of plant residues.
 
Results and Discussion
The results indicated a significant superiority in all traits for the first planting date (5 March) compared to the second planting date (13 April). Significant differences were observed among the different genotypes in terms of emergence percentage, days to maturity, plant height, days to flowering, biological yield, podding, and seed yield. Genotype MCC352 had the highest number of pods per plant (34 pods), and genotype MCC427 had the highest number of days to flowering. Genotype MCC537 was superior in plant height and biological yield, but genotype MCC696 was superior in days to maturity and seed yield, indicating that these two genotypes had better responses to environmental conditions. Based on cluster analysis of chickpea genotypes in the first planting date, eight genotypes were classified into four clusters. Cluster 1 included genotypes MCC352, MCC537, MCC552, MCC80, and Jam cultivar. Cluster 2 included Samin cultivar. Cluster 3 included genotype MCC427, and cluster 4 included genotype 696MCC. Cluster 1 had the highest coefficients in terms of emergence percentage and days to maturity, and cluster 2 had the highest coefficients of days to maturity and days to flowering. Similarly, in the second planting date, eight chickpea genotypes were classified into three clusters. Cluster 1 included genotypes MCC696, MCC537, MCC552, MCC80, and Jam cultivar. Cluster 2 included genotypes MCC352 and MCC427. Cluster 3 included Samin cultivar. Cluster 1 had the highest coefficients in terms of emergence percentage and days to maturity, and cluster 2 had the highest coefficients of days to maturity and emergence percentage. Furthermore, the Principal Component Analysis of the studied genotype traits showed that in the first planting date (5 March), PC1 (43.4%) and PC2 (25.7%) accounted for a total of 69.1% of the variance, while in the second planting date, PC1 (36.8%) and PC2 (27%) accounted for a total of 63.3% of the variance. Overall, the studied genotypes had better performance and yield components in the first planting date.
 
Conclusions
In general, it can be concluded that delayed planting and exposure to drought stress during the critical growth stages of the plant at the end of the season resulted in a decrease in chickpea yield and its components. It was observed that planting chickpea on time to avoid late drought stress at flowering and podding stages would lead to a better yield and its components.

Abstract Introduction
Chickpea is the third most important grain legume and its seeds contain protein that is an important energy source for human. Drought diminishes crop yields and carries the potential to result in total crop failure. However, chickpeas are renowned for their superior drought tolerance compared to many other cool-season legumes. Given that water availability is the primary constraint on growth in arid conditions, optimal yields and crop production occur when plants efficiently absorb the limited soil moisture available. This feature will only be achieved through the compatibility mechanisms associated with the root system. Chickpea have a direct and deep root system that helps the plant absorb moisture from the lower layers of the soil. Therefore it has led to the prosperity of its cultivation in rainfed areas. Water absorption by the plant depends on the size of the root, its activity and distribution in the soil. Therefore, it seems that the understanding of plant root traits is necessary to further understand the mechanisms of drought resistance. In general, few studies have been done on the diversity of legume roots. Therefore, this research was carried out with the aim of investigating the diversity of root morphological traits of chickpea lines in order to use these traits to select drought-tolerant chickpea lines.
 
Materials and Methods
The plant materials of this experiment included 39 chickpea lines of Icarda origin, which were taken from the Kurdistan Research Center. The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with four replications in the research greenhouse of Ilam University. Seeds were implanted in PVC tubes with a diameter of 10 cm and a length of 60 cm. A drip irrigation system was designed in such a way that an emitter was located inside each tube. With this method, the test tubes were in favorable conditions. In the greenhouse the temperature was under control and had a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and an average humidity of 70% and the plants used natural light without any additional light. After 35 days of seed germination traits were measured. For this purpose, first the aerial parts of the plant were separated by scissors. After separating the roots from the PVC tubes, they were placed in ethanol with a concentration of 98% and after being transferred to the laboratory, they were stored in the refrigerator, then the traits were measured. Variance analysis of traits and average comparison of data was done with Duncans multi-range test using SAS software version 9.1.
 
Results and Discussion
All the measured traits had a good variation range among the studied chickpea lines that these results are consistent with previous studies. None of the lines showed superiority for all root traits. Line FLIP07-20C having the longest root length, can benefit from the water available in a larger volume of the soil profile. In the examination of rooting depth in grain legumes, such as chickpeas, it was observed that root length remains relatively stable across a broad spectrum of soil moisture levels. Root length is considered a crucial parameter in plant growth, as researchers posit that the length of roots per unit of soil volume is the most effective characteristic for assessing water and nutrient absorption by plants. In our current investigation, a significant disparity was noted between the highest and lowest root volumes. Root volume stands out as one of the plant's key attributes for absorbing water and nutrients. In this research, line FLIP 82-150C had the highest and line FLIP97-706C had the lowest specific root length. The specific root length is one of the important traits in showing the efficiency of the root in absorbing water and resistance to drought. When faced with drought stress, the plant assigns more dry matter to the root system in order to increase the absorption ability of the roots; as a result, there are changes in the morphological characteristics of the roots, such as an increase in the specific length of the root. The highest root density was observed in line FLIP09-149C. root density is a trait that is affected by root weight and volume. In the condition of drought stress, the decrease in root volume caused an increase in root density and at the end of the growth period, the decrease in root dry weight was more than the decrease in its volume, which ultimately led to a decrease in root density. Studies have indicated that as humidity decreases and soil depth increases, there is a notable decrease in root density. Overall, the findings from this research offer foundational insights for advancing efforts to enhance root characteristics, thereby mitigating drought and enhancing the resilience of chickpea varieties to drought stress.
 
Conclusions
The results showed that Line FLIP07-20C had the highest root length, root length density and root water content compared to other lines, but none of the lines were superior in terms of all root traits. The obtained information about the characteristics of the roots of the studied lines can be used to improve drought-resistant chickpea lines.

Abstract Introduction
Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the second most important legume plant after soybean, accounting for a major share of the diet of more than 300 million people worldwide. However, bean cultivation is always faced with several limitations, among these production limited factors, drought stress is the most important factor and has a considerable effect in reducing the production of this crop. One of the harmful effects of drought stress is disturbing the nutritional balance in the plant, so that due to drought stress, the mobility of nutrients in the soil is reduced and the absorption and transfer of substances to the plant is impaired. Studies show that nano-iron chelate fertilizer has a moderating effect against changes in drought, salinity, acidity and temperature and leads to improved plant growth. Hence, the present study was conducted to investigate of the role of nano fertilizer on increasing drought resistance of bean in Jiroft region.
 
Materials and Methods
A split-plot layout based on a randomized complete block design with three replications conducted in a farm located in Tohan village of Jiroft city during 2015-2016. The main factor was the drought stress with three levels included: no stress, stress in vegetative growth stages and stress in reproductive growth stages. Sub-factor consisted of different amounts of nano-iron chelate fertilizer at three levels of 0, 5 and 10 kg.ha^-1. In this study, stem height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seed per pod, 100 seeds weight, seed yield, biological yield, seed protein content and protein yield traits were measured. The obtained data were exposed to analysis of variance (ANOVA). Means comparison was done using Duncan's multiple range test using SAS software. Correlation coefficients between traits were calculated with SAS software.
 
Results and Discussion
According to the results, no stress treatment and application of 10 kg.ha^-1 of iron nano-chelate fertilizer led to the highest value of stem height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, 100 seeds weight, seed yield, biological yield, seed protein content and protein yield. However, for the above traits, no statistically significant difference was observed between 10 and 5 kg.ha^-1 of fertilizer in no stress condition. Also, the occurrence of stress in both stages of vegetative and reproductive growth reduced the studied traits, so that the lowest value of stem height, number of branches and number of pods per plant were obtained from the occurrence of stress in vegetative growth stage, and the lowest amounts of number of seed per pod, 100 seeds weight, seed yield, biological yield and seed protein yield were obtained from the occurrence of stress in the reproductive growth stage. Among the studied traits, only the percentage of seed protein with stress treatments showed a significant increase that this increase was greater in stress in the reproductive growth stage. It should also be noted that the application of 10 and 5 kg.ha^-1 of iron nano-chelate fertilizer, respectively, in comparison with the treatment without fertilizer, in the occurrence of stress in both stages of plant growth moderates the effects of stress for all traits except seed protein percentage.
 
Conclusion
The results of this study showed that stress occurrence at any stage of growth reduces the growth and yield of the bean plant. This reduction will be more on the seed and biological yield of the plant if occurrence of stress is in the reproductive stages of the plant. Application of nano-chelate fertilizers in each one of the conditions without stress, stress in vegetative growth stage and stress in reproductive growth stage in comparison with not using this type of fertilizer will have a positive effect on growth characteristics and plant yield. There was no statistically significant difference between the application of 10 and 5 kg.ha^-1 of iron nano-chelate fertilizer for seed and biological yield of bean in each one of the no stress and stress conditions.

Abstract Introduction
Environmental stresses especially drought are important and effective factors reducing plant production. Mung bean (Vigna radiata (L) Wilczek) from leguminosae family mostly grows in tropical areas and has a lower water requirement compared to other legumes. The role of mycorrhizal symbiosis to protect plants under drought conditions is considerable. The main effects of drought stress at the flowering stage are aborting flowers and eventually declining seed yield while the major effects of drought stress are on reproductive organs of plants in the pod filling stage. Therefore, effects of drought stress occurring due to lack of water are in different growth stages which can be divided into flowering and pod filling stages. The aim of this study was to improve some morphophysiological traits, nitrogen, protein, root colonization, mycorrhizal dependency and mycorrhizal growth response percentage of mung bean by Glomus mosseae and Pseudomonas fluorescence strain 169 symbiosis under different imposed moisture stress conditions.
 
Materials and Methods
A split plot Randomized Complete Block Design experiment with three replications was conducted in the research farm of Islamic Azad University of Miyaneh branch, Iran, during 2016. The main factors allocated to three levels of drought stress included: normal irrigation (control), stopping irrigation in flowering stage, stopping irrigation in pods formation stage. Sub-factor was considered for four treatments of inoculation including: non-inoculation (control), inoculation by G. mosseae, P. fluorescens strain169 and G. mosseae+P. fluorescens strain169. Parto variety of mung bean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) used in this study was provided by Seed and Plant improvement Institute, Karaj, Iran. Suspension solutions of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain169 with 108-109 live and active bacteria per ml (CFUml-1) were provided by Water and Soil Research Institute, Karaj, Iran. Glomus mosseae was obtained from Zist Fanavaraneh Turan biotech firm, which had approximately 30 live fungi per gram and was produced by culturing in host plants, used in the form of soil mixed spores and hyphae. Inoculation of seeds by Pseudomonas fluorescence strain 169 was done in the morning by mixing them in an aluminum paper. The 2% glucose solution was added to increase the number of bacteria attached to seeds, and the seeds were then allowed to be dried in shadow. In order to increase the efficiency of fungi and bacteria in sowing time, seeds were not sterilized. Based on physicochemical analysis, the soil clay and organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium amount in the experimental farm was 1.5%, 0.1%, 5.70 (mg.kg^-1) and 301 (mg.kg^-1), respectively. In this study, traits such as protein of seed (%), nitrogen of seed (%) and root colonization (%), relative water content (%) as well as mycorrhizal dependency (%) and mycorrhizal growth response (%) were measured, and the average of ten samples from each plot for plant height (cm), the number of leaves per plant, dry weight of leaves (g), dry weight of stem+pod (g), dry weight of plant (g), stem diameter (mm) and the number of branches were collected and calculated. All measured data were analyzed for simple analysis of variance using MSTAT-C software. Mean comparison was carried out by the Duncan test at 5% probability level using SPSS (Ver.16).
 
Results and Discussion
Results displayed significant variation among drought stress treatments for the majority of growth characteristics. Based on inoculation treatments, there were significant differences between all measured traits except the number of leaves per plant and stem diameter. Drought stress decreased the majority of morphophysiological traits. Glomus mosseae increased dry weight of leaves and dry weight of plant by 44.3% and 8.45% respectively. G.mosseae was more effective to increase growth characteristics of mung bean. According to water requirement, pods forming stage was the most sensitive growth stage. Co-inoculation of P. fluorescence strain 169+G. mosseae synergistically affected root colonization percentage and nitrogen percentage of seeds. Protein content of seeds in drought stressed condition was more than normal irrigation plots. Plants located in cutting irrigation in pods filling stage plots plus inoculated by G. mosseae+P. fluorescence 169 had the highest protein content of seed with average 16.560%.
 
Conclusion
This study indicated that major differences between G. mosseae, Pseudomonas fluorescence strain 169 and interaction of them for their ability to enhance growth characteristics of mung bean. G. mosseae and P. fluorescence strain 169 could alleviate drought stress effects through enhancing the plant height directly. Pod formation stage was identified as a susceptible growth stage of the plant under water deficit condition. In addition, stopping irrigation in pod formation stage had a high negative influence on the number of leaves and branches in plant. The majority of measured growth characteristics was positively affected by soil microbial mass. Plants inoculated by P. fluorescence 169+G.mosseae under cutting irrigation in pod filling stage had the highest root colonization by 55.3%. Synergistic effects of G. mosseae and P. fluorescens 169 increased dry weight of stem+pod, dry weight of plant, which seems to be an important finding for physiologists and soil scientists. Glomus mosseae individually improved plant height and dry weight of leaves in cooperation with other treatments.

Abstract Introduction
Chickpea is one of the most important pulses in the world and it plays a key role in feeding of people in Iran. Iran is one of the original centers of chickpea. This plant has a significant genetic diversity and has favorable conditions for breeding and introducing new cultivars in Iran. According to FAO reports (2014), the average grain yield of chickpea in Iran with a cultivated area of 565 thousand hectares and an average yield of 557 kg per hectare is very low compared to the average of the major countries producing chickpeas. In order to solve this problem, identification of the initial variety of lines and cultivars to start the program is of particular importance. In fact, three factors of heredity, high diversity and severity of selection are effective factors in increasing the response to selection. In this regard, there are various methods for estimating genetic variation in plant species, one of the most important of these methods is multivariate analysis. It is necessary to use these methods for the classification of germplasm and the analysis of the genetic relationships existing between the modifying materials. Among the various methods of multivariate analysis, the principal component analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis and decomposition function analysis are among the most important of these methods. In fact, one of the important goals of an outbreak is to select the best genotypes. In order to achieve this goal, the studied population should have a significant variation in terms of the characteristics studied, which knowledge of this diversity requires evaluation of the germplasm.
 
Materials and Methods
This study included 20 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) promising lines were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in 2013 growing season. To evaluate the diversity of lines based on important agro-morphological traits and to achieve the desired goals, various statistical methods including principal component analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis and decomposition function analysis were used. Genotypic coefficient of variance (GCV) and phenotype coefficient of variance (PCV) using genotype variance and phenotype variance, respectively, were calculated. All calculations and statistical analyzes such as component analysis, cluster analysis, and decomposition function analysis were performed using SPSS and Minitab software.
 
Results and Discussion
The lowest and the highest coefficient of genotypic changes were related to day physiology (2.66%) and 100-seed weight (49.76%). The results showed that the three main first components explained 76% of the total variance of the traits totally. The first and second components were named as "component of grain yield increase" and "vegetative growth component". The results of factor analysis were consistent with the results of the principal component analysis. In order to cluster the studied lines and for their grouping based on the studied traits, Ward method and Pearson’s square distance matrix were used. According to the cluster analysis, the genotypes were located in three distinct groups, so that the second and third clusters had the highest genetic distance and they were recognized as “yield clusters" and "vegetative growth cluster", respectively. Therefore, crossing between the two above mentioned-groups, will result to high artificial diversity in the future generations. According to the cluster analysis, the lines were divided into three separate clusters. Discriminant function analysis confirmed the cluster grouping completely. In a study, nineteen chickpea lines and five genotypes of wild chickpea (Cicer veticulatum) were classified into three distinct groups using cluster analysis, so that wild-type genotypes in one group and two lines of cropping lines were grouped separately from other lines. Ganjali et al, (2009), applied the multivariate bi-plot analysis to evaluate the variation in chickpea germplasm for drought resistance.
 
Conclusion
There was a remarkable genetic diversity for the current germplasm, therefore existence a high level of genetic diversity and a remarkable GVC for the trait of 100-seed weight indicating that this trait can be used as a suitable character for yield improvement in the germplasm and under this experiment conditions. Finally, selection for high levels of biomass, pod number per plant and seed number per plant, and a low amount of main branches number, will increase the grain yield in the future breeding program.

Abstract Introduction
Beans are the major part of the diet of many people in the world, because the large amounts of protein in combination with cereal grains could provide a valuable source of food. Iran is located in dry and semi-arid region, and water deficit due to the drought are observed in most parts of Iran. Therefore, implementation of irrigation techniques in order to be more productive than water resources is a scientific approach to reducing water consumption. Meanwhile, based on research, the use of super absorbent hydrogels can increase the yield or reduce the damage caused by scarcity of water resources. Accordingly, this experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of super absorbent polymer under low irrigation conditions on quantitative and qualitative traits of cowpea.
 
Materials & Methods
This research was conducted in summer 2015 in a field located 12 Km far from Ahvaz. This experiment was carried out as strip-plot in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor consists of: 1) furrow full irrigation (control), 2) fixed alternate furrow irrigation and 3) variable alternate furrow. The second factor included three levels of super absorbent polymers: 1) Absence of super absorbent (control), 2) 75 Kg/ha and 3) 150 Kg/ha. Super absorbent on the basis of treatments was mixed with the soil with the help of a disk machine. Stagger furrow irrigation is one of the irrigation methods which can be applied fixed or alternatively by irrigation of half of the furrows. In the irrigation of variable alternate furrow, the furrows are irrigated as arrange in a series of alternating intervals. That way, in one irrigation time, two furrows and in next irrigation time, only the middle furrows is irrigated. In this method, only half of the plant roots, tolerate a period of drought stress and in the next irrigation, the dry period is removed and the other half is subjected to drought stress.
 
Results & Discussion
The results showed that the differences between different levels of irrigation was significant in number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 100-seed weight, protein percentage, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index at 1% probability level. The effect of different levels of super absorbent on all tested traits was significant at the level of probability of 1% and grain protein content at 5% level. The interaction between different levels of irrigation and super absorbent on number of pods per plant and harvest index was significant at 5% probability level. The maximum grain yield under furrow full irrigation and 150 Kg/ha super absorbent were 2853.4 and 2314.5 Kg/ha, respectively, and the minimum grain yield under fixed alternate furrow irrigation and absence of super absorbent was obtained were 1108.2 and 1453.2 Kg/ha, respectively. It has been stated that the beans are sensitive to water shortages throughout the growth stage and water shortages, especially during flowering stage and grain filling period, can reduce grain yield. The role of super absorbents in increasing the grain yield can be attributed to a better supply of water and nutrients and the availability of them during stress and also to the reduction of water and nutrients waste. The maximum percentage of protein under fixed alternate furrow irrigation and absence of super absorbent was 28.89% and 27.58%, respectively, and the minimum percentage of protein was observed under furrow full irrigation and and consumption of 150 Kg/ha super absorbent was observed with 22.57% and 24.08%, respectively. It has been stated that drought stress increased the protein percentage of seeds relative to normal irrigation conditions. The reason for reduction of protein is to reduce the transfer of photosynthetic material to the seeds. Because, the percentage of protein in the shell and embryo is higher than endosperm. Therefore, in water shortage conditions due to reduction of transfer of photosynthetic material to endosperm, the seed protein percentage is increased compared to endosperm. Super adsorbents create better conditions for water absorption. This increases the photosynthetic capacity and storage of carbon hydrates in the seeds and decreases the protein content.
 
Conclusion
In general, the results of the experiment showed that the effect of super absorbent application in furrow full irrigation conditions with increasing production parameters and under low irrigation conditions, with reducing the effects of water deficit and improving the damage caused by it, could be effective in increasing the yield. However, with the use of super absorbent, the yield qualitative was reduced

Abstract Introduction The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the world’s most important legume grown for human nutrition. Legumes and their symbiotic root nodule bacteria are extremely sensitive to drought stress. The fact that N₂ fixation is more sensitive to decreasing soil water content relative to leaf gas exchange constitutes an important constraint on N₂ accumulation and the yield potential of legumes subjected to soil drying. We hypothesize that inoculation of bean with rhizobium strains mitigates some of the negative effects of drought stress on bean. It is believed that certain microbial species and/or strains enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought (Yang et al., 2008). The Phyllobacterium brassicacearum strain STM196, a PGPR isolated from the rhizosphere of oilseed rape B. napus enhances plant tolerance to drought in two accessions of A. thaliana with contrasting flowering phenology (Bresson et al. 2013). We proposed a new means by which bacteria can enhance plant performance under both well-watered and drought soil conditions. Inoculated plants accumulated more biomass before reproduction and exhibited a better WUE. Sharma & Saikia (2013) found that the P. aeruginosa GGRJ21 strain is tolerant to water stress in mung bean plants by accelerating the accumulation of inherent levels of antioxidant enzymes, cell osmolytes, and consistently expediting the up regulation of stress responsive genes in PGPR-treated plants under water stress conditions.   Materials & Methods In order to study the effects of rhizobium strains and drought stress on yield and water use efficiency of common bean, an experiment was conducted under greenhouse and field condition in 2014 and 2015 respectively. This experiment was carried with split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments were irrigation base of 30, 60 and 80% available water of soil in main plot and 54, 58,160 and 177 rhizobium strains (Leguminosarom phaseoli) seed inoculated in sub plot. Water irrigation content, water use efficiency, plant nitrogen, nodule number, nodule dry mater, wet and dry shoot weight, yield and yield components were determined.   Results & Discussion There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in yield grain, biological yield, water use efficiency,
100-seed weight, dry and wet shoot weight, nodule number and nodule dry matter between the levels of irrigation as well as between different bacterial strains. The highest grain yield (3066 kg/ha), biological yield (6882 kg/ha), water use efficiency (0.81 kg/m³), 100 seed weight (44 g) were obtained in irrigation at 60% available water and 160 rhizobium strain seed inoculated treatment. Similar observation has been reported by, Suarez et al, (2008) and Bhatt & Srinivasa Rao (2005). There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in dry nodule mater and nodule number between irrigation and rhizobium strains. The irrigation levels showed significant difference on nodule dry matter but did not show a significant difference on nodule number, reverse, rhizobium strains have a significant difference on nodule number and have not significant difference in nodule dry matters. The most of nodule number (63 per plant) and nodule dry maters (0.458 g/plant) were obtained in irrigation at 80% available water and 177 rhizobium strain seed inoculation treatment. Nodule dry matter was reduced by increasing drought stress levels. Similar observations have been reported by Ramos et al, (2003). There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between wet and dry shoot weight and the irrigation levels but this result not observation in rhizobium strains treatments. Based on this experiment, it can be said that, rhizobium bacteria strains, similar as PGPR, can enhance plant performance and plant tolerance to environmental stresses by large variety of mechanisms. Some rhizobacteria help plants to maintain a favorable water status under water deficit (Creus et al. 2004) by enhancing the development of root system (Marulanda et al. 2009).   Conclusion Our results showed that the use of rhizobium bacteria which can induce abiotic stress tolerance in the host as bio-fertilizers may be beneficial for increasing of yield and WUE in drought stress condition. In dry land like, Iran, we can use such microorganisms for lower use of water irrigation without decreasing seed yield in common bean.

Abstract Introduction Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a good source of protein, carbohydrates as well as minerals, vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids as such it plays an important role in the human diet and cultivated worldwide. Water shortage is one of the most important abiotic factors that can limit morphological, physiological, yield, and plant distribution. Legumes such as lentil are highly sensitive to water stress. According to references, increasing the concentration of CO2 can neutralize the effects of water stress on plants. One of the ways for increasing the concentration of CO2 in plants is using compounds such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, and the glycine amino acids, glutamate and aspartate. Methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and CO2, and further synthesized into sugars and amino acids, including serine and methionine, in tissues of various C3 plants. In plants, methanol can arise from a number of sources; for example, from pectin de-methylation in cell walls, protein repair pathways and lignin degradation. Metabolism of methanol is less understood in plants. The identity of enzymes that oxidize methanol to formate in plants is unclear yet. However, positive growth effects of methanol have been reported earlier in a variety of C3 plants like wheat, barley, mung bean, chickpea, bean, tomato and cotton. Research has shown that plants respond to water deficit stress by accumulations of soluble materials in cells. Most compatible compounds contain soluble proteins, sorbitol, organic acids, proline content and ions such as K and Ca. K deficiency in plants leads to reduced Rubisco activity, stomatal conductance and an increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which ultimately reduces photosynthesis. As water stress is one of the major problems for production in the agricultural in Iran. The aims of this study were to determine: (1) whether foliar application of methanol can be improve the negative effects of water deficit stress in lentil and (2) determine the most effective methanol concentration for foliar application. Materials and Methods To evaluate the effects of foliar application of methanol and water deficit stress on morpho-physiological and biochemical characteristics of lentil, a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replications was performed. The treatments included methanol solution at four levels (0, 10, 20 and 30% v/v) and water stress included severe water stress (25% of field capacity), moderate water stress (75% of field capacity) and non-stress (100% of field capacity). Lentil seeds (Ghachsaran cultivar) were sown in a standard petri dish in a germinator chamber. When the seedlings reached a height of 5 cm, they were transplanted at a rate of three seedlings per pot and the pots were placed in a growth chamber. The foliar application of methanol was applied at three times during growth season of lentil, with 10 days intervals. The first foliar application of methanol was performed in early seedling stage (4 weeks after planting). Second and third methanol applications were given ten days after first application in flowering and podding stages, respectively. Measurements were taken for the morpho-physiological traits were: plant height, number of leaves, number of pods, leaf area, shoot and leaf dry weights, relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI) and nutrient concentration of leave (Na,K and Ca). Biochemical traits such as proline content, soluble proteins and antioxidant enzyme activity were measured. Results and Discussion All of the morphological traits were mainly affected by severe water stress. Under non-stress and moderate water stress, methanol treatments had significantly increasing of the morphological traits. Methanol treatments induced a significant increase in MSI and RWC comparing with control under all of water stress treatments. Methanol treatments increased proline content and total soluble protein under severe and moderate water stress comparing with control treatments. Foliar application of methanol had no significant effects on concentration of elements (Na, K and Ca) in leaf and also in antioxidant enzyme activity. Plants are easily able to absorb methanol sprayed on leaves then used by the plant as a source of carbon. In comparison with CO2, methanol is formed of relatively smaller molecules and it is more easily absorbed and used by plants. Therefore, as a carbon source, methanol can play a role in developing CO2 assimilation and net-photosynthesis. An investigation on flax, reported that spraying a solution of methanol might have stimulated growth and increased height in the treated plants by increasing cytokinin levels and cell division. Coexisting bacteria like methylotrophic live on the leaves of most crops; these bacteria, for receiving methanol that gets out of the plant's leaf, give the construction precursor of some hormones like auxin, cytokinin to the plant in order to accelerate the growth and physiological process. Reports have mentioned that application of methanol on aerial parts of cultivated plants led to a significant increase in the morpho-physiological traits, acceleration of ripeness, reduced effect of water deficit stress and reduced water requirement. Conclusion Results of this research indicated that application of methanol has significantly increasing in the lentil morpho-physiological traits, proline content and leaf soluble protein under moderate and severe stress. Concentrations of leaf elements such as K, Ca and Na and antioxidant enzymes activity were not affected by methanol foliar application. Methanol application at 25% (volumetric percentage) were effective than the other treatments. According to the results, using of methanol is recomended to reduce the negative effects of water deficit stress in lentil plant. Key words: Antioxidant activity, Drought stress, Legumes, Morpho-physiological traits

Abstract Introduction Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an annual with indeterminate growth habit, is one of the most important food legumes. Loss of foliage due to leaf diseases or environmental hazards are prevalent for many crops. Such loss of foliage affects the yield and also the carbohydrate and protein status of leaves and seeds. The source-sink relationship change during growth stages. Few factors including nitrogen fertilizer and water influence this relationship. This experiment was conducted in order to study the effects of nitrogen fertilizer, supplementary irrigation and defoliation on yield and yield components of chickpea. Materials & Methods The experiment was conducted as split-split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications in research farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran in 2012. Main plot was nitrogen fertilizer including 30, 75 and 150 kg N/ha and sub-plot was irrigation regimes including full irrigation, supplemental irrigation at flowering and supplemental irrigation at flowering and seed filling stages. Defoliation including 0, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% was considered as sub-sub plot. Leaf and stem dry weight, seed yield, biological yield, pod number per plant, grain number per plant, 100 grain weight and harvest index were all recorded. Results & Discussion The results indicated that all traits excluding harvest index were higher in 150 kg N.ha-1 treatment compared to other levels of nitrogen. Nitrogen rate of 150 kg.ha-1 produced the highest grain yield (135.7 g.m-2). The highest harvest index (40.7%) was obtained at 30 kg.ha-1 N treatment. Full irrigation and supplemental irrigation at flowering and poding stages with average grain yield of 146 g.m-2 were higher than supplemental irrigation at flowering (83 g.m-2). Supplemental irrigation at flowering and poding stages showed the highest harvest index (41.2 %). The highest biological yield was obtained from 150 kg N.ha-1 (413 g.m-2) and full irrigation (415 g.m-2). Nitrogen rate 75 kg.ha-1 at 0% defoliation (control), resulted in the highest seed yield (177 g.m-2). The lowest seed yield (58 g.m-2) was obtained from 75 kg.ha-1 nitrogen treatment and complete defoliation. By increasing of N fertilizer application, the negative effects of defoliation in some traits such as pod number and seed and leaf weight decreased. In 30 and 75 kg.ha-1 nitrogen treatment, 100% defoliation decreased pod number to 50%, but this was 20% in 150 kg.ha-1 nitrogen treatment. Full irrigation with 0% defoliation produced the highest (196 g.m-2) and supplemental irrigation at flowering stage with complete defoliation the lowest (56 g.m-2) grain yield. Defoliation decreased the most of mentioned traits significantly. Complete defoliation decreased grain and biological yield to 46% and 56%, respectively compared to the control. The lowest harvest index (29%) was obtained in complete defoliation. All of traits including pod number, seed number, harvest index and biological yield had positive and significant correlation with seed yield. Biological yield (83%) had highest correlation with yield. Conclusion Generally, defoliation decreased grain yield. However, application of nitrogen fertilizer at low levels could decrease the negative effects of defoliation. High N application improved the ability of plant to compensate the leaves that removed grain yield in treatments of full irrigation and supplementary irrigation at flowering and depoding stages was equivalent, therefore under water deficit condition, supplementary irrigation at flowering and podding stages recommend.

Abstract Introduction Pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important bean types in Iran. Cultivation area of pinto bean is about 50% of total bean cultivation area and more than half of grain bean production belongs to this type of bean. Drought is the most important environmental stresses that affects agricultural production in arid and semiarid areas and reduces crop productions. According to FAO reports, 90% of cultivation area in Iran is under arid and semi-arid conditions, so water deficit severely affects crop quantity and quality of most crop. About 60% of bean cultivation area in the world are faced with drought. Bean yield loss due to drought stress depends on severity and duration of stress and genetic variations of genotypes. Bean yield components such as grain weight, grain number per plant and pod number per plant decrease by drought stress. According to the 15 bean genotypes evaluation in favorable moisture conditions and water deficit, there were significantly differences between genotypes for most of yield related traits. Due to limited water resources in the Iran, evaluation of bean genotypes under water stress is important. So this study was conducted to evaluate the changes in yield and yield components of pinto bean genotypes under deficit irrigation conditions. Material and Methods An experiment as split plot in randomized complete block design base was conducted for evaluation of effect of deficit irrigation at three levels (supply of 100, 80 and 60 percent of crop water requirement as main plot) on pinto bean genotypes in five levels (Taylor, Sadri, C.O.S.16, KS21193(Koosha193) and KS21486 as sub plot) in Shahrekord university. Before planting, seeds were disinfected with Benomyl fungicide. Then planting was conducted in 30 plant m-2 density.Crop water requirements calculated by Penman-Monteith equation amended by FAO. Irrigation treatments was applied at beginning of V4 stage (unfolding of third trifoliate leaf) and continued in the growing season. At the end of experiment one square meter of each plot harvested and yield and yield components were measured. Data were analyzed in SAS software (version 9.1). Slicing method was used for interaction mean comparison. Results&Discussion The effects of irrigation regime, genotype and the interaction of irrigation regime and genotype on unfertile pod number, unfertile pod weight, Fertile pod number, fertile pod per plant, grain number, grain weight, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index were significant. COS16 had the greatest fertile pod number and weight per unit area in supply of 100% of crop water requirement condition. Sadri and KS21486 had the highest and lowest percentage of reduction in the number of fertile pods per unit areain supply of 80% of crop water requirement conditionrespectively. Supply of 100 and 80 percent of water requirement conditions COS16 resulted in greatest grain number m-2. But this genotype did not produce grain by supply of 60% of water requirement condition. Reducing the amount of irrigation water reduced grain weight differently. KS21486 showed 12.8% and 26.5% reduction in grain weight in supply of 80 and 60 percent of crop water requirement conditions, respectively. While COS16 showed 47.1% and 100% reduction in grain weight in supply of 80 and 60 percent of crop water requirement conditions, respectively.Reducing the amount of irrigation water reduced genotypes grain yield. Grain yield of KS21486 decreased by 20.5% and 55.4% in supply of 80% and 60% of crop water requirement conditions, respectively. While KS21193 showed 68.5% and 93.2% grain yield reduction in 80% and 60% of crop water requirement condition, respectively. The highest seed yield by supply of 100 and 80% of plant water requirement condition was observed in C.O.S.16 (594.6 and 289.2 g.m-2 respectively), while C.O.S.16 in supply of 60% of plant water requirement did not produce seed. In supply of 60 percent of plant water requirement condition KS21486 had highest seed yield (109.5 g.m-2). Conclusion Grain number is more sensitive than grain weight to water deficit condition. Grain number reduced with greater intensity rather than grain weight reduction. In optimum irrigation and moderate water deficit condition C.O.S16 and in severe water deficit condition KS21486 produced more grain than the other genotypes.

Abstract Introduction Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), an annual with indeterminate growth, is one of the most important food legumes. Loss of seeds due to pod borer (Heliothis armigera) attack is prevalent. Such loss of pods may affect the yield and yield components. The source-sink relationship changes during growth stages. Some factors influence this relationship including nitrogen fertilizer and water. This experiment was conducted in order to study the effects of nitrogen fertilizer, supplementary irrigation and depodding on yield and yield components of chickpea (var. ILC482). Materials & Methods The experiment was conducted as split-split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at Agricultural Research Station of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, during growing season of 2012. Main plot was nitrogen fertilizer including 30, 75 and 150 kg N/ha and sup plot was irrigation regimes including full irrigation, supplementary irrigation at flowering and supplementary irrigation at flowering, seed podding and depodding including 0, 25%, 50% and 75% as sub subplot. Leaf and stem dry weight, seed weight per plant, shoot weight, pod number per plant, grain number per plant, 100-seed weight and harvest index of chickpea were all recorded. Results & Discussion The results indicated that all traits excluded of harvest index were higher in 150 kg N/ha treatment than other treatments. Nitrogen rate of 150 kg/ha produced the highest seed weight (3.8 g/plant). The highest harvest index (36%) was obtained from 30 kg/ha N treatment. Supplementary irrigation at flowering and podding stages with grain yield 4.4 g/plant was higher than full and supplementary irrigation at flowering. Supplementary irrigation at flowering and podding stages produced the highest harvest index (39%). In irrigation regimes including full irrigation and supplementary irrigation at flowering stage, 75% depodding decreased seed weight to 60%, but this was 45% in Supplementary irrigation at flowering and podding stages. In this interaction, full irrigation and 0% depodding (control), produced the highest seed weight (195 g/m2). The lowest seed weight (40 g/m2) was obtained from supplementary irrigation at flowering stage and 75% depodding. Supplementary irrigation at flowering and podding stages with 25% depodding produced the highest harvest index (45%) too. Increase of harvest index mostly was related to improve photosynthesis and remobilization in mid drought stress and also low depodding (by devotion photosynthetic assimilates to un-removed pods). The highest shoot weight was obtained from 150 kg N/ha (12.8 g/plant) and full irrigation (14.3 g/plant). Depodding decreased the most of mentioned traits significantly. 75% depodding decreased seed weight and shoot dry weight to 56% and 30% respectively compared to control. The lowest harvest index (23%) was obtained from 75% depodding. In nitrogen rate of 75 kg/ha, the highest (177 g/m2) and lowest (46 g/m2) seed weight was obtained from 0% and 75% depodding, respectively. This result also was observed in traits of seed number and pod number in this interaction. High N application improved the ability of plant to compensate the pods that removed. All of traits including pod number, seed number, harvest index and shoot dry weight had positive and significantly correlation with seed weight. Pod number (75%) had highest correlation with yield. Conclusion Generally, increasing depodding intensity decreased grain yield. But nitrogen fertilizer application decreased the negative effects of depodding in low levels. Among irrigation regimes, supplementary irrigation at flowering and depodding stages was best treatment, therefore under water deficit condition, supplementary irrigation at flowering and podding stages recommend. Under severe stress condition (supplementary irrigation at flowering stage), high nitrogen application did not effect on seed weight. In this condition, favorite yield will obtain by 30 kg nitrogen fertilizer application as starter.

Abstract Introduction The food legumes are given high priority in world agriculture because they constitute 2.3 or more of protein in the diet of the inhabitants of the tropics and they are the potential source to fill the protein-gap. Mung bean belongs to plant family Fabaceae, and is the most important pulse crops of the world. It has great value as a food, fodder and green manure. Potential yield of Mung bean can be achieved through optimum use of inputs and agronomic practices. Plant density and suitable sowing time are the most important factors affecting the yield. Plant density is considered as one of the important determinative factors of yield of this plant. The purpose of proper density is more efficient use of the plant from different environmental potential such as water, nutrients, light, etc. to achieve higher yield. Too early sowing may not successfully germinate, while yield from too late sown crop may be low due to unfavorable condition for growth and development of Mung bean. The aim of this study was to determine the optimum sowing date and plant density to achieve maximum performance of the Mung bean in both irrigated and rainfed conditions. Material & Methods In order to evaluate the effects of planting date, plant density and irrigation on yield and yield components of Mung bean (VC-1973A genotype) an experiment was performed in Research Station of Islamic Azad University, Gorgan Branch at 2012. In this study, a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications was used. Three planting dates (6 July, 21 July and 6 August) and two densities (12.5 and 25 plant per square meter) were the treatments. The experiments were conducted in two separate conditions of irrigation (at the beginning to flower and pod stages) and rainfed. Dry weight of the seeds in physiological maturity was determined. Also in full maturity, after removing the effect marginal, yield and yield components were calculated. Analysis of variance was carried out using the SAS software. Comparison of means also was performed using LSD test at 5% level and corresponding graphs were plotted with Excel software. Results & Discussion The results of analysis variance showed that both in irrigation and rainfed conditions, there was a significant difference between planting dates in terms of number of pods per plant, seeds per pod, seed weight, biological yield and harvest index. But there was no statistically significant difference for these factors between densities (12.5 and 25 plant/m2). The highest and lowest number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and seed weight observed in 6 July and 6 August planting dates, respectively. In irrigation condition, planting dates of 6 July and 6 August had the highest (6400 kg per hectare) and lowest (3614 kg per hectare) biological yield. Also, in rainfed condition, maximum and minimum of biological yield were obtained for planting date of 6 July (4276 kg) and 6 August (2673 kg per hectare), respectively. Planting date July 6th had the highest harvest index under both irrigated (45.3%) and rainfed (38.2%) conditions. Planting date July 6th also had the highest seed yield under both irrigated (2900 kg/ha) and rainfed (1636 kg/ha) conditions. Irrigation in beginning of flowering and pod stages increased seed yield and aboveground dry mater, significantly. Late planting date decreased vegetative stage, caused reducing in pod number per plant and seed number per pod, resulted in reduction of seed yield. The results showed that Mung bean crop has a high production potential under climate condition of the Gorgan. Conclusion The results of analysis variance showed that under both irrigation and rainfed conditions, there was significantly differences between planting dates in terms of number of pods per plant, seeds per pod, seed weight, biological yield and harvest index. But there was no statistically significant difference for these factors between densities (12.5 and 25 plant/m2). In both irrigated and rainfed conditions, date of planting 6 July, was the best planting date. The grain yield under irrigated and rainfed conditions were 2900 and1636 kg per hectare, respectively. Irrigation at early flowering and early pod stages, led to an increase in grain yield and dry matter compared to the rainfed conditions. The results showed that this plant has a high production potential in weather conditions of Gorgan. Thus, cultivation of Mung bean in Gorgan is recommended. Moreover, planting date July 6th and density of 25 plants /m2 can be a good choice for Mung bean cultivation in this region.

Abstract Introduction Water availability is an important factor affecting plant growth and yield, mainly in arid and semi-arid regions, where plants are often subjected to periods of drought. The occurrence of morphological and physiological responses, which can lead to some adaptation to drought stress, may vary considerably among species. In arid and semi-arid areas that are subjected to more irregular rainfall distribution and occurrence of long summer, the use of more rustic cultivars, tolerant to water stress and with greater ability to recover from drought, should be recommended. The plant tolerance to water deficit is an important defense to keep the production process in conditions of low water availability. Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is an important crop largely grown in warm and hot regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas and is often regarded as being well-adapted to high temperatures and drought compared with other crop species (Ehlers and Hall,1997). Drought adaptation in cowpea has been related to the minimization of water losses by the control of stomatal aperture. Turk et al. (1980) showed that cowpea is highly sensitive to water stress during the flowering and pod-filling stages. Ahmed & Suliman (1980) showed that the reproductive stage of development is the most sensitive to water deficit in cowpea, causing a reduction in water-use efficiencies and seed yields of at least 50%. In contrast, the genotypes showed a better ability to recover from stress at vegetative stage. This research aims to study the effect of drought stress in the end of the growing season on grain yield and its components of cowpea genotypes and was conducted to identify correlations between grain yield, different morphological characteristics and yield components. Materials and Methods In order to evaluate the effect of terminal drought stress on yield and yield components of 31 cowpea genotypes an experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications in normal irrigation (non- stress) and drought stress (from flowering stage until the end of the growing season) at research field of Tehran University in Karaj during 2011-2012 growing season. Each plot consisted of two rows with two m length and 50 cm row spacing and 5 cm for plant spacing on lines with planting depth of approximately 5 cm. Each genotype in the two lines was planted manually. For the water stress from flowering stage until the end of the growing season, irrigation was terminated. In this experiment plant height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, seed 100 weight, biological yield per plant and grain yield per plant were measured., Randomized complete block design was performed for simple analysis of variance and the combined analysis was performed for analysis of variance in two experiments (under drought stress and non-stress conditions). Results and Discussion The results showed that values of many of the traits decreased under drought stress. The most damage due to drought stress related to the number pods per plant (34.27%), which was caused a sharp decline in the grain yield (32.5%). The analysis of simple variance examined the both situations (stress and non-stress), showed that in the study varieties, there was a significant difference for all the characteristics. The results of the compound analysis in the treatment indicated that there was a definite distinction in the genotypes and also environment of all traits. The counter effect of environment × genotype for the reaction of the number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and grain 100 weight traits was significant, which showed the different reactions of the genotypes in different environments. The comparison between the average traits proved that in both conditions, genotype number 6 showed the highest performance. Conclusions The results showed that under both irrigation regimes the biological yield and pod number per plant were highly correlated with grain yield which can be used to improve the performance of their direct selection. Understanding the importance of direct selection of genotypes for biological yield and number of pods per plant is recommended.

Abstract Introduction Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the world’s most important food legume. This staple is considered as a nearly perfect food mainly because of its high protein content and abundant fiber, complex carbohydrates, and other daily food needs such as vitamins (folate) and minerals (Cu, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn). Annual production, including both dry and snap bean, exceeds 21 million metric tons (MT), which represents more than half of the world’s total food legume production. A majority of the bean production occurs under low input agriculture on small-scale farms in developing countries. Beans produced by these resource-poor farmers are more vulnerable to attack by disease and insect pests and to abiotic stresses including drought and low soil fertility. Development of cultivars with improved resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses is a primary goal of bean breeding programs throughout the world. As much as 60% of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production in the developing world occurs under conditions of significant drought stress. Selecting drought tolerant genotypes, could be a viable option to cope with the limited available water for irrigation and increasing the productivity in such climates. Terminal drought is one of the main water limiting conditions that constrain common bean production because plants rely on the stored soil water during flowering and pod-filling periods, when usually water deficit intensifies. Materials and Methods To evaluate of the effects of late season water stress on phenological traits, grain yield, yield components, determination of phenotypic variation and evaluation of relationship between grain yield with other traits in 33 bean genotypes an experimental design was carried out using a randomized complete block design with three replications under two conditions (stress and non-stress) in 2012 in the experimental field of college of Agriculture and natural resources of Tehran University in Karaj Campus. Results and Discussion Results showed that among genotypes in study traits there were significant differences which reveal genetic variation among the genotypes. The highest and lowest grain yield in non-stress condition was in 28 and 12 number genotypes, respectively. The highest and lowest grain yield in stress condition was in 14 and 25 numbers of genotypes, respectively. The analysis of tolerance index correlation showed that indices of tolerance stress (STI), mean productivity (MP) and geometric mean productivity are the best indices for identifying genotypes with high yield in both conditions. According to the results of phenotypic correlations, stepwise regression, path analysis in both normal and stress conditions, it can be concluded that, the traits of biological yield, seed and pod weight, number of filled pods, number of seeds per plant, 100 seed weight and number of seed per pod were the most important and effective traits on yield. According to principal component analysis using seven agronomic traits in both conditions, two main components were selected that in total under non stress condition 72 percent and under water stress condition 76 percent of the total variation was explained and in both conditions, the first and second factors were introduced as yield and yield component factors. Conclusions In crops such as common bean, where seeds are the product of interest, the main criteria for selection of agronomical resistance to drought is focused on traits that lead to a higher grain production. Followed by selection based on yield under stress, was suggested as the most effective strategy to improve drought resistance in common bean. It is suggested that selection under stress reveals that some of genotypes have resistant inherited genes, and are key to yield improvement of common bean. Cultivars with improved stress resistance can reduce reliance on pesticides in high input systems, avert risk of yield loss from pests in low- and high-input systems, and enable more stable bean production across diverse and adverse environments (low precipitation, high humidity, etc.) and poor soil conditions (low fertility, hillsides, etc.). This study reinforces the importance of characterizing drought resistant genotypes selected for particular drought types, to build a better picture of those mechanisms involved in drought resistance during specific plant developmental stages and to particular environments, knowledge that will contribute to define selection criteria for drought resistance in common bean that, after proper validation, could be used in improvement programs.

Abstract This experiment was carried out as factorial based on randomized complete block design with four replications in 2011-2012 growing season. The experimental factors were Selenium in four levels 0, 6, 12 and 18 g ha-1 and salicylic acid in three levels 0, 100 and 200 mg L-1. Results showed that foliar application of selenium at rate of 12 and 18 g ha-1 decreased ion leakage by 11.6 and 18.8% compared with control, respectively. The treatments interaction effects showed that maximum grain yield equal to 1687.6 kg ha-1 was recorded from 200 mg L-1 salicylic acid along with 18 g ha-1 selenium that increased by 30.79% compared with control. The highest selenium concentration equal to 2119 ppb was obtained from 100 mg lit-1 salicylic acid along with 18 g ha-1 selenium that increased by 3.9 times compared with control. The maximum grain protein equal to 20.8% belonged to treatment of 100 mg L-1 salicylic acid along with 12 g ha-1 selenium that increased by 3.8% compared with control.

Abstract In order to evaluate the effects of foliar application of methanol on some physiological characteristics of chickpea under drought stress, an experiment was conducted as a factorial based on completely randomized design with three replications in 2011 at the Recearch center of plant for Sciences in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The first factor was different levels of methanol including, 0 (control), 20, 25, 30, 35 volumetric percentage (v/v), which were used as foliar applications at three times during growth season of chickpea, with 10 days intervals. Second factor was drought stress condition in two levels 25 and 100 percent of field capacity. Results showed that there was significant difference (P 0.01) between methanol levels concentrations regarding to chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid, total chlorophyll content, assimilation CO2, relative water content, chlorophyll feluorecence (Fv\Fm) and membrane stability coefficient. Spraying with 30% volume level significantly increased chlorophyll a and b content, assimilation CO2 and relative water content compared to control. There was no significant difference on chlorophyll feluorecence (Fv\Fm) between methanol levels, but there was significant increase compared to control. Effects of drought and methanol were not significant differences on carotenoid and relative water content but on the chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll a/b ratio, CO2 assimilation, chlorophyll feluorecence (Fv\Fm), interacellular CO2 and membrane stability coefficient were significant (P 0.05).

Abstract In order to evaluate of morphological, physiological and biochemical traits, related to drought tolerance, an experiment was carried out in field condition. In this study two commercial cultivars (MCC361, MCC358), three Kabuli and three Deci type of tolerant genotypes (MCC392, MCC537, MCC696, MCC873, MCC870, MCC10,) and three Kabuli and three Deci type of susceptible genotypes (MCC759, MCC588, MCC774, MCC45, MCC39, MCC101) were grown in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad research field. These genotypes were compared in shoot length, dry weight, leaf area, Fv/Fm, leaf water potential, prolin and protein content and catalase activity in the flowering stage. There was a significant positive correlation between prolin and protein content. Catalase activity also had significant positive correlation with dry weight and leaf area. Susceptible genotypes had lower Fv/Fm, leaf water potential, prolin content and catalase activity than tolerant genotypes. Accordingly, Fv/Fm, leaf water potential, prolin content and catalase activity were introduced as suitable markers for identification of drought tolerant genotypes. Commercial cultivar (MCC358) was introduced as a tolerant genotype because of higher Fv/Fm, leaf water potential, prolin content and catalase activity as compared to susceptible genotypes under drought stress.

Abstract Drought is one of the most important factors limiting growth and yield in many parts of the world. In order to evaluate the effects of drought stress on some morphological and physiological traits of two cultivars of bean, two red beans (Derakhshan and Goli) in four drought treatments including 25%, 50%, 75%, control 100% field capacity were studied in a factorial experiment based on complete randomized design with three replications. Results showed that morphological traits inducing plant height, leaf area, root area, total root length and shoot and root dry weight were significantly (p≤0.01) decreased under drought stress. So, results showed that physiological traits such as leaf relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI), PSΙΙ photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and quantum yield of photosynthesis (Y) were significantly declined under drought stress (p≤0.01). But, stomatal resistance and chlorophyll index (SPAD) significantly increased in bean seedlings under drought stress (p≤0.01). The root to shoot ratio was increased further in Derakhshan cultivar in severe stress than control. RWC, MSI, and Fv/Fm showed a greater reduction in severe stress than control in Goli cultivar. Results showed that probably Derakhshan cultivar was affected fewer by drought stress, by means of applying drought tolerance different mechanisms than that of Goli cultivar. The Derakhshan cultivar in most physiological traits, was not represent significant differences between 75% of field capacity and control.

Abstract Rapid germination is an important factor determining the final yield. The most important abiotic stress threatening lentils is drought and temperature. Therefore, this study was performed with the aim of investigating effects various thermal treatments (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C) and four levels of drought (0, -4, -8, -12 and -16 bar) on percentage and germination rate of lentil genotypes. A split plot factorial experiment based on Completely Randomized Design with three replications was conducted. Number of germinated seeds was recorded daily and percentage and germination rate was calculated. There was no germination on -8, -12 and -16 bar, hence these levels were ignored. The results showed that temperature, drought stress and their interactions had a significant influence on final germination percentage and rate of lentil genotypes. The percentage and germination rate in genotypes of lentil declined in low and high temperature treatments. The germination percentage and speed of all genotypes also declined in drought stress than favorable conditions. In fact, drought stress causes that physiological and metabolic processes of germination be impressed and reduce in their speed. Overall, mean and optimum temperature range for germination of genotypes, were estimated at 15-20C in both stress and no-stress conditions.

Abstract In order to investigate the effect of water deficit irrigation and natural products on vegetative characteristics of three varieties of chickpea, a field experiment was performed as split-split plot experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications during 2011 growing season in Shahrood (Miami). The main plot was drought stress in four levels including normal irrigation (control), water cessation at flowering, podding and flowering to physiological maturity stages. The sub plot was spraying with natural products in three levels including spraying with distilled water (control), spraying with humic acid and spraying with seaweed extract and sub-sub plot was three chickpea varieties Hashem, ILC482 and Local (Miami). The results showed that the effect of drought stress on number of the main and lateral branches was significant. Also the effect of variety was significant on number of the main and lateral branches, plant height and width. Drought stress especially from flowering to harvest stages decreased growth of all varieties by reducing branches and canopy diameter. However, natural product spraying especially with seaweed extract reduced detrimental effect of drought stress on plant growth. The variety Local had more natural products use efficiency although variety Hashem was superior in all parameters.

Abstract In order to evaluate of physiological traits, related to drought tolerance, an experiment was carried out in controlled condition. The experiment was conducted to assess the effect of drought stress on photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic pigments in two tolerant genotypes (MCC392 & MCC877) and two susceptible genotypes (MCC68 & MCC448) were grown in drought stress (25% field capacity) and control (field capacity) conditions in the seedling, early flowering and podding stages and so evaluated base on factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with four replications. Drought stress significantly decreased CO2 assimilation rate (A), transpiration rate (E), and PSΙΙ photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) in all genotypes. Drought stress increased chl b in all investigated stages. In all investigated stages, water use efficiency (WUE), A and Fv/Fm were higher in tolerant genotypes than that of susceptible genotypes under drought stress. Our results indicated that water use efficiency, A and Fv/Fm could be useful markers in the studies of tolerance to drought stress and screening of adapted cultivars of chickpea under drought stress.

Abstract Salicylic acid (SA) is part of a signaling pathway that is induced by a number of biotic and abiotic stresses. It has been recognized as an endogenous regulatory signal in plants. In order to study the effect of different concentrations of SA on germination, growth and some physiological parameters in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) two genotypes (MCC414, MCC361) under drought stress conditions, two experiments were arranged as a factorial experiment, based on completely randomized design with three replications. In the first part of this study, the effect of drought stress by PEG (0, -4, -8 and -12 bar) and SA (0, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 mM) was investigated on two chickpea genotypes (MCC414, MCC361) at germination and seedling growth stages. In the second part of study, the effect of different concentrations of SA (0, 0.5 and 1 mM) and two levels of drought stress (25% and 100% field capacity) were evaluated on two chickpea genotypes (MCC414, MCC361) in growth and some physiological parameters. Solution of salicylic acid at 0.5 and 1 mM were sprayed on leaves at interval of 15, 25 and 35 days after sowing. Control plants were sprayed with distilled water. Results showed that SA had significant and negative impact on rate and percentage of germination, but improved coleoptiles length, ratio of radicle to coleoptile length and radical dry weight. In the second experiment, results showed that the drought stress reduced shoot dry weight, root dry weight, leaf area, root length, root area and total chlorophyll, significantly (p≤ 0.05). It was found that application of salicylic acid enhanced root length and diameter in comparison with control. Results showed that SA (0.5 mM) increased leaf water potential, significantly. Drought stress decreased leaf water potential in both genotypes, significantly (p≤0.05). Stomatal resistance was significantly increased under drought stress but SA had no appreciable effect on stomatal resistance. Results suggested that, SA (0.5 and 1 mM) can considerably alleviate leaf water potential under drought stress. Therefore, it was concluded that application of salicylic acid can protect plants against drought stress. Also MCC361 genotype was more tolerant than MCC414 genotype in drought stress condition.

Abstract Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is mainly cultivated in arid and semi-arid agricultural systems. Drought stress is a major factor delimiting maximum yield. This research evaluated the effects of drought stress treatments on expression of Cu/znSOD as a gene involving in drought tolerance by Real time PCR technique. To find the probable relationship between the molecular and physiological effects of treatments, total soluble leaf protein and enzyme activity of SOD (EC: 1.15.1.1) were measured. Drought stress was applied by 30% of field capacity in flowering stage. Sampling was arranged on three times; pre stress, 48 hours after stress and 24 hours after recovery period. This study conducted as a factorial experiment in randomized complete block design with three replications. Real time PCR data analysis indicated that the expression of Cu/znSOD between the two genotypes, candidate for tolerance (MCC696) and sensitive genotype (MCC759) was not significantly different from control condition. But the gene expression of Cu/znSOD in international genotype (MCC877) was more than other two genotypes in control condition. Consistent with some previous research results, gene expression levels of Cu/znSOD was reduced in two days after drought time than control, and increased in recovery stage compared to control plants. The measurement of total soluble leaf proteins and SOD enzyme activity under drought condition treatments revealed no significant difference compared to control conditions.