Effect of paclobutrazol (PBZ) treatment on salinity tolerance of wheat (Triticum aestivum) was investigated on a salt-tolerant (Karchia-65) and saltsensitive (Ghods) cultivars. Salinity significantly reduced the investigated growth parameters such as plant height, length and area of sixth leaf, root length, fresh and dry weight of shoot, roots and sixth leaf, water content (WC) of plant and seeds weight in the both cultivars. The negative effect of salinity in Ghods cultivar was more than Karchia cultivar. However, PBZ treatment reduced the growth in both cultivars, the differences in plant growth among various levels of NaCl decreased in PBZ-treated plants. Salt stress resulted in high accumulation of Na + in the sixth leaf and roots in both cultivars, particularly in Ghods cultivar. Against Karchia cultivar, salt stress decreased the storage of K + , P and N in sixth leaf and roots in Ghods cultivar. In the both cultivars, PBZ treatment enhanced the K + , P and N contents in sixth leaf and roots by increasing salinity. Although PBZ treatment decreased the growth of plants, it improved the weight of seeds against stress damage. PBZ treatment reduced the accumulation of harmful Na + ion in plant tissues while increased the K + , P and N contents. These observations suggest that PBZ treatment may increase tolerance by diminishing ionic imbalance caused by salt stress.

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Salvia L. is a large genus of the Lamiaceae family with high medicinal value. Pharmaceutical properties of Salvia species are mainly due to their secondary metabolites, especially phenolic compounds. This study was focused on identification and determination of five bioactive phenolic compounds (rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, caffeic acid, salvianolic acids A and B) in the 41 populations from 27 wild Salvia species of Iran using a simple and reliable HPLC-UV method. The principal component analysis (PCA) technique was used to study differentiation among species according to their phenolic compound profiles. Significant intra-and interspecific variations were observed in the distribution patterns and contents of phenolic compounds in the studied Salvia species. As a result of this study, it was found that leaves had greater amounts of phenolic compounds as compared to the roots. The highest content of rosmarinic acid (41.53±0.88 mg/g DW) and salvianolic acid A (8.10±0.35 mg/g DW) were found in the leaves of S. verticillata. The leaves of S. syriaca and S. sharifii were rich in salvianolic acid B (54.47±2.00 mg/g DW) and carnosic acid (34.05±1.18 mg/g DW), respectively. The PCA results revealed chemical variations in the Salvia species collected from different regions and could fully distinguish between them based on the phenolic compounds concentrations. The present study demonstrated that apart from S. officinalis, some wild species such as S. verticillata, S. hypoleuca, S. leriifolia and S. virgata can be introduced as potent natural sources for medicinal and industrial purposes.

Background:Biofilm formation is a major pathogenic factor in different bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A number of studies have reported that bacterial biofilms show different levels of antibiotic resistance. In order to re-sensitize the bacterial biofilms to antibiotics, biofilms should be dispersed.Objectives:In this study, the effect of n-butanolic Cyclamen coum extract in combination with ciprofloxacin was examined on one, three and five day old P. aeruginosa biofilms. The synergistic effect of n-butanolic C. coum extract and ciprofloxacin towards dispersing pre-established P. aeruginosa biofilms was also studied.Materials and Methods:The ability of biofilm formation by six different P. aeruginosa strains was confirmed by microtiter plate method and PCR assay for the cupA gene. The extraction of C. coum tubers was achieved by fractionation method using different solvents. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of n-butanolic C. coum extract and ciprofloxacin against planktonic cells was evaluated using agar well diffusion and microdilution methods. The microdilution chequerboard method was used to determine the fractional biofilm eradication concentration index (FBCI), when the combination of n-butanolic C. coum extract and ciprofloxacin were used against P. aeruginosa biofilms.Results:The ability of biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa strains was quantitatively confirmed. The PCR method confirmed the existence of cup A gene (172 bp) in all studied strains. Saponin content of the n-butanolic C. coum extract was 156 µg/mL. The extract revealed antibacterial activity against planktonic cells of P. aeruginosa strains. The results showed that one and three day old biofilms are affected by either ciprofloxacin or n-butanolic C. coum extract. However, n-butanolic C. coum extract in combination with ciprofloxacin was significantly more effective against P. aeruginosa biofilms.Conclusions:Using n-butanolic C. coum extract in combination with ciprofloxacin offers a novel strategy to control biofilm-based infections caused by P. aeruginosa.

Effect of essential oil from Zataria multiflora on local strains of Xanthomonas campestris: An efficient antimicrobial agent for decontamination of seeds of Brassica oleracea var. capitata. Scientia horticulturae, 236,[256][257][258][259][260][261][262][263][264] https://doi. ABSTRACTIn this study, the effect of the essential oil of Zataria multiflora was examined against the local strains of Xanthomonas campestris isolated from the soil. The pathogenicity of the bacteria was confirmed using seedlings on culture media under sterile conditions.The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of Zataria multiflora essential oil and two main components (thymol and carvacrol) were evaluated by the microdilution method in microtiter plates. The morphology of the surface of the seeds and characteristics of the grooves were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Hermetic effect of the essential oil and antimicrobial activity of the solvent on X. campestris were evaluated.Minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of Zataria multiflora essential oil were 231.8 and 463.5 μg/mL, respectively. The viability of X. campestris in Yeast Malt Broth was reduced by 100% in the pre-sence of Zataria multiflora essential oil (231.8 μg/mL), while, the seeds contaminated with the same count of X. campestris were disinfected at higher concentration of Zataria multiflora essential oil (463.5 μg/mL). Killing of X. campestris cells adhered to the seeds with uneven surface and deep grooves required greater concentrations of the essential oil. The impregnation of the seeds in the essential oil at 463.5 μg/mL showed that a 2-h exposure period causes the least possible damage to the seedlings and is sufficient to prevent the occurrence of the disease caused by X. campestris in Brassica oleracea.