To investigate the effects of water withholding on 17 tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) landraces collected from different climatic zones of Iran and two commercial hybrids, the polyphasic OJIP fluorescence transient, relative water content (RWC), electrolyte leakage (EL) and vegetative growth parameters were analyzed. Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) for all the studied parameters and drought factor index (DFI) based on performance index on the absorption basis (PIabs) were used for screening the plants based on their tolerance to drought condition. Result showed that compared to the control plants, vegetative growth parameters, RWC, PIabs, relative maximal variable fluorescence (FM/F0), maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (FV/FM), quantum yield of electron transport (ΦE0) and electron transport flux per reaction center (RC) (ET0/RC) were decreased, whereas, EL, quantum yield of energy dissipation (ΦD0), specific energy fluxes per RC for energy absorption (ABS/RC) and dissipated energy flux (DI0/RC), which are closely related to the incidence of photoinhibition were increased in plants exposed to water withholding. DMRT and DFI screening results clearly categorized the landraces into three groups (tolerant, moderately sensitive and sensitive). Tolerant landraces showed less change for most of the measured parameters compared to sensitive and moderately sensitive landraces. We found that adapted landraces to dry climates had a higher tolerance to drought stress. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that FM/F0, FV/FM, ΦE0, ΦD0, PIabs, ABS/RC, ET0/RC and DI0/RC parameters are the most sensitive parameters for detection of impact of drought stress on tomato plants. In conclusion, the eight parameters have the potential to identify the drought injury in tomato seedlings.

Four wild Asparagus species including Asparagus officinalis L., A. persicus Baker, A. verticillatus L. and A. breslerianus Schult. & Schult. f. were collected from natural regions of Iran. Forty six morphological traits were investigated for all of these species. The results revealed that in edible wild Asparagus in Iran, spear appeared from early May (accession of Kerman-Jiroft) to late May (accession of Kurdestan-Bayanloo). The mature fruits (red fruits) were formed about July (accession of SemnanYazdoo) to September (other accessions). The number of seeds per fruit varied from one to six among species. The spear fresh weight was correlated with plant height (r = 0.61), internode length to the first branch (r = 0.59), length of primary branches (r = 0.72), number of secondary branches (r = 0.57), scale number (r = 0.74) and spear dry weight (r = 0.97). Results from the principal component analysis indicated that 92.30 % of the observed variability was explained by the first six components. The first two components explained about 45.90 % of the total observed variability. The first hierarchical cluster analysis mainly included accessions of two species A. officinalis and A. breslerianus and the second cluster mainly included A. persicus and A. verticillatus.Results of scatter plot supported the results of cluster analysis and species were distributed in two sides of scatter plot.

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Changes in carbohydrates, enzymes, and pigments were investigated in the Red Garlic (Allium sativum L.) cv. Azarshahr bulbs in storage from harvest to sprouting. For storage period, garlic cloves of the same diameter with 3-4 g weight were arranged in dark condition and exposed to 4 and 21°C, separately. Soluble sugar, total sugar, glucose, sucrose, fructose, starch, chlorophyll a, b, ab, carotenoid, anthocyanin, lipase, α-amylase, and protease were measured every 2 weeks up to sprouting time. Result revealed that starch, lipase, and protease levels declined at the end of storage when clove sprouting started at both 4 and 21°C storage temperature. Starch, glucose, chlorophyll a, b, ab, and carotenoid content during the first 14 days and sucrose at 42 days showed a decreasing trend. Anthocyanin showed an increasing trend 14 and 42 days after harvesting and then decreased at the end of storage (when sprouting began) at both 4 and 21°C storage periods. Finally, starch, glucose, and sucrose measurement can be used as a criterion to predict sprouting time of garlic, due to the decrease in the levels of starch, lipase, and protease, and increase in the levels of α-amylase, glucose, and sucrose in garlic cloves under storage.

Garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a diploid (2n = 2x = 20), perennial and dioecious species belonging to Asparagus subgenus and worldwide cultivated as a vegetable crop. A narrow genetic base has been pointed out for the current cultivars. Crop wild related species (CWR) could be a valuable genetic resource in this crop but they have been underused up to now. To investigate the phylogenetic relationships between CWR asparagus species from different origin and A. officinalis L., 12 EST-SSR markers were used to assess the genetic variability of 20 accessions. These accessions belong to 10 Asparagus spp. from Asparagus subgenus including wild and naturalized A. officinalis L. (2x, 4x, 8x, 10x) and CWR species with European (A. tenuifolius Lam. (2x), A. pseudoscaber Grec. (6x), A. macrorrhizus Pedrol & al. (12x), A. prostratus Dumort (4x), A. brachyphyllus Turcz. (6x), A. maritimus (L.) Mill. (6x)) and Asian distribution (A. verticillatus L. (2x), A. persicus Baker (2x), A. breslerianus Schult. & Schult. (8x)). A. albus L. (2x) from the Protasparagus subgenus was used as outgroup. As a result, a total of 248 alleles were obtained and specific alleles of accessions were detected among them. After cluster analysis the accessions did not group by their geographical origin. All wild polyploid accessions with European and Asian distributions were grouped together with A. officinalis L. Hence, that cluster could be considered as the ‘officinalis group’ suggesting a monophyletic origin. The diploid accessions of A. verticillatus L. and A. persicus Baker clustered together and were the most genetically distant respect to ‘officinalis group’. The results obtained in this study may provide useful information to design new crosses among accessions aimed to develop new asparagus germplasm or pre-breeding populations.