Nitrogen is considered as an essential nutrient for plants and could be taken up in large amounts by plants. Nitrogen fertilizers are known to have beneficial effects when added to pistachio and other fruit trees. But the nitrogen assimilation of Pistacia species in response to salinity, including uptake and NO-3 reduction, has not been well understood. In this study, NITRATE reductase activity, total amino acids, NITRATE, CALCIUM and sodium accumulation were evaluated in seedlings of Pistacia vera L. ̒ Badami Zarand̕ in response to sodium chloride (0, 75, 150 mm) and CALCIUM NITRATE (0, 10, 15 mm). Results showed that by increasing the level of salinity, NITRATE reductase activity in leaves and the concentration of NITRATE, total amino acids and CALCIUM (Ca2+) were reduced in the leaves and roots of P. Vera seedlings. CALCIUM NITRATE induced a significant increase in both the root and leaf NITRATE and total amino acids or NITRATE reductase activity in leaf under NaCl stress. CALCIUM NITRATE, also, significantly increased root/ leaf total amino acids ratio and decreased Na+/Ca2+, ratio in the roots. Results showed that salinity affects the NITRATE assimilation in P. Vera plants. Also, results suggest an efficient salt protective mechanism in P. Vera seedlings mediated by free total amino acids and CALCIUM ions

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. ) is one of the invaluable medicinal plants, widely used in the pharmaceutical industry due to its vitamins, mucilage, antioxidants, alkaloids and phenolic compounds. CALCIUM, involved in determining the fruit quality, is one of the most important minerals and its role in the improvement of secondary metabolites in plants has been proved. Nevertheless, little information is available regarding the foliar application of this element on jujube plant. Hence, the current research was aimed to investigate the effects of foliar application of CALCIUM NITRATE or CALCIUM chloride on antioxidant properties and quality attributes of jujube fruit. The study was carried out in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were included control (distilled water), CALCIUM chloride (0. 5 and 1%) and CALCIUM NITRATE (0. 5 and 1%). The Foliar application was done in two stages; in fruit cell division stage (20 days after full bloom) and in fruit cell growth stage (40 days after full bloom). The results showed that foliar application of CALCIUM NITRATE (0. 5%) significantly increased the titratable acidity of the fruit. CALCIUM chloride treatment (0. 5%) also increased fruit anthocyanin content compared to the control. The highest antioxidant properties, vitamin C, and CALCIUM content were obtained in CALCIUM chloride (1%) treatment. The maximum values of chlorophyll a, b and total were observed in the leaves treated with CALCIUM NITRATE at a concentration of 1%. In general, the results showed that foliar application of CALCIUM salts improved the quality and antioxidant properties of jujube fruits compared to the control.

To study the effects of different concentrations of phenylalanine, and CALCIUM NITRATE under cold stress on Pistacia vera L. 'Abbas Ali' cultivar seedlings, a factorial experiment was performed with three factors of phenylalanine at three levels of CALCIUM NITRATE, and temperature based on a completely random design with three replications. The findings demonstrated that the effects of phenylalanine, CALCIUM NITRATE, temperature, as well as their interactions, were significant for all studied features. By simultaneous use of 2. 5 mM of phenylalanine, and 5 ppm of CALCIUM NITRATE, electrolyte leakage reduced by 19% compared to the control sample at-3°C. Furthermore, when the temperature reduced from zero to-3°C, the concentration of proline increased from 2. 3 to 3. 1 μg g⁻¹ fw compared to the control seedlings. By simultaneous use of the highest concentrations of phenylalanine, and CALCIUM NITRATE, phenolic compounds, and soluble sugar increased. However, the interactions of phenylalanine×CALCIUM NITRATE, cold×phenylalanine, and phenylalanine×CALCIUM NITRATE×cold were not significant on the content of proline. A significant positive correlation was between proline, and soluble sugar at the probability level of 1% (r=0. 87**). A significant negative correlation was between electrolyte leakage and chlorophyll fluorescence at the probability level of 1% (r=-0. 68**).

Background: The aim of this study was to introduce a new and economical method for reduction of NITRATE content in canned apples and pears.Methods: The NITRATE content was determined before and after treatment with CaHPO4 ranging from 0.01% to 0.1% using spectroscopic method in 2015 in Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran- Iran. The effect of treatment time at three different time points (30, 60, 90 min) was determined. Sensory evaluation was performed using five-point hedonic scales.Results: NITRATE content in fresh fruit is significantly (P<0.05) lower than canned products; this may be explained by the effect of water for washing fruits during processing. The mean value of NITRATE in canned apples were significantly (P<0.05) higher compared to the canned pears; this may be related to the type of fruits and its texture and composition. NITRATE content of canned apples and pears were decreased from 233.24±24.90 to 128.80±0.423 and 195.11±20.32 to 118.804±0.634 mg/kg, respectively. Different concentration of CaHPO4 did not influence sensory attributes of canned apples while overall acceptance of canned pears decreased only in 0.1% CaHPO4 (P<0.05). The most efficient time for treating by CaHPO4 was 90 min, but the most practical one is recommended 30 min. Addition of CaHPO4 did not change pH of canned samples.Conclusion: Application of CaHPO4 is suggested as a novel, safe and economical method for removal of NITRATE in canned products.

Pistachio suffers from some physiological disorders such as fruit abscission, endocarp lesion, blankness, non-split, early-split and deformed nuts. In this experiment, the effects of CALCIUM NITRATE (2 gr/lit), CALCIUM chloride (2 gr/lit), boric acid (200 ppm) and their combination treatments were investigated on physiological disorders of ‘ Kaleh-Ghoochi’ pistachio. Foliar application was applied one week earlier and two weeks later than full bloom. Then, physiological disorders and enzyme activities, such as catalase (CAT), poly phenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD), phenylalanine ammonilyase (PAL) and total phenol level of nutshells and proline level of leaves were tested. Results specified that all applied treatments diminished fruit abscission. Also, all treatments, excepting boric acid, diminished endocarp lesion and non-split nut disorders but there were no considerable differences between the treatments. Results specified that all applied treatments decreased the blank nut but there were no considerable differences between the treatments. In this research, the lowest deformed nuts with 10. 38 percent and early split nut with 2. 48 percent were observed by application of both CALCIUM NITRATE and boric acid. Meanwhile, the highest split nuts with 56. 55 percent were obtained by application of CALCIUM NITRATE and boric acid. Generally, all treatments especially use of both CALCIUM NITRATE and boric acid diminish the catalase, poly phenol oxidase, peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonilyase enzymes activities and moreover total phenol of nut-shells and proline of leaves.

Pre-harvest citrus fruit splitting is a physiological disorder that causes significant damage to producers of susceptible cultivars by reducing the amount of crop available on the market. Proper management of tree nutrition and paying special attention to the three key elements of potassium, CALCIUM, and boron, which are involved in the strength of cell walls and fruit peel flexibility, can be effective in reducing the fruit splitting severity. Therefore, an experiment has been carried out in the Ramsar (Citrus and Subtropical Fruits Research Center) during 2018 and 2019 to investigate the effects of foliar application of 1. 0% potassium NITRATE, 1. 0% CALCIUM NITRATE, and 0. 5% boric acid at the end of June drop on reducing the severity of splitting and some fruit traits of Page mandarin. This study is performed according to a combined analysis in time with two factors including years of experimentation and different treatments of foliar application of nutrients, based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The results show that the treatments especially 1. 0% potassium NITRATE have reduced preharvest fruit splitting, increased the yield, and improved the quantitative and qualitative fruit traits. However, they have had no significant effect on the activity of polygalacturonase enzyme, cell density of blossom-end, and navel diameter. Overall, foliar application of nutrients, especially 1. 0% potassium NITRATE, could be suggested as an effective approach to control pre-harvest fruit splitting and boost the quantity and quality of page mandarin fruit.

The aim of this research was to determine the Ca concentration in citrus fruit peel and different vegetative organs, trend of Ca changes in fruit peel during growing season and the effect of its application in phonological key stages of Thomson Navel orange in increasing relative yield and fruit quality. Ca concentration was determined in leaves, shoots, roots and the fruits of internal and external parts of canopy. Furthermore, the effects of Ca(NO3)2 foliar application after fruit set, before physiological drop and at the end of the second phase of fruit growth was evaluated using a RCBD with 4 treatments replicated four times. The results showed that fruit diameter in internal canopy was more than that in external canopy, whereas the Ca concentration in fruit peel of internal canopy (about 0. 43%) was lower than that in external canopy (about 0. 52%). The trend of Ca concentration changes in fruit peel of internal canopy showed more fluctuation during the growth period. The highest yield, fruit diameter, fruit weight and Ca concentration in fruit peel was obtained with Ca foliar application after fruit set and before the fruit physiological drop. According to these results, the most suitable time for Ca foliar application to enhance Ca content of citrus fruits is the first stages of fruit growth. Therefore, Ca(NO3)2 foliar application after fruit set and before the summer physiological drop is highly recommended.

In this research, rose cut flowers cv. 'Red Gant' were dipped in different concentrations of CaCl2 or Ca(NO3)2 for 1 hr, followed by keeping in holding solution (sucrose 2% plus 8-HQS 200 mg.L-1) until the end of experiment and the role of CALCIUM on the senescence parameters were evaluated. The results showed that application of 0.5% and 1% CaCl2 prolonged the vase life, improved water relations and retarded the senescence process of cut flowers, but only 0.5% Ca(NO3)2 has increased flower vase life and inhibited the senescence process. Dipping with other concentrations of this salt (0.25% and 1%) had harmful effects on flower quality. The result suggested that either 0.5% CaCl2 or Ca(NO3)2 could successfully prolong the vase life due to retarding the senescence parameters by increasing in solution uptake, leaf and petal water content, maintaining petal soluble proteins and also leaf and petal carbohydrates. These treatments were finally recommended for increasing the vase life of 'Red Gant' rose flowers.

CALCIUM deficiency causes Endocarp Lesion disorder in pistachio nut. To investigate the effects of various CALCIUM treatments on Endocarp Lesion disorder and some nut qualitative characteristics in Pistachio cv. Akbari, an experiment was done in completely randomized design with four treatments (1-control treatment, 2-CALCIUM chelate foliar spray, 3-CALCIUM NITRATE and 4-CALCIUM sulfate (gypsum), CALCIUM NITRATE and CALCIUM chelate foliar spray) in three replications in 2010. The results showed that the percentage of non-contaminated nuts and the percentage of contaminated nuts to mentioned disorder were significant (P<0.01). The most percentage of non-contaminated nuts and the least percentage of contaminated nuts were observed in three CALCIUM treatments, but there was no significant difference between them. Qualitative characteristics of nut such as the percentage of splitting nuts, non-splitting nuts, small nuts and immature nuts were significant (P<0.01) but the percentage of blank nuts wasn’t significant. The most percentage of splitting nuts, the least percentage of non-splitting nuts and small nuts were obtained in gypsum, CALCIUM NITRATE and CALCIUM foliar treatment (T4) and in CALCIUM NITRATE treatment (T3) respectively but there was no significant difference between two treatments. The least percentage of immature nuts was measured in gypsum, CALCIUM NITRATE and CALCIUM foliar treatment (T4). The result of leaf nutrients amount measure (CALCIUM, magnesium, sodium, CALCIUM to magnesium ratio) showed magnesium was significant (P<0.05), sodium and CALCIUM to magnesium ratio were significant level but amount of CALCIUM was not significant. The least amount of magnesium and sodium and the most ratio of CALCIUM to magnesium (Ca/Mg) in leaves were observed in gypsum, CALCIUM NITRATE and CALCIUM foliar treatment (T4). High ratio of CALCIUM to magnesium reduces magnesium poisoning and also the Endocarp Lesion. According to the results, application of gypsum, CALCIUM NITRATE and CALCIUM foliar treatment (T4) can be more favorable than other treatments in reducing Endocarp Lesion disorder and improving nut quality in pistachio cv. Akbari.

Background and purpose: Many physiological disorders of fruits are caused by low levels of CALCIUM concentration. CALCIUM NITRATE is one of the widely used CALCIUM salts, which is white in color and has many uses due to its high solubility in water, unlike other compounds such as CALCIUM sulfate, CALCIUM carbonate, and CALCIUM hydroxide. CALCIUM prevents fruit from ripening and softening by reducing respiration, reducing ethylene production and reducing polygalacturonase enzyme activity.Materials and methods: This research aims to evaluate the effect of CALCIUM NITRATE fertilizer and humic acid application levels on the post-harvest characteristics of apples, factorially in the form of randomized complete block design with two fertilizer sources each at 4 levels including CALCIUM NITRATE fertilizer (0, 50, 100 and 150 g) and humic acid (0, 100, 200 and 300 cc) and three evaluation times were performed in 4 replications. The desired fertilizer treatments were applied in 4 times from the first of May to the end of July. The indicators of soluble solids, total acid, carotenoids, anthocyanin, firmness and quality (aroma and taste) of the fruit were evaluated.Results: The results of variance analysis of the data showed that the simple effects of CALCIUM NITRATE application on the firmness of mayo tissue, vitamin C, anthocyanin, carotenoids and total acid, as well as the simple effect of humic acid on the fruit flavor index and the effect of sample analysis time on the ingredients Soluble solids and fruit flavor had statistically significant differences at the 1% probability level. Examining the results showed that the dual effects of CALCIUM NITRATE and humic acid on the indices of soluble solids and fruit taste and the two-way effect of CALCIUM on the fruit taste in time have a significant difference at the 1% probability level. In this study, the three-way effects, time with humic acid and CALCIUM NITRATE, in the indices of vitamin C, total acid and fruit flavor had statistically significant differences at the 5% probability level. Based on the results of comparing the averages, the first level of CALCIUM had the lowest amount and the fourth level of CALCIUM had the highest amount of anthocyanin and fruit firmness. The fourth levels of CALCIUM and humic acid had the highest amount of dissolved solids. Vitamin C and total acid decreased with time. The fourth level of CALCIUM had the highest amount and the first level of CALCIUM had the lowest amount of vitamin C and total acidity. The quality index decreased with the increase in the shelf life of the fruit in the cold storage. In the third CALCIUM and second humic acid levels, the highest amount was observed, and in the fourth CALCIUM and first humic acid levels, the lowest fruit quality index was observed.Conclusion: The treatment combination of the third and fourth levels (100 and 150 grams per tree) of CALCIUM and 300 humic acid had the greatest effect on the characteristics of the fruit after harvest.