Genetic resources are the most valuable national treasure of a country and it is vital to identify, conserve and use them. The Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) is one of the most valuable genetic resource in Iran due to its multi benefits (nutrition, wood, environment conservation, genetics and medicine). For this reason, 32 leaf morphological characteristics of 1. regia were studied on nine POPULATIONs (four native and five CULTIVATED) and 243 individual trees. Leaf sampling was made two years for the native POPULATIONs and one year for the CULTIVATED POPULATIONs. The effects of year variation on leaf characteristics and the effects of leaflet numbers on wealth variation of the characteristics within each genotype were studied. The ANOVA analysis showed that there were significant differences between the walnut genotypes in respect to their leaf characteristics (P<0.001). After correction of variance coefficient (C.V.) of each genotype, based on deduction of corrected C.V. within genotype (C.V.G.) according to leaflet numbers (5, 7, 9 and 11 leaflets) from primary C.V., a high real value of C.V. was achieved. The Duncan method was used to compare the means and identify the less variable leaf characteristics, based on C.V.G. and correction of leaflet numbers. Correlation coefficient of leaf characteristics according to each leaflet number groups (5, 7 and 9 leaflets) was investigated. Using cluster analysis (UPGMA method) to classify the 32 leaf morphological characteristics for the 243 trees, resulted in 19 clusters which seven clusters contained one individual members and four clusters contained double or triple members. The results showed that the most important, distinctive and reliable leaf morphological characteristics of J. regia were as follows: length of biggest leaflet, petiollength, leaflet marginal form, Arctangent of average leaflet length to average leaflet width, Arctangent of half leaf width to petiol length.

Considering the importance of genetic variation and POPULATION structure for management and brood stock selection for replication competent in the farms, the genetic diversity of CULTIVATED POPULATIONs of rainbow trout from Lorestan province and introduced fish from France was investigated using four microsatellite markers, OMY325, MM1329, OMY77 and OMM1332 on 30 specimens from each POPULATION collected from Pachenar trout culture and breeding centre in Lorestan province. After polymerase chain reaction optimization, the results showed that average numbers of observed alleles in Lorestan and French POPULATIONs were 10.75 and 10 respectively. Average number of effective alleles was 7.43 and 7.19 in Lorestan and French POPULATION respectively. Allele sizes at OMY77, OMY325, OMM1329 and OMM1332 loci were in the range of 102-178, 100-150, 122-198, 172-204 bps respectively. The mean of expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity for Lorestan and French POPULATION were 0.861 and 0.854 and 0.591 and 0.566, respectively. The results showed deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at seven out of eight (locus x POPULATION) investigated loci. Excess of observed heterozygosity towards expected heterozygosity at OMY325 loci in both POPULATIONs was observed. Low (6%) genetic diversity was observed between POPULATIONs while, the most portion of genetic diversity (94%) was within POPULATIONs. Genetic identity and genetic distance between two POPULATIONs were of 0.791 and 0.234 respectively. The FST measured as % 17. In general, the results of this study, showed high genetic similarity between two POPULATIONs.

Stem cells located at the limbus , are the ultimate source for regeneration of the corneal epithelium in the normal and traumatized states. When limbal stem cells are dysfunctional or deficient, limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) develops. Its surgical management depends on laterality and severity of corneal-limbal involvement. Conventional methods of stem cell transplantation are conjunctival-limbal autograft (CLAU); conjunctival-limbal allograft (CLAL) and kerato-limbal allograft (KLAL) surgeries. CULTIVATED limbal epithelial transplantation (CLET) and CULTIVATED oral mucosal epithelial transplantation (COMET) on a carrier such as amniotic membrane are current surgical alternatives.These new surgical procedures are effective in stabilizing the ocular surface. The theoretical advantage of ex vivo expansions over conventional methods is that only a small limbal or mucosal biopsy is needed, thus minimizing the risk to the donor eye; and has a lower risk of rejection. They can be used in cases with unilateral or bilateral total stem cell deficiency. In the unilateral cases, the source for CLET is healthy fellow eye and in bilateral cases, the source can be living-related or cadaveric eyes.The oral explants do not have limbal stem cells, but they seem to be a source of limbal stem cell equivalents that are able to generate cornea-like epithelium under the proper culture conditions. The main advantage of COMET is that patients with bilateral LSCD, can be treated with grafts derived from their own autologous oral mucosal cells. The long-term outcomes of COMET have to be elucidated.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of cultivation on potassium forms and potassium adsorption characteristics behavior in tobacco-growing and adjacent virgin soils in Northwest of Iran. Soil potassium forms were determined in 29 tobacco-growing soils and in 29 adjacent virgin soils. Soil potassium quantity-intensity relations (Q/I) were constructed by equilibrating and shaking 2. 5 g soil with 25 ml of 0. 01 mM CaCl2. The results indicated that the mean of exchangeable potassium (Kex) and the initial equilibrium concentration of solution potassium (EKC) values in tobacco-growing soils were significantly (p≤ 0. 01) lower than those in the adjacent virgin soils and decreased 28% and 27 %, respectively. Thus, in tobacco-growing soils and their adjacent virgin soils, the mean of Kex were 197 and 273 mg kg-1, and the mean of EKC were 7. 9 and 10. 8 mg L-1, respectively. There was a significant correlation between solution potassium (Kso) and Kex (r=0. 418*) as well as between Kex and clay (r= 0. 577**) in tobacco-growing soils indicating depletion of Kex in the studied soils. The mean of potassium activity ratio at equilibrium (ARe K) and the energy of exchange potassium (EK) values in tobacco-growing soils were significantly (p≤ 0. 001) lower than those in the adjacent virgin soils and decreased 36 and 11 %, respectively. In tobacco-growing soils and their adjacent virgin soils, the mean of ARe K were 0. 004 and 0. 0063 mol L-1and the mean of EK were-3407 and-3055 cal mol-1, respectively. Because of exchangeable potassium depletion in the studied soils, potassium fertilizer management is needed to be practiced for sustainable production of tobacco in Northwest of Iran.

Widespread immigrant beekeeping activity, inadequate quality queen bee production and the excess of uncontrolled crossbreeding are great problems for the quality of honey bee races in Türkiye. However, the effects of uncontrolled crossbreeding on the spermatological parameters are not fully known. In this study, samples were analyzed in terms of morphometric parameters such as cubital index, hantel index and discoidal shift. Drones belonging to the same colonies were investigated in terms of spermatological parameters such as total motility, Plasma Membrane Integrity (PMI), Mitochondrial Membrane Potential (MMP) and spermatozoa concentration (SCON). The wing index values of the samples were similar to the wing values of some races. Racial similarities rates were50% Caucasian (A. m. caucacia), 49% Anatolian (A. m. anatoliaca), 24% Brown (A. m. mellifera), 13% Italian (A. m. ligustica) and 8% Carnolian (A. m. carnica). These results showed that the expected Anatolian race in the region had changed greatly and there is a danger of crossbreeding of bee races (Apis mellifera anatoliaca) in Central Anatolia Region. The averages of spermatological parameters were 85% motility, 82% PMI, 78% MMP and 5.9 × 109/ml sperm concentration. In addition, no significant correlative relationship was found between morphometric and spermatological parameters (p˃0.05). In this study, the samples of honey bee colonies in the Central Anatolia Region showed random and uncontrolled crossbreeding among different races. The spermatological parameters were found to be sufficient for fertility but there was no significant relationship detected statistically between the spermatological and morphometric parameters.

Lesser Periwinkle (Vinca minor L.), a member of Apocynaceae, is not only an ornamental plant with lilac-blue flowers, but also a medical plant producing an important alkaloid, vincamine, found in the leaves which shows a pronounced cerebrovasodilatory and neuroprotective activity. This plant is native to northern Spain, western France, central and southern Europe, and Caucasus. It has been recently CULTIVATED for pharmaceutical purposes by Zardband Botanical Garden in Iran. Since the quality of herb material and alkaloid concentration is greatly influenced by environmental conditions, in this study, we report the isolation and identification of major alkaloids along with the quantification of vincamine as the pharmacologically most important component.Alkaloids from the aerial parts of V. minor were isolated and purified using different chromatographic methods. The structures of these alkaloids were determined on the basis of their physical and spectroscopic data. The concentration of vincamine was determined by high performance liquid chromatography using Tracer Excel 120 ODS A C18 column.Five indole alkaloids including vincaminorine, vincaminoreine, minovine, minovincine, and vincamine (Figure 1) were isolated from the aerial parts ofV. minor. Vincamine was found to be the dominant alkaloid in this plant with the content of 0.057% of the dried plant mass.This plant may be used as a natural source for pharmaceutical purposes in Iran, due to the presence of biologically active alkaloids especially vincamine as the major alkaloid in Lesser Periwinkle CULTIVATED.