Background and Objective: Heavy metals are toxic and can enter the food and thus the health of people who consume these kinds of foods may be affected. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of heavy metals in fruits and to estimate the exposure level of heavy metals by fruit consumption.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 60 samples (35 samples of apple fruit and 25 apricot fruit samples) were randomly collected from gardens around Zanjan and Mahneshan city in 2016. The concentration of Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu were determined by atomic absorption spectrometer. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS software.Results: The average concentration of the elements in the samples was as follows: Pb (0.121 mg/kg wet weight), Cd (0.052 mg/kg wet weight), Zn (10.63 mg/kg dry weight), and Cu (4.99 mg/kg dry weight). The average lead concentration in apple and apricot was, respectively, 0.17 and 0.057 mg/kg wet weight, cadmium 0.08 and 0.003 mg/kg wet weight, zinc 9.15 and 12.7 mg/kg dry weight, Copper 4.4 and 5.583 mg/kg dry weight. Furthermore, it was found that 28.3% of the samples were contaminated with Pb, 13.3% with Cd and 3.3% with Zn. Cu contamination was not detected above permitted concentration. The concentrations of heavy metals in Zanjan were more than Mahneshan and the concentrations of Pb and Cd in the apple samples were higher than the apricot samples but the concentration of Zn and Cu in the apricot samples were higher than the apple samples.Conclusion: Heavy metals pollution was found in samples belonging to the gardens around the factories and mines of lead and zinc. However, there is no risk of non-cancerous diseases with the use of these fruits in accordance with the national standard declared per capita.

Drought effect on root dry weight of three potato cultivars (Marfona, Agria, and Draga) were evaluated in a strip block design with three replicates. Stress treatments (four levels) were arranged in horizontal and cultivars in vertical plots. After cultivation practices and fertilizer applying, seed tubers were sown in 25*75 cm in nine 5-meter rows and irrigated immediately. Irrigation treatments were equal for all treatment until stress began. After 50% flowering until the end of flowering, stress treatments were applied. Root dry weights were measured every other week. ANOVA showed that any stress might decrease root dry weights as compared with the control. In stress levels, differences in root dry weights recovered in the end of growth season. In spite of yield decrease, there were no differences in root dry weights at stress levels. Some of reasons of Agria's higher yield than Draga in mild and severe drought may be its high root dry weights, so it had longer active roots and adsorbed more water and minerals from soil than Draga. It seems that there was no new root formation in the end of season period and matured roots remobilized dry matter to tubers, but in case of drought, new roots with less dry matter produced.

In this study, chemical compositions of black seed meals samples were determined. 18 male weaning Zandi lambs with an average body weight of 23.5 ±1.5 kg were used in a completely randomized design in three groups of six in individual pens. Experimental treatments were: 1) control (basal diet with 12% soybean meal and without black seed meal), 2) diet containing 6% soybean meal and 9% black seed meal and 3) diet containing 18% black seed meal and without soybean meal. The concentration of dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, NDF, ADF, ADIN, and crude ash of black seed meal samples were 97.53±0.58, 31.26±0.99, 15.16 ± 0.61, 25.95 ± 1.34, 14.2±0.80, 0.69±0.04 and 5.07 ± 0.24, respectively. Replacement of soybean meal with black seed meal in the diet of experimental lambs had no effect on final body weight, daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, dry matter intake, dressing percentage, tail and total body fat deposition. Albumin and total protein were higher for lambs fed by diet containing 18 % black seed meal compared to other treatments (P <0.05). However, the concentration of blood triglyceride, cholesterol and urea nitrogen were not differed between experimental groups. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude fat and protein were not affect by feeding of experimental diets. It seems that black seed meal can be used in the diet of fattening lambs up to 18% without adverse effect on performance and nutrients digestibility of growing lambs.

A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of salinity stress on growth and macroelements contents of two olive varieties in soilless culture medium. In the research, one-year old saplings of two olive varieties, ‘Zard’ and ‘Mission’, were subjected to different salinity levels induced by NaCl including 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 dS/m-1 for 5 months. Based on the results, total dry weights of the varieties were decreased at 16 dSm-1 compared to control up to 63 and 85% at ‘Mission’ and ‘Zard’, respectively. Also, a 25% reduction in total dry weight was observed under salinities of 7 and 3.6 dSm-1 for ‘Mission’ and ‘Zard’, respectively. Salinity was decreased the concentrations of macronutrients and increased the concentrations of Na and Cl in roots and leveas of the both varieties. Compared to control, Na and Cl concentrations in leaves and roots was increased under salinity of 16 dS/m-1 at 1660 and 679% for Na and 1069 and 506% for Cl. In all salinity levels, Na and Cl concentrations in the leaves and roots of ' Zard' variety were more than that of ' Mission'. Thesa data demonstrated that ‘Mission’ has a more salinity tolerance than ‘Zard’, and could be used as a salt-tolerant variety for cultivation under salinity conditions. The defence mechanisms of ‘Mission’ are restricting in absorbtion and translocation of Na to aerial parts and accumulate a proper concentration of K in Leaves.

In the present study, the effects of addition of quince pomace powder (0-15%) and water content (25-35%) on the batter rheological properties, physicochemical characterizes and sensory properties of sponge cake were evaluated. The results showed that increasing substitution of quince pomace increased the viscosity and consistency batter and the dietary fiber, firmness, overall acceptability of cake and reduced the moisture content, and density of cake. Results of RSM based desirability function showed cakes formulated with 12. 56% of quince pomace powder and 29. 62% of water content had the most and desired physicochemical quality. Total phenol content (7. 71 mg/g), iron (0. 263 mg/Kg dry weight) and calcium (340 mg/Kg dry weight) of the control sponge cake was improved to 8. 32 (mg/g), 0. 361 (mg/Kg dry weight) and 1160 (mg/Kg dry weight) in the optimal sponge cake, respectively. SEM results showed the quince powder increased in the number of cavities in the cake's structure and the uniformity of these cavities.

To evaluate the effect of nitrogen and water withholding in vegetative growth stage of corn on efficacy of nicosulfuron and 2,4-D+ MCPA an experiment was conducted as a factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replications at Tarbiat Modares University in 2017. The first factor contained four treatments including application of nicosulfuron, 2,4-D+ MCPA, weed free and weed infested as control. The second factor consisted of normal irrigation and water withholding from 4 to 8 leaf stage. Third factor contained either urea application or no fertilizer application. Normal irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer application significantly increased nicosulfuron and 2,4-D+ MCPA efficacy in weed control and total weed dry weight decreased to 341 and 361 g.m-2 respectively compared 1370 g.m-2 as weed infested. Nicosulfuron and 2,4-D+ MCPA reduced weed total dry weight significantly under irrigation withholding. Grain yield increased with application of nitrogen and nicosulfuron. Grain yield was higher with application of 2,4-D+ MCPA than nicosulfuron without nitrogen application under irrigation withholding. Application of nicosulfuron with nitrogen application provided satisfactory weed control and increased grain yield.

The effect of different weed control methods on weeds dry weight and yield of maize (Zea mays L. cv. SC500) was evaluated during 2012 growing season at the Research Farm of Bu-Ali Sina University. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated four times; comprising of six treatments including hand weeding, straw mulch, colorless plastic, black plastic, herbicide application and control (weedy check). The effect of treatments on the parameters of weeds dry weight, grain yield and yield components of maize such as number of grain rows ear-1, number of grain plant-1 and grain weight was significant. In comparison with control treatment, straw mulch significantly increased yield components of maize. The highest grain yield (9363 kg ha-1) and the lowest value (with 43.44% reduction) were observed at straw mulch and control treatments, respectively. Also, the highest (940.92 g m-2) and the lowest weeds dry weight (with 88.51% reduction) were achieved at control and black plastic treatments, respectively. However, grain yield and weed dry weight values were the same at the treatments of straw mulch, colorless plastic, and black plastic. In general, due to environmental risks of polyethylene plastics application in agriculture, straw mulch was considered as the best treatment that it could increase maize yield and provide effective weed control.

Effect of water stress on dry weight and photosynthetic pigments in two sainfoin species (Onobrychis radiata & Onobrychis viciifolia) was surveyed in a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with 4 replications. The plants under study were grown in a greenhouse environment with the maximum temperature of 38oC and the minimum temperature of 14oC. Forty days after cultivation, both species were put under water deficit stress based on the subtraction farm 75% field capacity (FC) and 50% FC, and samplings were carried out in germination and growth stages, with irrigation level of 100% FC being taken as control. In both types, water deficiency tension resulted in decreased relative growth rate (RGR), leaf area ratio (LAR) and relative leaf growth rate (RLGR). The measurement of imposed tension indices showed that Onobrychis viciifolia underwent the greatest tension in such a way that this species withheld at 50% FC tension level. The ratio of root to shoot (R/S), length and weight of root increased, but in Onobrychis radiata the increase of these parameters were much higher than those of O. viciifolia. The biochemical surveys showed that carotens content and chlorophylls content decreased under the stress conditions in both species, but the xanthophyll content increases and the ratio of carotenoids to chlorophylls increased, with O. radiata being higher in this respect. Because the xanthophyll cycle is one of the strong mechanisms of anti - oxidation in plants, and prohibits of demolition of membranes and supports chlorophyll against photo – oxidation, the increase of xanthophyll results in the increase of plant’s resistance – threshold against oxidation stress arising to water deficit.