Seed germination is the begining of life cycle for many crops. Snitable methods of seed selection and production have great effects on the yield. In this study, a field work was preceded hy a laboratory experiment in order to evaluate the seed vigour in seven sorghum lines. The field experiment was a RCBD with three replications and was carried out in 1998, Karaj, Iran. Each experimental plot was 2.6x7m with four rows (65 cm between the rows). After seedling emergence, the germination percentage was recorded. When the seedlings were at 4-6 leaves thinning was done to reduce the space between them to 6cm in a row and other necessary practices were carried out on time until the seeds were fully matured. Samples were taken from all the seven sorghum lines and in the laboratory, using RCBD design, standard Germination Test (G), Cold Test (CT), Accelerated Ageing Test (AA), Electrical Conductivity Test (EC) with four replications were implemented on the samples. The results indicated that the sorghum lines KFS1, KFS2 and KFS4 are significantly different in seed vigours, percentage of field emergence and also the fresh and dry matter yields of forage.

Introduction: purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a member of the portulacaceae. Purslane has been described as a power food of the future because of its high nutritive and antioxidant properties. Purslane is listed in the world health organization as one of the most used medicinal plants and it has been given the term “Global panacea“. This study is concerned with the evaluation of physicochemical characteristics of the oil extracted from purslane seeds.Materials and Methods: In this research work purslane seeds were subjected to oil extraction. The extracted oils were subjected to a series of physical and chemical tests consisting of fatty acid composition, iodine value, colour measurement, saponification value, nonsaponifiable matter contents, acid value, peroxide value, phospholipids contents, metal contents, sterols and tocopherol compositions and contents.Results: The extracted oils accounted for 13.4% of the total weight of the seeds. The fatty acid profile of the isolated oil indicated that linoleic and a-linolenia- acids were the predominant fatty acids present. Examination of the isolated nonsaponifiable matter of the oil showed that a- tocopherol and b- sitosterol were the predominant tocopherol and sterol respectively.Conclusion: It was concluded that purslane seeds oil due to its high nutritive and antioxidant values might be regarded as a valuable oil for human consumption.

The object of this study is to extract the oil from millets and evaluate the chemical properties of the extracted oil. Commercial millet oil was obtained by cold solvent extraction adopting soxhlet procedure. Quantitative and qualitative tests concerned with the non-saponifiable matter, fatty acid composition, phosphorus content representing total phospholipids, refractive index, peroxide, saponification, acid and iodine values were carried out on the extracted oil. The extracted non-saponifiable matter was fractionated into a number of chemical classes of compounds on TLC plates. The major two fractions; sterols and tocopherols were separated and extracted with ether. Gama tocopherol and b-sitosterol were the predominant tocopherol and sterol present in the millet oil. Prepared fatty acid methyl esters of the oil sample showed that linoleic (64.8%), followed by oleic (24.2 %) and palmitic (6.1%) acids were the predominant fatty acids, in respective decreasing order. The oil contains considerable quantities of tocopherols which act both as vitamin E and antioxidant. The oil content of the seed depending on the types of extraction is low (4-7%) but due to its nature, being high in both linoleic acid and tocopherol, the purified oil might be employed as an ingredients in food formulation.

In Brazil, morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea L.) is a prominent weed found with sugarcane, maize, and soybean crops, which harms their mechanized harvesting. Its seeds germinate asynchronously, making their management difficult, and glyphosate-tolerant biotypes are also observed in the country. Neem (Azadirachta indica L.) is a medicinal plant, and farmers have widely used its oil for alternative pest and disease management. In this context, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of neem oil, at different concentrations (85, 65, 45, 25 and 5%), on the germination of morning glory seeds. The experiment was carried out in gerbox, in a completely randomized design, and consisted of the five treatments mentioned and a control (without oil), with four replications, containing 50 seeds each. The data obtained were used to calculate the germination time and index. Based on the analysis of the data obtained, it was observed that neem oil at concentrations of 85, 65 and 45% delayed the germination of I. purpurea seeds by 1.83, 1.28 and 1.42 days, respectively. Regarding the germination index, it was observed that oil concentrations of 85 and 45% significantly reduced germination by less than 5 and 6%, respectively. The present study evidences the antagonistic potential of neem oil in relation to morning glory seeds, so that it can be used in alternative management programs for this invasive plant, delaying and reducing germination. Further studies will be carried out to evaluate the effect on seedlings.

Gundelia tournefortii L. is a well known plant in mountains of Iran and is found all over the country. It traditionally has some medicinal applications. In this research, Gundelia tournefortii L. seed was studied as a source of edible oil. Oil was extracted with immersion method using diethyl ether as a solvent. Acidity, saponification, ester, iodine, peroxide and refractive indices, average molecular weight of fatty acids, unsaponifiable matter, viscosity, color and density of extracted oil were evaluated. In addition, fatty acid composition of oil was determined using gas chromatography analysis. The results showed that seed oil content and saponification value of its oil were 22.8% and 166.05, respectively. Oleic and linoleic acid contents of oil were 27.99% and 54.59%, respectively. It was indicated that the extracted oil is an unsaturated oil and melts at ambient temperature. Beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol were the main unsaponifiable matters of the oil. Color analysis revealed that the predominant color was yellow (0.8 red, 14 yellow). The results indicated that Gundelia tournefortii L. seed can be potentially applied as an excellent oil for human consumption.