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A 4 × 4 factorial design was conducted to quantify the optimumrncarbohydrate ⁄ lipid ratio to minimize the dietary protein level in growingrnbeluga, Huso huso (initial weight 891.9 ± 33.4 g, mean ± SD). Fish were fedrnwith sixteen experimental diets formulated to contain four protein levels (35,rn40, 45 and 50%) and four dietary carbohydrate ⁄ lipid ratios of 0.8, 1.1, 1.4,rnand 1.7 for 108 days. At the end of trial, there were no significant differencesrnin growth parameters among fish fed with 35, 40 and 45% protein levels. Nornsignificant difference in growth parameters and feed efficiency (FE) wasrnalso observed when dietary carbohydrate ⁄ lipid ratios decreased from 1.7 torn1.1 within the same energy level (P > 0.05). The highest carcass proteinrncontent was observed in fish fed 0.8 and 1.4 carbohydrate to lipid ratio (P

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The ladybird beetle, Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is one of the most important natural enemies of the common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). The effects of hexaflumuron and spirodiclofen were investigated on development and carbohydrates and total lipid contents of 4^th instar larvae of H. variegata. The insecticides had significant effects on the mortality of eggs, but no significant effects on mortality of larvae or pupae. Hexaflumuron significantly increased the length of development of eggs (2.89 days) and first instar larvae (3.28 days), but had no significant effects on other instars or pupae. Spirodiclofen had no significant effects on developmental stages of H. variegata. Glycogen content was significantly reduced by spirodiclofen (17.42 mg/g fresh body weight) and hexaflumuron (16.07 mg/g fresh body weight). Trehalose content in hexaflumuron (1.89 mg/g fresh body weight) and spirodiclofen-treated larvae (2.02 mg/g fresh body weight) was significantly lower than control (8.01 mg/g fresh body weight). Glucose content in spirodiclofen-treated larvae (0.96 mg/g fresh body weight) was significantly higher than in hexaflumuron-treated larvae (0.24 mg/g fresh body weight) and control (0.15 mg/g fresh body weight). Significant reduction in the amount of lipid was observed in spirodiclofen-treated larvae (5.29 mg/g fresh body weight), but not in hexaflumuron-treated larvae (7.11 mg/g fresh body weight). These results suggest that substantial physiological events in the life of larvae are affected in response to the action of the tested insecticides.  

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Oak acorn is cheap and available but rich in tannin. The most economical method to remove anti-nutritional factors is soaking process and yeast can be used to break down them. Acorn was soaked in tap water for 24 hours with changing the water every 8 hours. Then the fermentation process was done for 24 hours with 0.5, 1.5, 3, 5, 10 and 15 g bakery yeast per 100 g acorn in 6 treatments. Control was not soaked and fermented. Common carp weighing 95.6 g were used for enzyme extraction to determine the in-vitro digestibility. Significantly crude protein in all treatments except the treatment containing 0.5 g yeast and crude fat in treatments containing 10 and 15 g yeast were higher than the control but ash, total phenolic compounds, non-tannin phenolic compounds and condensed tannins were lower than the control. Increasing the level of yeast caused a significant increase in the amount of crude protein. The lowest level of total phenolic compounds was observed in the treatment containing 15 g yeast. Soaking in tap water and the use of yeast significantly increased carbohydrate digestibility in treatments containing 0.5, 1.5 and 10 g yeast and protein digestibility in treatments containing 1.5, 5, 10 and 15 g yeast compared to the control. Based on reducing the amount of phenolic compounds, increasing the amount of protein produced, protein digestibility and carbohydrate digestibility, treatment containing 10 g yeast per 100 g acorn is recommended for processing acorns by soaking in tap water – fermentation method.

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In this study, the energy reserves of prediapause and diapausing adult bugs were examined using colorimetric biochemical techniques to determine carbohydrates, lipids, glycogen, and protein content. To this end, 45-day-old bugs were obtained from three different sources: laboratory colony, cold-stored insects, or natural habitat. The results showed that prediapause males and females had significantly lower lipids than laboratory cultured bugs, those were collected in natural habitat, and cold-treated diapausing insects. In contrast to lipids, carbohydrate and glycogen contents were significantly higher in prediapause males and females than in diapausing insects. Glycogen content in laboratory-reared females and males were significantly higher than in their counterparts from natural habitat. In conclusion, Sunn pest energy reserves change from prediapause to diapause phases. Prediapause Sunn pest bugs accumulate lipids for their metabolic needs during diapause and for post-diapause functions that include dispersal and reproduction.

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In present study, the effect of the percentage of meat in the first stage (three levels of 30, 60% and 90%) and replacement of dried milk powder with soybean meal in the second stage on amount of acrylamide formed in grilled beef and chicken burgers (containing 60% meat) was investigated. Also, total sugar, protein, moisture and sensory characteristics of burgers were determined. The results indicated that the amount of acrylamide in chicken burgers was significantly less than that of beef burgers (p <0.05). The highest and the lowest amounts of formed acrylamide related to meat burger 60% (66.03 μg/kg) and chicken burger 90% (26.54 μg/kg), respectively. Further, the increase of the beef and chicken meat content from 30 to 60% led to increase in acrylamide while increasing from 60 to 90% resulted in decrease in the amount of formed acrylamide. The total sugar content of chicken meat burgers was significantly higher than that of beef burgers while their protein content was lower (p<0.05). The results also indicated that increasing replacement of dry milk powder caused to increase in amount of formed acrylamide in the burgers. The highest and the lowest amounts of acrylamide in the second stage related to the beef burger contains 16% dried milk powder (69.25 µg/kg) and chicken burger containing 8% dried milk powder (40.35 µg/kg). It seems the lowest amount of acrylamide in burgers would be formed in present of the chicken burgers containing 90 percent meat without dried milk powder

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Salicylic acid has been found to play an important role in the regulation of plant growth and development in response to environmental stresses. In the present study, the effect of salicylic acid (SA) (0 and 0.1 mM) on growth parameters and some physiological characteristics of two strawberry cultivars ("Kurdistan" and "Queen Elisa") was investigated under drought stress treatments (-0.1 and -1 MPa). Experimental design was factorial based on completely randomized design with three replications. Results showed that drought stress decreased leaf area, leaf dry matter, shoot dry matter, total dry matter, relative water content, stomatal conductance, yield, and fruit weight. Salicylic acid application increased total leaf area and leaf and shoot dry matter in both cultivars. Leaf number, root dry matter, total dry matter, yield and fruit weight were increased by SA application in "Kurdistan" under drought stress. "Kurdistan" cultivar had higher RWC than "Queen Elisa" and SA application increased RWC, proline and soluble carbohydrate in "Kurdistan" compared to "Queen Elisa" under drought stress conditions. RWC, proline and soluble carbohydrate of “Queen Elisa" did not change with SA spray. Total soluble protein was not affected in "Kurdistan" under drought stress, while "Queen Elisa" showed a reduction in total protein. SA application increased catalase and peroxidase activity in both cultivars under drought stress. In conclusion, “Kurdistan” was less susceptible to drought stress than “Queen Elisa” because “Kurdistan” showed less reduction in leaf number and area, crown, and total dry matter compared to “Queen Elisa”. SA application altered some physiological responses of both cultivars under drought stress. The effect of SA was more pronounced in "Kurdistan” than "Queen Elisa".

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In this research, two field crops(Zea mays L. and Phaseolus vulgaris L.), two medicinal plants(Hyssopus officinalis L. and Nigella sativa L.)and two weeds(Amaranthus retroflexus L. and Taraxacum officinale F. H. Wigg) were separately treated with three concentrations of SiO₂ nanoparticles (400, 2,000, and 4,000 mg L^-1). The effects of these treatments on morphological and biochemical characteristics of the plants were assessed, including germination, root and shoot length, root and shoot fresh weight, root and shoot dry weight, photosynthetic pigments, total carbohydrates, total protein, total amino acid, and proline content. In the crops and medicinal plants, 400 mg L^-1 SiO₂ NPs significantly increased seed germination, root and shoot lengths, fresh weights (except for H. officinalis) and dry weights, photosynthetic pigments, total protein, and total amino acid (except for H. officinalis). In weeds, as SiO₂ NP concentration increased from 400 to 4,000 mg L^-1, germination, root and shoot lengths, fresh and dry weights, and photosynthetic pigments as well as total protein decreased. Total carbohydrates in all plants decreased significantly, except for A. retroflexus at 400 mg L^-1 SiO₂ NPs. In all plant species, with increasing SiO₂ NP concentration, proline content increased significantly. According to these results, a lower concentration of SiO₂ NPs can have beneficial effects on morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics of plants.

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This study was conducted under Ahvaz, Iran environmental condition during 2012 and 2013 growing seasons in order to investigate the influence of foliar application of potassium on some physiological and biochemical characteristics of three olive cultivars including ‘Mission’, ‘Koroneiki’ and ‘Dezfuli’. Potassium sulfate in different concentrations of 0, 1, and 2 g l^-1 was sprayed twice on selected mature 10 year old trees; at 50 and 65 days after full bloom. Potassium sprays increased leaf chlorophyll content of all cultivars, leaf potassium content in ‘Mission’ and ‘Koroneiki’ cvs., fruit anthocyanin concentration of ‘Dezfuli’ in two crop seasons. However, K treatments had no significant effect on leaf N and P content, fruit K and P content in all studied cultivars. Fruit soluble carbohydrates increased by foliar application of potassium in ‘Koroneiki’ and ‘Dezfuli’ cultivars in the second year of study. Stem water potential and leaf stomatal conductance were significantly affected by cultivar and K treatments during the two years. Our findings showed that foliar application of potassium resulted in the decrease of stomatal conductance of ‘Koroneiki’ and ‘Dezfuli’ in two crop seasons. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the studied cultivars differently respond to K treatments during the two crop seasons and foliar potassium application could have a positive impact on leaf chlorophyll, leaf potassium, fruit soluble carbohydrates and fruit anthocyanins in olive cultivars.

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The effect of Methyl Jasmonate (MJ, jasmonic acid methyl ether) at 10^-6-10^-3M concentrations on triticale kernels germination, seedling growth, changes in soluble carbohydrates content and composition, and activity of α-amylase was studied. MJ inhibited the germination of triticale kernels, possibly due to decreasing activity of α-amylase, leading to the depletion of soluble carbohydrates in both embryonic and endosperm tissues. In this way, MJ reduced starch degradation. A lower amount of soluble carbohydrates in germinating seeds decreased water uptake (between 24 and 72 hours of germination) and delayed seedling development. The above effect can be attributed to high concentrations of MJ in the incubation mixture (10^-3M, 10^-4M). MJ reduced the number of embryonic roots in 5-days-old seedlings in all examined concentration ranges.

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Possibility of improving physiological traits and minituber yield of potato cultivars (cvs. Agria and Fontane) was investigated by application of plant growth regulators (BAP, ABA and BAP+ABA) at tuber initiation stage. Regardless of the cultivars, Net photosynthesis rate (Np), actual quantum yield (Φ), stomatal conductance (g_s) and Transpiration rate (T_r) of BAP-treated leaves were superior to those of the control. For Agria, the greatest Chlorophyll content (Chl) was observed in BAP-treated plants, while the highest Chl for Fontane was observed in ABA-treated plants. Increasing Np and Chl content were associated with higher Soluble Carbohydrate content (SC). BAP+ABA application increased SC of leaflets in both cultivars compared with the control. Tuber Yield per Plant (Y/P), Mean Tuber Weight (MTW), and Tuber Number (TN) were stimulated by foliar treatment of plants with PGRs compared with the untreated ones, but there were significant interactions between cultivar and hormone type. Positive correlation between SC and Y/P (r= 0.97*) and MTW (r= 0.97*) were observed in Agria. Leaf area as well as dry and fresh weight of aerial parts of the BAP+ABA-treated plants were more than the untreated plants and other PGR treatments. These results indicate that either of BAP, ABA, or their combination could be effectively used to improve physiological traits and tuber yield of these cultivars, although, Agria responded more prominently to PGRs than Fontane.

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Starch and Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) have numerous applications in food products mostly as gelling and texturizing agents. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the pasting and gelling properties of the mixtures of starch and various levels of SPI (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%). To determine the effects of starch sources on the results, wheat and corn starches were tested in this study. It was found that with increasing the quantity of SPI, the viscosities obtained from Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) including final, holding, and setback decreased while pasting temperature remained unchanged. Increasing the SPI concentrations enhanced the peak viscosity of the wheat starch-SPI samples, while it had opposite effects on corn starch-SPI samples. The colour of both starch-SPI gels became darker and more yellowish with increasing the SPI concentration. Although gel hardness increased during storage for 1 and 3 days at 4˚C, the addition of SPI reduced the hardness of the gels. The residual modulus of the Maxwell model from stress relaxation data showed that gels became softer and less elastic with increasing the SPI concentration. The corn starch-SPI gels exhibited darker color, higher firmness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess and chewiness compared to the wheat starch-SPI gels. The results may be useful to obtain the desired quality in food products containing starch and SPI.
 

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Micro-propagated potato plantlets (cvs. Agria and Fontane) were grown in growth chambers under controlled conditions to determine the effect of different levels of CO₂ concentrations (400 vs. 800 µmol mol⁻¹) on physiological and biochemical traits and yield of minitubers, at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, in 2015. Irrespective of the cultivar, the elevated CO₂ significantly increased Net photosynthesis (Np) and leaf Dark Respiration (R_D) compared to the control at 34 and 57 days after transplanting. Higher Np under the elevated CO₂ resulted in a higher accumulation of leaflet starch and soluble sugar content. The elevated CO₂, compared to the ambient, induced allocation of more dry matter to the underground parts, especially tubers. CO₂ Enrichment did not significantly affect the number of tubers and mean tuber weight, however, the elevated CO₂ increased yield of Agria and Fontane by 17 and 39%, respectively. The yield of Fontane was increased more than Agria when exposed to elevated CO₂, mainly due to greater mean tuber weight than tuber number. The number of large size tubers increased under elevated CO₂. The results showed that the greater mean tuber weight might affect tuber yield more than the number of tubers. Our findings suggest that rising levels of CO₂ in minituber production systems could be beneficial to improve productivity and tuber yield.

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This study primarily aimed to identify and suggest appropriate rapeseed cultivars and their optimum sowing time. A factorial split-plot experiment was conducted in a complete randomized block design with three replications during two years (2014-2016). The study was carried out using six rapeseed cultivars, namely, Elvis, HL2012, L155, KR2, HW113 and Danob, three sowing dates (October 7, 17, and 27), and two concentrations of glycinebetaine (0 as control and 0.2%). The sowing dates and the GlycineBetaine (GB) were allotted to main plots and the six cultivars were allotted to subplots. The HL2012 cultivar had the highest seed yield (4,584 kg ha^-1), seed oil content (44.6%) and seed oil yield (2,060 kg ha^-1), which were achieved optimally in the first sowing date. Application of GB increased the average seed yield from 4,089 to 4,419 (kg ha^-1), seed oil from 44 to 44.4% and seed oil yield from 1,818 to 1,976 (kg/ha). The amounts of proline and soluble carbohydrates in the plants increased from the first to the third sowing dates. The early sowing date and the application of GB had positive effects on the quantity and quality of rapeseed oil. The results of cluster analysis showed that three of the six cultivars could be suitable for cultivation in Karaj, Iran.
 

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Three different levels of biochar addition in soil (0, 1, 2 kg m^-2) and simultaneous irrigation treatments (50, 85, and 120% of crop Evapotranspiration (ET_c)) were applied to basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019). Central Composite Design (CCD) was used as an experimental optimization method, and 13 given experiments were carried out. The study was performed at the research farm of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. The effects of these treatments were evaluated on biochemical attributes (total chlorophyll, total phenol, and total soluble carbohydrates) and morphological criteria (biological yield, height, seed yield, and harvest index). Then, all the results were statistically analyzed. The results revealed that biochar amendment in the soil decreased all examined biochemical characteristics. Meanwhile, biochar in the soil strengthened the morphological properties of the basil plant. Also, the basil plant significantly responded to the amount of irrigation levels. High levels of water treatments reduced total phenol and total soluble carbohydrates and raised all other measured factors. Statistical analysis shows no significant relationship between 2-way-interaction (biochar×irrigation) and measured factors, except total soluble carbohydrates.