Eco-friendly soil amendments improve growth, antioxidant activities, and root colonization in lingrain (Linum Usitatissimum L.) under drought conditions.

This study's primary purpose was to investigate the possible amelioration of limited irrigation conditions by mycorrhiza (AMF), vermicompost, and green manure for lingrain plants. This experiment was accomplished as a factorial based on the completely randomized design with three replications. The first factor was green manure (without green manure and with Trifolium pratense as green manure); the second factor consisted of Rhizophagus irregularis mycorrhiza, vermicompost, a combination of mycorrhiza and vermicompost and none of them, and also the third factor was irrigation regime (full irrigation and late-season water limitation). Green manure, vermicompost, and mycorrhiza single-use enhanced the plant's underwater limitation conditions compared to the control. However, vermicompost and green manure or mycorrhiza developed a positive synergistic effect on most traits. Combining green manure with the dual fertilizer (mycorrhiza + vermicompost) resulted in the vermicompost and mycorrhiza synergistic effects, especially under limited irrigation. Consequently, the combination of green manure, mycorrhiza, and vermicompost experienced the highest amount of leaf relative water content, root colonization, leaf nitrogen, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, antioxidant enzymes activity, grain yield, and oil yield, which would lead to more resistance of plants to limited irrigation conditions.

The potential of using insecticidal properties of medicinal plants against insect pests.

In this study, botanicals extracted from two the species of family Scrophulariaceae, Verbascum cheiranthifolium Boiss and Verbascum speciosum Schard, were examined for their effect on mortality and progeny production against adults of Sitophilus oryzae (L.). The plant extracts were applied at five dose rates, which 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3% (w/v). Adults of S. oryzae was exposed to the treated wheat at 25 degrees C and 65% RH and mortality was assessed after 24 h, 48 h, 7 day, 14 day and 21 day of exposure. Then all adults were removed and the treated substrate remained at the same conditions for an additional 45 day after this interval, the commodity was checked for progeny production. In use two extracts the mortality of adults increased with the increase of dose and exposure interval so that; mortality was 100% after 21 days of exposure at the highest dose rate. Results indicated that applied of V. cheiranthifolium extract was more effective than V. speciosum against adult insects. Interestingly, in two cases complete suppression (100% reduction) of the progeny production (F1) was observed in the treated wheat than in control even in the lowest dose rate. Therefore, our results indicate that these medicinal plants can be used for protection of stored grain from infestations of stored-product insect pests.