Abdolkarim Kashi

Effects of casing soil enrichment with soybean flour (SF) and iron (Fe) were explored on yield and quality of edible mushrooms inoculated with plant growth-promoting bacteria in a factorial experiment with four replications. Fe from Fe chelate source was applied at two levels of 0 (Fe0) and 500 mg L-1 (Fe500), SF at three levels of 0% (SF0), 1.5% (SF1.5), and 3% (SF3) of compost dry weight, and bacteria inoculation at two levels (non-inoculation and inoculation of mycelia with P. putida). The maximum fresh yield (20.3 kg m-2), mushroom number (1041), biological efficiency (95.0%), vitamin C (3.74 mg 100 g-1 FW), and yield of protein (6.48 kg m-2) were obtained from SF1.5 + P. putida. But, the maximum tryptophan (1.37 mg g-1 DW), methionine (2.29 mg g-1 DW), and antioxidant capacity (4.25 mg mL-1) were related to SF3 inoculated with P. putida. Furthermore, the maximum carbohydrate (5.64%) was related to Fe500 + SF3. Based on the results, casing soil enrichment with Fe did not have a significant influence on quantitative and qualitative traits of mushrooms, but SF application at the rate of 1.5%, especially when accompanied by P. putida, played a more essential role. Thus, it is recommended to use 1.5% SF along with P. putida to enhance the yield and qualitative traits of edible mushrooms.

Macroelements in leaves and fruits, sugar of fruits, and yield of ‘Khatooni’ melon were compared with melons grafted onto rootstocks cvs. ‘Ace’, ‘Shintozwa’, and ‘ShintoHongto’, and trained into three methods: T1) no pinching and fruit thinning; T2) pinched to produce two lateral branches; and T3) pinched to two branches and all flowers and lateral branches from lower nodes thinned. Concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) increased in leaves onto ‘Shintozwa’, whereas opposite trends observed for magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca). N, P, and K in leaves were significantly higher by 21.5%, 17.2%, and 18.6%, respectively in grafted. N, P and K in fruits onto ‘Ace’ and ‘Shintozwa’ were higher, with exception of Ca and Mg in non-grafted. ‘Ace’ and ‘Shintozwa’ resulted in significant increase in Khatooni yield. T3 showed the highest yield. Soluble solids concentration (SSC) was higher in non-grafted fruits. T2 produced fruits with the highest SSC.