A field experiment was conducted at Rice Research Station of Tonekabon, Iran, to determine the effect of seed inoculation with plant growth-promotingrhizobacteria on rice grain yield and yield components under different nitrogen (N) rates. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block with factorial arrangement and three replicates. Factors included seed inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria [control (un-inoculated), seed inoculation with Azospirillum lipoferum, seed inoculation with Azotobacter chroococcum, and seed inoculation with a combination of A. lipoferumand A. chroococcum] and N rates (100%, 75%, and 50% of recommended nitrogen rates, i.e. 100, 75 and 50 kg N ha-1, respectively). Results showed that the highest grain yield (7875 kg ha-1) was recorded for plants inoculated with a combination of A. lipoferumand A. chroococcum, while the lowest one was recorded for un-inoculated control plants. Moreover, rice grain yield, panicle number per m2, grain number per panicle, and 1000-grain weight increased by 9%, 9%, 18%, and 6%, respectively, as N fertilizer rate increased from 50 to 100 kg ha-1. The highest grain yield (7875 kg ha-1) was obtained when N was applied at the rate of 75 kg ha-1to seeds inoculated with a combination of A. lipoferumand A. chroococcum. Manuscript profile

Increased cost of tobacco cultivation is a major concern for its sustainable production in Iran. Therefore, the development of tobacco mechanized cultivation is a necessity. Given this, the driving and inhibiting factors of the development of mechanized tobacco cultivation were investigated by the Delphi technique in three rounds in Guilan Province, Iran. Nineteen experts from the Jahad Agriculture Organization of Guilan Province and the Agriculture Management Services in Rasht County and Western Guilan were selected as the research panel as recommended by the academic professors of the Guilan Province. The results were analyzed by SPSS21. In the last round, 10 superior driving and inhibiting factors were ranked based on the final experts’ consistency as the final decision. The results revealed that identification of pioneer farmers and their encouragement to mechanized tobacco cultivation and the import of the latest technologies of tobacco cultivation and their modification in accordance with regional conditions were the most important driving factors as 97.37 and 94.74% of panel experts agreed, respectively. In addition, 98.68% of experts rated insufficient research on tobacco cultivation mechanization and 96.05% of experts rated the small size of tobacco farms as the most important inhibiting factors. Accordingly, the development of supportive policies to support pioneer tobacco growers in mechanized cultivation of this industrial crop, the technical assessment for modern tobacco cultivation machinery, the reduction of imported tobacco machinery prices, and the support of research on mechanization of tobacco cultivation are some important strategies that should be considered by those involved in tobacco production in Guilan Province, Iran. Manuscript profile

The aim of this study was to investigate the environmental impacts of olive fruit production under different orchard size and upon organic and common agro-systems through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology in northern Iran. The data were collected using a self-made questionnaire and face-to-face interview with 305 olive growers in the study region. Six environmental impact categories (IC) including depletion of fossil fuels, global warming, acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, depletion of phosphate and potash resources have been investigated. One tone of olive fruit was set as the functional unit (FU). Results showed that the large olive orchards (≥5ha) had the highest negative environmental impacts in all studied IC. Overall, acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, and depletion of phosphate resources have been identified as the most important environmental challenges of olive fruit production with final indices of 1.58, 2.68, and 3.12, respectively. The results also revealed that the organic olive orchards are more environmental efficient than those of conventional orchards. Substituting a certain portion of chemical fertilizers used in the large olive orchards with the biological alternatives such as farmyard manure has been suggested to provide the nutritional requirements of olive trees. A regional strategy should be also planned to move to an appropriate integrated farming system to cut down the environmental hazards of olive fruit production in large orchards in the studied region. Manuscript profile

امروزه بررسی اثرات زیست محیطی نظام‌های مختلف کشت محصولات کشاورزی و تعیین مناسب‌ترین الگوی کشت آن‌ها، امری حائز اهمیت است. از این رو در این پژوهش، اثرات زیست محیطی نظام‌های تک‌کشتی بادام‌زمینی (.Arachis hypogaea L) و کشت مخلوط بادام‌زمینی با لوبیا (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) با رهیافت ارزیابی چرخه حیات مورد مقایسه قرار گرفت. اطلاعات اولیه از طریق مصاحبه حضوری با 136 کشاورز در منطقه کیاشهر استان گیلان به دست آمد. گرمایش جهانی، اسیدیته، اوتریفیکاسیون خشکی، تغییر کاربری زمین، تخلیه منابع فسیلی، فسفات و پتاسیم هفت گروه تاثیر مورد مطالعه را تشکیل می‌دادند. نتایج نشان داد که آلاینده NH3 بیش‌ترین نقش را در قالب گروه‌های تاثیر اسیدیته و اوتریفیکاسیون در هر دو نظام کشت داشت. مقادیر شاخص زیست محیطی (EcoX) در دو نظام کشت بادام‌زمینی و کشت مخلوط بادام‌زمینی- لوبیا به ترتیب 68/0 و 42/0 محاسبه شدند. همچنین شاخص تخلیه منابع (RDI) به ترتیب 61/3 و 69/2 به دست آمد. تخلیه منابع فسیلی و اوتریفیکاسیون خشکی بیش‌ترین اثرات زیست محیطی را در قالب گروه‌های تاثیر زیست محیطی و تخلیه منابع در هر دو نظام کشت داشتند. به طور کلی اثرات مخرب زیست محیطی نظام کشت مخلوط بادام‌زمینی- لوبیا در هر هفت گروه تاثیر کم‌تر از کشت بادام‌زمینی به‌تنهایی بود. Manuscript profile

The development of hazelnut processing industries is one of the major challenges of hazelnut production in Guilan province, Iran. Hence, the factors influencing the development of these industries in this province were explored by the Delphi technique in three rounds. After consultation with academic teachers and researchers of relevant research institutes, 31 experts were selected as the research panel members from Agriculture Jihad Organization and the affiliates of Hazelnut Research Institute in Guilan province. The results demonstrated that "specifically supporting large-scale and pioneer orchard owners to establish hazelnut processing industries", "establishing wholesale purchase centers of hazelnut in the context of agricultural production cooperatives", and "training agriculture processing industry experts of the province by dispatching them to countries pioneering in hazelnut processing industries" were the most prominent driving factors of the development of hazelnut processing industries in Guilan province as agreed upon by 98.81%, 96.68%, and 93.74% of the panel members, respectively. in addition, "inappropriate crop insurance coverage of hazelnut production" with an agreement rate of 95.55%, "the lack of a regional macro-plan for the development of agriculture processing industries in the province" with an agreement rate of 94.74%, "fluctuations in hazelnut market price and neglect in official monitoring of price balance in the market by the government", and "the lack of agricultural production cooperatives in the region and the weak cooperative culture " with agreement rates of 92.32% were found to be the main inhibiting factors of the establishment and development of hazelnut processing in the region. Manuscript profile

Guilan Province is the biggest hazelnut producer in Iran. Over 70% of hazelnut production cost is due to its manual harvesting. Therefore, study on all aspects of its cultivation mechanization is necessary to sustain its production. This study focused on identifying factors that affect the development of hazelnut harvesting mechanization in Guilan Province, Iran, using a three-round Delphi technique. The technical panel of the study consisted of 27 hazelnut production in Eastern Guilan. The factor “observing engineering principles in the construction of new hazelnut orchards (row planting at appropriate density)” was identified as the most important driving factor with about 99% consensus from experts. Also, the factors “devising regional and provincial macro plans for developing orchard mechanization” and “development of mechanized irrigation of orchards with convenient methods tailored to local conditions” were ranked the second and third most important driving factors, respectively, with 91.30% and 90.05% consensus of experts. The most important inhibiting factor was found to be “the slope of most hazelnut farms” with 96% consensus of experts. The second most important inhibiting factors were “lack of appropriate roads for quick and convenient access to hazelnut cultivation machinery” and “hazelnut growers’ limited financial capability” with 94.75% consensus. These results indicated that it is necessary to address the modification of old gardens to oblige observing the construction principles of orchards tailored to hazelnut mechanical harvesting and to purposefully and specifically support research on the design and manufacture of small-scale implements for hazelnut harvesting tailored to local conditions of hazelnut orchards in Guilan Province. Manuscript profile