Projects [Researcher]

A plant-soil nexus maximising organic carbon stabilisation in soil

This project aimed to examine how the quality and quantity of rhizodeposition of different crops and grasses, and microbial use of rhizodeposits mediates carbon stabilisation and de-stabilisation of soil organic matter in mineral-associated and particulate organic matter of different soil types varying in clay mineralogy.

Plant carbon cost for nutrients and water uptake

This project employs stable isotopes to investigate controls on plant carbon allocation belowground to rhizodeposition, root respiration, and mycorrhizal association in exchange for nutrients and water uptake in different plant-soil systems including 1) wheat genotypes with variation in rhizodeposition under nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilisation; 2) mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal tomato genotypes in controlled environmental conditions with a variation of watering treatments; 3) grassland plants in CAFE (Clipping and fertilisation) field experiment.

Cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus along an elevational gradient of a grassland

Grasslands extend across a variety of topographies including non-flat hilly areas with varied soil texture and moisture that can mediate soil biogeochemical cycling of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). In this study, we examined how spatiotemporal variation of soil organic C, total N and P pools (both inorganic and organic), as well as gross N mineralisation (GNM, as a measure of microbial activity and N dynamics) and microbial C, N, and P mediated by clay and soil moisture along an elevational gradient of a grassland hillslope.

Projects [Chief investigor]

Saffron ecosystem services under summer irrigation and different organic and chemical fertilisers

This project (2014-17) examined the role of summer irrigation and different organic and chemical fertilisers on saffron N and P uptake and utilization efficiency, water use efficiency, saffron corm and flower yield, mite population in the soil and corm damage percentage, diversity of earthworms, diversity of weeds, and soil seed bank at field condition with drip irrigation.

Feasibility of saffron cultivation in an emerging area

With ongoing climate change, the temperature profile has changed. Consequently, the suitable area for the production of saffron seems to have emerged. This project (2013-2017) investigated the feasibility of saffron cultivation in newly emerging areas under a variation of corm densities and fertilisers.

Improving onion pollination through intercropping with aromatic plants

Onion seed production improves with improved pollination. We intercropped onion in different patterns with different aromatic plants such as ajwain and chamomile to attract pollinators and improve pollination. We covered half of the sole onion plots using a mesh to prevent pollination during the flowering stage. We evaluated resource use efficiencies (radiation, water and nutrients), pollinator insect diversity of population in unit area, and plants seed yield.

Resource use efficiency of plants in different intercropping systems

Different intercropping systems were evaluated for resource use efficiencies including radiation use efficiency (RUE), uptake and utilisation efficiency of N and P, and water use efficiency to improve plant production.

Taxonomic study of the genus Cercospora and allied genera

The genus Cercospora and other morphologically similar genera such as Passalora, Pseudocercospora, and Stigmina are important pathogens causing leaf spots on economical crops such as cereals, fruit trees, vegetables, ornamentals, forest plants, and weeds. To study the taxonomy of cercosporoid fungi, collections with leaf spot symptoms (up to 200 specimens) from different localities of Mazandaran Province were obtained. A sum of 28 samples were infected with cercosporoid fungi, from which 9 were identified as new records for Iran.