Introduction. Zinc is one of the essential micronutrients for living organisms; so, the right performance of several enzymes depends on this element. This micronutrient is a regulator of phytohormones and chlorophyll synthesis, and also, it is an essential element for the carbohydrates’ metabolisms in plants. Considering the relatively high solubility of ZnO‐NPs and also the ability of plants to uptake and accumulate these nanoparticles in their biomass, ZnO‐NPs can be used as an effective nanofertilizer for plants’ growth. Methods. In the present study, zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized using chemical method and the effect of ZnO‐NPs (as a nanofertilizer) on seeds’ germination, seedlings’ rootlet, seedlings’ plumule, and seedling’s vigour index in two oilseed crops from the Brassicaceae family, including Brassica napus L. and Camelina sativa, were investigated. After treating the seeds with different concentrations of ZnO‐NPs (from 0.1 to 1000 ppm) for 6 days, the germination percentage (GP) of each treatment was measured. Results. The results indicated an increase in GP for both plants treated with 10 ppm ZnO‐NPs. For B. napus, the maximum GP occurred in treated seeds with 5 ppm ZnO‐NPs which showed a 30% increase of GP compared with the control condition. For Camelina, this maximum GP was observed in 0.1 ppm concentration of ZnO‐NPs which showed a 15% increase compared with the control condition. After the germination test, germinated seedlings were planted in Hoagland hydroponic solution and treated with ZnO‐NPs again for a week. For both species, treatment with ZnO‐NPs showed a great effect on rootlet growth, while the effects of these treatments on plumule were negligible. The maximum rootlet length was observed in treated B. napus seedlings with 5 ppm ZnO‐NPs which showed a 32% increase in this parameter compared with the control condition. In contrast, the high concentrations of ZnO‐NPs showed toxic effects on B. napus seedlings’ rootlets. Results showed a 41% decrease in B. napus seedlings treated with 50 ppm ZnO‐NPs compared with control seedlings. Similar results were observed in the treated seedlings of Camelina. For Camelina seedlings treated with 1 ppm ZnO‐NPs, 15% increase in rootlets’ length was observed, while treated Camelina seedlings with 50 ppm ZnO‐NPs showed a 68% decrease in rootlet length compared with the control condition. The results of this study indicated the potential of using ZnO‐NPs as nanofertilizer for B. napus and Camelina in low concentrations (lower than 10 ppm). In addition, these results suggest the toxicity effects of these nanoparticles on both species in concentrations higher than 50 ppm.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the ability of some physiological traits to identify drought-tolerant bread wheat genotypes. To this end, twenty bread wheat genotypes were assessed under post anthesis drought stress (rain-fed) and irrigated conditions. The Stress Tolerance Index (STI) was used as a measure of drought tolerance. Relationships between STI and Cell Membrane Stability (CMS), Proline Concentration (PC), Relative Water Content (RWC), Chlorophyll a/b Ratio (Chl a/b), Relative Chlorophyll Content (RCC), Excised Leaf Water Retention (ELWR), and Relative Water Loss (RWL) were determined in order to find out whether these physiological traits could be used as the indicators of drought tolerance. The results showed that ELWR, RWL, and CMS could be considered as reliable indicators in screening wheat genotypes for drought tolerance.

Due to the importance of Camelina for low expectation (water and other inputs) and as an oil crop, Soheil cultivar was cultivated in Ardebil, Hamedan, Rasht, Ilam, Kermanshah, Karaj, Mashhad, Ahvaz and Bushehr Provinces. Fatty acids were measured with MG-Mass. Results showed that morphological traits were not very dependent on the climate, but the profile of the fatty acids was dependent. ANOVA of the effects of climate on the saturated fatty acid showed that there were significant differences between climates for all studied SFAs (P<0.01) with the exception of Lauric acid. Mean squares of the effects of climate on the Unsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) in showing that there were significant differences between climates for all studied MUFAs (P<0.01). Mean squares of the effects of climate on the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), oil percentage and protein content of seeds indicated that there were significant differences between climates for all these studied traits. Mean squares of the effects of climate on the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), oil percentage and protein content of seeds indicated that there were significant differences between climates for all these studied traits. The statistical analysis for the effects of Climate on the ratio of the Saturated Fatty Acid (SFA) in Camelina sativa showed that there were significant differences (P<0.01) for SFA, MUSFA, PUFA, MP, P:S and MP:S. Briefly, in the cold climates, the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids was higher. So it is possible to the cultivation of this plant in cold provinces for nutritional purposes and in tropical provinces for industrial and sanitary purposes.