Products In Iran Research Articles

Prospects of solar systems in production chain of sunflower oil using cold press method with concentrating energy and life cycle assessment

The aim of this study is determination of exergoenvironmental efficiency for using solar technologies in sunflower oil production in Iran. Accordingly, the applications of photovoltaic and photovoltaic/thermal systems were evaluated for both agricultural and industrial phases of sunflower oil production. Energy results reveal that 1 ton of sunflower oil consumes and produces about 180,354 and 39,400 MJ energy, respectively. About 86% of total energy consumption belongs to agricultural phase and electricity with 32%, has the highest share of total energy consumption. IMPACT 2002+ method and cumulative energy demand of life cycle assessment are applied to 3 defined scenarios including Present, photovoltaic and photovoltaic/thermal. Results indicate that total amounts of climate change in Present scenarios is 24537.53 kg CO2 eq. . The highest share of human health (90%), ecosystem quality (90%) and climate change (50%) in all scenarios belongs to direct emissions. Results also illustrates that total cumulative energy demand of Present, photovoltaic and photovoltaic/thermal scenarios are about 177,538, 99,054 and 132,158 MJ 1TSO−1, respectively. Furthermore, the most contribution of non-renewable resources and fossil fuels belongs to electricity (37%), nitrogen (52%) and photovoltaic/thermal panels (39%) in Present, photovoltaic and photovoltaic/thermal scenarios, respectively. Finally the photovoltaic scenario is the best environmental-friendly scenario.

An assessment of Energy Consumption for Canola Production System in Iran (A Case Study: Amirkabir Agro-Industry)

Canola production increased significantly in Iran due to its high yield in recent years. Khuzestan province is the main centre of canola production in Iran. This paper presents a data mining study of samples of canola obtained from farms in Amirkabir Agro-Industry of Khuzestan province. Data were collected from 48 farms. The farms were chosen by random sampling method. The purpose of this study is to determine energy consumption of input and output used in canola production. And Output energy of canola farms is predicted using data mining and multi-layer perceptron neural network. This is an analytic research and its database consists of 432 records. Data required for this research was obtained during growing seasons in 2017-2018. Data analysis was done by IBM SPSS modeler 14.2. The results showed that the amount of energy consumed in canola production was 28927.43 MJ ha-1. About 40% of this was generated by fertilizers and 37% from electricity and diesel fuel. Concerning the model used in the research, it was found that variables of chemical fertilizer, fuel, electricity energy and irrigation, respectively had the highest effect on output variable (productive energy). Amount of prediction precision in neural network algorithm meaning ratio of correctly predicted records to total records was 86.5%. Also, linear correlation between actual values and predicted values was 0.84 and 0.88 respectively for training data and testing data suggesting strong correlation. Results obtained in this research can be effective for canola farmers in Amirkabir Agro-Industry in direction of evaluation and optimization of energy consumption in process of canola production and reduction of consumption of energy inputs.

Energy Prediction of Wheat Production Using Data Mining Technique in Iran

Wheat is considered as one of the most important products in Iran. Concerning high cultivation area of wheat in Khuzestan, an instrument is required to process stored data in order to give information resulted from such processing to managers of agricultural sectors. Data mining technique is able to give essential information and models to producers of wheat for modelling energy consumption. One of the most practical algorithms is an artificial neural network. The main aim of this research is to predict output energy of wheat farms using a multilayer perceptron neural network. This is an analytic research and its database consists of 1240 records. Data required for the research was obtained from wheat farm during 2014-2018. Data analysis was done via IBM SPSS modeller 14.2 and standard CRISP. Concerning the model used in the research, it was found that variables of chemical fertilizers, machinery & diesel fuel with coefficients of 0.2987, 0.2064 and 0.1527 respectively had the highest effect on output variable (productive energy). Amount of prediction precision in neural network algorithm, meaning ratio of correctly predicted records to total records was 93.08%. Also, linear correlation between actual values and predicted values were 0.92 and 0.88 respectively, for training data and testing data suggesting strong correlation. The results obtained can be effective for wheat farmers in direction of evaluation and optimization of energy consumption in process of wheat production and reduction of consumption of energy inputs.

Determination of soybean yield gap and potential production in Iran using modeling approach and GIS

Increasing crop production is necessary to maintain food security for the growing global population. Reducing the gap between actual and potential yield is one of the important ways to increase yield per unit area. Potential yield and the yield gap of soybean were determined for Golestan Province, Iran, using Soybean Simulation Model (SSM-iCrop2) and Geographical Information System (GIS). Information from 24 weather stations and soil data of the region were used. Yield gap and production gap were calculated at county and province levels. The average actual yield of soybean in this province was 2.28 t ha–1 while the province’s potential yield was 4.73 t ha–1, so the yield gap was estimated 2.44 t ha–1. Thus, there is a great potential for increasing soybean yield in Golestan, which is possible through improving crop management of soybean in farmers’ fields. The average water productivity of soybean was estimated to be 0.81 kg m–3. Spatial distribution of water productivity in soybean farms showed that the highest and the lowest water productivities (0.99 and 0.44 kg m–3) were in western and eastern regions of the province, respectively, in accordance to vapour pressure deficit. It was concluded that soybean production in the province could increase by 66% (from 109 970 to 182 170 tons) if 80% of the current yield gap could be removed.

An Investigating of Vegetable Production in Iran by Using Time Series Models

An Investigating of Vegetable Production in Iran by Using Time Series Models

Milk yield depression and its economic loss due to production diseases: Iran's large dairy herds.

Incidences of production and metabolic diseases in dairy cows have increased over the last few decades because of the increasing trends in milk production. Production diseases cause different and distinct depressions in milk production that lead to different and major economic losses in large dairy herds. The objective of this study was to determine milk production depression and its economic losses due to different production diseases in selected large dairy herds of Iran. Production and health data from 17 large dairy herds with a total of 146464 observations across three parities were obtained. Milk yield depressions were estimated for three phases of lactation including 1) 5-60, 2) 61-120, and 3) 121-180 days in milk. Data were analyzed using Mixed Models of SAS program (v. 9.3) with fixed effects of the diseases, calving year, calving month, parity, and herd with cow age at calving as covariates. The data demonstrated significant effects of different production diseases on milk production depression during 5-60, 61-120, and 121-180 days in milk (P<0.05). During 5-60 days in milk, ketosis, displaced abomasums (DAs), laminitis, mastitis, metritis, retained placenta (RP), and dystocia resulted in, respectively, 253, 682, 39, 38, 110, 215, and 55 kg of milk yield depressions that were equivalent to 38.5, 103.7, 6.0, 5.8, 16.7, 32.6, and 8.4 U.S. Dollars (USD) economic losses. Milk yield depressions due to laminitis and mastitis over the 180 days in milk were, respectively, 207 and 404 kg equivalent to 31.5 and 63.0 USD economic losses. Since the milk yield depression constitutes about 20-35% of total costs of production and metabolic disorders, the total economic losses would be 3-5 times the above values. Displaced abomasum and laminitis caused the highest and lowest depressions in milk yield, respectively. The findings suggest that commercial dairy production management strategies in Iran require reassessment and refinement. Overfeeding of concentrates should be ceased. Future economic and reproductive studies are needed to enable developing effective strategies for optimizing modern and postmodern dairy production in Iran.

Longitudinal Serological Monitoring of Commercial Broiler Breeders for Fowl Adenoviruses (FAdVs)-Presence of Antibodies Is Linked with Virus Excretion.

Currently, the poultry industry worldwide is facing an emerging trend of fowl adenovirus (FAdV)-associated diseases with a significant economic impact, especially in meat-type chickens. Vertical transmission is an important feature of all FAdVs; hence, preventive measures mostly revolve around breeding stocks. However, knowledge about temporal development of FAdV infections in modern commercial settings is rare or even nonexistent. In the present study, longitudinal monitoring for FAdV was conducted in broiler breeder flocks located in a confined geographical region with intensive poultry production in Iran. For this, the antibody status of birds from 4 to 32 wk of age was monitored with a commercial FAdV-ELISA and virus neutralization test (VNT). In parallel, fecal shedding of FAdV was determined at the peak of egg production with real-time PCR and virus isolation. Overall, the commercial ELISA showed seroconversion of flocks before onset of production. VNT resolved in detail infection patterns of individual serotypes with a primordial FAdV-D (FAdV-2/-11) infection, frequently followed by FAdV-E (FAdV-8a, -8b) superinfection. FAdV-A (FAdV-1) was traced in half of the investigated flocks, while no evidence of infection with FAdV-C (FAdV-4, -10) was noted. Common serological profiles between different houses of the same farm indicate an overarching biosecurity. Serological profiles coupled with virological findings at the peak of egg production indicated that higher antibody levels, determined by ELISA, correlated with lower amounts of viral DNA in fecal excretion. Simultaneously, the number of isolated FAdVs belonging to distinct serotypes declined in accordance with a rise of neutralizing antibodies in birds, underlining the significance of serotype-specific antibodies in the epidemiology of FAdV in breeders. Investigations in breeders were complemented with screening of FAdV-associated diseases in local broilers over a 3-yr period; 26 cases of inclusion body hepatitis with dominant involvement of FAdV-11/FAdV-8b, one outbreak of adenoviral gizzard erosion related to FAdV-1, and no evidence of hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome suggest that identical serotypes are maintained in the local poultry industry.

Study of the Effect of Implementing Land Equipping and Renovation Project on productivity in Paddy Fields of Mazandaran Province

Increasing rice production in Iran due to the scarcity of production resources requires increasing productivity. In order to achieve this goal, the land equipping and renovation project has been implemented in the country. Since the most important rice - producing province in Iran is Mazandaran province, the main goal of present study is to analysis the effect of implementing land equipping and renovation project on productivity in paddy fields of Mazandaran province. For this purpose, the required information was collected by filling out a questionnaire from seven cities of Mazandaran province for the crop year 2017-18. The Tornqvist-Theil index was used to calculate the total factor productivity of first cultivation rice. Then, to investigate the factors affecting productivity, linear regression models was estimated using ordinary least squares method. Also, logistic regression model was used to determine factors distinguish between high productivity farmers and low productivity ones in first cultivation rice. The results show that in both linear and logistic models, the variables of land equipping and renovation project, land rent, geographical area (east vs. west of the province), production technology in the form of improved varieties (high yield vs. local) and doing second cultivation, as well as specialization of farmer have had a positive effect on productivity while the scale of production has no effect on productivity. The calculation of the marginal effect based on the Logit model shows that the land equipping and renovation program is one of the most important factors affecting rice productivity so that the implementation of this project have caused to increase probability of achieving a higher than “average productivity of all farmers” up to 28 percent. Based on the results, considering that implementation of land equipping and renovation project has taken many years, it is recommended to pay attention to implement it as soon as possible in other parts of the Mazandarn province.

Consumer behavior assessment regarding lightweight furniture as an environmentally-friendly product

ABSTRACT This study was aimed to evaluate the position of lightweight panels and their application in furniture production in Iran by investigating consumers’ behavior and preferences. Here, consumers’ preferences toward effective criteria to choose furniture made of wood-based panels (WBPs) were evaluated on the basis of analytical network process method. Furthermore, respondents were asked about their attitudes and preferences regarding lightweight furniture. The results revealed that the main sub-criteria for buying furniture were product quality, design, price, environmentally-friendly, and guarantee features. Furthermore, the technological feature was the most important criterion affecting consumers buying decisions more than the visual/appearance and economical features of the furniture. Consumers believed that conventional WBPs were heavy for some applications in the furniture. Respondents emphasized that they would buy lightweight furniture, even with a bit more price (5–9%) in comparison to conventional furniture (furniture made of WBPs) if there would be a product guarantee, more varieties of the products available in the market, and environmentally-friendly certification. In general, the consumers showed a willingness to buy furniture made by panels with mid-range density (480 kg/m3 density), but they should have to be sure of the panels’ quality and the furniture made thereof before buying this product.

The Effects of the Re-imposition of US Sanctions on Food Security in Iran.

Background: Following the re-imposition of US sanctions against Iran in 2018, unprecedented inflation has occurred in Iran’s food market that will undoubtedly affect the food security of the Iranian people. The present study aims to determine the effects of the sanctions on food prices and food security of Iranian households. Methods: Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was applied to assess the effects of sanctions on the average retail price of food products in Iran. Household food security was estimated by calculating the share of household food expenditure. Costs of following a healthy diet based on the food pyramid were estimated. Results: The import dependency ratio of Iran’s food market was about 25%. After sanctions due to the limitations in international financial exchanges a significant increase in the prices of all food groups occurred in 2018, the year after the re-imposition of sanctions. The highest inflation rate was observed in vegetable, meat, and fruit groups. The percentage of urban and rural households in Iran that were prone to food insecurity increased from 8.84% and 25.17% to 11.2% and 29.2%, respectively, from 2017 to 2019. The annual average cost of a healthy diet for a sample Iranian family of 3.3, based on the current prices, is 341 866 008 IRR (US$2849) which is 3.6 times greater than the average amount Iranian families spent on food last year (94 505 000 IRR or US$788). Conclusion: After the re-imposition of US sanctions against Iran, food insecurity as a result of economic vulnerability, has increased and due to the current status of food prices and incomes, following a healthy diet has become more difficult for most Iranians. This makes the Iranian population more prone to chronic diseases in the near future and if this trend persists, it places the country in danger of food crisis and political instability.

The Contribution of Chemical, Organic and Bio-Fertilizers on Rice Production in Iran: A Meta-analysis

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important global food crop and a main source of calories for about 60% of the world population. Fertilizers are essential components of modern agriculture and play a vital role in improving rice and other crops yield. We performed a meta-analysis to determine how different types of fertilizers including chemical (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), 18 potassium (K), silicon (Si), and micronutrients), organic (compost and manure) and bio-fertilizers (plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and fungi (PGPF)) influence on rice productivity in Iran. A significantly positive overall effect of fertilizers was noted on biological yield (28.39%), grain yield (26.02%), harvest index (3.17%) and 1000-grain weight (4.86%). Chemical, organic and bio-fertilizers positively influenced grain yield by 26.78, 15.20 and 26.61%, respectively. Among all types of fertilizers, N has the most important role in rice production and responsible for 38% of yield. For N and P, the most increase of yield (47.60 and 20.52%, respectively) had been calculated in high fertilization rates (>120 and >80 kg h–1, respectively), while the highest rice yield was obtained from moderate K and Si fertilization rates (40–80 and 250–500 kg ha–1, respectively). Therefore, it seems that lower rates of K and Si fertilizers could be used in paddy fields for reaching optimum yield. Overall, this meta-analysis indicated that about 27, 15, and 27% of rice yield is attributable to chemical, organic and bio-fertilizers, respectively.

Investigation the impact of economic sanctions on exports of agricultural and industrial products in Iran (2006- 2012)

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of economic sanctions on the country's agricultural and industrial exports. (The years 2006-2012). The present study based on objective is applied and based on the type of research is descriptive-documents. Methodology: The research population is including 420 statistical sample of 60 types of industrial and agricultural products that for collect the data was used the data of customs documents presented on the site Chamber of Commerce-Industry, Mines and Agriculture of Tehran and to analyze the data was used of Excel software and SPSS 21software. Results: Results showed that process of mean changes of exports gross income, over time, has been significant and the average of exports gross income (agricultural and industrial) during the years of sanctions from 2006 to 2012 have a difference together. Conclusion: The average of exports gross income of all products at the beginning of sanctions with the strongest growth in over a year, but then dropped as much and during the years later was associated with low growth, but relatively stable. However, that the average of export gross income of agricultural products has been associated with a relatively mild growth during the years of the sanctions, and finally the average of exports gross income of industrial products dropped in 2007, but had upward until 2009, and then along with the downward trend.

Simplified Anxieties; on the Cultural Production in Iran

Simplified Anxieties; on the Cultural Production in Iran

Revising the interrelationship matrix of house of quality by the Kano model

PurposeThis study aims to revise the weights in the interrelationship matrix of the house of quality.Desqign/methodology/approachAfter determining customer requirements (CRs) and product design characteristics (PDCs), a house of quality (HoQ) has been developed and the interrelationships between CRs and PDCs have been determined and classified using the Kano model. The PDCs have been prioritized based on the classic HoQ and the revised HoQ. Finally the results have been compared and discussed. The television design of Entekhab Industrial Group, the largest producer of home appliance products in Iran has been selected as a case study.FindingsResults indicated different sets of priorities derived from the two approaches. Particularly, the difference between the revised HoQ and the classic approach was due to the nonlinear relationship between CRs and PDCs.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was performed merely on a single product of a company, and the case study results cannot be generalized to all of the home appliance industries.Originality/valueDeveloping the application of the Kano model in computing and revising the weights of the cells in the interrelationship matrix of HoQ is the main contribution of this paper.

Arthropod pests of pistachios, their natural enemies and management

Commercial pistachio cultivation and production began about a century ago in Iran. The size of this industry has gradually increased and the pistachio nut production in Iran is now the largest worldwide, although it has declined over last few years due to long periods of harsh drought, the mismanagement of water resources and the impact of climate change. Research on pests and diseases was started in the 1940s due to the demands of the growers who were facing economic damage by herbivorous insects. Much research has been undertaken over the last 75 years to improve production procedures and the present article summarises the available information on pistachio pests, their natural enemies and management.

Economic burden of medication-overuse headache in Iran: direct and indirect costs.

Medication-overuse headache (MOH) as a secondary chronic headache imposes a considerable burden on both individuals and societies. Nevertheless, little is known about the burden of MOH in Iran. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to quantify the annual cost of MOH among Iranian patients. In this cross-sectional study, 84 patients were recruited. Demographic data, headache attack characteristics, related disability, and information about the economic burden of MOH were collected through face-to-face interview. Direct medical and nonmedical costs as well as indirect costs were included in our cost analysis. The prevalence-based approach was applied to estimate the economic burden of MOH. We found that MOH patients in Iran spend averagely $1046 for medical services, $132 for nonmedical services, and $1432 due to lost productivity per year. The per-person annual cost of MOH was US$2610, and the total annual cost for Iran was $10,179,000,000, with direct and indirect cost accounting for 45% and 55%, respectively. MOH leads to substantial healthcare costs and significant loss of productivity in Iran. Therefore, raising awareness in this area especially for policymakers can use in future health planning and lead to resource allocation in the field of disabling type of headache disorders such as MOH. Our findings also provide a different insight into the burden of MOH, which are likely closer to the actual costs in middle- and low-income countries, and also it could be a sample of such a study in western Asia.

A Technical analysis investigating energy sustainability utilizing reliable renewable energy sources to reduce [formula omitted] emissions in a high potential area

Reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will have a positive impact on the environment by preventing adverse effects of global warming. To achieve an eco-environment, the primary source of energy needs to shift from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. Thus, increased utilization of renewable energy overtime reduces air pollution and contributes to securing sustainable energy supply to satisfy future energy needs. The main purpose of this study is to investigate several sustainable hybrid renewable systems for electricity production in Iran. In this regard, critical indicators that have the strongest impact on the environment and energy sustainability are presented in this study. After a comprehensive review of environmental issues, data was collected from the meteorological organization and a techno-economic assessment was performed using HOMER software. It was concluded that the hybrid configuration composed of photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine, diesel generator and battery produced the best outcome with an energy cost of 0.151$/kWh and 15.6% return on investment. In addition, the results showed that with a higher renewable fraction exceeding 72%, this hybrid system can reduce more than 2000 Kg of CO2 emission per household annually. Although excess electricity generation is a challenge in stand-alone systems, by using the fuel cell, an electrolyzer, and a hydrogen tank unit, the amount of energy loss was reduced to less than one-sixth. These results show that selecting useful indicators such as appropriate implementation of policies of new enabling technologies and investments on renewable energy resources, has three potential benefits namely: CO2 reduction, greater sustainable electricity generation and provides an economic justication for stakeholders to invest in the renewable energy sector.

Soil application of entomopathogenic nematodes suppresses the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica in cucumber

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) cultivation in commercial greenhouses occupies an important section of vegetable production in Iran. Root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica considered the most destructive soil-borne pathogen in cucumber growing greenhouses. In this study, biocontrol activity of three species of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs, i.e., Steinernema carpocapsae, S. feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) was determined on M. javanica infecting cucumber under growth chamber and greenhouse conditions. The aqueous suspension of infective juveniles (IJs) was used in five different inoculation times (i.e., 1 or 2 weeks pre-inoculation, simultaneously, and 1 or 2 weeks post-inoculation of the pathogenic nematode into the cucumber soil). Results showed that S. carpocapsae and H. bacteriophora were capable of decreasing all the pathogenicity indices (number of galls, eggs and egg masses) of M. javanica in growth chamber, as well as greenhouse conditions. The best application time for EPNs was determined as 1 week after post-inoculation of M. javanica into the soil. Although EPNs showed significant inhibition in 25 IJ/cm2 (3.8 IJ/cm3) of soil, the best biocontrol activity was observed in 125 IJ/cm2 (19.1 IJ/cm3). Furthermore, the highest reduction in pathogenicity indices was observed when EPNs-colonized cadavers were used as carrier of biocontrol agents. Significant increase in plant growth indices (e.g., fresh/dry weight of shoots/roots) was recorded for all treatments except S. feltiae. Altogether, our results provide a novel insight into the applicability of EPNs against the root-knot nematode M. javanica on cucumber. Further investigations are warranted to evaluate the commercial usability of the agents in cucumber growing greenhouses in Iran.

Assessing Effective Factors on Export of Iran’s Date to European Unio

Agricultural sector is the most influential sector in developing countries like Iran. Regarding climatic conditions and natural resources of Iran, there are High productive capability and therefore the export of many agricultural products that it requires extensive trade relations with other countries. Dates is one of the most important agricultural export product in Iran, which with the advent of export powers in recent years, its position has lost in the Europe Union market as one of the high-income markets. So, the aim of study is assessing effective factors on Iran’s Dates to Europe Union. In order to achieve this aim is used gravity model by PPML and LSDV methods. For estimating model, data is used in period of 2004-13. Our analysis establishes four important results. First, PPML estimator had more consistent results in comparison with LSDV estimator in assessing effective factors on export of Iran’s Dates to EU. Second, Traditional variables such as GDP per capita, credit, openness and access to high seas respectively with coefficient 0.980, 0.489, 0.331 and 2.880 have a significantly positive impact and Distance (-1.609) has a significantly negative impact on export of Iran’s Dates. Third, global crisis has a significantly negative impact on export of Iran to EU. Fourth, EU’s re-exporter also has a significantly positive impact on export of Iran’s Dates, which they will become a serious threat to Iran in global market in the long term.

Challenges and opportunities of transgenic agricultural products in Iran: convergence of perspectives using Delphi technique

BackgroundWidespread production and use of transgenic products across the world in recent decade has led to different reactions and point of views. Iran is also one of the consumers of these products. However, there has been an ever-increasing controversy between supporters and opponents of the use of these products in Iran and no constructive agreement has been attained on this issue. Accordingly, the main goal of present study was to determine the challenges and opportunities of transgenic agricultural products in biotechnology and plant breeding specialists’ point of view.MethodologyDelphi technique was used to achieve this goal. The statistical population was Iranian specialists in plant breeding, biotechnology, and genetic modification. The snowball sampling approach was employed to select the samples.ResultsIn general, 16 concepts in the dimension of opportunities and 25 concepts in the dimension of the challenges were identified. Analyzing the agreement rates showed that the panel of experts agree most on 14 concepts out of 16 concepts identified for opportunities. In the dimension of challenges for transgenic products, only 17 concepts received acceptable agreement scores (over 80%).ConclusionIn general, categorizing the concepts of transgenic products’ opportunities led to identification of two main aspects namely “food security” and “biosafety”. Challenges were also categorized into four strata of structural, educational, cognitive, and informational challenges. In addition, it should be mentioned that the lack of familiarity with methods, goals, and results of genetic engineering and gene transferring methods in transgenic plants is the most important aspect of people’s concern. Although it is not possible to get full knowledge about genetic engineering and genetic manipulation methods for all those who are the consumers of transgenic products, their awareness and recognition about the goals and positive/negative effects of the use of these products can be increased using specific strategies. For instance, one of the strategies is to focus and invest on mass media that which provides high availability, vast coverage, and low-cost. Accordingly, mass media (such as radio and television) can act as the best educational and informational tools for development and application of transgenic plants.