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Antarctic is one of the few regions on the Earth whose issues (particularly its legal issues) have not been adequately addressed and examined in the past decades for various reasons, including due to its geographical and natural location as a remote area. Notwithstanding, the new changes and developments occurred in the international community in the recent decades have demonstrated that there is no longer any area on the Earth towards which the world’s countries may be indifferent. In particular, the unique characteristics of the Antarctic have made it an area which has a special situation in the view of the world’s countries, especially developing countries. This is why the examination of the legal issues related to the Antarctic and the analysis of its existing legal regime are important. Although the presence of explorers in the Antarctic in the recent centuries and such justifications as adjacency have been used by a few states to claim territories in the Antarctic, the status of the Antarctic is so unique that it can be considered in the category of the areas recognized by international community as areas subject to the legal regime of common heritage of mankind (the areas such as the seabed and subsoil of the high seas and outer space). Accordingly, this paper analyses the status of the Antarctic and its legal regime and argues that, considering the unique characteristics of the Antarctic, it has the potential to be recognized by the international community as an area of common heritage of mankind. As a conclusion, the Antarctic can be subject to the legal regime arising from the concept of common heritage of mankind or a modified approach towards the common heritage of mankind in a way to meet the interests of the claimant states on one side and the international community on the other. .

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Investigating the role of drought stress conditions on physiological characteristics of plant may provide means to understand basic drought resistance. Differences in leaf emergence rate, leaf relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI), leaf mass area (LMA), net photosynthesis (Anet), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), water use efficiency (Anet/gs) and recovery of gas exchange were investigated in two-year-old grapes of three Vitis vinifera L. cultivars ("Khoshnave", "Bidane-Sefid" and "Askari"), subjected to progressive drought stress (soil water potential: -0.2, -0.6, -1, and -1.5 MPa). The results showed temporary reduction in RWC, MSI, leaf emergence rate, LMA, Anet, gs and E. Ci decreased with increasing drought stress. "Khoshnave" grape showed a higher photosynthesis rate than "Bidane-Sefid" and "Askari". Higher LMA of "Khoshnave" may be attributed to the potential for carbon absorbance and higher Anet as compared to the other two cultivars. Complete recovery of Anet for all cultivars occurred one day after rewatering at -0.6 MPa and four days after rewatering at -1 MPa treatments. Complete recovery of gs was not observed in either one or four days after rewatering except for "Askari". The results showed that Anet of "Khoshnave" recovered quickly as compared to those in the other two cultivars. Water use efficiency was maximum in all cultivars under -1 MPa treatment. Similar patterns of Anet/gs were observed for the three cultivars. "Khoshnave" had higher Anet/gs as compared to "Askari" and "Bidane-Sefid" under severe drought stress conditions. "Khoshnave" cultivar, with a higher Anet, higher leaf emergence rate, higher LMA, rapid recovery of Anet, higher Anet/gs was found to be promising for cultivation in rain-fed areas across the west of Iran in comparison with the other cultivars.

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Effects of salinity (0, 2, 6, and 8 dS m^-1) on some photosynthetic parameters and morphological characteristics of 3 almond cultivars (‘Tuono’, ‘Shoukofeh’ and ‘Sahand’), with or without Salicylic Acid (SA) treatment (at 0, 1 and 2 mM), were studied in a factorial experiment using the completely randomized design with 3 replications, in a greenhouse experiment. Results revealed that while SA at 1 mM significantly improved morphological and photosynthetic properties of salinized plants, its relatively higher concentration (2 mM) impaired growth and photosynthetic attributes. Of the tested cultivars, Shokoufeh grafted on the GF677 rootstock showed higher salt tolerance than the others. This study provides convincing evidence with regard to the potential of SA in improving almond plant growth under salt stress; suitable concentrations of SA when added to saline situations helped the plants in osmotic adjustment for alleviating the harmful effects of salinity. Efficacy of SA may be tested under field conditions before recommending it as a practical tool to enhance almond plant performance in saline soils.
 

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The present study investigated the effects of five Iranian male palm pollen grains as pollen sources on the fruit quality of two cultivars, ‘Barhee’ and ‘Piyarom’ (offshoot-derived and tissue culture-derived). The biochemical and enzymatic properties of fruit dates at the Tamar stage (full maturity) enabled the evaluation of pollen source effects on fruit quality. The research location was Jahrom Research Station, Fars Province, Iran, from 2018 to 2019. The pollen sources were genotypes ‘7001’ (control), ‘7005’, ‘7013’, ‘7030’, and ‘B11’. Pollinated with 7013 pollen, Offshoot-erived (OFS) trees of the ‘Barhee’ cultivar had the highest fruit flesh pH (7.07). In contrast, the lowest pH value (5.84) occurred in fruits of Tissue Culture-Derived (TCD) trees of the ‘Piyarom’ pollinated with the 7030. In the OFS ‘Piyarom’ the pollen source 7001 caused the highest fruit TSS (68.83%). When pollinated with the B11, ‘Barhee’ had the lowest fruit TSS (44.90%). In TCD ‘Piyarom’ trees, the 7030 pollen caused the highest TSS (62.53%). By receiving pollen from B11, the ‘Barhee’ produced fruits with the lowest TSS (44.23%). Regardless of being OFS or TCD and of the pollen source, on average, ‘Barhee’ produced fruits with more moisture content than fruits of the ‘Piyarom’. In OFS ‘Piyarom’ trees, pollen from the 7030 caused the highest Fruit Dry Matter (FDM) (87.40%), whereas the ‘Barhee’ pollinated with the 7001 produced fruits with the lowest FDM (67.15%). In TCD ‘Piyarom’ palms, pollen from the 7030 caused the highest FDM (85.19%), compared to the ‘Barhee’ pollinated with the 7013, which showed the lowest FDM (67.87%). Pollen from the 7030 caused the highest total sugar content in the fruits of OFS and TCD ‘Piyarom’ trees. The fruits of OFS ‘Piyarom’ trees had more Fe and Polyphenol Oxidase (PPO) activity than TCD ‘Piyarom’ trees.