Institute
Azin Pakbaznia
Azin Pakbaznia started her doctoral research project at IAPN in May 2024. Her doctoral project is entitled “The point of deliquescence (POD) and point of efflorescence (POE) in different salt mixtures and their effects on nutrient uptake in foliar application”. The project deals with the effectiveness of nutrient application via the leaf with a focus on the salt mixtures’ POD and POE. With the gradual decrease in relative humidity during the day, nutrient salt droplets lose water and below a certain point, desiccation occurs (POE). However, leaf absorption requires dissolution of the applied salts on the leaves. With the POD, the first phase of the transformation of a solid salt into a solution begins, which takes place above the critical relative humidity, e.g., during the night.
Azin Pakbaznia (Foto: IAPN)
The mechanisms of nutrient uptake via the leaves are not yet fully understood. There are several factors that influence foliar nutrient uptake, e.g., plant species and cultivars, leaf morphology, developmental stage, and environmental conditions, to name a few. Although foliar fertilization is of great importance in agriculture and horticulture, the key mechanisms of solute uptake are not yet fully understood.
There are several studies on measuring the relative deliquescence and efflorescence moisture content of aerosols. However, studies on the significance of POD and POE with regard to the uptake of various macro- and microelements in salt mixtures in different crops under near-natural, agroecologically relevant conditions are not available.
Azin Pakbaznia obtained her Bachelor’s degree between 2008 and 2012 at the Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, and her Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry between 2013 and 2016 at the University of Tehran. Her Master’s thesis was published in 2017 in the peer reviewed journal Tetrahedron, entitled “Metal-free chemo- and regioselective acylation of pyridine derivatives with alcohols in water”. She started working at a pharmaceutical company as a Quality Assurance Manager right after her graduation and has been working there for eight years.