Saeed Bazgeer - Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Mahmoud Behrouzi - Research Institute of Grape and Raisin, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran
Hamid Nouri - Department of Range and Watershed Management, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran
Mohamad Ali Nejatian - Horticulture Crops Research Department, Qazvin Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Qazvin, Iran
Davod Akhzari - Department of Range and Watershed Management, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran

To investigate the effects of dust particles on physiological and yield characteristics of grapevine cv. Bidaneh Safid, a field experiment in randomized complete block design (RCBD) was conducted on ۴۰ plants at the Malayer Grape Research Station, Iran, during ۲۰۱۵-۲۰۱۷. The treatments comprised of: ۱) artificial dust (۴.۳ micron, on average), ۲) washing vine by well water, ۳) washing vine by soluble-in-water dioctyle solution (dioctyl sulfosuccinate under the brand name dioctyl) one day after spraying artificial dust, ۴) washing vine after the occurrence of natural dust storm in the region with no artificial dust applied, and ۵) control, dust was not applied and after dust storm vines were not washed. Analysis of variance revealed that dioctyl and dust treatment had the highest and lowest yields of ۱۲ and ۴.۵ kg/vine, respectively. In addition, dust particles significantly decreased fruit set (by ۲۱.۷% as compare to dioctyl treatment), berries per bunch (۵۷ berries per bunch as compared to dioctyl treatment (۸۲ berries/bunch)) and weight of bunch (۸۵ g as compared to dioctyl which was ۱۱۰ g). Moreover, dust had adverse effects on lengths of shoot (decrease up to ۶۲ cm), leaf dry weight (۱.۲۸ to ۱.۳۹ g as compared to dioctyl treatment which ranged between ۱.۴۵ and ۱.۵۵ g) and photosynthetic pigments. (e.g. chlorophyll a reduced by ۱.۲۶ mg g-۱). In conclusion, washing grapevine with dioctyl and water removed dust from surface of the leaves and dust could not damage the growth and yield of the grapevine. 

Dioctyl solution, Dust pollution, Grapevine, particulate matter