IRANIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS
Year:2017 | Volume:33 | Issue:3 (83) |Papers Count:19

Due to the increased use of medicinal plants, the qualitative classification is inevitable. Rosa damascena Mill. with a high value of essential oil and its unique properties in the health, food and pharmaceutical industries is of one of these plants. In this study, after essential oil extraction from nine genotypes of Rosa, the essential oil components were identified by GC and GC-MS analysis. The genotypes were divided in three classes (C1, C2, C3) based on total percentage of six most important compounds, having major role in essential oil quality (phenyl ethyl alcohol, trans rose oxide, citronellol, nerol, geraniol, geranial).Then, the classes were tested by an electronic nose (EN) system designed based on metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors. Sensors response pattern was recorded and analyzed by chemometrics methods in next step. Results of principal components analysis (PCA) showed that 85% of data variance was explained by two first principal components (PC1, PC2). Artificial neural network based on back propagation multilayer perceptron (Bp-MLP) was performed and classification accuracy achieved 100% and 96% for training and test sets, respectively. These results showed that EN could be used as a quick, easy, accurate and inexpensive system to classify Rosa damascene Mill essential oil.

Increasing the efficiency of growth and survival is one of the important goals of modern aquaculture. For this purpose, with regard to the positive effects of essential oils in the diet, the effects of essential oil (Satureja hortensis L.) was investigated with the aim of improving the growth, blood biochemical and body composition indices of roach fry (Rutilus caspicus) for 60 days. In this study, 360 individuals with an average weight of 2.29±0.07 g were fed with a diet containing 100, 200 and 400 mg per kg of food and control group (without essential oil). The results showed that the highest final weight and percentage of body weight gain, lowest feed conversion rate and especial growth rate, the greatest amount of protein and lowest amount of fat were found in the diet containing 200 mg of essential oil (P<0.05). Total protein and albumin in the treatment containing 200 mg of essential oil showed a significant increase as compared with other treatments (P<0.05). In addition, the lowest level of cortisol and glucose in the diet containing 200 mg of essential oil showed significant difference with control treatment (P<0.05). In general, it seems that the Satureja essential oil at a level of 200 mg in the diet could be effective in growth, survival, total protein, glucose and body composition of roach fry.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) as a valuable crop is cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. It is used in food for color and flavor and also in medicine. Optimum mother corm density and depth is one the most crucial factors determining daughter corm generation and flower yield. For this purpose, this research was aimed to study the effects of planting density and depth of corm on stigma yield and daughter corms production traits during 2012-2014 in Mahidasht, Kermanshah province. The study was conducted in a factorial experiment based on randomized complete blocks design with four different planting densities (3, 6, 9, 12 cm) and three planting depths of corm (10, 15, 20 cm) in three replications. Traits including flower number, flower fresh weight, fresh and dry weight of stigma and style, stigma and style length, leaf weight, the number and average weight of daughter corm were measured. Analysis of variance showed that the effect of planting density and depth of mother corm was significant on total traits. The interaction effect between planting density and planting depth on some traits (average weight of daughter corm and stigma and style length) was significant. The highest flower number, fresh flower weight, total fresh and dry weight of stigma and style (2.09 and 0.5 gr/m2, respectively), leaf weight, and daughter corm number were obtained in planting density of 6 cm and planting depth of 15 cm. The highest length of stigma and style of saffron was achieved in planting density of 9 cm and planting depth of 15 cm, and the average weight of daughter corm was obtained in planting density of 12 cm and planting depth of 15 cm. Therefore, the planting density of 6 cm and planting depth of 15 cm, having the highest effect on fresh and dry weight of stigma, are recommended.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a cross-pollinated plant whose seed vigor is poor. Therefore, the vegetative propagation approaches like in vitro culture techniques could be the best choice for mass and true-to-type production of stevia plantlets. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of basal media (MS, B5 and LS) and physical parameters such as light (55 and 110 mmol m-2 s-1) and temperature (22, 25 and 27oC) on in vitro culture of stevia. The nodal segments were cultured on basal media containing various combination of BAP and IAA or IBA. The ANOVA showed significant differences (P≤0.05) among treatments on micropropagation of stevia. In another experiment, the effect of mT (0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 mg/l) was also compared with the best treatment from the first experiment. It was found that mT at 1 mg/l was the best concentration. The genetic stability of micropropagated plantlets relative to the mother plant was achieved by AFLP marker using 12 selected primers. In this study, 231 reproducible bands around 50-500bp were scored, indicating similarity of in vitro plantlets with the donor.

In order to investigate the effects of different irrigation intervals on morphological characteristics of different Achillea millefolium L. populations, an experiment was conducted at the experimental field of Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands during 2012 and 2013. Three irrigation intervals (7, 14 and 21 days) and 19 A. millefolium populations were compared in a factorial experiment based on a complete randomized block design with three replications. As many plants were lost in irrigation interval of 21 days, comparison was continued with irrigation intervals of 7 and 14 days. Results showed that irrigation intervals and population origins had significant effects (P≤0.005) on the plant height, crown diameter, stem number, dry matter yield (g plant-1), flower diameter, flower number and flowering time. In almost all populations the plant height, crown diameter and flower diameter decreased, whereas flower number per plant and the full flowering time increased in irrigation interval of 14 days. The 19 populations were grouped into three clusters. Populations in the cluster I had higher plant height, yield and flowering time. Populations in the cluster III showed higher crown diameter, flower diameter, stem number and flower number, and shorter full flowering time. These results indicated that populations in the cluster III had favorable potential production in semiarid regions.

Portulaca oleracea L., belonging to the Portulacaceae family, has a high nutritional value due to omega-3 and 6, antioxidants and Tocopherols. In addition, it has beneficial effects on preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer. On the other hand, effect of salicylic acid and micronutrients on growth, efficiency, physiological traits and resistance to disease, led us to study the effectiveness of this plant hormone and manganese sulfate on some of the traits of this valuable medicinal plant. The project was implemented in Imam Khomeini Higher Education Center of Jihad-e-Agriculture University, Karaj, Iran in 2015. The study was conducted in a factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The influence of different levels of salicylic acid (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 millimolar) and manganese sulfate (0, 0.5 and 1 g/lit) was investigated on length of main-stem, number of sub-branches, herbal fresh weight, number of seeds per capsule, number of capsules per bush, chlorophyll, carotenoids and vitamin C. Analysis of variance showed that the treatments studied had significant effects on all morphological and biochemical traits (a≤0.05). The highest number of seeds per capsule (66.44) was obtained through 1 mM of salicylic acid and 1 g/lit of manganese sulfate. The interaction effect of salicylic acid and manganese sulfate indicated that 2 mM of salicylic acid and 1 g/lit of manganese sulfate had the highest carotenoids content (0.071 mg). In general, results showed that appropriate concentrations of salicylic acid and manganese sulfate had positive and significant effect on improvement of the study traits.

Inhibitory effect of essential oils from four medicinal plants, shirazi thyme (Zataria multiflora Boiss.), pepper mint (Mentha piperita L.), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camadulensis Dehnh.) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Miller.) was investigated against two major causal agents of bean root rot in Zanjan province, Fusarium solani and Rhizoctonia solani. For this purpose, anti-fungal index (AI) of essential oils against disease causing fungi was investigated by reverse petri dish method in four concentrations of 100, 200, 300 and 400 ppm in five replicates for each treatment. Based on laboratory results, all concentrations of shirazi thyme and peppermint essential oils had the most inhibitory effect (AI = 100%) on R. solani, also all concentrations of shirazi thyme as well as one concentration of peppermint (400ppm) had complete inhibitory effect on F. solani (P=0.05). To investigate the synergistic effect between essential oil of peppermint and thyme, six mixing ratios of them were assessed. The results indicated synergistic effect between two essential oils against F. solani. To study the effect of essential oils and their mixtures on disease control under greenhouse conditions, the soil of pots was inoculated with both pathogens simultaneously, then the seeds of red bean cultivar Naz were sown after treatment with different concentrations of essential oils with four replications for each treatment (concentrations: 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500 ppm). Seed treatment with essential oils decreased the disease significantly. The most effective combination ratios of thyme and peppermint for disease control were 80:20 and 60:40. The most effective treatment for disease control was 1500 ppm of the combination of thyme and peppermint in the ratio of 60:40 (P=0.05).

This research was aimed to identify and prioritize the enterprises related to medicinal plants in Chardavol County. In the present study, due to the nature of the subject, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods (Dominant-Less Dominant and two phases Design) was used. In qualitative and quantitative phases, depth interviews and descriptive- survey method were used, respectively. The population of qualitative phase was experts of medicinal plants of which 12 people participated in the research by using purposeful sampling method. In quantitative phase, the population was 84 experts of which 50 people were selected by using simple random sampling and based on Chocran formula as the sample. Questionnaires, designed based on the results of qualitative phase and literature review, were the instrument of data gathering in quantitative phase. The validity of questionnaire was confirmed by panel of experts and the reliability of questionnaire was tested by Cronbach alpha coefficient using SPSS software. Results showed that planting of medicinal plants, business of drying, powder and packing of garlic, business of oil extraction and packing of rapeseed, production of turpentine natural chewing gum, were respectively the most important priority of business of services and production, initial processing, secondary processing and final processing of medicinal herbs.

Study of phenological characteristics and determination of temperature requirement of medicinal plants leads to a better understanding of the extent and manner of growth and development. An accurate planning for optimal utilization of the plant and amount of active substances could be done based on this feature. This research was aimed to evaluate the phenological characteristics and classify early, late and medium maturity ecotypes of Ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi L.) as well as assessment of the essential oils extracted from each ecotype. In this study, 23 native ecotypes of Iranian ajowan were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications during 2014-2015. Growing degree-day (GDD) and the days after planting (DAP) were used to determine the exact date of phenological stages. Ecotypes were evaluated every three days and when 50% of the plants of each ecotype reached the phenological stage, the date was recorded. After ripening and harvest, essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation method and clevenger apparatus. According to the results of this study, significant differences were found among ecotypes in terms of phenological traits. Flowering and granulation showed the most and least significant differences. The essential oil of samples varied between 2.7% (Sarbishe) and 6.1% (Arak). In addition, according to the results of mean comparison, four superior ecotypes in terms of early, medium and late maturity in each phenological stage were identified and classified. Physiological maturity and grain filling period were considered as a criterion to determine the early and late maturity. Accordingly, Arak (Markazi province) and Qaen (South Khorasan province) with an essence content of 6.1% and 4.7%, respectively were identified as the earliest and most late ecotypes.

Jasmonates are key signaling compounds in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as in development. We studied the role of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in alleviating NaClinduced salt stress in Mentha piperita L. through evaluating its growth, mineral and phenolics contents, essential oil (EO) quantity and quality. Accordingly, plants were exposed to the NaCl concentrations of 1.86 (control), 5, 75 and 10 dS/m for two weeks, 24 h after foliar application of 0, 60 and 120 mM MeJA. The results showed that salt stress decreased fresh and dry weights of aerial parts and concentrations of potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), K+/ Na+ ratio and phenolic compounds, while sodium (Na+) content increased significantly under salt stress. Also, EO yield increased with the increase of salinity concentration then decreased at the salinity concentration of 10 dS/m. However, exogenous application of MeJA enhanced the contents of K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+/ Na+ ratio and phenolics, while Na+ content in salt stressed plants declined. In addition, pretreatment with 60 mM MeJA improved the growth and EO yield. The highest values of menthone and menthol were obtained at the salinity concentration of 7.5 dS/m and concentrations of 60 and 120 mM MeJA. In summary, our results indicated that application of MeJA could reduce the adverse of salinity stress in M. piperita.

Hyoscyamus species such as Hyoscyamus reticulatus L. are rich sources of tropane alkaloids, mainly hyoscyamine and scopolamine, which are used for their mydriatic, antispasmodic, anticholinergic, analgesic and sedative properties. Due to complex chemical structures, these alkaloids are obtained from natural sources, mainly Solanaceae plants. Elicitation of secondary metabolites biosynthetic pathways by different kind of elicitors is an effective strategy to increase secondary metabolites productivity. In the present study, in order to increase production of tropane alkaloids, cotyledon-derived hairy root cultures transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A7, were elicited with yeast extract (YE) as biotic elicitor. Effect of different concentrations (0, 125, 250, 500 and 1000mg/l) of YE elicitor at different exposure times (24, 48 and 72 h) were investigated. According to the results, YE at the concentration of 500 and 250 mg/l after 48 h treatment, significantly increased hyoscyamine (2- fold) and scopolamine (2.5-fold) production in comparison with control, respectively. The results showed that treatment with different concentrations of YE and also increasing the exposure time led to significant decrease in growth of hairy roots in comparison with control. The activity of antioxidant enzymes including catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase was also elevated in treated hairy roots rather than of the control. Based on the results, it can be concluded that elicitation with YE leads to induce an oxidative stress. These results suggest that YE could be used as an effective elicitor in plant biotechnology for the production of plant secondary metabolites such as tropane alkaloids.

Worldwide, large amounts of herbicides are used for weed control. Problems due to the use of these herbicides have forced researchers to find more suitable methods for management of weeds. Some plants including Eucalyptus species have allelopathic properties that could be used in production of natural herbicides for weeds management. This investigation was performed in order to use Eucalyptus globulus Labill. leaf extracts to control Physalis alkekengi L. weed. The experiment included five types of solvent extracts consisting of aqueous, methanolic, ethyl acetate, acetonic and benzene and different concentrations of extracts at five levels (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 gram per liter). Results showed that, in all solvent extracts, the inhibition level on germination and seedling growth increased by increasing the concentration of the extract. Among the extracts, methanolic and benzene extracts showed the highest allopathic effects, while aqueous and acetonic extracts showed the lowest one. According to the results, methanolic extract showed strong inhibitory effects on germination and seedling growth of P. alkekengi L. Therefore, it is possible to use methanolic extract at concentrations of 5 and 10 g/lit for controlling P. alkekengi L. Although benzene extract at high concentrations showed no strong inhibitory effect on germination, it was extremely effective in reduction of seedling growth that could be considered in management program of P. alkekengi L. control.

As an important medicinal plant in some industries such as pharmaceutical industry, the antioxidant capacity of pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) in conferring drought stress, as well as physiological and yield-related traits were studied. A complete randomized block design with three replications was carried out in the research greenhouse of Birjand University during 2014, 2015. Four levels of drought stress (including 80, 60, 40 and 20 percent of the available soil water content) and two plant types (medicinal and ornamental) were considered in this study. According to the results, with increasing drought severity, APX activity decreased and SOD and CAT activity initially increased and then decreased. Over accumulation of reactive oxygen species along with inefficiency of the antioxidant system had possibly resulted in the impaired enzymatic antioxidant efficiency in the highest level of drought stress. Proline content increased along with increasing drought intensity, so that it was up to fourfold in the highest level of drought stress, compared to non-stressed control. Although proline is an antioxidant compound, no relationship was found between proline accumulation with antioxidant enzymes. Carotenoids, chlorophyll content and chlorophyll index all decrease, and MDA content increased with increasing drought intensity, as a result of damages to chloroplast membranes. Reduced photochemical efficiency of photosystem II was another consequence of intensified water deficit. Drought stress also negatively affected yield related traits, so that dry weight (27%), height (32%), number of lateral branches (33%) and flowers (50%) and flower yield (60%) decreased. We also found that medicinal pot marigold (824.3 kg.ha-1) produced more flower than ornamental one (654.9 kg.ha-1). In conclusion, we found that enzymatic antioxidant system of pot marigold conferred a suitable ability to reduce adverse effects of drought-induced oxidative stress. Hence, increasing pot marigold’s antioxidant activity could result in increasing its physiological resistant to drought stress and consequently improves its yield components performance.

Essential oils of Satureja spp. contain valuable components, such as thymol and carvacrol. This research was carried due to evaluate essential oil quality and quantity of different accessions of Satureja species in cultivated condition., Seeds of 35 accessions of 10 Satureja species were collected from natural habitats and the seedlings were planted, using a randomized complete block design with for three replications at Medicinal Plants Research Station, Yazd, Iran. Aerial parts of plants were collected during four consecutive years, air dried in shadow and essential oils were extracted with hydrodistillation clevenger method. Essential oil compounds were identified by Gas chromatography (GC) and chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Analysis of variance showed significant differences at 1% between accessions for percentage of essential oil and essential oil yield per hectare. According to the results, accessions 15 (Satureja rechingeri) from Ilam province with 5.8% and 113.9 kg/ha essential oils, and 64% carvacrol and 12.2% thymol; accession 107 (S. spicigera) from Gillan province with 2.4% and 75.5 kg/ha essential oils, and 9.2% carvacrol and 43.4% thymol; accession 24 (S. rechingeri) from Ilam province with 4.2% and 63.8 kg/ha essential oils, and 75.4% carvacrol and 6.2% thymol; and SKM (S. bachtiarica ) from Yazd province with 2.6% and 51.5 kg/ha, essential oils, and 66% carvacrol and 0.5% thymol, respectively, showed the highest essential oil production in Yazd, Iran.