Medicinal Plants
Roghayeh Nabipour Sanjbod; Esmaeil Chamani; Younes Pourbeyrami Hir
Abstract
1. Title: The improvement of germination, growth, and biochemical indices of Echium amoenum Fisch & Mey. under different light qualities
2. Introduction: Medicinal plants, as a valuable source of herbal medicines and bioactive compounds, are rapidly declining due to uncontrolled collection from nature. ...
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1. Title: The improvement of germination, growth, and biochemical indices of Echium amoenum Fisch & Mey. under different light qualities
2. Introduction: Medicinal plants, as a valuable source of herbal medicines and bioactive compounds, are rapidly declining due to uncontrolled collection from nature. Echium amoenum Fisch & Mey. belongs to the Boraginaceae family and has a special place in Iranian traditional medicine. This plant is native to Iran and has been used to treat many infectious and inflammatory diseases, as well as modern diseases related to stress and anxiety, for many years. However, low germination percentage and uneven germination are some of the obstacles to the growth and propagation of this valuable medicinal plant. Recently, it has been reported that LED light sources have significantly increased the germination of some medicinal species. The response of plants to light spectra depends on the plant species. However, blue and red light are more useful because green plant tissues more readily absorb them. Considering the medicinal importance of E. amoenum, the present study was conducted to improve the germination and growth characteristics under LED treatments.
3. Materials and methods: This study was conducted at the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili in 2024. E. amoenum seeds were purchased from Pakan Bazr Company. After surface disinfection, the seeds were placed in Petri dishes containing wet filter paper and transferred to light chambers. Germination indices (germination percentage, speed of germination, mean daily germination, germination energy, seed efficiency, seedling efficiency, seedling vigor index, coefficient of velocity of germination, daily germination speed) were recorded for up to 21 days. Morphological indices (fresh weight of seedling, dry weight of seedling, shoot length, root length, percentage of root dry weight, percentage of shoot dry weight) were measured in 7-day-old seedlings. Then seedlings were transferred to the growing medium (peat moss and perlite), and the pots were placed in the same light chambers. After 4 weeks, biochemical indices (photosynthetic pigment content, total carbohydrate content, total protein content, and total phenol content) were evaluated. The experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replications. The 4 light treatments included 100% white LED light (W), 100% blue LED light (B), 100% red LED light (R), and a combination of blue and red LED light (50:50, BR). The data were analyzed using SPSS Inc. version 16. Means were compared using Duncan's multiple range test at a 5% probability level. Graphs were drawn using Excel software.
4. Results and Discussion: The results of the present study revealed that red light (R) treatment significantly improved germination percentage, germination speed, mean daily germination, germination energy, seed efficiency, seedling efficiency, seedling vigor index, coefficient of velocity of germination, and blue light (B) application reduced the germination of E. amoenum seeds. Similarly, E. amoenum growth characteristics, including fresh weight, dry weight, seedling length, root length, percentage of root dry weight, and percentage of shoot dry weight, increased under the positive effect of red LED light (R). Also, the blue light (B) application did not indicate any positive effect on growth indices. In biochemical indices, the application of a combination of blue and red light (BR) resulted in a significant increase in the content of photosynthetic pigments, total carbohydrate content, total protein content, and total phenol content. In addition, blue LED light (B) had a negative effect on biochemical indices compared to other treatments. In general, light quality changes can affect photosynthesis and energy production efficiency. Blue and red light are known to be the most effective wavelengths for plants, and their absorption peaks correspond to the absorption peaks of photosynthetic pigments. Therefore, their application alone and in combination can effectively increase the efficiency of photosynthesis, the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments, and the biosynthesis of macromolecules including carbohydrates and proteins. In addition, applying blue and red light increases phenolic compounds by increasing the production of enzymes related to plant secondary metabolism.
5. Conclusion: The observations of the present study showed that the seeds of E. amoenum are considered in the group of plant species that require light or are photoblastic positive. Hence, the application of red LED (R) can be considered an effective treatment to improve and increase the germination and growth characteristics of E. amoenum plant at the seedling stage. In the later stages of plant growth, the response of E. amoenum to light qualities was different. The combination of blue and red light (BR) was considered an effective treatment to increase the content of photosynthetic pigments, total carbohydrates, total proteins, and total phenols.
6. Acknowledgement: We would like to thank the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili for financial support.
7. Keywords: Chlorophyll, Germination percentage, Morphological, Phenol, Protein
Medicinal Plants
Y. Pourbeyrami Hir; E. Chamani; M. Ahadzadeh; Sh. Shaker; R. Nabipour Sanjbod
Abstract
Introduction
The use of medicinal plants has surged in recent times, with a substantial portion of modern medicines derived from botanical sources. This surge in demand underscores the potential of cultivating and producing medicinal plants to not only bolster public health but also significantly contribute ...
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Introduction
The use of medicinal plants has surged in recent times, with a substantial portion of modern medicines derived from botanical sources. This surge in demand underscores the potential of cultivating and producing medicinal plants to not only bolster public health but also significantly contribute to a society's economic well-being.Salvia nemorosa is an herbaceous, perennial, and medicinal plant. This valuable plant belongs to the Labiatae family. The aerial parts of the plant, especially the leaves, contain essential oils. Furthermore, S. nemorosa contains chemical compositions such as saponin, organic acids, diterpenes, triterpenes, polyphenols, and a bitter substance called picrosalvin. In the plant tissue culture, the preparation of culture medium and formulation compatible with the tissue of the tested plant is vital for efficient regeneration and plant growth. Generally, no specific culture medium can be recommended for the growth of explants, and is necessary to make changes in the culture medium in order to better respond to different types of explants. Carbon nanotubes are nanomaterials that can be added to the culture medium and increase the growth rate of different parts of the plant such as roots, stems, and branches. Cytokines also commonly participate in cell divisions and proliferate shoots by removing terminal dominance. Considering the mentioned importance, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of carbon nanotubes, kinetin, and their interactions on some morphophysiological and phytochemical properties of S. nemorosa under in vitro conditions.
Materials and Methods
This experiment was carried out in the tissue culture and biotechnology laboratory of the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili. This study was conducted based on factorial design (completely randomized design) with five replications. The treatments included five levels of carbon nanotubes (0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/L CNT) and three levels of kinetin (0, 2, and 4 mg/L CK). The seeds of S. nemorosa were sterilized with 70% ethanol for 40 seconds and then 2.5% hypochlorite sodium for 15 minutes (then the seed were washed with deionized water three times 3, 5, and 15 minutes). The sterilized seeds were planted in MS medium containing 30 g/L sucrose and 8 g/L agar, and then transferred to a growth chamber. After 40 days, the obtained seedlings were cut into single nodes by removing leaves and transferred to the main treatment medium. After that, some traits such as fresh weight, number of branches, number of leaves, number of roots, leaf area, root length, seedlings height, viability rate, germination rate, chlorophylls a, b, carotenoid content, phenol content, and flavonoid content were examined. The obtained data related to the experiment were analyzed with SAS software, the comparison of data means was done with Duncan's test, and the graphs were plotted using Excel software.
Results and Discussion
The results indicated that the interaction effect of carbon nanotubes and kinetin on the indices of fresh weight, number of branches, number of leaves, number of roots, leaf area, root length, seedling height, survival percentage, germination percentage, pigment content photosynthesis was not significant. On the contrary, the interaction effect of two treatments on the content of total flavonoid and total phenol showed a significant difference. The highest phenol content was obtained in the treatment combination of 80 mg/L of carbon nanotubes and 4 mg/L of kinetin. On the other hand, increasing the concentration of carbon nanotubes up to 80 mg/L, the average shoot production, number of leaves, leaf area, plant height, root number, root length, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid, phenol and flavonoid content. increased significantly. Also, by increasing the concentration of kinetin (4 mg/liter), the number of branches, the content of chlorophyll a and b increased significantly.
Conclusion
The characteristics of the S. nemorosa plant, except for fresh weight, significantly increased under the influence of carbon nanotube treatments. However, under the influence of kinetin treatment, only the number of branches, chlorophyll a, b, phenol content, and flavonoid content showed a significant increase. Based on the results of this study, carbon nanotubes can be used for proliferation and increasing the secondary metabolites of S. nemorosa. Despite the results of this study, it is still possible to use higher concentrations of carbon nanotubes in future research in order to increase the phytochemical properties and productivity of other medicinal plants.
