Medicinal Plants
Mehrab Yadegari
Abstract
Introduction
Hyssopus officinalis L. belongs to the family Lamiaceae, and is one of the endangered endemic species in Iran. This plant is rich in essential oil, flavonoids, monoterpene glycosides, trypanocidal terpenoids, rosmarinic acid, and linolenic acid6. The main compounds of the essential oil ...
Read More
Introduction
Hyssopus officinalis L. belongs to the family Lamiaceae, and is one of the endangered endemic species in Iran. This plant is rich in essential oil, flavonoids, monoterpene glycosides, trypanocidal terpenoids, rosmarinic acid, and linolenic acid6. The main compounds of the essential oil from H. officinalis L. collected from natural habitats are α-pinene, Sabinene, 3-Carene, Beta-Pinene, Cis- Pinocamphone, Myrtenol, Pinocamphone and Camphor. The environmental factors cause changes in the growth, quantity, and quality of active substances (such as alkaloids, glycosides, steroids and volatile oils) in the medicinal and aromatic plants. Among environmental stresses, water deficit stress plays an important role in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in medicinal and aromatic plants in arid and semi-arid regions like Iran. Drought stress has detrimental effects on growth and yield and can upset the balance between the antioxidant defense system and free radicals by stimulating a series of biochemical reactions, where free radicals cause cell damage. In sustainable production systems of medicinal and aromatic plants, stable quantitative and qualitative functions can be achieved under conditions of environmental stress and it is possible to improve the production of secondary metabolites in these plants under adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, this study was done to evaluate the organic elicitors on the physiological and phytochemical properties of H.officinalis to determine and introduce the best elicitor under water stress.
Materials and Methods
This investigation was done from spring (May) 2022 to fall (September) 2023 at the Research Farm (latitude. 32°20′ N, longitude. 50°51′ E, altitude. 2061 m). Based on the Köppen climate classification, the climate of the area of study is classified as cold and semiarid. The present study was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications to investigate the effect of foliar application of different organic elicitors (chitosan, salicylic acid and phenylalanine) with control level (without any spraying) on the physiological and phytochemical characters of H. officinalis L. In each year, treatments were performed in 3 stages (end of vegetative, beginning of flowering and 50% of flowering) and in full flowering, harvesting was done. 3 irrigation regimes (4, 6, 8 day interval) in main plots and foliar application of elicitors in sub plots were done. The essential oils were extracted by hydro-distillation and analyzed using GC/MS.
Results and Discussion
According to obtained results, applied organic elicitors significantly influenced the physiological and phytochemical characters of H. officinalis L. However the assayed traits showed slightly variation during the studied years. In two years, the highest chlorophyll content (17.12-17.31 mg.Kg-1 FW) and total phenol content (1.77-1.81 mg.g-1 DW) were obtained in chitosan (0.5 mg.l-1) and phenyl alanine (1000 mg.l-1) treatments respectively. In most of measured characters, plants treated with chitosan (0.5 mg.l-1) and phenyl alanine (1000 mg.l-1) were in the same group. Amounts of some characters in plants treated with phenyl alanine (2000 mg.l-1) and salicylic acid (3 mM) lesser than control plants. The main constituents of essential oil were Sabinene, 3-Carene, Beta-Pinene, Cis- Pinocamphone, Myrtenol, Pinocamphone and Camphor (cyclic monoterpenes) that made the most components of essential oil plants. Among of elicitors, the chitosan effect on increasing of physiological and phytochemical characters such as the chlorophyll content was higher than other elicitors. Applied elicitors showed significant effects on essential oil content and composition of H. officinalis L. The highest essential oil content (0.89-0.91 %) was obtained from the treated plants by chitosan (0.5 mg.l-1). According to the biennial results of the chemical analysis of the essential oils from plants treated with treatments by GC/MS, the most important chemical compounds that determine the quality of H. officinalis L. essential oil including Beta-Pinene (17.93-18.53 %), Pinocamphone (24.97-25.12 %) and Cis-Pinocamphone (42.87-45.12 %) were identified. Cis-Pinocamphone belonging to bicyclic monoterpene was the predominant constituent of essential oil of H. officinalis L.
Conclusion
According to the results of this study, water deficit stress caused significant phytochemical changes in the H. officinalis L. essential oil. The main constituents of the volatile oils of H. officinalis L. were Sabinene, 3-Carene, Beta-Pinene, Cis- Pinocamphone, Myrtenol, Pinocamphone and Camphor were identified in the H. officinalis essential oil. Generally, Foliar application of chitosan and phenyl alanine significantly increased the monoterpenes compounds in essential oils of Hyssopus officinalis L., so that the content of these compounds and essential oil content in treated plants by organic elicitors 63% was more than the control plants. Finally, the application of chitosan at 0.5 mg.l-1 can be a good strategy to improve physiological and essential oil quantity and quality of H. officinalis L. in cold and semi-arid climates.
Growing vegetables
Sedigheh Mahmodi Soreh; Alireza Motallebi Azar; Jaber Panahandeh; Gholamreza Gohari; Amin Jahanian
Abstract
Introduction
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food and cash crop having the first rank in the world from non grain crops to ensure food security. The tubers produced through the conventional propagation are characterized by low multiplication rate and susceptibility to pathogens. Microtubers ...
Read More
Introduction
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food and cash crop having the first rank in the world from non grain crops to ensure food security. The tubers produced through the conventional propagation are characterized by low multiplication rate and susceptibility to pathogens. Microtubers are an ideal propagating material for producing high quality seed potatoes. Nowadays, the production, application, and biological risk assessment of nano-scaled products have attracted global concerns in various fields such as agricultural, biotechnological, medicinal, and plant sciences. Chitosan, a biocompatible polymer, has been widely utilized to improve the production of nano-chemicals, thereby improving crop growth, productivity, and immunity. Nanotechnology plays an important role in modern agriculture to address global challenges such as climate change, severity of plant diseases and the limited availability of important plant nutrients. Polymer-based nano-formulations have recently received the greatest attention with the key objectives of developing less harmful, plant growth promoting and protective agents of biodegradable and natural origin. Use of chitosan-based nanoparticles in agriculture field is still in a budding phase. Significant outcomes have been reported in in vitro and a few in vivo studies in plant growth and protection by chitosan-based nanomaterials.
Materials and Methods
MS medium containing 80 g of sucrose, containing glycine betaine at concentrations of 20 and 40 mg/l, chitosan at a concentration of 240 mg/l, glycine betaine 20 and chitosan 240 mg/l, glycine betaine 40 and chitosan 240 mg/l, 120 mg/l, glycine betaine nanocomposite coated with chitosan 120 and 240 mg/l and control treatment, as well as nonsalinity treatments with the same compounds and concentrations mentioned for salinity were cultured. The study was performed in randomized complete block design with three replications and sixteen treatment. Glycine betaine nanocomposite coated with chitosan were prepared at Maragheh University as follows. Chitosan, glycine betaine, and triphosphate are major consumables. First, chitosan was dissolved well with acetic acid under the influence of temperature. Then, a certain amount of glycine betaine was dissolved in distilled water and added to the chitosan. Tri-polyphosphate (TPP) was dissolved in distilled water at a certain volume ratio and added dropwise to the mixture of chitosan and glycine betaine. The precipitate obtained under the freeze-drying process lead to the preparation of its powder.
Results and Discussion
According to the comparison of the means, treatment of glycine betaine coated with chitosan nanocomposite at a concentration of 120 mg/l produced the highest number of microtuber during the experiment from the first month to the final month. The nanocomposite was more capable of improving growth and biomass than the bare ZnONPs in pepper. The application of the nanocomposite increased the concentration of chlorophylls (51%), carotenoids (70%), proline (2-fold), and proteins (about 2- fold). The supplementation of culture medium with the nanomaterials upregulated enzymatic antioxidant biomarkers (catalase and peroxidase) (Asgari-targhi et al., 2021). The highest mean microtuber weight was related to the nanocomposite treatment of 120 mg/l with a weight of 29 mg. In the microtuber diameter, this treatment had the highest value. The results of analysis of variance in Table 1 indicate that the effect of moderate salinity and the interaction of moderate salinity and nanocomposite treatments are not significant and the effect of experimental treatments is significant at the level of 5% probability. Due to the fact that the most important trait in the potato microtuberization is microtuber yield, so in the experiment, the highest microtuber yield was earned nanocomposite treatment with 131 mg and the lowest in control treatment with 87 mg. It seems that by using stress-reducing compounds such as glycine betaine and chitosan and nanocomposites, these compounds increase the amount of genes responsible for the formation of microtuber, and as a result, increasing the proteins involved in stresses induce more microtuberization. Also, nanocomposite materials, more assimilated materials may be transferred from the roots to microtuberization processes.
Conclusion
The microtuber produced in the glycine betaine coated with chitosan nanocomposite treatment produced the highest number of microtubers in the first, second, third, and final months. In treatments with moderate salinity in the first, second, third and final months, the number of microtuber and eyes and sprouted microtubers had the highest amount compared to the treatment without moderate salinity. Also, plants treated with glycine betaine voated with chitosan nanocomposite in the microtuber trate showed a greater effect than chitosan and glycine betaine with chitosan. According to the findings of this study, it seems that the use of nanocomposite materials in increasing the microtuber and reducing the vegetative growth of potato shoots has been made in Agria cultivar.
Rohollah Ameri; Majid Azizi; Ali Tehranifar; Vahid Rowshan
Abstract
In order to study the effect of natural antitranspirant compound and water stress on growth, development and essential oil content of Ocimumbasilicum a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replicates was conducted. 3 levels of water stress (500 as control, 375 and 250 ...
Read More
In order to study the effect of natural antitranspirant compound and water stress on growth, development and essential oil content of Ocimumbasilicum a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replicates was conducted. 3 levels of water stress (500 as control, 375 and 250 ml/day) and 3 antitranspirant compound (chitosan, plantago mucilage and psyllium mucilage) in 3 levels of 0.5, 1 and 1.5% (m/v) and applied during the plant growth. Photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance, stomatal chamber CO2, leaf temperature, fresh and dry weight of herb, essential oil percentage and content were measured. The results showed that water stress and antitranspirant application had a significant effect on all measured traits (P≤0.05 and P≤0.01). The highest values of these traits were observed in control for water stress treatment and different levels of antitranspirant compounds. Transpiration levels from leaf were significantly decreased by antitranspirant compounds application. Chitosan (1 and 1.5%) decreased transpiration by 200% over control. Photosynthesis was also increased up to 30% by chitosan treatment (0.5 and 1) in comparison to control.Also, antitranspirant compounds increasing dry matter yield in water stress condition but reducing essential oil % and yield in comparison with control. In general, according to the result of this experiment, antitranspirant compounds with natural origin are safe, biodegradable, easy available, low cost and alternatives which can be used in substitution with common chemical types.
Mohammad Reza Asghari; Farhad Asghari
Abstract
The effect of different concentration of salicylic acid (0, 1 and 2 mmolL-1) and chitosan (0, 0.5 and 1 percent) on postharvest life and quality of Selva strawberry fruit during storage at 2.5±0.5°C with 85-95% RH for 7 and 14 days was studied. Decay incidence, marketability, total soluble solids, ...
Read More
The effect of different concentration of salicylic acid (0, 1 and 2 mmolL-1) and chitosan (0, 0.5 and 1 percent) on postharvest life and quality of Selva strawberry fruit during storage at 2.5±0.5°C with 85-95% RH for 7 and 14 days was studied. Decay incidence, marketability, total soluble solids, total acidity, vitamin C content and total antioxidant activity were evaluated during storage. chitosan 1% significantly decreased decay incidence and maintained fruit marketability. 1mmolL-1 of salicylic acid in combination with 1% chitosan significantly retained fruit soluble solids, vitamin C content and total antioxidant activity and was more effective on total antioxidant activity during first week of cold storage. 1 and 2 mmolL-1 salicylic acid retained total acidity.
Seyyed Rasul Finidokht; Mohammad Reza Asghari; HABIB Shirzad
Abstract
The use of natural compounds to control plant pathogens lead to reduction in using fungicides. Chitosan with duble effects, control pathogenic microorganisms and activate inducing defence responses, has been shown to be a reliable nontoxic material in the plant-pathogen interaction. The aim of this research ...
Read More
The use of natural compounds to control plant pathogens lead to reduction in using fungicides. Chitosan with duble effects, control pathogenic microorganisms and activate inducing defence responses, has been shown to be a reliable nontoxic material in the plant-pathogen interaction. The aim of this research was to consider the effects of chitosan and calcium chloride on decay and quality attributes of sweet cherry cv. Siah mashhad. This experiment was conducted factorially in the figure of completely randomized design with five replications. Treatments were included of chitosan (0, %0.5 and %1) and Calcium Chloride (0, %1 and %2) and time (20 and 40 days). Measuring factors was included total soluble solids (TSS), titrable acidity (TA), partability index (PI), pH, weight loss, fruit decay. The results showed that application of chitosan %0.5 alone lead to stabilize soluble solids, organic acid, pH and fruit weight, also partability index and fruit rot was decreased. In short time storage (20 days) CaCl2 stabilize organic acids and fruit weight and caused partability index, pH, fruit decay to be decreased but fruit soluble solids increased. In total simple treatment of calcium chloride and chitosn showed better results compared to combination treatments on measured parameters.
