Ornamental plants
S. Mirzaei; M. Chehrazi
Abstract
Introduction
Narcissus (Narcissus tazetta) (Daffodil) with the scientific name (Narcissus tazetta) is a perennial bulbous plant from the Amaryllidaceae family (Mozafarian, 1996; Ghahraman & Atar, 2000). Narcissus is one of the most important ornamental bulbous plants that is used as a cut flower ...
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Introduction
Narcissus (Narcissus tazetta) (Daffodil) with the scientific name (Narcissus tazetta) is a perennial bulbous plant from the Amaryllidaceae family (Mozafarian, 1996; Ghahraman & Atar, 2000). Narcissus is one of the most important ornamental bulbous plants that is used as a cut flower and a potted plant. Our country has a huge source of native daffodils. Iran, with its climatic diversity, vast area of fertile land and abundant solar energy, is one of the centers of the propagation of plant species is important. Today, plant genetic resources are considered as the most valuable and vital resources of any country. Ornamental plants such as narcissus have been important for mankind since ancient times. They are valuable for their beauty, but also for their medicinal properties and as a food source (Chehrazi et al., 2008; Farahmand & Khosh-Khui, 2007). Considering the importance of the product in the mentioned cases, preserving the valuable native narcissus plant of our country has many economic and social benefits, also to prevent its extinction. Therefore, this project was carried out to collect and evaluate native daffodil genotypes and introduce superior genotypes.
Materials and Methods
In this research, the bulbs of narcissus native genotypes were collected from natural narcissus fields in different regions of the country (Khuzestan, Mazandaran, Fars, Ilam and Khorasan provinces). Then bulbs were planted in the research field of the Ornamental Plants Research Institute and the morphological and physiological characteristics of the daffodils were evaluated in the field, including the height of the flowering stem, number of leaves, number of flowers, flowering period, chlorophyll and flavonoid content, bulb size, number and fresh and dry weight were measured. Measuring methods are explained below. Flowering branch height: The height of the narcissus flower branch from the point of contact with the soil to the tip of the flower was measured by a ruler in centimeters. Number of leaves: The number of leaves in each narcissus plant was counted. Number of flowers in each branch: The number of flowers in each branch of narcissus was counted. Flowering period: the number of days from the appearance of the first flower to the time the flowers withered was counted. The size of daughter bulbs: The diameter of daughter bulbs in each narcissus plant was measured by calipers in millimeters. Number of daughter bulbs: The number of daughter bulbs in each narcissus plant was counted. Fresh and dry weight of daughter bulbs: The bulbs of each narcissus plant were removed from the soil. After cleaning the onions from the mud, the onions were weighed by an accurate digital scale, which was recorded as fresh weight, in grams. The onions were then placed in the oven for 72 hours and then weighed again by a precision digital balance, which was recorded as dry weight in grams. Amount of chlorophyll and carotenoids was measured by the method of Maxwell & Johnson, 2000 and amount of flavonoids was measured by the method of Chang et al. (2002).
Results and Discussion
According to the results of this experiment, Mazandaran and Ilam genotypes showed the highest values for morphological indices. By comparing different populations of Narcissus Shahla, it was observed that the population of Mazandaran with (16.38 cm) had the highest height of flowering stem, with (11.9) had the highest number of flowers, with (55.34) had the highest number of leaves, with (47.33 days) had the longest flowering period, with (8.53) had the largest number of girl onions, with (48.39 mm) had the largest size of girl onions, with (15.88 g) had the highest fresh weight of girl onions, with (10.68 g) had the highest dry weight of girl onions. Also, Khuzestan and Mazandaran genotypes showed the highest values for physiological indices. It was observed that the population of Khuzestan with (2.229 mg.g-1) had the highest amount of chlorophyll, with (1.594 mg.g-1) had the highest amount of carotenoids and with (1.525 mg.ml-1) had the highest amount of flavonoids.
Conclusions
Comparisons of morphological and physiological characteristics of native Iranian narcissus in the field and post-harvest period in different populations of native narcissus (Shahla and Porpar) showed that native Iranian narcissus is a plant suitable for planting in green spaces. The planting of these plants in the area of Mahalat has been successful and if cultivated, along with daily care, weeding and regular watering, it is completely suitable for surface production. Planting native narcissus can be recommended for cities with a climate similar to Mahalat. In order to achieve this, we can introduce the native daffodils of Mazandaran and Ilam regions as the best genotypes. Because in terms of morphological indicators, they have the highest stem height, number of flowers, number of leaves. Also, In order to use a flower pot in the home or office environment, the native daffodils of Khuzestan and Mazandaran regions can be introduced as the best genotypes.
Medicinal Plants
Mohammad Bagher Razavinia; Nasibeh Pourghasemian; Farzad Najafi
Abstract
IntroductionHeavy metals, like cadmium, lead, and arsenic, harm air, soil, agriculture, and human health. Plants suffer from reduced growth, chlorophyll production, and enzyme activity due to heavy metal exposure. Reactive oxygen species are produced, damaging biological molecules. However, plants ...
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IntroductionHeavy metals, like cadmium, lead, and arsenic, harm air, soil, agriculture, and human health. Plants suffer from reduced growth, chlorophyll production, and enzyme activity due to heavy metal exposure. Reactive oxygen species are produced, damaging biological molecules. However, plants have developed resistance mechanisms, including antioxidant stimulation. Flavonoids, complex compounds in plants, enhance resistance to heavy metals. Medicinal plants, rich in secondary metabolites like flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids, show resistance to heavy metals. Origanum majorana as a medicinal plant, contains compounds that contribute to its heavy metal resistance. Based on limited studies, medicinal plants, particularly marjoram, have shown greater resistance to environmental stresses due to their secondary metabolites and the ability to produce uncontaminated essential oils in response to heavy metals like cadmium and lead. This study aimed to investigate the biochemical responses and growth of marjoram plants when exposed simultaneously to cadmium and lead, as well as the mutual effects of these two elements on marjoram behavior. Materials and Methods A factorial randomized complete block design experiment with four replications was used to study the effect of Cd in four concentrations (0, 6, 12 and 24 mg.kg-1 soil) as well as Pb in four concentrations (0, 150 300 and 450 mg. Kg-1 soil). The concentrations were determined based on previous reports and a preliminary experiment. Soil was prepared with appropriate amounts of cadmium chloride and lead chloride were added according to the desired concentrations. The contaminated soil was then incubated at field capacity moisture for two months. Seeds have been sown in germination trays. Seedlings at the three to four leaf stage were transferred to pots containing the contaminated soil. Plant harvest took place 42 to 52 days after the transfer to pots, specifically when the plants had just entered the flowering stage. The aboveground parts of the plants were harvested separately, and the roots were carefully removed from the soil. Half of the plants were dried at 105 °C for 24 h to determine the dry weight, Pb and Cd concentrations. The other half of the plants were used to measure biochemical traits including flavonoids, anthocyanins, malondialdehyde, protein, proline and some enzymatic antioxidants. The data was analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the means were compared using the LSD test. A significance level of 95% was applied using SAS 9.2. Results and DiscussionIn this study, various parameters were measured including the dry weight of aerial parts and roots, concentrations of lead and cadmium in the aerial parts and roots, lipid peroxidation (MDA), flavonoids, anthocyanins, total phenols, proline, protein, and antioxidant enzymes including guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT). The results of the analysis of variance showed that all the mentioned traits were influenced by the individual effects of lead and cadmium. However, there was no significant interaction between cadmium and lead on proline, protein, GPX, polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. The dry weight of aerial parts and roots decreased in the presence of cadmium and lead, while the concentrations of lead and cadmium increased. However, this damage was more pronounced in the presence of cadmium compared to lead. The presence of cadmium in a lead-containing environment had an inhibitory effect on lead uptake by the plant, and vice versa. The highest level of MDA was reported in the combination of lead and cadmium concentrations of 450 and 24 mg/kg, respectively. The analysis of enzyme activity showed that the maximum catalase activity was observed in the combination of 6 and 450 mg/kg of cadmium and lead, respectively, while the minimum activity was found in the control group. Similarly, the highest APX activity was reported in the combination of 24 mg/kg of cadmium and zero lead, while the lowest activity was observed in the control group. The use of cadmium and lead at the highest consumption level compared to the control group resulted in a 204% and 40% increase in GPX activity, respectively. In the analysis of total phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and protein, an increase in cadmium concentration from zero to 24 mg/kg led to a decrease of 52%, 42%, 208%, and 81%, respectively, while protein decreased by 39%. These traits showed an increase of 14%, 14%, 58%, and 40%, respectively, with an increase in lead concentration from zero to 450 mg/kg, while protein decreased by 24%. Based on the results, it appears that the increase in secondary metabolites with the increase in heavy metals has accompanied the plant's response to the prevailing conditions. Conclusion The study found that both cadmium and lead negatively affect the dry weight of plants, with cadmium having a greater impact. This reduction is particularly noticeable in photosynthesis, pigments, electron transport chain, and energy production. The highest concentrations of lead and cadmium (24-450 mg/kg) show the maximum decrease. As the concentrations of these elements increase in the growth medium, their concentration in the plants also increases. Lead has lower mobility and tends to accumulate in the roots compared to cadmium. Interestingly, the presence of cadmium inhibits the uptake of lead by the plant, and vice versa. This leads to an average inhibition of 39% for lead uptake by cadmium and 35% for cadmium uptake by lead in the aerial parts. The study also observed an increase in secondary metabolites, which act as antioxidants and help the plant cope with the stresses caused by cadmium and lead. These metabolites may also contribute to osmotic regulation along with the increase in proline. Based on these findings, it seems that these plants can be used in green spaces contaminated with moderate to low levels of cadmium and lead, particularly in mining areas.
Medicinal Plants
Ahmad Balandary; Majid Azizi; Mahsa Khodabandeh
Abstract
Introduction
Barberries are small fruits with appealing colors and tastes, and have a great diversity in Iran. There are numerous indigenous barberry genotypes in Iran, which have remarkable therapeutical and nutritional attributes. Seedless barberry is the most famous genotype which fruits are ...
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Introduction
Barberries are small fruits with appealing colors and tastes, and have a great diversity in Iran. There are numerous indigenous barberry genotypes in Iran, which have remarkable therapeutical and nutritional attributes. Seedless barberry is the most famous genotype which fruits are rich in phytochemicals. Although Iran is one of the main habitats of the barberry species and hybrids and the seedless cultivar is considered as an exclusive crop for our country, a few products are being produced from such valuable crop in food industries.
Materials and Methods
In present study, fruit biochemical properties of the twelve barberry genotypes (including one seedless genotype and eleven seedy genotypes: 2-2, 4-1, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 8-3, 10-1, 11-1, 12-1, 13-1 and 14-2) of the barberry collection located in Research Institute of Food Science and Technology of Mashhad, were evaluated based on the fruit appearance. For this purpose, fruits were harvested in 2015 harvest time and divided into two parts. One part was dried in room temperature. Then dried fruits were kept in cool and dark place until analyses. The other part was kept fresh for some measurements including TSS, TA, TSS/TA and pH. Before all tests, fruits were deseeded and the properties of the pulp were determined. Biochemical properties included total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), TSS/TA ratio, fruit juice pH, total phenol content, total flavonoid content, total anthocyanin content, protein content, crude fiber, total sugar and minerals including Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn) and Copper (Cu). Data analysis was performed based on completely randomized design by Minitab software version 16 using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and differences among means were determined for significance at p≤0.05 using Tukey’s range test.
Results and Discussion
Results showed significant variation in biochemical properties of genotypes. Based on the results, genotype code #13-1 had the highest content of titratable acidity (5.61 g malic acid per 100 g fresh fruit weight) and the highest soluble solids content (5.5 °Brix). The highest amount of crude fiber (54.96%), Fe (138.49 ppm), Mg (1426.39 ppm) was related to genotype code #10-1 and the highest amount of anthocyanin (452.60 mg/100g), protein (4.26%) and Cu (6.80 ppm) belonged to genotype code #14-2. Two genotypes “Bidaneh” and code #5-3 displayed a distinctive content of total carbohydrates with respectively 59.61% and 25.67%. Furthermore, genotype code #11-1 showed the highest amount of Zn (18.85 ppm) among all.
Conclusion
Up to now, barberry mostly has been consumed as a food seasoning and garnish. All data of this study suggest that barberry, as a functional food, can partially cover the body's daily requirements. Therefore, a comprehensive study should be performed to determine all the capacities and uses associated with each genotype. Overall, genotype code #14-2 can be introduced as the best genotype in terms of flavonoid, anthocyanin, protein and copper content of all the evaluated genotypes. Considering its high content of anthocyanin, producing an edible colorant powder is possible. In conclusion, considering the great diversity, fruits of indigenous barberry genotypes can provide a rich source of minerals and phytochemicals for food purposes. Furthermore, achieving applied science in making products from such indigenous crop could lead into investments and economic development in regions in which barberry is cultivated.
Medicinal Plants
Mina Amani; Mohsen Sabzi-Nojadeh; Saeideh Alizadeh Salteh; Mehdi Younessi Hamzekhanlu; Biukagha Farmani; Hossein Hatef Heris; Shiva Mohammadian; Sevda Piretarighat
Abstract
Introduction
Medicinal plants have long had a special role in the traditional agricultural system of Iran and the use of these plants as medicine to prevent and treat diseases has been considered by traditional medicine experts since ancient times. Medicinal plants with rich sources ...
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Introduction
Medicinal plants have long had a special role in the traditional agricultural system of Iran and the use of these plants as medicine to prevent and treat diseases has been considered by traditional medicine experts since ancient times. Medicinal plants with rich sources of secondary metabolites provide the basic active ingredients of many medicines. Although the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites is genetically controlled, but their construction is strongly influenced by environmental factors. One of the important climatic factors that affect the distribution of plants around the world and can cause morphological, physiological and biochemical changes in the plant is the lack of available water. Basil seems to show little resistance to water stress. For this reason, there is a need for protective mechanisms for the basil plant against stress due to water shortage. Plants are able to reduce or eliminate the effects of water shortage stress by coexisting with a number of soil microorganisms. Inoculation of the plants with Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been exploited as an applicable strategy for reducing detrimental effects of water deficit stress. Present study was performed to evaluate the effects of three AMF on some physiological responses of Ocimum basilicum under water deficit stress.
Materials and Methods
The pot experiments were conducted as factorial based on completely randomized design blocks with three replications. The experimental factors were three AMF namely Glomus etunicatum, Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices and various soil moisture including severe stress, moderate stress, mild stress. Water stress was applied from the beginning to the end of flowering stage. After flowering stage, plants were harvested and traits such as total phenols and flavonoids, antioxidant capacity (DPPH), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase and peroxidase enzymes were measured. To analyze the data, first the test of data normality and uniformity of variance within the treatment was performed and confirmed. The mean of treatments was compared by Duncan test at the level of 5% probability. SAS software (Ver. 9.3) was used to analyze the data and Excel software was used to draw the graphs.
Results and Discussion
The results of analysis of variance of the effect of mycorrhiza fungus and soil moisture on the studied parameters show that the effect of different levels of soil moisture on all traits was significant. The results of analysis of variance also showed that the effect of mycorrhiza on phenol and total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, catalase and peroxidase and malondialdehyde was significant at the level of one percent probability. According to the results of analysis of variance, the interaction effect of mycorrhiza on soil moisture on antioxidant activity was significant at 5% probability level and on total phenols and flavonoids, malondialdehyde, catalase and peroxidase at 1% probability level. Results showed that AMFs improve activity of catalase and peroxidase, antioxidant capacity and total phenols which led to decrease malondialdehyde content. Antioxidants as physiologically active compounds play an important role in plant resistance to stress. Increased oxygen species due to dehydration stress are a warning sign for plants and increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes. The plant's defense system increases the production of antioxidant enzymes to neutralize toxic oxygen forms, and fungi improve the intensity of this increase, which may be due to the chemical structure of the metal isoenzymes copper, zinc, and manganese. Factors sent to make antioxidant enzymes also contain the elements zinc and calcium. Mycorrhizal fungi increase the absorption of nutrients by sending more hormonal factors and increasing the activity of enzymes, all of which can be effective in increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes.
Conclusion
When plants are exposed to dehydration stress, reactive oxygen species in them increase. The expression of antioxidant genes and the activity of antioxidants to eliminate reactive oxygen species are increased and the antioxidant defense system is improved and the tolerance to dehydration stress in the plant is increased. Scientists believe that peroxidase is involved in metabolic processes such as hormone catabolism, defense against pathogens, phenol oxidation, binding to cell structural proteins and cell wall polysaccharides. Present study revealed that application of AMFs can be good strategy for reducing harmful effects of water deficit stress in plants. Research has also shown that impregnating seeds with mycorrhiza increases antioxidants and reduces the amount of reactive oxygen species, a characteristic of resistance induction that occurs by this antagonist.
Medicinal Plants
Hediye Taghizadeh Baghchejooghi; Saeideh Alizadeh Salteh; Mansur Matloobi
Abstract
Introduction
Marigold (Calendula officinalis) is an herbaceous plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. C. officinalis is always one of the most widely used medicinal plants and is widely cultivated for its extract in traditional and herbal medicine especially in Iran. Marigold extract has medicinal ...
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Introduction
Marigold (Calendula officinalis) is an herbaceous plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. C. officinalis is always one of the most widely used medicinal plants and is widely cultivated for its extract in traditional and herbal medicine especially in Iran. Marigold extract has medicinal effects such as wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, immune stimulating, anti-tumor and anti-AIDS. To achieve the higher yield and quality in this plant, it’s necessary to have enough nutrition. Fulvic acid stimulates plant metabolism, increases enzyme activity as a catalyst in plant respiration, and increases nutrient efficiency and cell pore permeability. On the other hand, triacanthanol is a type of alcohol with a 30-carbon chain and is found naturally in plant epicotyledonous waxes. The use of triacanthanol increases plant dry weight and reduces the content of sugar, amino acids and protein.
Materials and Methods
In order to evaluate the effect of fulvic acid and triacantanol and their interactions on some characteristics of C. officinalis, a factorial experiment with 16 treatments and 3 replications was conducted at greenhouse. Experimental treatments consisted of four levels of fulvic acid (0, 0.5, 1, 2 mg / l) as the first factor and four levels of triacantanol (0, 10-5, 5.5×10-4, 10-4 M) as the second factor. Treatments were sprayed on the plant three times in the form of foliar spray. Physiological factors were measured during the growing season and after applying the treatments. Finally, at the end of the growing season, plants were sampled to measure the parameters. Yield and fresh and dry weight (at flowering stage and in the form of fully opened flowers), shoot height with a ruler, number of leaves and leaf area were measured with a leaf gauge. Number of flowers by counting the number of flowers from the time of the first flower to the end of the experiment without taking into account the unopened buds, the time required for flowering (early flowering, late flowering) in terms of days by noting the date of the day At the time of emergence, the first flower in each treatment was examined. Acetone at 100% was used to measure photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids) and their absorption was measured at 470, 644.8 and 661.6 nm by spectrophotemeter. The measurement of total phenol was performed using a covalent folate reagent in the absorption spectrum of 765 nm in a spectrophotometer. The flavonoid content of all extracts was measured by aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The absorbance of the samples was read at 415 nm by spectrophotometer. Quercetin was used as the standard to obtain the calibration curve. The flavonoid content of the samples was reported as mg quercetin per 100 g fresh plant weight. DPPH free radical scavenger was used to measure antioxidant activity. The absorbance of the samples was read at 517 nm using a spectrophotometer.
Results and Discussion
Based on the results of this study, it was observed that the foliar application of 10-4 M triacantanol led to an increase in flower yield, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, number of flowers, flower height, antioxidant activity, and flavonoid content. On the other hand, the application of 10-5 M triacantanol increased the percentage of evergreen dry matter and phenol content more than the other concentrations. Among the different concentrations of fulvic acid tested, the concentration of 2 mg/l showed the greatest positive impact on the number of leaves, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, dry matter percentage, antioxidant activity, and total flavonoid content. Overall, the application of 10-4 M triacantanol and 2 mg/l fulvic acid as a leaf treatment significantly improved most of the measured traits in comparison to the control treatment. It is worth noting that plants treated with 2 mg/l fulvic acid flowered later than the other treatments, and there was a significant interaction between triacanthanol and fulvic acid on flower yield and height.
Conclusion
The results of this study in response to the use of the triacantanol and fulvic acid indicate that the use of these two compounds in foliar spraying can be very useful to achieve sustainable production and achieve organic farming. Triacanthanol promotes growth by regulating many of the genes involved in photosynthesis The use of fulvic acid increases the permeability of the cell membrane and better penetration of nutrients from the membrane. Also, soil permeability to nitrogen uptake increases by plant roots.
Medicinal Plants
Monireh Nematinejad; Abdolshakoor Raissi; Mohammad Reza Asgharipour; Fatemeh Nosrati
Abstract
Introduction
One of the most important factors affecting the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of plants are genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. Golder (Otostegia persica Boiss.) is one of the endemic species of Iran and is in the list of top 10 medicinal plants ...
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Introduction
One of the most important factors affecting the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of plants are genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. Golder (Otostegia persica Boiss.) is one of the endemic species of Iran and is in the list of top 10 medicinal plants used in Baluchistan, Iran. Therefore, in this study, some morphological and phytochemical characteristics of this plant were investigated in the natural habitats of Baluhistan. Essential oil components of leaves and flowers of Kooh birk-Mehrestan population also measured. Also, with the aim of investigating the soil properties on the establishment and growth characteristics of Golder, the soil edaphic characteristics of plant communities were evaluated.
Materials and Methods
This study was conducted in 2017 in some natural habitats of Baluchistan, Iran. Research was performed in the form of a nested plan as completely random design with three replications in the cities of 1- Saravan (Villages of Kooh Sont and Nahuk), 2- Khash (Villages of Panj Angisht and Posht Kuh), 3- Sarbaz (Padik village and Kalat Sarbaz) and 4-Mehrestan (Villages of Zard and Birk kooh) using field survey. Edaphic traits such as soil texture and chemistry were measured. Morphological traits including plant height, internode distance, leaf length and width were measured using instruments such as graduated rulers and calipers. Phytochemical traits including Phenol, Flavonoids and Carbohydrates in different parts of the plant and also the components of essential oils in leaves and flowers were studied. Soluble carbohydrate by Coles and Ansel method, photosynthetic pigments by Arnon method, total phenols with fullene-cicalto reagent by McDonald method, Flavonoids by aluminum chloride colorimetric method and adsorption of any reaction compound at 415 nm wavelength by spectrophotometer were measured. Data analysis was performed by SAS software (version 9.2) and the means were compared by Duncan's multiple range test at 5% level.
Results
The lowest (7.80) and highest (8.50) pH levels were measured in Zard and Kooh Birk respectively. Lowest (1.29) and highest (4.38) EC levels in Panj angosht and Nahuk respectively, the lowest (43.53(dS m-1)) and highest (50.73(dS m-1)) Na levels in Kooh Birk and Nahuk respectively, the highest N (11.10%) and P (0.32 (ppm)) in the Posht kooh of Khash, the highest amount of total K (62.20 (ppm)), absorbable K (72.17(ppm)) and the highest percentage of silt (38.30) were obtained in the Kooh sont area of Saravan. In evaluating the growth characteristics of plant in different regions, the maximum internode distance, highest number of lateral branches, petiole length, leaf length and width and number of main branches in Kooh Birk region of Mehrestan city and highest plant height in Nahuk region of Saravan city were measured. Comparing the amount of phytochemical compounds in different organs of this plant, it was observed that the highest amount of flavonoids is present in the leaves and the highest amount of phenols and carbohydrates are present in the stem. The lowest amount of all three compounds was measured at the root. Maximum amount of leaf Flavonoids (1.83 mgQE/g), stem Phenol (mg GAE/g 1.86) and root Flavonoid (0.11 mgQE/g) in Panj angosht area of Khash city, stem and root Flavonoids (0.45mgQE/g and 0.11mgQE/g) and stem Carbohydrate (1.99 mg/g) in Zard area of Mehrestan city, leaf Phenol (mgGAE/g 2.38) and root carbohydrate (1.73 mg/g) in Posht kooh region of Khash, and maximum amount of leaf carbohydrates (1.99 mg/g) in Kooh sont area of Saravan were obtained. Analysis of the chemical composition of the essential oil using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) showed 12 compounds per leaf and 31 compounds per flower. The highest and lowest essential oil components were Thymol (12.0%) and Decane (2.1%), respectively. Also, the highest and lowest components of essential oils in flowers were Benzene, 1- (1,5-dimethyl-4-hexenyl) -4-methyl- (CAS)) (13.0%) and (0.4%), respectively. Therefore, the lowest essential ingredient was Decane, both in leaves and flowers. In general, the results of this study showed that there is a considerable diversity among the studied populations in terms of all the studied characteristics. This indicates that environmental factors similar to genetic factors are effective in creating diversity in morphological and phytochemical characteristics of this plant.
Conclusion
In general, the results of this experiment showed that the habitats of Khash are better in terms of soil chemistry and major phytochemical traits. Kooh birk region is the best area for harvesting the aerial parts of this plant.
Medicinal Plants
Seyyed Amir Hamzeh Bahari Meymandi; Shahram Sharafzadeh; Omid Alizadeh; Froud Bazrafshan; Bahram Amiri
Abstract
Introduction In recent years, the aggressive application of chemical fertilizers for agricultural production has endangered the health of soil, water, air, as well as crops, and has raised many concerns for the global environment and human health. In addition to the positive biological effects and ...
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Introduction In recent years, the aggressive application of chemical fertilizers for agricultural production has endangered the health of soil, water, air, as well as crops, and has raised many concerns for the global environment and human health. In addition to the positive biological effects and modification of soil physical and chemical properties due to the gradual release of nutrients, organic fertilizers cause less pollution in the environment. Due to the significant role of medicinal and aromatic plants in different industries, it is important to increasing production of yield and secondary metabolite produced without the use of harmful chemical fertilizers. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) is widely grown in arid and semi-arid regions and due to its economic importance and pharmaceutical industrial applications, it is one of the world’s most dimension medicinal plant. This plant has antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiinflammatory, diuretic, carminative and analgesic effects and is effective in gastrointestinal disorder treatment. Moreover with its antioxidant and antiulcer properties, it is used to treat neurological disorders.Materials and Methods This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of organic and biological fertilizers on the morpho-physiological and phytochemical properties of fennel (Foeniculum vulgar Miller). In this study, the impacts of vermicompost (0, 4, 8% in pot), animal manure (0, 7.5, 15% in pot) and mycorrhizal fungi (0, 1%) on physiological and biochemical properties of fennel in greenhouse conditions was evaluated. In order to extract the samples to measure biochemical factors, methanol 70% was used at a ratio of 5:1 (volume- weight). Determination of free radical scavenging was performed by using the DPPH test. The samples’ absorptions were read at a wavelength of 517 nm with Epoch Microplate Spectrophotometer, BioTek Instruments, Inc., USA. Measuring the total phenols was performed according to the Folin’s reagent method and the use of gallic acid as standard (purchased from the brand MERCK, Germany) by using a spectrophotometer at the wavelength of 765 nm. Total flavonoid content was measured using a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 510 nm through a standard curve of quercetin from Sigma-Aldrich. The Essential oils were obtained from seeds by hydrodistillation for 3 h using a clevenger type device. The analyses of essential oil volatile components were determined by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Data were analyzed by using Duncan’s multiple range test (P< 0.05) by SAS, version 9.4 for Windows.Results and Discussion The results of current investigation showed that organic and biological fertilizers improved the fennel yield and phytochemical properties such as the plant height, seed weight per plant, fresh and dry weight of roots and plants, content of total phenols and flavonoids, antioxidant activity, percentage of essential oil and root colonization. The highest plant height, number of flowers, umbrellas and seeds per plant and fresh and dry weight of roots were obtained after combined application of 8% in pot vermicompost, 15% in pot animal manure and application of mycorrhiza. According to the results, the highest amount of total flavonoids (177.66 mg/100g DW) and root colonization (35.8%) after of 8% in pot vermicompost + 15% in pot animal manure + mycorrhiza application was observed. The results also revealed that the highest fresh and dry weight of the plants (121.33 and 17.41 g, respectively) was obtained after application of mycorrhiza + 15% in pot animal manure. Application of mycorrhiza in combination with 15% in pot animal manure compared to other treatments caused a significant increase in total phenol content in aerial parts with 73.22 mg/100g DW. In addition, the highest amount of antioxidant activity (51%) was obtained after 8% in pot vermicompost + 15% in pot animal manure application. Application of organic and biological fertilizers significantly increased the 1000 seed weight and the percentage of essential oil in fennel. After 15% in pot animal manure treatment, the highest percentage of essential oil by 3.43% was recorded. In general, the highest percentages of essential oil components were related to (E)-Anethole (78.26%), Fenchone (7.15%), Limonene (6.12%) and Methyl chavicol (3.85%), respectively. The amount of (E)-Anethole as the essential oil predominant compound, in the control treatment was 66.92%. The application of mycorrhiza + 4% in pot vermicompost increased the content of (E) -Anethole in essential oil to 80.72%.Conclusion In general, application of vermicompost, animal manure and mycorrhizal fungi improved the growth, biochemical and yield characteristics and essential oil yield of fennel in greenhouse conditions. These fertilizers increased plant yield by providing large amounts of required nutrients and affecting various aspects of root growth and development. Among them, the role of nitrogen may be more prominent due to its participation in protein synthesis and the role of iron in nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis and electron transfer.
Medicinal Plants
Zeinabsadat Shahzeidi; Saeid Hesami Tackallou; Leila Amjad; Hakimeh Zali; Alireza Iranbakhsh
Abstract
Introduction UV-C (254-280 nm) and 280-320 nm) UV-B, UV-A (320-390nm) wavelengths are irradiated with three ultraviolet strips and have detrimental effects on the growth of a number of plants. Ultraviolet light is an important non-living factor that can stimulate the production of secondary metabolites, ...
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Introduction UV-C (254-280 nm) and 280-320 nm) UV-B, UV-A (320-390nm) wavelengths are irradiated with three ultraviolet strips and have detrimental effects on the growth of a number of plants. Ultraviolet light is an important non-living factor that can stimulate the production of secondary metabolites, including antioxidant compounds in plants. Ozone depletion and its consequences, including direct UV radiation on the planet and its effects on crops and medicinal plants, are among the topics that have received very little study. Ultraviolet light in nature occurs only at low intensities, but if the inhibitory effect of the ozone layer in the stratosphere is significantly the result of nitrogen and hydrocarbon oxides the weaker the halogen, the higher its amount.Materials and Methods Portulaca oleracea seeds were prepared by Pakan Isfahan Company. The aim of this study was the effect of ultraviolet rays at different levels (UV-C: 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 nm) on the activity of photosynthetic pigments and biochemical traits of portulaca oleracea in factorial in a completely randomized design with three replications. After transferring the seeds of portulaca oleracea, the healthy and uniform seeds of this plant were sterilized in 15% sodium hypochlorite solution for 154 minutes and then washed thoroughly with distilled water and placed in a petri dish for germination. Moisture was supplied through filter paper soaked in distilled water. The seeds were planted in pots filled with cocopeat and perlite evenly and watered for 20 days with a half-strength Hoagland solution. Plants were grown for 20 days at a temperature of 30 ± 2 ° C and a light period of 8.16 (light / dark, respectively). Plants for one week, every other day, and for 3 minutes each time by two fluorescent lamps with a wavelength of 260 nm exposed to ultraviolet C (at a distance of 30 cm from the UV light source with an intensity of 27 (w / m2) were located. The traits studied in this study included chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenol, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. In this study, the effect of ultraviolet light on the activity of photosynthetic pigments and biochemical traits of portulaca oleracea was investigated factorially in a completely randomized design with three replications.Results and Discussion The results of the mean comparison showed that the UV treatment of chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid of portulaca oleracea was reduced compared to the control; However, UV treatment of portulaca oleracea significantly increased phenol, flavonoids, and antioxidants compared to the control. The effect of different doses of ultraviolet rays on phenol and portulaca oleracea antioxidants showed that the UV-C highest and lowest were 700 and 100 nm, respectively. Decreases in carotenoid content can result in either inhibition of pigment synthesis or their breakdown and degradation. The results of this report indicate significant changes in phenols and flavonoids as compounds it absorbed ultraviolet rays compared to control cells.Conclusion It can be said that excessive exposure to radiation may affect chlorophyll levels by inhibiting chlorophyll biosynthesis or accelerating its degradation. Oxygen is an electron receptor in the electron transport system that produces energy from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the body. Under certain conditions, oxygen can be converted to a single electron, creating free radicals. When oxygen is converted to a single electron, it is called active oxygen (ROS). These free radicals cause oxidative stress in plants which oxidative stress leads to damage to macromolecules such as DNA, proteins and so on. Environmental stresses, including UV radiation, produce active oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide (O2-), and hydroxyl radicals (OH), which cause oxidative stress and cause damage to cells, such as DNA. And cause the destruction of these compounds. The plant contains compounds that act as active antioxidants and sweep away active oxygen. In the present study, the observed increase in phenols, flavonoids and antioxidants indicates an increase in the production of free radicals under ultraviolet radiation and shows that the production of these radicals is more than the plant's defense capacity and has caused damage to plant biological membranes. In summary, the application of controlled ultraviolet light stress can provide a new alternative strategy to increase the productivity of the portulaca oleracea plant. Modulating UV-C light in agricultural systems is a promising tool to increase crop production.
Pomology
Salahedin Mslahate fard; Hamid Hassanpour
Abstract
Introduction: The pistachio genus (Pistacia) belongs to Anacardiaceae family. Three species of common pistachio (P. vera, P. khinjuk and P. atlantica) was found in Iran. Bene )P. atlantica (is a dicotyledonous tree with a height of more than 17 meters, is the most important species of Zagros region with ...
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Introduction: The pistachio genus (Pistacia) belongs to Anacardiaceae family. Three species of common pistachio (P. vera, P. khinjuk and P. atlantica) was found in Iran. Bene )P. atlantica (is a dicotyledonous tree with a height of more than 17 meters, is the most important species of Zagros region with valuable main and secondary products. This tree was also used as a rootstocks for edible pistachios and resistant to adverse environmental conditions, so that it grows in different climates in terms of land slope, soil type, different soil fertility levels, altitude (600 to 3000 meters) and temperature range of -25 to 40 °C. Fruit and gum have different uses in food, industry and medicine. Medicinal and oral uses of Bene fruit and gum have long been reported not only in Iran, but also among the natives of all coriander-rich regions, including parts of Algeria, Turkey and Iraq. Bene fruit can be harvested at three stages; First, the unripe stage (in the form of small hollow spheres without a kernel), its skin is brittle and its color is pale green. The second stage, the kernel is completely hardened, but the shell has an ocher red color that tastes sour. The last, the ripe stage, the kernel is completely hardened and the color of the skin is blue-green.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted to evaluate the diversity and determine some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of different Bene) P. atlantica (genotypes at the green fruit stage. For this purpose, 11 genotypes were randomly selected in an area near the city of Mirabad, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. The fruits were harvested from each genotype and transferred to the laboratory. In this study, some quantitative traits of fruit and cluster as well as total phenol, total flavonoids and total antioxidant capacity were analyzed. Digital calipers were used to measure the length and width of fruit and clusters (mm). Also, a digital scale with an accuracy of 0.001 g was used to measure the weight of fruit and cluster. Fruit size index was calculated by multiplying the measured width by the measured length and expressed as mm2. Total antioxidant capacity was assessed using the DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) method. Folin–Ciocalteu method was used to measure the total phenol content.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that cluster weight had the highest diversity and fruit width had the least diversity among the studied traits. Traits such as cluster width, cluster length, total phenol and flavonoid content were also highly varied among genotypes. In this study, the maximum weight, length and width of fruit were 1.28 g, 8.32 and 8.62 mm, respectively. Also, the results of this study showed that there is a significant difference between genotypes in terms of all parameters measured except cluster length at the 1% and 5% of probability level. Overall, the results of this study showed high variability in the majority of traits. The highest length, width and weight of the cluster as well as the width and weight of the fruit were seen in P10 genotype and the lowest was observed in P5 and P6 genotypes. In terms of biochemical characteristics, P3 genotype had the highest total phenol (1034.5 mg gallic acid per gram of FW), total flavonoid (143.82 mg quercetin per gram FW) and antioxidant capacity (93%) and also, the lowest total phenol (370.08 mg gallic acid per gram of FW), total flavonoids (62.25 mg catechin per gram FW) was observed in P7 genotype. According to results of this study, P3 and P10 genotypes can be used for medicinal, food, industrial purposes as well as breeding purposes compared to the other genotypes.
Conclusion: In this study, it was shown that there is a high diversity in the majority of measured traits among different genotypes. The highest morphological traits were observed in P10 genotype. Also, in terms of biochemical characteristics, genotype P3 had the highest total phenol, total flavonoid content and total antioxidant capacity. According to the results, it can be concluded that the morphological characteristics as well as phenolic, flavonoid compounds and antioxidant capacity depend on various factors, including genetic factors and environmental and ecological conditions. Therefore, the observed diversity can be related to genetic structure of genotypes, which can also be considered as a kind of adaptation and physiological response of trees to environmental conditions.
Mitra Mohammadi Bazargani
Abstract
Introduction: The phytochemical and biological properties of medicinal plants depend on the climatic conditions of the area under development, the growth stage, genetic factors and other factors. Therefore the study of the wild flora in the geographical areas with different climatic conditions ...
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Introduction: The phytochemical and biological properties of medicinal plants depend on the climatic conditions of the area under development, the growth stage, genetic factors and other factors. Therefore the study of the wild flora in the geographical areas with different climatic conditions is important. It has been proved that the extract of Epilobium has high antioxidant capacity, which is associated with a high concentration of flavonoids content. Studies on five species of Epilobium genus (E. parviflorum schreb., E. roseum schreb., E. tetragonum L., E. montanum L., E. angustifolium L.), had shown that E. parviflorum had the highest antioxidant capacity among studied species. The occurrence of E. parviflorum in wide range of altitudinal zones in Iran makes it as ideal species to study the variation of antioxidant capacity among ecotypes. The present study aims to screen Epilobium parviflorum ecotypes (n=16) of Iran in terms of antioxidant capacity (AOX). Materials and Methods: Total phenol content (TPH), Total flavonoid (TFL), antioxidant capacity (AOX) and anthocyanin content (ACY) were measured by Folin- Ciocalteu, flavonoid-aluminum chloride (AlCl3), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and the differential PH methods, respectively. Regression analysis was used for studying the relationships between antioxidant capacity, altitude and latitude. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine whether there is a linear relationship between variables. Results and Discussion: There was a high correlation between total phenol content and total flavonoid in ecotypes (r = 0.7, P = 0.002, n = 16). There was a positive and significant correlation between AOX content with TPH (r = 0.71, P = 0.002, n = 16) and also between AOX with TFL (r = 0.73, P = 0.001, n = 16). According to several studies, high antioxidant capacity has been attributed to high concentrations of flavonoids and phenols, which is consistent with the results observed in this study. The results also showed that the Iranian E. parviflorum ecotypes had considerably TFL, TPH and AOX content as compare to previous reports on E. parviflorum (in other country) and also other Epilobium species. Principal component analysis showed that the two main components explained 87.87% total variation. The high contribution of the two first components suggested a considerable correlation between three phytochemical traits, the contribution of the first component alone was 62.13% and the portion of the second component was 25.74%. In the first component, TFL, TPH and AOX were with coefficients of 0.78, 0.77 and 0.88, respectively. The high contribution of the two first components had a significant relationship between three phytochemical traits. The ecotypes of E. parviflorum were clearly separated based on the first principal component. Ten ecotypes had a correlation with the first main component (PC1) shown by TFL, TPH and AOX. Among them six ecotypes had a positive correlation (r> 0.6) and 4 ecotypes had a negative correlation (r> 0.6) with the first main component (PC1). Thus, out of the 16 ecotypes of E. parviflorum in Iran, six ecotypes including EPP3, EPP6, EPP8, EPP10, EPP13 and EPP9 had the desired content of TFL, TPH and subsequently antioxidant capacity, most of which belonged to the Zagros and crossroad of Zagros and Alborz mountains. The ecotypes that did not have the desired content of TFL, TPH and AOX (negative correlation with the first main component, PC1) mostly belong to the Alborz Mountains. The highest levels of TPH, TFL and AOX capacity were observed for the Sangan ecotype with values of 1761, 32.64 mg/g DW and 93.50 mM/g DW, respectively, and the lowest was observed in Kaleybar ecotype. Out of 16 ecotypes, 6 ecotypes had the desired content of TFL, TPH, and subsequently AOX, most of which belonged to the Zagros and crossroad of Zagros and Alborz Mountains. Regression analysis showed no relation between AOX capacity with altitude (R2 = 0.04) and also with latitude (R2 = 0.14). Conclusion: This research is the first study that screens AOX capacity by including multiple ecotypes (n=16) from E. parviflorum species to evaluate intra ecotypes phytochemical variation for E. parviflorum. We found positive and significant correlation between TFL, TPH and AOX. We did not find any significant correlation between TFL, TPH content and AOX capacity of E. parviflorum with altitude above sea. Our results also showed Iranian E. parviflorum ecotypes (especially Sangan ecotype, EPP10) have considerably TFL, TPH and AOX capacity compared to previous reports. The results of this study indicate that there is a remarkable variation among Iranian E. parviflorum ecotypes for the studied traits, which can be used to carry out breeding programs and protection of germplasm.
Mahtab Salehi; Ramezan Kalvandi
Abstract
Introduction: Medicinal plants are rich sources of the main active substances in many drugs. Although the production of secondary metabolites is controlled by genes, their production are considerably influenced by environmental conditions, so that environmental factors cause changes in the growth of ...
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Introduction: Medicinal plants are rich sources of the main active substances in many drugs. Although the production of secondary metabolites is controlled by genes, their production are considerably influenced by environmental conditions, so that environmental factors cause changes in the growth of medicinal plants as well as the amount of active substances. In different habitats, physiological, morphological and genetically variations are seen in populations of species. These variations are created in response to contrasting environmental conditions. Studies of population in many plant species regarding to the pattern of variation have showed the occurrence of localized populations which adapted to the particular ecological conditions of their habitat. Iran as a center of diversity of Stachys houses about 35 species. The majority of species prefers alpine and subalpine habitats and grows under various ecological conditions in habitats like rocky places, mountain steppes, and stream banks or sometimes in forests. S. inflata Benth. is a medicinal plant from Lamiaceae family which is used extensively in folk and traditional remedies to treat infection, asthma, rheumatism and other inflammatory diseases.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted to evaluate the morphological and phytochemical diversity of seven populations of S. inflata Benth. from different districts of Hamedan province in 2017. Traits such as plant height, stem diameter, leaf length and width, fresh and dry weight of floral branch, inflorescence length, fresh and dry weight of flower, essential oil percentage and phenol and flavonoid content were measured. In order to investigate physical and chemical properties of soil, soil samples were collected from a depth of 30 cm. Then they were transferred to the soil laboratory. Plants samples were collected in flowering stage and were dried in 25-30 °C. They were stored in envelopes in 22±3 °C away from the sun. For extracting essential oil, 50 gr of shoots were milled and then mixed with distilled water. This process lasted for three hours. Main components of essential oil were identified and determined by gas chromatography. The grouping of populations based on morphological and phytochemical traits was done by cluster analysis. The correlation between the elevations of studied areas above the sea level and soil properties was also done by Pearson method.
Results and Disscution: The results showed that the highest essential oil content was related to Avarzaman, Aznaveleh and Koohani populations (0.2%) and the lowest amount was obtained from Asadabad (0.11%). Although 22 compounds were identified in the essential oil, there was a great deal of variation in the percentage and type of components of the essential oil in the studied populations. The main components of essential oil were Spathulenol (26.25%), Octanol acetate (14.03%), Germacrene D (13.96%), Incensole acetate (13.41%), Bicyclogermacrene (10.66%) and Phytol (9.52%). Avarzaman population had the highest total phenol (141.9 mg GAE/gr) and flavonoid content (109.4 mg routine/gr) and the lowest content of phenol (86.9 mg GAE/gr) and flavonoid (68.8 mg routine/gr) was related to Asadabad and Koohani populations respectively. Avarzaman had the highest plant height (47.2 cm) and was significantly differed with other populations. The highest dry weight of floral branches (1.16 mm) was related to Asadabad population that was not significantly differed with Aznaveleh and Avarzaman population and the lowest dry weight of floral branch (0.57 mm) was observed in Koohani population. There was a significant negative correlation (-0.86) between the height of the studied habitats and the level of phosphorus in these areas. According to the morphological traits dendrogram analysis, seven studied populations were divided into two main groups. The populations of Avarzaman, Ekbatan, Ghazi Khan, Aznaveleh and Asadabad were in group A and Koohani and Gammasiab populations were in group B. Based on phytochemical traits dendrogram analysis, the populations of Ekbatan, Ghazi Khan, Asadabad, Koohani and Gammasiab were in group A and Avarzaman population was in group B.
Conclusion: In this study, the highest amount of essential oil content was obtained from populations which were collected from areas with the lowest elevation above the sea level. The soil of these areas had more phosphorous content. Therefore, the environmental factors as well as genetic factors have contributed in creating diversity in morphological and phytochemical characteristics of this plant.
Lamya Vojodi Mehrabani
Abstract
Introduction: Ocimum basilicum L. is an herbaceous annual plant from Lamiaceace family. Ocimum basilicum is more valued for its essential oil components, vitamins and elemental content. Nowadays, using soil covers is a major trend in modern agricultural systems mainly due to their water saving potential, ...
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Introduction: Ocimum basilicum L. is an herbaceous annual plant from Lamiaceace family. Ocimum basilicum is more valued for its essential oil components, vitamins and elemental content. Nowadays, using soil covers is a major trend in modern agricultural systems mainly due to their water saving potential, prevention of soil erosion, soil temperature equilibrium, nutrients availability, soil structure improvement, positive effect on plant quality attributes, weed control and yield improvement. Organic fertilizers, regulate pH, adjust soil CEC and improve the micro-organisms activity. Dekap® and Estimplex® improves the plant nutrition and the application of these organic sources would be so promising in order to meet the sustainable agricultural system needs mainly to cut the overuse of chemical fertilizers. High pH and calcareous soils greatly impact the quality and yield of plants dominantly due to nutritional imbalances in the most regions of the country. Therefore, the foliar application of nutrients would be an efficient way to overcome the problem. Moreover, water deficiency is another constraint encourages the using bed-covers to combat the water scarcity in many parts of the country.
Materials and Methods: In order to study the effects of soil cover (control, black and white) and different levels of Dekap® [Dekap fertilizer is containing 33% P (P2O5) and 42%K (K2O)] and Estemplex (see algae extract) (0, 1.5, 3 and 4.5 mlL-1) on growth and some physiochemical characteristics of Ocimum basilicum L. an experiment was conducted as factorial based on completely randomized block design with three replications at Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Iran.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that there were interaction effects of soil cover and foliar applications on phenolics content. The highest data for phenolics content was recorded with black soil cover × 4.5 mlL-1Dekap (105 mgg-1 DWt), black soil cover × 1.5 and 3 mlL-1 (98 mgg-1 DWt) Estemplx. The results showed that the highest data for plant dry weight (51 g) were obtained from black soil-cover and the highest plant height and axillary shoots number were recorded in both plastic soil cover. Foliar application of Dekap and Estemplex increased plant height and axillary shoots number. The highest data for N and Mg contents were obtained from black soil-cover and for K and Zn were obtained from black and white soil cover. The foliar application of Dekap and Estemplex increased P and K contents in plant. 1.5, 3 and 4.5 mlL-1 Estemplex increased N, K and Mg contents in Ocimum basilicum. The results showed that the highest data for chlorophyll a, flavonoid, total soluble solids and protein content were obtained from black soil-cover. IC50 and superoxide dismutase content of plant influenced by black and white soil cover. Foliar application of Dekap and Estemplex increased flavonoid contents in plant. Foliar applications with three concentrations of Estemplex increased chlorophyll a, IC50 and protein content in plant. 1.5, 3 and 4.5 mlL-1Estemplex increased superoxide dismutase, total soluble solids content (2.1 0 brix) and Zn content (28.9 and 30.3 mgKg-1).
Conclusion: Adequate and balanced nutrition of plants result in environmental protection mainly by the reduced application of chemical fertilizers, soil erosion prevention, and increased input efficiency. Foliar application is an environmental friendly method to reduce the production changes. The overall results revealed the positive effects of black mulch and Estemplex fertilizer on nearly all the desired traits. It seem that Estemplex fertilizer effects on the growth indices was greater than Dekap fertilizer. Seemingly, with the more detailed studies, this fertilizer has the potential to be employed with the extension section.
Seyyedeh Fatemeh Rasouli; Manoucher Gholipoor; Kambiz Jahanbin; Hamid Reza Asghari
Abstract
Introduction: Salicylic acid and jasmonates (chemical elicitors) are considered as key signaling compounds in induction process, which leads to accumulate of secondary metabolites. External uses of these compounds cause to induce pseudo stress in plants and excites defensive replies in plants, in response ...
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Introduction: Salicylic acid and jasmonates (chemical elicitors) are considered as key signaling compounds in induction process, which leads to accumulate of secondary metabolites. External uses of these compounds cause to induce pseudo stress in plants and excites defensive replies in plants, in response to induction of oxidative stress, the plant increases amount of antioxidant genes expression and increase enzymatic activity and non-enzymatic antioxidants concentration (they often have a medicinal aspect).
Material and methods: The present study investigated the effects of jasmonic acid and salicylic acid on hydrogen peroxide content, electrical lockage, GPX, GST and PAL activity, total phenol, flavonoid and anthocyanin changing in Stevia rebaudiana bertoni under field conditions. The experiment arranged as a randomized complete block design with 12 treatments and three replications in 2015-2016 at Amol city in Mazandaran Province in Iran. Experimental treatments were spraying by different concentration of jasmonic acid, salicylic acid and components of jasmonic acid- salicylic acid. Foliar application started after plant establishment in vegetative phase. Each experimental plot was 2 m× 3 m consisting 10 rows with 30 cm row spaces and seedling transplanted on 15 May. At the end of foliar application, sampling was done for the measuring. Sampling for biochemical analyses from second fully developed leaf was done and freezed in liquid nitrogen, then quickly carried out to laboratory.
Results and Discussion: The analysis of variance showed that different concentration of jasmonic acid and salicylic acid and spraying both of them in 7-day intervals appeared to be effective (with 99% confidence) on studied traits (data not shown). Spraying with jasmonic and salicylic acid increased hydrogen peroxide content in 9 treatments compared to the control. The highest amount of hydrogen peroxide content in compounds treatment 20 ????M JA -1 mM SA with mean of 5.46 ????mol in fresh weight observed. Plant in response to jasmonic and salicylic acid spraying increased GPX activity in 10 treatments and GST activity in 7 treatments compared to the control and follow them electrical lockage in most treatments (10) was lower than control. The highest amount of GPX activity in treatments 5 ????MJA and 5 ????MJA with average of 0.11 ????molmin-1g-1 FW observed. The highest amount of GST activity was obtained from treatments of 0.5 mM SA -5 ????M JA and 1 mM SA with average of 0.35 ????molmin-1g-1 FW. The PAL enzyme activity (the first enzyme in phenyl proponed compounds biosynthesis pathway) in 10 treatment increased. The highest amount of PAL activity was in compounds treatment of 50 ????M JA -1 mM SA with average of 1140 ????mol cynamic acid mg-1 protein min-1. The PAL enzyme activity had correlation with hydrogen peroxide concentration and GST activity. The PAL enzyme initiates a phenylpropanoid route that converts L-phenylalanine to trans-cyanamide acid deamination. The PAL enzyme can consider as an antioxidant enzyme because it has the role of depositing oxygen radicals through phenolic compounds. Spraying increased total phenol content in 8 treatments compared to the control. The highest amount of total phenol content was observed in compounds treatment of 20 ????M JA -1 mM SA with mean of 423.7 mgg-1 FW. Spraying with jasmonic acid and salicylic acid increased flavonoid concentration in 9 treatments compared to the control. The highest amount of flavonoid content was in treatment of 20 ????M JA -1 mM SA with mean of 110 mgg-1 FW. Spraying increased anthocyanin concentration in 6 treatments compared to the control. Anthocyanins are the most important group of natural pigments after chlorophyll that are involved in light protection. The noticeable point is that in most treatment PAL enzyme activity, total phenol, flavonoid and anthocyanin content in compound treatment increased.
Conclusion: The highest amount of total phenol and flavonoid content observed in compounds treatment of 20 ????M JA -1 mM SA and anthocyanin increased in total compounds treatment and using PAL enzyme activity had correlation and significant effect (data not shown). Stevia has anti–cancer effect, anti-blood glucose effect and anti-cardiovascular effect. This effects for the existence phenolic compounds in stevia such that had the ability to remove ROS, so increasing phenolic component by jasmonic acid and salicylic acid spraying in stevia was useful.
Arezoo Safarzadeh; Giti Barzin; Daryoosh Talei
Abstract
Introduction: The salinity affliction of land constitutes a major threat amongst the various forms of soil degradation. Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungus can be useful as a bio-fertilizer in providing plant nutrition and reducing the effects of environmental stresses on plants. On the other hand, nitric oxide ...
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Introduction: The salinity affliction of land constitutes a major threat amongst the various forms of soil degradation. Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungus can be useful as a bio-fertilizer in providing plant nutrition and reducing the effects of environmental stresses on plants. On the other hand, nitric oxide plays a role in many environmental and non-environmental stresses, including drought and salinity stresses. Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza globra Linn.), commonly known as Mulahatti and Yashtimadhu, is the highest priority value crop which can be successfully cultivated on salt-affected and degraded lands. It is a small perennial leguminous herb of the family Fabaceae (Papilionaceae) native to the Mediterranean region and central and southwest Asia, and cultivated in Italy, Russia, France, UK, USA, Germany, Spain, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and north-western India. This research was carried out with the aim of investigating the effect of nitric oxide modification on coexistence with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus on some of the physiological traits of licorice under the salt stress of sodium chloride.
Materials and Methods: This research was a factorial experiment based on completely randomized block design with three replications. Factors consisted of five levels of NaCl-salinity (0 as control, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM), two levels of nitric oxide (0 and 0.2 mM) and two levels of mycorrhizal fungi (the presence and absence of mycorrhizal). To do this, 10 kg pot of pumice mixture and pumice (1 to 1 ratio) were poured into 60 plastic containers (30 x 20 cm; 10 L) and sterilized by alcohol. The seeds germinated in petri dishes after adequate growth, they were transferred to the pots (all seeds were germinated and grown in the same conditions). In each pot, five seedlings were cultured and irrigated with distilled water until a two-leaf stage. After that, the treatment was carried out by a Hoagland solution. Application of saline treatments and nitric oxide (from sodium nitroproced as nitric oxide source) was performed 45-days. Finally, after 60 days of planting, sampling was carried out to measure the physiological traits from the middle leaves of each pot, and after being placed in an aluminum foil with ice-containing flux, it was transferred to the laboratory and then transferred to 80 o C. The evaluated traits were leaf flavonoids by Swain (52) method, proline content by Bates et al. (6) method, MDA with Ohkawa et al. (40) method, CAT activity by Pereira et al. (44) method, POD activity by Korori (28) method and SOD activity by Giannopolitis and Reis (21) method. The data were analyzed by SPSS 22 (IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0) software application. The data was normalized and inferential statistics such as analysis of variance and mean comparison of treatments were calculated using Duncan's multiple range test.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that the salinity stress had significant effect on flavonoid content, proline content, malondialdehyde rate and antioxidant activity of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. Salinity had increased levels of malondialdehyde, proline content, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase). The coexistence of mycorrhiza fungus in combination with nitric oxide or alone reduced the number of flavonoids and increased proline content at each level of salinity stress. Nitric oxide had no significant effect on measured traits but was more effective in combination with Mycorrhiza fungi. In general, sodium chloride salinity stress had a negative effect on the physiological traits of liquorice, but the use of nitric oxide with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus reduced the negative effects of stress. In general, it can be said that the removal and decontamination of active oxygen species is an important part of salinity tolerance in plants. In the present study, salinity stresses have significantly increased the amount of MDA, which is an indicator of plant response to stress. In addition to salinity stress, nitric oxide stress has been induced to reduce the effects of high salt concentration on some of the indices, thus reducing nitric oxide in high concentrations of MDA. Application of saline treatment significantly increased the activity of the three antioxidant enzymes CAT, POD, and SOD. The results showed that salinity stress had a decreasing effect on studied traits, but the application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus with nitric oxide reduced the negative effects of sodium chloride salinity stress on liquorice plant.
Farnaz Moghadami; Khodayar Hemmati; Vahid Akbarpour
Abstract
Introduction: Citrus is in the first rank in the world with respect to production among fruits. They are grown commercially in more than 50 countries around the world. Several factors such as rootstock, nutrition and irrigation regimes, cultivation design and etc. may affect the promotion of quality ...
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Introduction: Citrus is in the first rank in the world with respect to production among fruits. They are grown commercially in more than 50 countries around the world. Several factors such as rootstock, nutrition and irrigation regimes, cultivation design and etc. may affect the promotion of quality and quantity of fruits. Lemon fruits are among the most valuable functional diets shown to lower oxidative-related disease risks, particularly cardiovascular disease. A well-documented characteristic of these fruits is the accumulation of high amounts of glycoside flavonones, named hesperidin in the fruits. Several recent studies have demonstrated that the cytoprotective action of citrus fruits is enhanced by the presence of antioxidants including vitamin C, phenolics, carotenoids and flavonoids. Hesperidin and its metabolites significantly have been found to lower the total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in plasma. Hesperidin acts as a chemopreventive agent against colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane. Lemons are one of the citrus species having many medicinal effects owing to their secondary metabolites. Flavonoids are a part of aromatic polyphenols having different biological actions such as antioxidant activity, anti-cancer, anti-sensation and etc. Hesperidin is one of the abundant secondary metabolites belonging to flavonoids in citrus, which is effective in treating many diseases.
Materials and Methods: In order to investigate the effect of lemon fruits (Citrus lemon cv. Cluster, C. lemon cv. Lisbon and C. lemon cv. Eureka) tissue type and harvesting time on the flavonoids hesperidin content, this experiment was carried out. Thus, this research was conducted in a factorial arrangement on the basis of completely randomized design with three factors: tissue type (Flavedo, Albedo and Flesh), harvesting time (45, 75, 105 and 135 days after full bloom) and three lemon cultivars (Cluster, Lisbon and Eureka) with three replications. Studied trees in Kotra Research Station were planted for research aims and were 20-year grafted on sour orange rootstocks. For selection of trees, the same height, crown, and other morphological attributes were considered. As the fruit quality may be differ in different parts of crown, fruits were harvested from different geographical orientations of crown. Samples were gathered after full bloom at the 30-day intervals. The measured parameters were included fruit weight, diameter, peel thickness, dry matter and hesperidin flavonoid in extraction of various fruit tissues. Extraction was conducted by methanol and hesperidin content recorded by High Performance Liquid Choromatography (HPLC). Chemicals and reagents used in this study were high quality grade and acquired from Sigma-Aldrich
Results and Discussion: Results showed that the fruit harvesting time significantly affected on fruit diameter, peel thickness, dry matter and also hesperidin content of tissue extraction. Fruit diameter variation was related to the fruit weight. The highest fruit weight attained in cultivars Lisbon and Eureka (88.39 g and 84.72 g, respectively) at the fourth harvesting time (135 days after full bloom) and the minimum, in sour lemon cv. Cluster (4.16 g) at the first harvesting time (45 days after full bloom). The maximum of fruit diameter was recorded in cultivar Lisbon (54.81 mm) at the fourth harvesting time and the minimum diameter in cultivar Eureka (20.75 mm) at the first harvesting time. Fruit peel thickness at the first harvesting stage increased and then decreased. Cluster sour lemon cultivar possessed the highest peel thickness (7.16 mm) and the Eureka cultivar had the minimum (4.66 mm). Percentage of dry matter increased at the first harvesting stage and then decreased. The maximum percentage of dry matter was recorded in cluster sour lemon cultivar (22.83%) and minimum in Lisbon lemon cultivar (11.36%). The highest amount of hesperidin was observed in Lisbon cultivar (1606.93 ppm). These amounts decreased afterward until fruit harvesting time. The highest hesperidin content was produced in albedo tissue. Lisbon lemon in the hesperidin was better than the other two cultivars. It is concluded that the most suitable time of mature fruits harvesting is 45 days after full bloom. At this time the fruit diameter of lemon cv. Eureka, Lisbon and Cluster were 20.7, 22.8 and 25.8 mm; respectively. Hesperidin flavonoid was produced in albedo tissue in all cultivars. Therefor; fruit albedo tissue can be regarded as the best tissue for extracting hesperidin. Hesperidin was severely affected by harvesting time, tissue and cultivar. Hesperidin was achieved in the most amounts at the first harvesting stage in Lisbon lemon compared to all studied cultivars. As the fresh consumption of Eureka, Lisbon and specially Cluster lemon is few, thus preparing programs to extract flavonoid and use this cultivar in food industries is suggested.
Farzaneh Nourbakhsh; Vida Chalavi; Vahid Akbarpour
Abstract
Introduction: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a perennial, ever green and fragrant plant belongs to Lamiaceae family. Vegetative parts of this plant have essential oil and compounds with anti oxidant and antibacterial properties which are used extensively in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic ...
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Introduction: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a perennial, ever green and fragrant plant belongs to Lamiaceae family. Vegetative parts of this plant have essential oil and compounds with anti oxidant and antibacterial properties which are used extensively in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. The use of biofertilizers such as vermicompost and Nitroxin could have beneficial effect on production of rosemary by increasing the production of plant growth hormones and the availability of macro and micro nutrients in growing media.
Materials and Methods: The effect of vermicompost and Nitroxin biofertilizers was investigated on growth, yield, the amounts of photosynthetic pigments, flavonoid, essential oil percentage and yield of rosemary. The experiment was based on a randomized complete block design with two factors, including vermicompost (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% w/w) and Nitroxin (inoculated and non-inoculated with Nitroxin) with four replications. This research was done at Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran, in 2012-2013. Uniform one-year old rooted rosemary cuttings were selected for this experiment. Before planting, rooted cuttings were treated in diluted Nitroxin solution in water (1:10) for 10 minutes. After planting, rosemary plants were fertilized twice by Nitroxin for every 45 days according to the producing company recommendation. During growth period, irrigation was done according to plants requirement. At the end of experiment, parameters such as plant height, shoot fresh and dry weight, root dry weight, chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, leaf flavonoid and essential oil yield were measured. Data was analyzed using standard analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the general linear models procedure of SAS, (version 9.1; SAS Institute, Cary, N.C.). Differences among means were tested by least significant difference (LSD) (p ≤ 0.05).
Results and Discussion: Obtained results showed that the application of different levels of vermicompost and Nitroxin inoculation and their interactions had significant effect on some rosemary morphological and physiological properties such as plant height, shoot fresh and dry weight, root dry weight, chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, leaf flavonoid and essential oil yield. The interaction of vermicompost and Nitroxin were highly significant for shoot weight. The highest fresh weight (71.55 g) for each plant were obtained from 40% vermicompost with Nitroxin inoculated treatment. The lowest fresh weight (45.62 g and 44.4g) belonged to 10% vermicompost and control treatments, respectively. Shoot dry weight yield was also affected by vermicompost with Nitroxin interaction and was highly significant. The highest dry weight (31.37 g) was obtained from 40% vermicompost with Nitroxin inoculated treatment while the lowest dry weight (18.68 g and 18.79 g) was observed in control and Nitroxin treatment, respectively. The amount of chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll were affected by vermicompost with Nitroxin interaction too. The highest amount of chlorophyll a (25.89 mg/g) was observed in 30% vermicompost treatment. The highest amount of chlorophyll b (2.13 and 1.81 mg/g) belonged to 20% and 30% vermicompost treatments, respectively and , the highest amount of total chlorophyll (27.7 mg/g) was measured in 20% vermicompost in combination with Nitroxin inoculated treatment. The highest amount of leaf flavonoid (6.25 mg/g) was determined in 10% vermicompost with Nitroxin inoculated treatment. The highest essential oil yield (0.263 and 0.272 g per plant) was obtained from 20% and 30% vermicomposts treatments, respectively. According to the presented results, amendment of growing media with vermicompost and Nitroxin inoculation significantly increased quantity and quality properties of rosemary.
Conclusions: The presented results showed that the use of vermicompost, and Nitroxin separately or in combination have positive effect on growth yield, pigments formation and essential oil yield of rosemary. The increased fresh and dry yield of rosemary in this study could be the result of optimum condition of growth media provided by vermicompost. The use of vermicompost increases water holding capacity and better ventilation environment for plant roots. In addition, the presence of vermicompost in growing media provides greater nutrient availability for plants and therefore increases plant fresh and dry yield. This greater nutrient availability could be due to increased microbial population and their activities in vermicompost- amended growth media.
Fatemeh Jafarpour; Davoud Bakhshi; Mahmood Ghasemnejad; Reza Hassan Sajedi
Abstract
In this study, effect of exogenous putrescine on maintaining postharvest quality and antioxidant compounds of two broccoli cultivars, ‘General’ and ‘Liberty’ during cool storage were investigated. Broccoli branchlets were treated with 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mM Putrescine. Distilled water was used as ...
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In this study, effect of exogenous putrescine on maintaining postharvest quality and antioxidant compounds of two broccoli cultivars, ‘General’ and ‘Liberty’ during cool storage were investigated. Broccoli branchlets were treated with 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mM Putrescine. Distilled water was used as control. Treated florets were put into polyethylene bag and transferred to storage with 0°C and 90% RH. Weight loss, total chlorophyll, total phenols and catechin and chlorogenic acid were determined after 40 days of cool storage and kept 2 additional days in room temperature. Results showed that 1.5 mM putrescine treatment prevented weight loss, delayed chlorophyll degradation and senescence and improved florets quality in General and Liberty cultivars. Total phenols and flavenoids content declined at the end of storage and also two additional days in room temperature, but putrescine treatments prevented its significant decreasing. Catechin and chlorogenic acid content decreased in untreated florets was decreased when transferred to room temperature after long-term storage in low temperature; but 1.5 mM putrescine increased them in both studied cultivars. Overall, application of 1.5 mM putrescine with preventing chlorophyll degradation and maintaining antioxidant compounds, delayed broccoli florets senescence.
Kambiz Mashayekhi; Hossein Sadeghi; Vahid Akbarpour; Sadegh Atashi; Seyyed Javad Mousavizadeh; Malihe Abshaei; Zohre Nazari
Abstract
Citrus fruits contain numerous nutrients and secondary metabolites including sugars, vitamin C, flavonoids and phenols which have high antioxidant activity and nutritional value. Factors such as cultivar, type of stock and fruit position affect the amount of these compounds. Hence in this study the amount ...
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Citrus fruits contain numerous nutrients and secondary metabolites including sugars, vitamin C, flavonoids and phenols which have high antioxidant activity and nutritional value. Factors such as cultivar, type of stock and fruit position affect the amount of these compounds. Hence in this study the amount of sucrose, glucose, total sugar, vitamin C, flavonoids and phenols in pulp, mesocarp and flavedo of Parson Brown and Mars oranges grafted on Citrange, Cleopatra and Rough Lemon stocks were measured. According to the results, maximum of vitamin C was in Parson Brown cultivar on the Citrange and Cleopatra grafting stocks. The highest total sugar was recorded in Parson Brown and Mars cultivars on the Rough Lemon stock (P
