Medicinal Plants
Mahmoud Ghojavand; Porang Kasraie; Hamidreza Tohidimoghadam; Muḥammad Naseri; Hamid Larigani
Abstract
Introduction
Satureja hortensis L. is an annual herbaceous plant of the mint family that has numerous raised or creeping stems or arched stems with a height of 10 to 30 cm. The height of this plant reaches a maximum of 60 cm. The stems and branches are usually covered with hairs. The leaves are ...
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Introduction
Satureja hortensis L. is an annual herbaceous plant of the mint family that has numerous raised or creeping stems or arched stems with a height of 10 to 30 cm. The height of this plant reaches a maximum of 60 cm. The stems and branches are usually covered with hairs. The leaves are opposite, have short or almost no petioles. The leaves are opposite, the petioles are short or almost without petioles, there are many small spots on the surface of the leaf called the tuber, which contains the essential oil. Knowledge of environmental, plant and agro-factors play an important role in the success of medicinal plants. One of the factors affecting the growth and development and production of active ingredients of medicinal and aromatic plants is water, the lack of which has a greater effect on reducing production than other inputs. Drought stress is an important global constraint on agricultural production and food security. Recently, there has been a growing interest in reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and exploring alternative methods for producing high-quality crops. This is particularly important in arid and semi-arid regions like most parts of Iran, where soil nutrient levels are often low. The use of biofertilizers can help strengthen plants and promote sustainable crop production. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of salicylic acid foliar application, Mycorrhiza-Azotobacter bio-fertilizers, and drought stress on the morphological and physiological characteristics of summer savory, a medicinal plant.
Materials and Methods
This experiment was conducted to evaluate some traits of summer savory in response to biological fertilizers, salicylic acid and drought stress in Zamanabad village of Rey city (Tehran province) during 2018 and 2017. This experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications, as a factorial split plot. The main factor was irrigation, with three levels including soil moisture potential (as a control), potential of -5.5 atmospheres as medium stress, and potential of -10 atmospheres as severe stress. Sub-factors included four levels of biological fertilizers: No inoculation, seed inoculation with Azotobacter strain, seed inoculation with Mycorrhiza, and concomitant use of Azotobacter + Mycorrhiza. Salicylic acid was also considered at two levels: no foliar application and foliar application with a concentration of 0.6 mM. The following plant characteristics were studied: plant height, root dry weight, shoot dry weight, total chlorophyll content, proline content, percentage, and essential oil yield. At full flowering stage, the plants were harvested and placed in an oven at 75 ° C for 24 hours to measure the dry weight of roots and shoots. 10 g of leaves and flowering twigs from each replicate were transferred to the laboratory to measure physiological traits. SAS 9.4 software was used to perform a two-year combined analysis of variance for the recorded traits. To ensure the uniformity of variance of errors, the Bartlett uniformity test of variance was performed based on the mean squares and the degree of error freedom in two years. Mean traits were also compared using the least significant difference test (LSD) at the 5% probability level.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that the effect of drought stress, fertilizer and salicylic acid treatments on the studied traits of plant height and shoot and root dry weight, chlorophyll content, percentage and yield of essential oil and proline content were significant. Salicylic acid and the combined application of Azotobacter + mycorrhiza increased plant height, plant dry weight and root, as well as increased chlorophyll content, proline, percentage and yield of safflower essential oil under drought stress. According to the results of this experiment, it can be argued that the response of plant height, plant dry weight and essential oil yield to the increase in drought stress levels was negative, but the root dry weight, total chlorophyll, proline and essential oil percentage were the opposite response. The highest amount of these traits was observed in severe stress conditions and the combined application of bio-fertilizers (Azotobacter + Mycorrhiza) and salicylic acid 0.6 mM had a positive and increasing effect compared to other levels of bio-fertilizer and salicylic acid in The studied traits of the present study were observed.
Conclusion
According to the results of this experiment, the application of bio-fertilizers and foliar application of salicylic acid causes dehydration and dehydration, as well as the presence of essential oils, nutrients, and the quality of summer safflower under drought stress.
Medicinal Plants
Soheila Charbandi; Faezeh Zaefarian; Vahid Akbarpour; Mohammad Kaveh
Abstract
Introduction: The tendency to produce aromatic and medicinal plants and the demand for natural products is increasing especially in the world. Ecological agriculture (Agroecology) of medicinal plants guarantees their quality and reduces the possibility of negative effects on their quality and yield. ...
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Introduction: The tendency to produce aromatic and medicinal plants and the demand for natural products is increasing especially in the world. Ecological agriculture (Agroecology) of medicinal plants guarantees their quality and reduces the possibility of negative effects on their quality and yield. Evaluation of different plant nutrition systems is one of the most important principles in the production planning of medicinal plants in order to achieve high yield and quality of effective ingredients. Proper fertilizer management is one of the most important factors in agricultural production. Identification of fertilizers which are compatible with nature and are suitable for plant growth could have favorable effects on quantitative and qualitative indices of the plant. Organic fertilizers are genuine and risk-free products that could be suitable for agricultural sustainability. Soil organic matter improves fertility and water retention, provides proper ventilation, long-term storage of plant nutrients and microorganisms, so replacing chemical fertilizers with fertilizers such as vermicompost and biofertilizer can reduce the above-mentioned effects. Biofertilizers are one of the operations that is nowadays in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture for soil fertility. Biofertilizers include the compost of one or more types of useful soil organisms or as metabolic by-products of these organisms that are used to provide the plant with the nutrients it needs in an agroecosystem.Materials and Methods: In order to investigate the effect of biochar, organic and biological fertilizers on the quantity and quality of Ocimum bacilicum L., a factorial experiment was done in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Experimental treatments included two levels of biochar (0 and 20 ton ha-1) and five levels of fertilizers (vermicompost (10 ton ha-1), Mycorrhiza, Azotobacter, Pseudomonas and no fertilizer application). Prior to planting sweet basil seed, biofertilizers and vermicompost were mixed with soil to the depth of 15 cm. Mycorrhizal fungi were mixed with seed. Azotobacter and Pseudomonas bacteria were also incubated with seeds (seed inoculated). It should be added that in this study no chemicals were used to control weeds and pests.Results and Discussion: According to the results, the highest plant height and number of main branches were obtained in biochar application with vermicompost (49.37 cm and 7, respectively), which was significantly better than other treatments. The interaction effect of biochar and fertilizer had a significant effect on fresh and dry weight of leaf and stem. Mean comparison of treatments showed that the highest leaf and stem fresh weight were obtained in biochar + Pseudomonas application (792 and 876 g m-2, respectively), which had no significant difference with biochar + vermicompost; and also, the maximum leaf dry weight and stem dry weight were obtained in biochar with Pseudomonas application (166 and 175 g m-2, respectively). The interaction between biochar and fertilizer on phenol, flavonoids and antioxidant activity of basil showed a significant differences between treatments.Conclusion: In general, the results showed that the use of biochar and biological and organic fertilizers could be effective in both the quality and quantity of sweet bail, where, the use of the bacterium Azobacter and Pseudomonas with biochar had the greatest effect on the quality and quantity of sweet bail. Finally, it could be concluded that the combined use of biochar with biological fertilizers had significant impacts on the quantitative and qualitative traits of sweet bail in ecological or low input agricultural.
Hossein Nastari Nasrabadi; Seyyed Farhad Saberali
Abstract
Introduction: Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the most important vegetables in Cucurbitaceae family and one of the most important economic crops in the Torbat-e Jam. Growth and yield of agricultural crops are affected by biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. Salinity stress can be one of the most ...
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Introduction: Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the most important vegetables in Cucurbitaceae family and one of the most important economic crops in the Torbat-e Jam. Growth and yield of agricultural crops are affected by biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. Salinity stress can be one of the most important environmental factors limiting the yield of plants, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. It has been reported that by application of bio-fertilizers, root and shoot dry weight and nitrogen concentration in alfalfa increased under salt stress. Sarabi et al (44) in a study of different genotypes of melons under salinity stress reported that salinity stress increases soluble sugars and proline content and decreases photosynthetic pigments. Growth-promoting bacteria can help plants under stress conditions by stabilizing atmospheric nitrogen, increasing the accessibility of nutrients, and interfering by the production of plant hormones such as auxin, cytokinin, and gibberellins. Soliman et al. (49) also reported that growth-promoting bacteria increase the absorption of elements, especially nitrogen, in Acacia saligana. Basilio et al. (7) showed that growth-promoting bacteria increase plant height and yield of wheat. The use of salicylic acid to create plant reactions to environmental stresses has been suggested. Raghami et al (39) reported that salicylic acid improves vegetative indexes and photosynthetic pigments in eggplant under salt stress. It has been reported that salicylic acid treatment increased K in wheat under salt stress. Due to the expansion of saline soils as well as the reduction of fresh water resources, the purpose of this experiment is to better establish melon seedlings under adverse environmental conditions and to maintain and develop this valuable crop.
Materials and Methods: In order to study the effect of biological fertilizers and salicylic acid on physiological parameters and growth of Khatooni melon under salinity stress conditions, a factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with three replications in Torbat-e-Jam University. Salicylic acid treatment was selected at two levels, without (SA0) and one mM (SA1) salicylic acid. Bacteria treatments were including Azotobacter (B1), Azospirilium (B2), Azotobacter and Azospirilum (B3) and without inoculation (B0) and salinity treatments were prepared in five concentrations: control (S0), 50 (S1), 100 (S2), 150 (S3) and 200 (S4) mM of sodium chloride.
Results and Discussion: Interaction effects of salinity, salicylic acid and bacteria showed, proline content was increased by salinity stress. The highest of proline content was obtained by combination of 200 mM salinity, one mM of salicylic acid and Azetobacter + Azospirilum (S4 SA1 B3) and the minimum of it was recorded in contorol (S0 SA0 B0). Under salinity conditions, the accumulation of compatible solutions such as proline, glycine, betaine and other organic solutions in the plant occurs, which play an important role in protecting the plant against the harmful effects of stress. On the other hand, the increase in proline content by growth-promoting bacteria may be due to an increase in the absorption of nutrients, especially nitrogen, because proline has a nitrogenous structure.
Without salinity stress no significant difference observed between salicylic acid treatments on soluble sugars, but soluble sugars content were significantly increased by increasing salinity stress. The maximum and minimum of soluble sugars content were recorded in combination 200 mM salinity and one mM of salicylic acid (S4 SA1) and control (S0 SA0) respectively. Plants try to overcome salinity stress by producing organic compounds that are osmotically active such as soluble sugars.
It has been reported that the use of salicylic acid in eggplant and barley under salinity stress has increased the production of soluble sugars, which is consistent with the results of this study. In general, accumulation of proline and soluble sugars content might be due to increased synthesis and decreased degradation under stress conditions. According to the results, photosynthetic pigments and relative water content percentage (RWC %) were decreased under salinity stress. Simple effects of salicylic acid (SA1) and bacteria treatments especially combination of bacteria (B3) significantly improved Chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids and RWC. Sarabi et al. (43) reported that chlorophyll content, carotenoids and RWC were decreased in melon under salinity stress. Kheirizadeh Arough et al (29) reported that application of bio-fertilizers and nano zinc oxid increased content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids in Triticale under salinity conditions.
Conclusion: Based on the obtained results in this study, we can use Azotobacter and Azospirillum together for seed inoculation and spraying with salicylic acid for obtaining better growth and yield under salt stress.
Mohammad Taghi Darzi; Bijan Sadeghi Nekoo
Abstract
Introduction: Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is a perennial herb which is cultivated in temperate regions of Asia, Europe and America. The essential oil of hyssop is widely used as traditional drug in some of the parts of Asia and Europe to treat respiratory diseases. Hyssop is also used in food, pharmaceutical, ...
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Introduction: Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is a perennial herb which is cultivated in temperate regions of Asia, Europe and America. The essential oil of hyssop is widely used as traditional drug in some of the parts of Asia and Europe to treat respiratory diseases. Hyssop is also used in food, pharmaceutical, flavor and cosmetic industries throughout the world. It is mainly used for antispasmodic, stomachic, antifungal, relax spasm and cough treatment. Applying organic fertilizers and biofertilizers such as compost, vermicompost and nitrogen fixing bacteria contain Azotobacter and Azospirillum has led to a decrease in chemical fertilizers consumption and has provided high quality agricultural products. Several studies have shown that organic and bio-fertilizers application such as vermicompost and nitrogen fixing bacteria can increase essential oil content of medicinal plants of dill, basil and fennel.The main object of this work was to record the best suitable treatment of organic and biological fertilizer to obtain highest yield of Hyssop.
Materials and Methods: A field experiment, arranged in a randomized complete blocks design with eight treatments and three replications at research field of the Agriculture Company of Ran, Firouzkuh, Iran during the growing season of 2012. The treatments were (1) 20 t/ha compost, (2) 12 t/ha vermicompost, (3) biofertilizer [inoculated seeds with Azotobacter and Azospirillum], (4) 10 t/ha compost + 6 t/ha vermicompost, (5) 20 t/ha compost + biofertilizer, (6) 12 t/ha vermicompost + biofertilizer, (7) 10 t/ha compost + 6 t/ha vermicompost + biofertilizer and (8) control [without fertilizer application]. Inoculation was carried out by immersing the hyssop seeds in the cells suspension of 108 CFU/ml for 15 min. The required quantities of compost and vermicompost were applied and incorporated to the top 5 cm layer of soil in the experimental beds before planting of hyssop seeds. Each experimental plot was 3 m long by 2.28 m wide with the spacing of 15 cm between the plants and 38 cm between the rows. There was a space of one meter between the plots and 2 meters between replications. Hyssop seeds were directly sown by hand. There was no incidence of pest or disease on hyssop during the experiment. Weeding was done manually and the plots were irrigated weekly (as trickle irrigation system). All necessary cultural practices and plant protection measures were followed uniformly for all the plots during the entire period of experiment. In this study, some morphological traits and yield hyssop including plant height, branch no./plant, fresh weight of plant, dry weight of plant, herb fresh yield, herb dried yield, essential oil content and essential oil yield were evaluated. In order to determine herb fresh yield and herb dry yield, 1 m-2 plants were used at the harvest time (full blooming). For determine the essential oil content (%), About 100 g dried herb of hyssop (dried in shadow) as sample from the each plot were selected and then were subjected to hydro-distillation (Clevenger type apparatus) for 3 hours. Essential oil yield also was calculated by using essential oil content and herb dried yield. Analysis of variance by using SAS software and mean comparisons by Least Significant Difference Test (LSD) (at the 5% probability level) was done.
Results and Discussion: The present results have shown that the highest plant height and branch no/plant in treatment of integrated application of 20 t/ha compost,biofertilizer,the maximum fresh weight of plant and herb fresh yield in treatment of application of 20 t/ha compost were obtained. Also, the highest dry weight of plant in treatment of integrated application of 10 t/ha compost, 6 t/ha vermicompost and biofertilizer and the highest herb dried yield, essential oil content and essential oil yield in treatment of integrated application of 12 t/ha vermicompost and biofertilizer were obtained. Vermicompost application through high ability for absorption of mineral nutrients like N, P and K by plants and then increase of biomass amount has a positive effect on secondary metabolites concentration such as essential oil and subsequently the enhanced essential oil content. Increased essential oil yield in treatment of 12 tonnes vermicompost per hectare and biofertilizer can be owing to the improvement of yield attributes such as herb dry yield and essential oil content.
Conclusion:Integrated application of organic manures and biofertilizer positively influenced morphological traits and yield of hyssop, as the highest herb dry yield, essential oil content and essential oil yield were obtained in treatment of integrated application of 12 t/ha vermicompost and biofertilizer and treatment of integrated application of 10 t/ha compost, 6 t/ha vermicompost and biofertilizer. On the base of research results, organic amendments and biofertilizer application can be caused in improvement of morphological characters and yield of hyssop.
Mina Motamednezhad; Seyyed Vahid Eslami; Mohammad Hassan Sayyari Zahan; Sohrab Mahmoodi
Abstract
Introduction: Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants has always had a special situation in the traditional system of agriculture and these systems have played a major role in the diversification and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. Tend to produce medicinal and aromatic plants and demand ...
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Introduction: Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants has always had a special situation in the traditional system of agriculture and these systems have played a major role in the diversification and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. Tend to produce medicinal and aromatic plants and demand for natural products, especially in terms of ecological culture in the world is increasing. Ajowan is an annual herbaceous plant from the Apiaceae family. Biological fertilizers produced by the activity of microorganisms are associated with nitrogen fixation or availability of phosphorus and other nutrients in the soil. Enrichment means increasing the concentration of nutrients in plants especially micronutrients. Application of biological fertilizers instead of using chemicals is one of the most important nutritional strategies in sustainable management of agro ecosystems. In this regard, the effect of enrichment with bio-fertilizers and micronutrients on Ajowan (Carum copticum L.) germination characteristics was studied at Birjand Agricultural Research Laboratory.
Materials and Methods: A factorial experiment based on a CRD (completely randomized design) was conducted with three replications at Birjand Agricultural Research Laboratory during 2011. Experimental treatments consisted of bio-fertilizer application with three levels including without inoculation, and seed inoculation with Azospirillum and Azotobacter and seed enrichment with ten different treatment levels including without enrichment, and enrichment using 1, 2 and 3 mM of Fe, Zn and Mn elements. Bacteria were provided by Soil and Water Research Institute of Tehran. Initially, the seeds were disinfected through immersing them in 1% sodium hypochlorite for 3 minutes and then washing them with the tap water for 2-3 times. For the Enrichment of seeds, depending on the treatments, Petri dishes were treated with 10 ml of micronutrients solution for 24 hours. Then for bacterial inoculation depending on the type of treatments, seeds were soaked in 7 ml of inoculums containing 108 alive and active bacteria per ml for 5 hours. In each treatment, 15 seeds were placed in Petri dishes sealed with parafilm and placed in a germinator set at 70% RH and 25/15 °C. The traits studied were: germination percentage, germination rate, root and shoot length, as well as root and shoot fresh and dry weight. Before analyzing the data, normality test was performed and analysis of variance was performed using Genstat and graphs were drawn using Excel software.
Results and Discussion: The Analysis of variances results showed that seed inoculation with biological fertilizers and micronutrients significantly increased germination rate, root and shoot length, root fresh weight and dry weight of root and shoot of Ajowan compared with the control. Results showed that there were not significant differences between treatments in terms of germination percentage. Using micronutrients for seed enrichment caused increased germination rate. The maximum germination rate value was obtained from the Mn 1mM treatment (2.164 seeds per day), and. its minimum value was obtained from Zn1 (1.55 seeds per day). The maximum and minimum values of root length were obtained from the combined treatments of azotobacter + Fe2 and Azospirillum + Zn3, respectively. The maximum and minimum values of shoot length were obtained from the combined treatments of azotobacter + Mn2 and Azospirillum + Zn3, respectively. The highest and lowest values of shoot dry weight were obtained from azotobacter + Fe3 and azotobacter, respectively. The highest and lowest values of root dry weight were obtained from Zn1 (2.35 mg) and Mn2 (0.4 mg), respectively. The highest and lowest values of root fresh weight were obtained from Azospriliium+ Mn3 and Azospriliium+ Zn2, respectively. The highest and lowest values of shoot fresh weight were obtained from Azotobacter+Mn2 and Mn3, respectively.
Conclusion: During the evaluation of the measured traits regarding to bio fertilizers application on ajowan, it was observed that all biological treatments were superior to the control (non-biological fertilizer) and Azotobacter was the most effective amongst them. Bio fertilizers applications used in this study showed significant effects on root and shoot length, as well as fresh weight of root and shoot. The use of micro-nutrients on ajowan, showed that the application of 1 and 2 mM of Mn and all three concentrations enhanced the examined characteristics, while the application of 1 mM of Zn was just effective on root and shoot dry weight. Overall,application of these micronutrients had significant effects on germination rate and root length and fresh weight of root and shoot as well as dry weight of shoot and root.
