javad hadian

Greek marjoram (Origanum vulgare L. spp. hirtum) is a well-known aromatic plant belongs to the Lamiaceae family which is widely used in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. Due to the economic importance of the plant, in the present study, morphological, phytochemical and antioxidant capacity of the plant were evaluated through the introducing of the plant to the climate of northern Tehran. According to the results, the mean plant height, leaf length, leaf width and pedicle length were 55, 2.5, 1.75 and 0.3 cm, respectively. Also, the average measured traits for plant fresh weight were 350 g, plant dry weight was 138.33 g and the ratio of plant fresh weight to dry weight was 2.53%. The yield of the plant in second year was 2899.8 kg/ha. The essential oil content of the plant at full flowering stage was 1.5%. Carvacrol (71.0 %), γ-terpinene (12.7 %) and ρ-cymene (6.9%) were the major compounds of the plant oil. The content of total phenol, total flavonoids and rosmarinic acid at full flowering stage were 29.34 mg GAE/g DW, 21.42 mg QE/g DW and 13.37 mg /g DW, respectively. The antioxidant activity of Greek marjoram extract showed the IC50 index of 99.11 μg/ml.

Solidago virga-urea L. is a valuable medicinal plant that has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, diuretic and analgesic effects. In order to evaluate the phenolic and flavonoid compositions in different organs extract (rosette leaf, stem leaf and flower) and also in extracts obtained from different growth stages (before bloom, first bloom, full bloom and after bloom) of S. virga-urea L.'Phasa F type', two separate experiments were conducted in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment carried out in the Research Institute of Plants and Medicinal Raw Materials of Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran in 2019. Phytochemical properties including total phenol content, total flavonoids and leiocarposide content were measured by Folin–Ciocalteu, Aluminum Chloride method and high performance liquid chromatographic analysis, respectively. The results showed that among different organs, the highest amount of phenol (29.36 mg GAE.g-1 dry weight) was in flowers, flavonoids (8.63 mg RUT. g-1 dry weight) in rosette leaves, and leiocarposide (5.17 mg.g-1 dry weight) in stem leaves. Among the growth stages, the highest total phenol (28.84 mg GAE.g-1 dry weight) and total flavonoids (7.95 mg RUT. g-1 dry weight) were obtained in the full bloom stage, while the highest amount of leiocarposide (9.65 mg.g-1 dry matter) obtained before blooming. According to the results obtained from this study, the best organ and harvest time for having high amounts of total phenol, total flavonoids or leiocarposide can be chosen based on pharmaceutical and food industries requirements, in the climatic conditions of Tehran.

Medicinal plants are used in all civilizations and cultures are one of the most essential defensive lines to protect human health and fight human diseases in the world. From the distant past to now, the plants have long been considered as a source of renewable medicines.Perilla (Perilla frutescens var. crispa)is an annual plant native to East Asian, which used as a medicinal plant due to the presence of active metabolite, especially rosmarinic acid. The medicinal organs used in this plant are its leaves and flowering branches. Growth, drug yield, as well as quantity and quality of secondary metabolites of medicinal plants are affected by ecological factors. The present study was conducted to evaluate the agro-morphological and phytochemical traits of Purple Perilla grown in three different locations of Sari, Rasht, and north of Tehran.

 The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Purple Perilla  were planted as seedlings in early spring in the trial field with the density of 25×50 cm (inter-plant space × inter-row space) in three locations including Sari, Rasht, and north of Tehran in 2018. Plants were harvested at the flowering stage in late September. Argo-morphological and phytochemical traits including plant height, inflorescence length, number of branches, stem diameter, internode length, leaf length, leaf width, plant fresh weight, stem fresh weight, leaf fresh weight, flowers fresh weight, plant dry weight, leaf dry weight, flower dry weight, total phenolics and flavonoids as well as rosmarinic acid content were measured. The total phenolic contents of extracts of Perilla plants were determined according to the method of Ciocalteus Reagent (FCR) Folinthe aluminum chloride method was used for the determination of the total flavonoid content of the extracts. The rosmarinic acid content was estimated with method HPLC. Data set were subjected to variance analysis using SPSS statistical software (version 19). Also, Duncan’s multiple range test was used to compare treatment means at P<0.05.

 Results of variance analysis showed that almost all morphological traits (except stem fresh weight, plant dry weight, and plant fresh weight) and all phytochemical traits were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by locations. Mean comparisons of the effect of different locations for morphological traits showed that the maximum plant height (137.67 cm), leaf length (15.28 cm), fresh weight of leaf (108.3 g), dry weight of leaf (41.63 g) were observed in Sari, while the minimum plant height (87.34 cm), leaf length (10.8 cm), fresh weight of leaf (69.74 g), dry weight of leaf (26.13 g) were detected in north of Tehran. The Rasht had the highest flower fresh weight, flower dry weight, and number of branches with an average of 108.67 g, 25.99 g, and 33, respectively. The lowest flower fresh weight, flower dry weight, and number of branches were observed in the north of Tehran with an average of 47.07, 12.71, and 22 g, respectively. The results revealed that the highest internode length, inflorescence length, and leaf width belonged to the Sari with an average of 9.12, 13.17, and 98.8 mm, respectively, while the Rasht had the lowest internode length, inflorescence length, and leaf width with an average of 6.28, 9.8, and 6.97 mm, respectively. Also, the maximum and minimum stem diameter were observed in the north of Tehran and Sari (8.95 and 7.65 mm), respectively. Mean comparisons of the effect of different locations for phytochemical traits showed that the maximum total phenolic contents and rosmarinic acid produced in the Rasht with an average of 49.03 and 52.20 (mg/ g dry matter), respectively, while the Sari had the maximum flavonoids content (14.8 mg/ g dry matter).

 Drug yield (leaf and flower fraction) of the plants grown in Sari, Rasht, and north of Tehran was 41.63, 32.05, 26.13 and 12.71, 25.99, 18.47, respectively The highest total phenolics (49.027 mg/ g dry matter) and rosmarinic acid content (46.99 mg/ g dry matter) were observed in Rasht region, while the highest total flavonoids was observed in Sari (14.8 mg/ g dry matter).  In terms of argo-morphological and phytochemical traits, Sari and Rasht were suitable places for the growth of purple perilla.

To investigate the effect of different drying methods on the Solidago virgaurea L., an experiment based on a completely randomized design with six treatments and three replications was conducted in 2018 in the Ecophysiology Laboratory of Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran. In this study, aerial parts of S. virgaurea L. was harvested from Sangdeh natural habitat located in Mazandan province at full flowering stage. The drying methods were shade and sun-drying (natural drying), oven-drying (40 and 50 °C), and microwave-drying (550 and 1000 watt). In all methods, drying of the plant materials was continued until the moisture content reached 10% (based on plant fresh weight). Methanolic extract was obtained from the dried samples and some secondary metabolites including content of total phenol, total flavonoid and leiocarposide were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu method, aluminum chloride method, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. The minimum (7 minutes) and maximum (60 hours) drying times were related to 1000 watt microwave drying and shade drying methods, respectively. The highest content of total phenol (30 mg Gallic acid /g DW) in shading drying treatment and the highest content of total flavonoids (7.95 mg Rutin/g DW) and leiocarposide (3.07 mg/g DW) was observed in the oven at 40 °C. In addition, active metabolites content decreased with increasing microwave power and oven temperature. In general, the correct choice of drying method depends on several factors, and among them, the type of active ingredient, optimal energy consumption and cost savings should also be considered.

Common horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.), is widely used in the bone and nail strengthen herbal products due to the presence of minerals, especially silica.

Agro-morphological and phytochemical diversity, and the silica content of the E. arvense populations (EAPs) collected from Iran along with two commercial samples from Russia and Switzerland were investigated.

Morphological traits were measured using ruler, digital caliper, naked eye, and digital balance. Phytochemical characteristics were assessed by spectrophotometer and HPLC-PDA analyses. Silica content was measured by Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) analysis.

The maximum height was observed in Sarab (EAP4), while the highest width and stem dry weight was found in Marzanabad (EAP11). The highest TPC and TFC were measured in the Russian and EAP11 samples, respectively. Isoquercitrin content was varied from 0.03 (Russian) to 3.05 mg/g DW (EAP11) based on HPLC analysis while silica content was different among samples from 30 to 87.5 mg/g DW in EAP9 and EAP1, respectively.

In this study, EAP11 and EAP4 were superior in terms of important morphological traits. Marzanabad (EAP11) was a superior population in phytochemical characteristics which can be strongly recommended for further exploitation in conservation, domestication, and mass production programs. In the case of silica content, the EAP1 was characterized as the superior population which can be interesting for further exploitation in the production of bone, hair, and nail strengthening herbal products.

Twenty-two G. glabra populations were used to study the genetic diversity of ISSR molecular markers. 12 primers were used to amplification of genomic DNA fragments of G. glabra populations. High genetic diversity based on ISSR markers was observed among individuals. A total of 130 bands were formed and 105 bands were polymorphic. The mean polymorphism percentage among studied populations was 80.47. The highest polymorphic percentages were assigned to IS23, IS21, IS9, IS13 and IS15 primers. The mean of PIC and MI were 0.347 and 2.47, respectively. The Shannon index (I) varied between 0.207-0.393 and the Nei genetic variation index (h) from 0.140 to 0.026. Darab and Solataniyeh populations showed the lowest and highest genetic diversity, respectively. The percentage of polymorphic loci was varied between 35.224 to 65.71%. The observe allele number and effective alleles number was 1.46 and 1.34, respectively. Based on the genetic distance Nei, populations Bardsir and Baft had the highest genetic similarity (0.888) and populations Bardsir and Solataniyeh had the least genetic similarity (0.132). The studied populations were grouped into three main groups by cluster analysis using UPGAM and Jaccardchr('39')s similarity coefficient. The results showed that the ISSR marker is a reliable marker system for revealing a high level of polymorphism and can be used to study genetic diversity and further examinations as a subset of breeding programs in G. glabra.

Glabridin is one of the most flavonoid compounds in Glycyrrhiza glabra L. root with biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, anti-cancer and neuroprotective properties. In this study, in order to investigate the content of glabridin and its relationship with soil and climatic factors, roots with a diameter of 2 cm from 17 populations of licorice were harvested from different regions of Iran in October 2018. and transferred to the Laboratory of Research Institute of Medicinal Plants and Raw Materials at Shahid Beheshti University for analysis. Extraction of the extract was performed using 80% methanol solvent and the content of glabridin was studied by HPLC. Glabridin content of different licorice populations varied from 0.41 (in Yasuj population) to 22.87 (in Kashmar population) mg / g dry weight. Significant positive correlation was observed between glabridin and phosphorus and soil lime content at 1% level. Glabridin content had a significant negative correlation with altitude of 5%. Based on the results of cluster analysis, 17 licorice populations were divided into three main groups. Evaluation of populations for glabridin showed a high diversity so that Kashmar, Ilam and Bojnurd populations can be used as superior populations for domestication and breeding and for food and pharmaceutical industries.

The relative values of secondary metabolites may be impacted by harvesting time and post-harvest drying methods.

The effects of various harvesting stages of flower and drying methods were investigated on the quality and quantity of secondary metabolites of A. chamissonis Less. grown in the field.

The flowers were harvested in early May, June and July from four different developmental stages (stage 1: opening bud; stage 2: all radial florets or less than half of tubular florets opened; stage 3: all radial and tubular florets opened; stage 4: radial florets withering and seed formation). Also, the maximum collection of inflorescences during two years of trial was considered for drying method treatments (shade and sun drying, oven drying at 40 and 50 °C, and microwave drying at 500 and 1000 W power).

Results showed that the highest and the lowest total phenols were obtained in the second and first harvest date at flower maturity stages of 3 and 4, respectively. However, the highest luteolin and apigenin contents were obtained in the third harvest time at flower development stage 1. In the second experiment, the flower heads treated by shade contained the highest total phenols content followed by oven drying at 40°C. Moreover, oven drying was the most favorable method for preserving of other main secondary metabolites including total flavonoid, rutin, luteolin and apigenin.

Different harvesting dates at various flower bud phenological stages had significant effect on total phenols, flavonoids, rutin, luteolin and apigenin contents.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) as a strategic and highly valuable medicinal plant in Iran with numerous beneficial pharmaceutical properties contributes substantially to Iranian herbs exports. In the present study, a variation on the phytochemical and antioxidant activity of 25 populations of valuable and profitable medicinal plant of G. glabra was investigated. The climate variables and soil properties were evaluated in various habitates of G. glabra. Total phenol (Folin–Ciocalteu method), total flavonoid (Aluminum Chloride method), anthocyanin (pH difference method) and antioxidant activity (DPPH method) were studied. Glycyrrhizic acid, glabridin, liquiritigenin and liquiritin content of root were evaluated by liquid chromatography. The content of major components in G. glabra varied in different regions. Outstanding quantitative variability of glycyrrhizic acid, glabridin, liquiritin and liquiritigenin content were observed in roots of licorice from different regions of Iran. Glycyrrhizic acid content was varied from 93.89 (mg/g dry weight) for the Sepidan population to 20.68 (mg/g dry weight) for the Ahar population. The maximum and minimum amounts of glabridin were recorded in Kashmar and Bajgah populations, respectively. The highest levels of liquritin and liquiritigenin were in the population of Kazerun and Yasuj, respectively, and the lowest was observed in Kashmar. Also, the highest antioxidant activity (the lowest IC50) for licorice root was associated with Semirom population. In conclusion, The populations with high amount of each active ingredient in licorice root and those with considerable antioxidant activity can be exploited depending on the purpose of breeding and cultivation.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs) may differentially affect physiological and metabolic processes of plants depends on plant species, culture conditions, concentrations and application methods.

Evalaution of the effects of different concentrations of CeO2NPs through two different methods at two growth stages on morpho-physiological and phytochemicqal characteristics of red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge).

In this study CeO2NPs (0, 250, 500, 1000 mg/l) was applied at two growth stages (vegetative and reproductive) via foliar and soil application in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replications.

Maximum dry weight of aerial parts was obsrved in 250 mg/l CeO2NPs foliar application treatment at reproductive stage. Chlorophyll a content was peaked at 250 mg/l CeO2NPs soil applied treatment at reproductive stage. Furthermore, the highest content of total phenol, flavonoid, and antioxidant acitivity were obtained in leaf extract of plants foliar treated with 500 mg/l CeO2NPs at reproductive stage. The highest root rosmarinic acid and tanshinon content was achived at soil applied CeO2NPs of 500 mg/l at reproductive stage, which increased 58.7 and 24.6% compared to the respective control, respectively.

According to the obtained results in this study, CeO2NPs at 250 and 500 mg/l through foliar application at reproductive stage showed strong effect on improvement of morpho-physiological and phytochemical characteristics in S. miltiorrhiza.

Thymus daenensis, one of the endemic thyme in Iran, is very important in the pharmaceutical and food industries due to high percentage of essential oils and high levels of thymol in essential oils. In order to evaluate genetic parameters and general combining ability (GCA) in 12 populations of T. daenensis, a polycross design has been used. Polycross test in a randomized complete block design with 6 replications in 2014 and 2015, and polycross progeny test in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications in 2016 and 2017 were carried out in the Horticultural Department, University of Tehran. Karaj. Iran. Morphological traits, essential oil content and yield, thymol and carvacrol were evaluated. Results revealed that, the high level of GCA for important traits such as plant height, plant fresh and dry weight and leaf dry weight were obtained in populations of Ilam, Isfahan 2, Markazi 1 and Markazi 2 and for essential oil percentage and yield were obtained in populations of Ilam and Malayer 2. Overall, the results of this study indicated a high diversity for morphological and phytochemical traits in studied populations. Also, Ilam, Malayer 2, Markazi 1 and Markazi 2 populations with positive and high GCA provide good opportunities for creating synthetic varieties or new genetic source for selection of superior genotypes.

Thyme is one of the most widely used and valuable medicinal plants in the world. To study the genetic diversity, 22 populations of Iranian thyme from four species, T. deanensis ,T. Pubescence ,T. kotschyanus and T. lancifolius as well as a population of T. vulgaris evaluated  by 12 ISSR primers. Ten ISSR primers produced detectable bands with 57 alleles. The highest amount of the PIC (Polymorphism Information Content) was detected in P9 primer with 0.92 PIC. Primers with AC and AG motifs produced sharper bands. Cluster analysis based on molecular data grouped the populations in two separate classes. The range of genetic distance between populations varied from 0.03 to 0.4. Daran-Isfahan population and T. vulgaris revealed the highest (I=0.43, h= 0.29) and the lowest (I=0.16, h= 0.106) intra-population variation, respectively. The intra- and inter-population diversities contributed 23% and 77% to total Variation, respectively. T. deanensis and T. lancifolius indicated the highest polymorphism with 98.25% and 77.44%, respectively while the lowest polymorphism was detected in T. vulgaris (35.9 %). The intra- and inter-species diversities contributed 10% and 90% to total variation, respectively. Results showed a great genetic variation in Iranian thyme species which could be considered in hybridization and breeding programs.

Environmental factors make changes in the amount and type of secondary metabolites. To study the effects of temperature regimes on secondary metabolites and the expression of genes involved in biosynthesis pathway of thymol and carvacrol in thyme, an experiment was conducted in a growth chamber for one month with three thermal treatments including heat, cold and normal temperatures. Essential oil compounds were measured by Gc / MS and Gc and the expression of TvTps1, CYP178 and CYP180 genes assayed by qRT-PCR. Both heat and cold temperatures increased the phenolic monoterpen compounds (thymol and carvacrol) compared to normal condition. High temperature led to significant increases in carvacrol while low temperature resulted in a great increase in the amount of thymol. Gamaterpenin level was declined due to thermal treatments. Gene expression analysis revealed that the cold condition increased the expression of TvTps1 and CYP178 genes, while heat decreased the expressions. CYP180 and CYP181 were highly expressed under both cold and heat conditions, although the amount of expression was much higher under high temperature. Generally, the results indicated that the environment temperature played a key role in thyme metabolites type and content. It could be concluded that the regions with high and low temperatures were suitable for carvacrol and thymol production, respectively.

The licorice is a perennial herb of the Fabaceae family, which is native to the Mediterranean, south of Russia and Asia, but is now cultivated throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This plant grows in different regions of Iran. Although, from north to south of Iran, licorice carcasses come to the car, but since this plant is extracted from the ground, it gradually decreases in nature, so that in southern provinces of the country, especially the provinces of Fars and Kerman, this plant danger of extinction, so special attention is increasingly given to maintaining the heritable reserves of this plant more and more. quantitative and qualitative study of this plant in the natural habitats of different regions of the country has a significant role in identifying the best ecotypes for cultivation and domestication of this medicinal plant.

In order to study the diversity of morphological and functional traits of different populations in Zanjan climate, after collecting populations in autumn, they were cultivated in a randomized complete block design with 5 replications. Morphological and functional traits of different populations were evaluated late in the growing season. Plant height, plant width, leaf length, leaf width, leaf number, leaf length, leaflet width, lateral branch, main stem diameter, fresh shoot weight, root fresh weight, shoot dry weight and root dry weight, ratio Root to shoot, shoots yield, root yield, total phenol, total flavonoid and Glycyrrhizic acid were investigated. Data were analyzed using SAS and SPSS software. For cluster analysis, the cluster analysis was performed by input method and factor analysis was done using the Variomax rotation method.

The results of analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference among 22 licorice populations for all studied traits at 1% level. The highest plant height in population AH (9 cm) was the highest plant width in population E (86.6 cm), the highest fresh weight in the population D (400.4 gr / plant), the highest root fresh weight in population E (356.2 gr / Plant) had the highest shoots yield in the population D (643.75 gr / m2) and the highest root yield in population E (692.25 gr / m2) and the highest percentage of Glycyrrhizic acid in population D (8.3%). The root yield was significantly correlated with plant height, plant height, main stem diameter, leaflet length, lateral branch number, fresh weight of shoot, root fresh weight, dry shoot weight, root dry weight, shoot yield, total phenol, total flavonoid and glycyrrhizic acid. There was a positive and significant correlation between dry weight ratio of root and shoot in 5%, but no significant correlation was observed between leaf length, leaf width, leaf number and leaf width. Based on the results of cluster analysis, 22 populations were divided into four main groups. Factor analysis showed that the first four factors were able to justify 84.184 percent of the total variance.

The overall results of this study showed that there is a great diversity among the studied populations on the basis of morphological and functional traits. According to the results of D, E, MS, SH, SP, and TF populations, they have desirable traits and proper yields and were identified as the most desirable populations in this research, which indicates high genetic potential among different populations and which can be considered as superior populations in breeding projects in order to create high quality and desirable food industries and the medicine was used.

Common myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) spread in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran which it has many uses in different ways.  In order to investigation of microbial inoculation influence on the physiological changes of M. communis seedlings under water deficit conditions a greenhouse experiment as a factorial in a completely randomized design with three replications was conducted.  Water deficit consisted of 30% field capacity (FC) (severe stress), 60% FC (mild stress) and 100% FC (without stress), and microbial inoculations were including of Funneliformis  mosseae, Rhizophagus intraradices, combination of these two fungal, Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. putida, combination of these two bacteria, and also control (without inoculation). According to the results, in each water regime the highest root colonization was observed in the combination of two fungal. This treatment promoted root colonization by 17.8, 11.3 and 7.75 times in 30% and 60% and 100% of FC treatments respectively compared to the control. Microbial inoculation improved plant yield efficiency in water deficit conditions. In severe water deficit treatment, combined treatments of fungal or bacterial increased photosynthesis (47-48%), stomatal conductance (39-41%), transpiration (62-65%), mesophyll conductance (57-64%), water potential (20-21%), and relative water content (1.4 times), and decreased intracellular CO2 concentration (28-31%) and electrolyte leakage (1.4 times) compared to the control. It can be suggested that microbial inoculation can encourage drought resistance of M. communis seedlings to water deficit.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is one of the oldest and most important medicinal plants in Fabaceae, used for curing many diseases since 4000 years ago. This study was conducted to evaluate the genetic diversity of 22 different licorice populations based on morphological and yield traits at the research field of the Faculty of Agriculture, Zanjan University, during 2016 to 2018. Morphological and yield traits including plant height and width, leaf length and width, number, length and width of leaflets, number of lateral branches, main stem diameter, aerial parts fresh and dry weight, root fresh and dry weight, root to aerial parts ratio and aerial parts and root yields (per m2) were measured. Canonical discriminant (CDA) and cluster (CA) analyses were used to group the populations. In CDA, the first two canonical variables were significant. The first canonical variable included plant height and width, main stem diameter, leaf length and the number of leaflets, and the second one included aerial parts fresh and dry weight, root fresh and dry weight, root and aerial parts yields. The second canonical variable had the greatest role in population separation and grouping. Canonical variables divided populations into four main groups and confirmed CA clustering results. In general, the results indicated the good potential of canonical discriminant analysis in evaluating the genetic diversity and identifying the index traits in licorice.

Glycyrrhiza glabra L. is a family of Legominos, herbaceous, perennial and Iran is one of the countries exporting its root. This plant grows in different regions of Iran, hence the study of phytochemical diversity in different regions is important. This study was carried out to evaluate the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of 2 cm diameter roots of licorice populations in 15 provinces and 30 regions of Iran in 2017 in October and were transferred to the laboratories of the Department of Horticulture of Zanjan University. Total phenol (Folin–Ciocalteu method), total flavonoid (Aluminum Chloride method), anthocyanin (pH difference method) and antioxidant activity (DPPH method) were studied. The results of analysis of variance of data showed that among 30 populations, for all traits, there was a significant difference in the level of one percent. Total phenol traits ranging from 456.05 to 826 mg gallic acid per 100 g, total flavonoid between 1909.25 to 292.62 mg of quercetin per 100 g, anthocyanin levels ranging from 6.89 to 26.24 mg cyanidine-3-glucoside in Liter, the antioxidant activity varied between 62.07% and 87.14%. There was a significant and positive correlation between phenol total phenotype and antioxidant activity at 1% level, but there was no significant correlation with total flavonoid, anthocyanin and height. Based on the results of cluster analysis, 30 G. glabra were divided into two main groups. The evaluation of populations in terms of phytochemical traits showed a high variation that N, KA, BA, T, E, Y, M, MR, and SB populations

To evaluate the effects of different levels of gamma irradiated and non-irradiated sewage sludge on uptake of micronutrients (copper, zinc, iron, nickel and manganese) and heavy metals (cadmium and lead) in root and shoot of basil, a greenhouse experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. The treatments consisted of 0, 15, 30 and 60 g.kg-1 of sewage sludge exposed to gamma radiation at doses of 0, 5, 10 and 20 kGy. The results showed that addition of 15 and 30 g sewage sludge kg-1 soil with each irradiation dose increased root and shoot dry weights and reduced their at 60 g.kg-1. The application all levels of irradiated and non-irradiated sewage sludge increased the uptake of copper, nickel, lead, zinc, manganese and iron in root and shoot compared to the control. The maximum uptake of copper, zinc, iron, manganese, lead, cadmium and nickel in root and copper, zinc, lead and cadmium in shoot was obtained in 30 g. kg-1 sewage sludge irradiated with 20 kGy absorbed dose. The maximum uptake of iron, manganese and nickel in shoot was revealed in 30 g.kg-1 sewage sludge irradiated with 5, 5 and 10 kGy, respectively. The results showed that the basil herb has the high ability to absorb and transfer of metals to shoot. Therefore, the use of basil plants treated with sewage sludge in human nutrition as fresh and spicy should be done with caution.

Arnica chamissonis Less. ssp. foliosa is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the Asteraceae family and endemic to north America and Canada. Inducing genetic mutation is a practical approach to increase genetic diversity for breeding purposes. Effect of different gamma radiation doses (0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 gray) on seed germination and seedling growth of A chamissonis (e. g. plumule and rootlet length, germination percentage, speed and mean, seedling vigor, plumule fresh and dry weight, rootlet fresh and dry weight was measured and the proper dose for mutation induction was assessed. Gamma radiation caused significant effect on parameters such as plumule and rootlet length, germination percentage, germination rate, seedling vigor, rootlet fresh weight, plumule fresh and dry weight (P≤0.01) and also rootlet dry weight (P≤0.05). Radiation with 200 gray showed the most promising effects on germination parameters of this species. Compared to the control treatment, radiation with 300 gray and higher caused adverse effects on all mentioned parameters which may be caused by producing free radicals. An LD50 of 226.275 gray was estimated for this species and the best estimated dose to induce highest genetic mutation was 181.02 gray.

In this study, anther and microspore cultures of two medicinal plants, Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad and S. rechingeri Jamzad, were studied. As the first step, uninuclear developmental stages of microspores were determined in relation to flower size, using acetocarmen staining. In anther culture, the effects of different temperatures, hormonal treatments and carbohydrate sources (maltose, sucrose) on androgenesis were studied in N6 induction medium. The ploidy level of calluses was determined using flow cytometry. Isolated microspores were also subjected to three induction media (NLN-13, FHG, A2-60), different temperatures and hormonal pretreatments. The highest percentage of callus induction was obtained in hormonal treatment of 0.5 mg/l of BA, 2,4-D, and Kin with temperature treatment of 30 ºC for 3 days. Based on flow cytometry results, ploidy level of almost all calli was similar to that of donor plants and only some calli of S. rechingeri in the media containing 0.5 mg/l of BA, 2,4-D, and Kin were haploid. In the regeneration medium (MS), only roots but no shoots were observed. In microspore culture of both species, the highest numbers of multi-cellular structures were observed in NLN-13 and FHG induction medium with temperature treatment of 30 ºC for 8 days. Heart-shaped embryo like structures were only observed in NLN-13 induction medium. The finding of this research will be a good base for haploid plant regeneration of S. khuzistanica and S. rechingeri.

Thymus daenensis Celak is a valuable medicinal plant containing high thymol content in the essential oil. The domestication and breeding of high quality and homogenous varieties is necessary for its commercial production. The purpose of this study was to regenerate haploid plants from microspore culture. Since, most plant species show the best embryogenesis response at the uninuclear stage of microspore development, in the present study microspore developmental stages were determined. Based on the obtained results, the buds with uninuclear microspores were those of with 1.3-1.4 mm in diameter and 3.8-4.4 mm in length. In order to induce microspore embryogenesis, different pretreatments of temperature (30 and 4°C), hormones (2,4-D: 25, 35 and 45 ppm) and different media (NLN-13, FHG, B5) were investigated. The results indicated that there was a significant difference in response of microspores to different induction media, pre-treatments and their interactions. The highest numbers of multi-cellular structures were observed in the NLN-13 medium and temperature treatment of 30 ºC for 8 days and 2, 4-D treatment of 25 mg/l. Finally, heart shaped embryos were only observed in FHG medium with heat pretreatment for 8 days. Future studies are needed to increase the number of multi-cellular structures and successful regeneration of haploid plants.

In order to evaluate the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and salinity stress on morphological and phytochemical characteristics of Satureja rechingeri, a factorial experiment was conducted in vitro based on completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications. The first factor was the concentrations of 0, 50, 100 and 200μg/ml of carbon nanotubes and the second factor was the concentrations of 0, 50, 100 and 200mM NaCl. The number and length of shoots and roots, fresh and dry weight of the aerial parts, caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid content were evaluated. By increasing of NaCl concentration from 0 to 200mM, significant reduction in shoots fresh weight, root and shoot length and the number of shoots and roots was observed. Among different concentrations of carbon nanotubes, 100 μg/ml caused a significant increase in the aerial parts dry weight. Under salinity stress, carbon nanotubes improved the number and length of roots and the number and dry weight of shoots. By increasing of carbon nanotubes, caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid content were increased, while caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid content was significantly decreased under different NaCl concentrations. This finding shows carbon nanotubes alleviate the stress condition.

Sahendian savory (Satureja sahendica Bornm.) is an Iranian endemic species from Lamiaceae family. This plant has been used in the food industry, cosmetics and medical preparations. In the current study, drought stress was induced at flowering stage based on a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications in green house. Treatments were considered as five sampling times (control, 3, 6, 9 and 12 days) with three interval days that imposed after stopping irrigation. Soil volumetric moisture, and several physiological traits were measured, including leaf water potential, relative water content, pigments, soluble sugars, and proline. Metabolite profiling revealed that metabolites, such as rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, ursolic acid, carnosic acid, soluble sugars and proline affected by drought stress and significantly increased by drought stress. The oil yield and thymol as the most valuable compound in the oil of Sahandian savory, was significantly increased, although, the quantitative content of some compounds in oil such as Carvacrole, γ-Terpinene and p- Cymene were decreased in response to drought stress. It can be concluded that in addition to osmoprotectant accumulation, savory plant improved its drought tolerance by changing in its secondary metabolites’ components in essential oil and in extract. In conclusion, the combination of metabolite profiling and physiological parameters contributed to a greater understanding of the mechanisms of savory plant’s response at metabolomics level.

Evaluation of genetic diversity in medicinal plants is one of the most important evolutionary and breeding goals. Recent developments in polymerase chain reaction brings the possibility of evaluation the individuals of a population in more sites of genome, and among different DNA molecular markers, the ISSR marker was successfully used in study of the genetic diversity of different plants. The genetic diversity of 43 individuals from five populations of Styrian Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca) and 4 individuals from one population of C. maxima which cultivated in Shahid Beheshti University collection (Tehran, Iran) was investigated using 12 ISSR markers. Totally, 83 scorable bands were produced by ISSR markers and the mean for the produced band for each marker was 6.91 and 100% of scorable bands were polymorphic. Dendrogram was illustrated based on Jaccard coefficient similarity matric and algorithm of Complete Linkage. Based on cluster analysis, individuals of populations divided into five main groups. The results of the grouping through principal coordinate analysis and cluster analysis showed that groupings by the two mentioned methods were consonant with each other and have made a similarity grouping. The cophenetic coefficient was calculated as 0.97. Totally, the results of present study showed that the some of used ISSR markers could be useful for future study of genetic variation in Cucurbita pepo.

In the present study, variability in the essential oil content and composition of different plant organs (leaf, flower, stalk and root) of Salvia sahendica were studied. The hydro-distilled essential oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS to determine their chemical composition. The essential oil content (w/w %) was in the order of: leaf (1.2%)> flower (0.6%)> stalk (0.06%)> root (0.04%). The total number of compounds identified and quantified were 44 in leaf, 46 in flower, 42 in stalk, and 45 in roots, representing 99.6, 99.3, 98.2, and 99.4% of the total essential oil, respectively. β-Pinene (3.5-16.0%), manool (0.0-13.7%), abietatriene (0.0-11.2%), α-pinene (7.2-12.2%), trans-meta-mentha-2,8-diene (1.2-11.1%), linalool acetate (3.2-10.7%), bornyl acetate (2.8-9.4%), bicyclogermacrene (3.6-9.3%) and 1,8-cineol (2.0-8.5%) were the major compounds in all plant organs. Cluster analysis of the essential oil components grouped studied plant organs into two main clusters. Leaf and stalk were divided from the flower into two sub-clusters. Root was indicated in the second main group. Chemical diversity of the essential oil of S. sahendica plant parts can be considered by medicinal plants breeders and pharmaceutical industries for breeding and processing uses.