A Survey on Diversity of Morphological and Biological Production Traits of Satureja rechingeri Jamzad Clones in Dezfool Climate

Background and ObjectivesSatureja rechingeri, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, has been recently used in the pharmaceutical industry due to its high level of carvacrol in the essential oil. In order to select suitable clones for commercial cultivation in Dezful climatic conditions, in this study morphological and biological production traits of 58 clones of Satureja rechingeri were evaluated.
Materials and Methods After initial screening of plant populations, 58 genotypes were selected based on their adaptation into field conditions. To evaluate the morphological and biological production traits of these clones in Dezful climatic conditions, an experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Morphological and biological production traits of 58 clones were evaluated in the second year of cultivation at the flowering stage.
Results Analysis of variance showed significant differences for all studied traits (pDiscussion Superior S. rechingeri clones could be used for commercial cultivation in Dezful climate conditions. The most important biological production traits, yield of leaf and flower fraction, essential oil content and yield showed significant variation between clones. These variations could be used to breed high-quality and desirable cultivars for use in food and pharmaceutical industries.