مجله تحقیقات گیاهان دارویی و معطر ایران
سال سی و ششم شماره 2 (پیاپی 100، خرداد و تیر 1399)

The high tendency of agricultural producers to the production of medicinal plants has raised concerns about increasing the yield of these products, which can be achieved by mechanizing production and spending more energy. Therefore, energy flow analysis is essential throughout the production process. This research was implemented in the field in 2018 by questionnaires and face to face interview with farmers in some areas of Tehran and Alborz provinces on the four medicinal herbs Mentha piperita L., Artemisia dracunculus L., Ocimum basilicum L. and Satureja hortensis L. The results showed that among all the inputs consumed in this project, two inputs of chemical fertilizers and electricity with a difference of more than 80%, had the highest percentage of energy consumption. After estimating the energy indices, the energy efficiency index was more than one for all the studied products, indicating the energy efficiency of the production systems of these products. Also, the medicinal plant savory with an energy efficiency of 3.37 was considered the most suitable product for energy consumption and production. In terms of net energy index, savory with a net energy production of 281457 MJ ha-1 had the highest energy return. The estimate of the mechanization index in energy consumption showed that a small proportion of energy consumption was related to mechanization (0.23 to 0.26) in the production of all four products and this issue showed the need to increase mechanization in the production of these products more than before.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most common opportunistic bacteria in nosocomial infections, which has a significant resistance to antimicrobials. Due to the restrictions in the use of antibiotics, the tendency to replace them with natural products has increased. In this study, the antimicrobial effect of four species of Satureja essential oils (S. mutica, S. bachtiarica, S. rechingeri and S. khuzestanica) on virulence factors of P. aeruginosa was evaluated. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Satureja essential oils was determined by microdilution broth method against standard strains of P. aeruginosa including PAO1 and 8821M. In the following, the effect of sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (sub-MIC) of essential oils was investigated on virulence factors of this bacterium including motility, biofilm formation and alginate, elastase, and alkaline protease production of these two strains. All four Satureja essential oils had antimicrobial effects against the standard strains of P. aeruginosa, and also sub-MIC concentrations of the essential oils significantly reduced the virulence factors production of these strains. In this study, the suitable antagonistic effects of Satureja essential oils were observed against P. aeruginosa standard strains. By further study, these essential oils can be used as an antimicrobial compound against this bacterium.

Biological stresses such as drought affect the production of secondary metabolites, especially plant sterols (phytosterols). Among the phytoestrols found in pumpkin seeds, betasitosterol is one of the most important components which also have many medicinal properties. In this study, the effect of five levels of drought stress on seed oil production and its phytosterols was studied in three genotypes and Styriaca variety of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.). Analysis of phytosterols using GC/MS showed that increasing drought stress had a negative effect on oil production from pumpkin ripe seeds, but oil phytosterols, especially betasitosterol, increased and this increase was higher in Styriaca than other genotypes. To confirm these results, the seeds were harvested 15-30 days after flowering and the expression of SQS, PP2A, SMT2, ERG26 and Cycloartenol synthase genes involved in the phytosterol biosynthesis pathway was investigated. The results indicated that, among the different levels of drought stress and genes studied, highest expression level was observed at the rainfed level and at that time, betasitosterol and stigmasterol pathway had the main activity in steroid biosynthesis pathway in pumpkin.

Recently, various methods have been used to alleviate the detrimental effects of pollutants. The application of biofertilizers with respect to their positive impacts on soil characteristics and environment can be served as a suitable alternative to many of these methods. In order to investigate the two-way effect of bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens on plant growth, physiological and biochemical characteristics of dill (Anethum graveolens L.) under Pb stress conditions, a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three replications was conducted at Mohaghegh Ardabili University. Experimental treatments included Pb stress at two levels (0 and 600 ppm) and bacterial inoculation at three levels (inoculation with Pseudomonas fluorescens strains150 and 159 separately and without inoculation (control)). The results of this study showed that the growth characteristics such as leaf number, plant height, and shoot fresh and dry weight were significantly affected by Pb contamination and shoot fresh and dry weight, leaf number and plant height decreased by 22, 31, 19 and 9%, respectively. The content of proline and carbohydrates in dill showed a significant increase under the influence of lead. Bacterial inoculation also increased the content of proline and plant carbohydrates, which was more pronounced in inoculation with strain150. The activity of antioxidant enzymes was significantly influenced by Pb contamination and bacterial inoculation. Pb increased peroxidase but decreased catalase activity, but inoculation with Pseudomonas bacteria, especially strain 150, significantly increased the activity of both enzymes. In addition, the bacteria were able to reduce the amount of Pb in dill. In general, the results of this experiment indicated that Pseudomonas bacterial inoculation was effective in alleviating the effects of Pb stress on dill via growth promotion and improving enzymatic activity.

In this study, Eryngium thyrsoideum Boiss. was collected from three regions Razjerd (Rz) (Qazvin province), Salavatabad (Sv) (Sanandaj, Kurdistan province), and Paygelan (Py) (Marivan, Kurdistan province) at 1700, 1780, and 1840 m above the sea level, respectively, and their volatile components were evaluated. The shade-dried plant materials were hydrodistillated by Clevenger-type apparatus for three hours. The analysis of essential oils composition was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and quantified by GC-FID. The essential oil content was obtained 0.06, 0.05, and 0.07% (w/w) for Rz, Py and Sv, respectively. The main components of essential oils were 2,3,6-trimethyl benzaldehyde (18.6, 11.5 and 34.0%), 2,4,6-trimethyl benzaldehyde (3.0, 1.0 and 4.1%), germacrene D (2.5, 12.6 and 6.0%), ethyl linoleate (7.6, 8.7 and 5.1%), sesquicineole (0.3, 5.8 and 3.0%), and trans-caryophyllene (5.6, 2.5 and 1.9%) (the numbers in parentheses for Rz, Py and Sv, respectively). In this regard, the water-soluble volatile components of these plants, as distilled water components obtained from the Clevenger side part, were also extracted and finally separated using ethyl acetate solvent and analyzed similarly to essential oil compounds. The amount of these components, as the organic fraction (Of) of distilled water, was 0.017, 0.02, and 0.04 gram per 100 ml of distilled water in Rz, Py, and Sv samples, respectively. The main identified components of these fractions were, 2,3,6-trimethyl-benzaldehyde (69.8, 54.5 and 58.6%), p-vinyl-guaiacol (12.0, 26.7 and 24.7%), 2,4,6-trimethyl-benzaldehyde (9.7, 5.8 and 4.4%), and trans-anethole (4.0, 4.1 and 5.0%) for OfRz, OfPy, and OfSv, respectively. Although E. thyrsoideum does not have a high essential oil percentage, it has a wide range of components. This species has a high content of trimethyl-benzaldehye family compounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of volatile components of E. thyrsoideum.

Didar (Euphorbia tirucalli L.) from the family Euphorbiaceae, is a perennial succulent shrub with broad branched and round branches. Environmental factors are one of the most important factors affecting qualitative and quantitative traits in medicinal plants. In this study, Didar was studied in different habitats of Sistan and Baluchestan province in terms of some morphological, physiological, soil, and phytochemical characteristics. This study was conducted as a nested design and Duncan's least significant differences test at 5% level with completely randomized design with three replications using field survey and included some cities: 1- Hichan district from Nikshahr city (Kalat, Hesarak and Hashtik villages), 2- Rask city (Firoozabad, Jangal and Parood villages) and 3- Sarbaz city (Hit, Kishkour and Pirdan villages). The results showed that there was a significant difference between all the studied traits among cities and regions. In this study, morphological traits had the highest amount in Nikshahr city and the lowest height and number of branches belonged to Sarbaz city, indicating that the vegetative growth of this shrub decreases with increasing altitude. The soil studied in Nikshahr city regions was more favorable than other areas in terms of key elements such as phosphorus and potassium. The highest levels of 1- chlorophylls a and b and carotenoids and 2- proline and flavonoids were measured in spring and summer, respectively, but the highest amount of anthocyanin was observed in different cities variably. The highest amounts of 1- chlorophylls a and b and 2- carotenoids and anthocyanin were measured in Sarbaz and Rask cities, respectively. The highest amount and number of active ingredients of leachates of this plant were observed in summer.

In order to investigate the effects of combined and separate application of macro and micro nano fertilizers with chemical fertilizers on quantitative and qualitative traits of medicinal plant dragon’s head (Lallemantia iberica (MB) Fischer & Meyer), a field experiment was performed based on the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with seven treatments and three replications on the research farm of Maragheh University in 2017. Experimental treatments included the use of 100% conventional chemical fertilizer (urea and triple superphosphate with values of 150 and 100 kg ha-1, respectively), 100% macro nano fertilizer, 100% micro nano fertilizer, 50% macro nanofertilizer+50% micro nano fertilizer, 50% chemical fertilizer+50% macro nano fertilizer, 50% chemical fertilizer+50% micro nano fertilizer, and 50% chemical fertilizer+25% macro nanofertilizer+25% micro nano fertilizer. The results showed that the highest (73.3) and lowest (59.1) chlorophyll indices were obtained by applying 50% chemical fertilizer+25% macro nano fertilizer+25% micro nano fertilizer, and separate application of 100% micro nano fertilizer, respectively. Also, the highest values of number of lateral branches, main stem length, number of flower cycles per plant, number of seeds per plant, biological yield, seed yield, 1000-seed weight and seed mucilage content were obtained in 50% chemical fertilizer+25% macro nanofertilizer+25% micro nanofertilizer treatment. Chemical analysis of the essential oils demonstrated that linalool, menthol, geraniol, geranial, menthyl acetate, β-bourbonene, geranyl acetate, (E)-caryophyllene, germacrene D, spathulenol and caryophyllene oxide were the main constituents of essential oils. The highest content of β-bourbonene, caryophyllene oxide, (E)-caryophyllene, menthol, and geraniol was obtained with the combined use of 50% chemical fertilizer+25% macro nanofertilizer+25% micro nano fertilizer. In general, based on the results of the present research, the combined use of chemical fertilizers and macro and micro nano fertilizers can be recommended due to the increased seed yield and dragon’s head qualitative traits under rainfed conditions.

Cynara scolymus L. is an economically valuable medicinal plant, but salinity can limit the regions under cultivation of this crop. Therefore, identifying the appropriate tissue culture method for this plant can be useful for selecting salinity tolerant cultivars. This research was carried out with the aim of identifying the appropriate explant and method for tissue culture of this plant as the first step to produce tolerant cultivars in future projects. In this study, firstly, sterile seedlings of plant seeds were prepared. Then, the terminal meristem was selected as a suitable explant during a pre-test and evaluated in vitro to study salinity tolerance with five different concentrations of sodium chloride (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mM) in a completely randomized design with three replications. This research was performed in the medicinal plants research center of Sistan and Baluchistan University in 2017. Salinity reduced some morphological traits (stem length, root length, shoot and root fresh and dry weight) of seedlings grown from terminal meristem explant. As the concentration of sodium chloride increased to 60 and 80 mM, the amount of soluble sugars and proline increased. The lowest amount of soluble sugars (33 mg g-1 dry weight) and proline (50 µM) was related to zero and 20 mM sodium chloride concentrations, respectively. The results indicate that this plant is sensitive to different levels of salinity, although it is somewhat tolerant to low and moderate levels of salinity.

Black caraway, Bunium persicum (Boiss.) B. Fedtsch., belonging to the Apiaceae family, is one of the most important medicinal plants in Iran. In this study, genetic and phytochemical relationships were investigated among some populations of this plant using ISSR markers and GC-MS method in Yazd and Kerman habitats. In order to study genetics using 10 ISSR primers, sampling of the fresh plant leaves was done. DNA was extracted using CTAB method. To investigate phytochemicals, the essential oil was extracted from black caraway seeds using hydrodistillation method and Clevenger apparatus. According to the results, ISSR-13 primer had better performance with 40 bands, the highest amounts of PIC (0.39), and Marker Index (15.6). Cluster analysis using Jacquard's coefficient and UPGMA algorithm divided the four black caraway populations of the two provinces into six groups. Principal coordinates analysis showed that three components explained 60.56% of total variance and completely separated the populations. The results of this analysis were consistent with cluster analysis and geographical distribution of samples. Based on the GC-MS results, 13 and 16 compounds were identified in Yazd and Kerman habitats, respectively. The compounds α-pinene, β-pinene, ρ-cymene, limonene, γ-terpinene, and cuminaldehyde were identified as the same and main compounds between Yazd and Kerman habitats. Based on the results of cluster analysis of phytochemical parameters and location of the habitats Sirjan (Kerman province), Mehriz and Ardekan (Yazd province) in one cluster and Sirch in a separate cluster, it can be concluded that grouping based on essential oil compounds does not correspond with genetic grouping and geographical distance in the natural habitats.

In recent years, research on medicinal plants as therapeutic supplements has increased dramatically. Lavender (Lavandula stricta Del.) extract due to its special therapeutic properties is widely used in natural products. Due to the importance of physical quality of powder extract produced from medicinal plants in the food and pharmaceutical industry, in this research the performance of spray dryer in powder production of lavender extract at three levels of input temperatures including 150, 180, and 210 °C, three levels of input air flow rate including 6, 8, and 10 L min-1 and the ratios of 0, 25, and 50% maltodextrin drying aid to the dry matter mass of the extract were studied using the response surface method and physical properties of the produced powder were investigated. The moisture content, aqueous activity, bulk density, particle density, and porosity of powder samples varied in the range of 5.10-8.70%, 0.26-0.30%, 0.45-0.60 g mL-1, 0.99-2.50 g mL-1, and 47-87%, respectively. The maximum dryer yield in the production of lavender powder was determined to be 89% at a temperature of 210 °C and an air flow rate 8 L min-1 and a mass ratio 50% of dryer aid. Taking into account all the physical factors evaluated, the optimum point in processing lavender extract was obtained at input air temperature of 177.29 °C and input air flow rate of 10 L min-1, and ratio of maltodextrin to dry matter mass of extract of 67, in which moisture content, aqueous activity, bulk density, particle density, and powder porosity were 6.6%, 0.28, 0.58 g mL-1, 1.46 g mL-1, and 60.95%, respectively.

To investigate the effect of mycorrhiza inoculation on increasing the resistance of medicinal plant dill (Anethum graveolens L.) to salinity stress, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the research greenhouse of Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin province, Iran. The first factor was ecotype at two levels (Isfahan and Varamin), the second factor was salinity at three levels (0, 5 and 10 dS/m), and the third factor was mycorrhiza at three levels (0, 75 and 150 g fungi). The results showed that mycorrhizal inoculation improved all the quantitative traits studied so that under salinity conditions, the plants inoculated with mycorrhiza showed better growth than non-inoculated plants. The highest dry weight, plant height, number of seeds plant-1, and 1000-seed weight were obtained in ecotype Isfahan, salinity level 5 dS/m and 150 g of mycorrhiza. Eleven compounds were identified in dill essential oil. The highest percentage of limonene (7.5%) was obtained from ecotype Varamin plants treated with 5 dS/m salinity and 150 g mycorrhiza. The highest percentage of carvone (86.3%) was obtained in ecotype Isfahan treated with 150 g mycorrhiza and non-salinity.

Identification and cultivation of new oilseeds is an important step in supplying the oil needed in the country. Regarding the vastness of saline areas in the country, the cultivation and exploitation of salinity-resistant plants under saline conditions of both water and soil can be an appropriate option in the field of production and extraction of oils from salinity-resistant plants. The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of extractable oil and the compounds of fatty acids in two halophyte species Salicornia europaeae and Halocnemum strobilaceum on the shores of Lake Urmia. For this purpose, the seeds of the species were collected in autumn of 2016. Fatty acids were extracted by solvent. The solvent-oil mixture was separated by rotary vacuum distiller, and after methyl ester preparation and injection into the gas chromatography (GC), fatty acids were analyzed. To identify the fatty acids, a standard mixture of fatty acids (Sigma Co.) and their inhibition times were used. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using independent t-test. The mean oil yields of two species of S. europaeae and H. strobilaceum was obtained 18.58 and 9.28%, respectively. In total, 12 fatty acids including lauric acid (C12: 0), merisitic acid (C14: 0), myristoleic acid (C14: 1n5), palmitic acid (C16: 0), palmitoleic acid (C16: 1n7), stearic acid (C18: 0), oleic acid (C18: 1n9), linoleic acid (C18: 2n6cis), α-linolenic acid (C18: 3n3), g-linoleic acid (C18: 3n6), and arachidic acid (C20: 0) were recorded in the profiles of these two species. Linoleic acid was the most major unsaturated fatty acid in S. europaeae and H. strobilaceum, at 56 and 54.7%, respectively. Palmitic acid was also predominant saturated fatty acid in S. europaeae and H. strobilaceum, at 11.4 and 9.7%, respectively. The results showed that according to the oil yield (18.58%) and percentage of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids identified, S. europaeae seeds could be evaluated as a source of edible oil.