مجله تحقیقات گیاهان دارویی و معطر ایران
سال سی و ششم شماره 6 (پیاپی 104، بهمن و اسفند 1399)

This study aimed at determining the optimal cultivation pattern of medicinal plant species using hybrid model of AHP-TOPSIS (Analytic Hierarchy Process-Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) in Qom province. First, among the various, diverse and priority criteria for determining the optimal cultivation pattern of medicinal plants, according to the ecological and economic conditions of the study area and with a survey of a number of experts familiar with medicinal plants, screening of criteria and options that were more important and effective in this regard, was done. Finally, six criteria including heat stress threshold, cold stress threshold, soil texture, water EC, water needs, and economic issues and 10 options including Thymus vulgaris, Matricaria chamomilla, Berberis vulgaris, Crocus sativus, Cuminum cyminum, Cichorium intybus, Sesamum indicum, Echium amoenum, Rosa damascena, and Mentha spicata were selected. At first, the weight of each criterion was determined by the paired comparisons with an incompatibility rate of 0.02 using the AHP model and Expert Choice software. Then the TOPSIS technique was used. The results showed that among the criteria for determining the optimal cultivation pattern of medicinal plants in Qom province, the highest and lowest weight belonged to the economic issues (cost-benefit) and the soil texture criteria, respectively. Also, C. sativus was the best among the options, and R. damascena, C. cyminum, and E. amoenum were placed in the next ranks. This study showed that the hybrid model of AHP-TOPSIS can be used to evaluate and prioritize the options for determining the optimal cultivation pattern of medicinal plants and use the strengths of both models and cover their weaknesses.

To study the effects of foliar application of Zn element via nano- and chemical fertilizers on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of medicinal plant bitter apple (Citrullus colocynthis L.), an experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Institute of Zabol University in 2019. Experimental treatments included foliar application of zinc nano-chelate at two concentrations (1000 and 2000 mg L-1), zinc sulfate at two concentrations (1000 and 2000 mg L-1), and control (water foliar application). The results showed that foliar application of Zn had a significant effect on the yield and number of fruits per plant, and the seed phenol content with the highest amount of these traits in zinc nano-chelate treatment at the concentration of 2000 mg L-1. Also, Zn foliar application increased the seed soluble carbohydrate content with the highest amount of this index in zinc nano-chelate treatment at the concentration of 1000 mg L-1. Zinc foliar application increased the concentration of Zn element in the leaves, while it did not affect the concentrations of N, P, and K elements. Generally, the application of zinc nano-chelate was more effective on the yield and number of fruits per plant, and seed phenol content than zinc sulfate.

To investigate the effects of different levels of powder and essential oil of Boswellia sacra (BS) leaves on the intestinal microflora and some blood parameters in Japanese quail chicks, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with six treatments and three replications. The experimental treatments included T1: base diet without additives (control), T2: base diet+ antibiotic bacitracin, T3: base diet+ 1 g of BS powder per kg of diet, T4: base diet+ 2 g of BS powder per kg of diet, T5: base diet+ 20 mg of BS essential oil per kg of diet, and T6: base diet+ 40 mg of BS essential oil per kg of diet. The results showed that the blood glucose concentration in T5 was significantly higher than T3 and T4 (p < /em><0.05). The highest concentration of high-density lipoproteins was observed in the blood of birds in T4 (p < /em><0.05). The population of Bifidobacterium spp. showed a significant increase (p < /em><0.05) in T2, T3, T5, and T6 compared to the control and T4. Treatments T3 and T6 exhibited a higher population of Lactobacillus spp. compared to the control, T2, T4, and T5 (p < /em><0.05). A higher population of Streptococcus spp. was also observed in T3 and T6 compared to T4 (p < /em><0.05). Overall, the results showed that the use of additive essential oil extracted from BS leaves in the concentration of 40 mg per kg of diet could improve the intestinal microbial population.

To investigate the effects of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and its residuals on agromorphological traits, yield, and qualitative characteristics of dragonhead (Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss.) under intercropping conditions, and finally to evaluate the usefulness of intercropping compared to the monoculture of dragonhead, an experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications at the research farm of Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamedan during growing seasons of 2018 and 2019. Experimental treatments included the additive intercropping of 0, 20 and 40% bean with dragonhead. The bean residuals were remained at the farm in the first year to determine its effects on quantitative and qualitative yield of dragonhead in the second year. Based on the results, the intercropping improved the agromorphological traits and yield of dragonhead compared to the control (dragonhead monoculture). The results showed that in the intercropping of 20% bean, the percentage and yield of essential oil, the phenol content, and the antioxidant percentage of dragonhead were higher than the control treatment, but flavonoids content was higher in the control. The results in the study of effects of bean residuals on the quantitative and qualitative traits of dragonhead in the second year showed that the meet of dragonhead needs in terms of nutrients like nitrogen increased its quantitative and qualitative yield compared to the control treatment. The relative yield of dragonhead was higher than bean, which indicated the profitability of dragonhead from intercropping with bean. In fact, the indices of land equivalent ratio (LER), competitive ratio (CR), and aggressivity (AG) showed the usefulness of dragonhead intercropping. Overall, the additive intercropping of 20% bean with dragonhead was identified as the superior treatment and can be used by farmers for organic production of dragonhead.

Perovskia abrotanoides Karel., belonging to the Lamiaceae, is a valuable plant species in terms of water and soil protection, and has a variety of therapeutic effects. In this study, the potential habitat of this plant species was modeled. Independent topographic and biological variables were prepared from the digital DSM layer of the UAV output, climatic variables from the statistics of meteorological stations, and soil variables after grid range and soil sampling from each grid unit. The location of the species was also recorded as a dependent variable using UAV orthophoto images. Prioritization of independent variables was done based on the effect on the occurrence of the studied species in two study areas using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm. The results of model evaluation based on sub-curve surface statistics (AUC) for the warm and rural study areas were 0.974 and 0.914, respectively, and were evaluated at a very good level. Altitude, potassium content, and electrical conductivity were obtained as the most important environmental factors influencing the distribution of P. abrotanoides in the winter quarters. Also, in the countryside, altitude, electrical conductivity, and soil silt percentage were the most effective factors in the presence of the species. The results of this study showed that determining the suitability of medicinal species habitat with the UAV images can be used in the management planning to identify the areas prone to the species distribution and increase the species production at wider levels of study.

To investigate the effects of soil fertility methods on the quantitative yield and oil of medicinal plant black cumin (Nigella sativa L.), an experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Experimental treatments included different levels of NPK chemical fertilizers, different levels of manure, combination of NPK+manure, and combination of NPK+manure with Azorhizobium biofertilizer inoculation. The results showed that plant nutrition increased plant height, plant dry weight, number of lateral branches, leaf area index, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, grain yield, biological yield, relative leaf water content, and percentage and oil yield. The highest quantitative and qualitative characteristics were obtained in the chemical nutrition in the treatment of NPK: 120-96-120 (kg ha-1) and in the manure nutrition in the treatment of manure: 20 ton ha-1. In the chemical+manure combined method, the treatment of NPK: 40-32-40 (kg ha-1)+manure: 30 ton ha-1 was the best one. In the chemical+manure+biological combined method, the treatment of manure: 30 ton ha-1+ Azorhizobium+ NPK: 40-32-40 (kg ha-1) was observed as the most appropriate treatment. Overall, the combined treatment of NPK: 40-32-40 (kg ha-1) + manure: 30 ton ha-1+ Azorhizobium had the most positive effect on improving the biological yield and black cumin oil percentage, which also had the lowest amount of chemical fertilizer.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench extract and its usage schedule on the immune system, biochemical parameters, and growth yield of male broilers. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three treatments and four replications. The treatments included 1: without purple coneflower extract (control), 2: daily usage, and 3: every-other-day usage of purple coneflower extract (1.5 ml of the extract per liter of water). Records of the broilers body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were investigated in the starter, grower and finisher nutritional stages. The blood biochemical parameters (glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein,  albumin, and total protein), bronchitis virus titer, heterophile-to-lymphocyte ratio, and immune organs weight were determined at the end of the experiment (42-day-old age). The results showed that the yield characteristics, heterophile-to-lymphocyte ratio, and immune organs weight did not differ significantly between the experimental groups. The highest bronchitis virus titer was observed in the daily extract usage treatment (p < 0.05). The blood glucose level in the daily extract usage treatment was lower than the control (p < 0.05), but the other blood biochemical parameters did not differ significantly between the experimental treatments. The results of the present study revealed that the daily usage of purple coneflower extract (1.5 ml of the extract per liter of water) could decrease the blood glucose level and increase the bronchitis virus titer.

Bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen and one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections in a wide range of immunocompromised patients including those with malignancies, cystic fibrosis, and burns. This bacterium produces many virulence factors and is highly resistant to lots of common antibiotics due to its biofilm formation. The production of many virulence factors in this bacterium is under the control of quorum sensing systems (QS). The QS is an attractive target for the development of novel therapeutics. Eugenol is the major component of clove (Eugenia caryophylata) oil. The previous studies have shown its antibacterial activities. This study aimed to determine the in vitro anti-QS activity of eugenol on QS-regulatedbiofilm formation and virulence factors production in P. aeruginosa strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of eugenol was determined against two strains of this bacterium ATCC 27853 and PAO1, and three clinical isolates. Then the effect of eugenol on bacterial proliferation was determined by monitoring the growth curve. The biofilm formation, the production of exopolysaccharide (EPS), pyocyanins, rhamnolipids, the motility of swimming, swarming, and twitching were evaluated after the eugenol treatment. The MICs against two strains of the bacterium ATCC 27853 and PAO1 were obtained 0.3% and 0.6% (v/v), respectively. Different concentrations of eugenol (≤0.15%) significantly reduced the production of virulence factors including pyocyanin and rhamnolipid. The biofilm formation, EPS production, and swarming, swimming, and twitching motility were also reduced after the eugenol treatment. In general, according to the results of this study, the use of eugenol, as a potent QS inhibitor and anti-biofilm agent, could be an effective therapeutic strategy against P. aeruginosa infections.

Summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.), an aromatic plant from fam. Lamiaceae, is used in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to its compounds such as thymol and carvacrol as antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds. In this research, the diversity of morphological and phytochemical traits between the Iranian and foreign countries accessions of summer savory cultivated under field conditions were evaluated. The seeds of different accessions were planted in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications in Ardabil city in 2019. The studied traits included the number of internodes, shoots, and flowers per plant, days to seed germination, length/width ratio of leaves, crown diameter, dry weight of aerial parts, leaf fresh weight, peduncle length, 1000-seed weight, flower dry weight, days to seed ripening, and content of chlorophylls a and b, carotenoids, and flavonoids. The results of this study showed that the highest number of internodes (10.33) and shoots (24.43), and flower dry weight (3.33 mg) were observed in Khuzestan accession. The highest correlation was observed between the aerial parts dry weight and 1000-seed weight (r= 0.92). Cluster analysis divided the accessions into four major groups. The accessions West Azerbaijan, Qazvin, Tehran, Kurdistan, Lorestan, Razavi Khorasan, and Italy were placed in the first cluster, and Tajikistan, Hungary, Armenia, Romania1, Romania2, Khuzestan, Greece, Russia, Georgia, and North Khorasan in the second one. Also, the accessions Gilan and Yazd were put in the third group and Uzbekistan in the fourth one. Factor analysis indicated that the seven factors could explain 86.59% of the total variance. The results suggested that S. hortensis accessions of Iran and other countries had a high genetic diversity that can be used in the breeding programs. Overall, according to the results, the accessions Uzbekistan and Greece could be recommended in terms of dry matter yield and phytochemical characteristics, respectively.

To evaluate the effects of mycorrhizal fungus Funneliformis mosseae application and harvest time on the quantity and quality of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil in the different irrigation regimes, a field experiment was carried out as a split-split plot in a randomized complete blocks design (RCBD) with 12 treatments and three replications at the Agriculture Faculty, University of Maragheh, Iran, in 2019. The factors and their levels included 1- the main factor: irrigation regime at three levels of irrigation after 20% (W20 as control), 50% (W50 as moderate stress), and 80% (W80 as severe stress) of maximum allowable depletion, 2- the subfactor: application and non-application of mycorrhiza, and 3- sub-sub factor: harvest time at two levels of June harvest (first harvest) and September harvest (second harvest). The results demonstrated that the highest amounts of plant height, canopy diameter, and dry matter yield of thyme were obtained in the W20 (control)+ application of mycorrhiza fungus+ first harvest treatment. In addition, the highest essential oil content was recorded in W50 followed by W80, which were 38.2 and 23.7% higher than W20 (control), respectively. Also, the application of mycorrhiza fungus increased the essential oil of thyme by 8.5% compared to the non-application of fungus. The highest and lowest content of thymol, γ-terpinene, and p < /em>-cymene were obtained in W50 and W20, respectively. Also, the application of mycorrhiza fungus increased the amount of mentioned compounds, respectively by 3.8%, 3.9%, and 7.1% compared to the non-application of fungus. Overall, it can be concluded that W50 (moderate stress) along with the application of mycorrhizal fungus F. mosseae improved the essential oil quality and quantity of thyme.

To investigate the effects of foliar application of gibberellic acid (GA3) and salicylic acid (SA) on the morphophysiological, biochemical, and yield characteristics of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, an experiment began as a factorial in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications at the research farm of Agriculture Faculty, Ilam University, Iran, by sowing the plants in 2018 and continued by evaluating the plant characteristics for the two consecutive years (2018 & 2019). The experimental treatments included the foliar spray of plants during vegetative growth period with GA3 (0, 100, and 200 ppm) and SA (0, 100, and 200 ppm) as well as their combinations. The results showed that the highest plant height, number of flowers, and fresh and dry weight of the plants (in both years) were obtained in the GA3-200 ppm treatment and the highest amount of total chlorophyll and carotenoids (in both years) in the GA3-100 ppm one. The highest capitol diameter and fresh and dry weight of flowers in the first year and the highest anthocyanins content in the second year were observed in the GA3-200 ppm treatment. Also, the highest capitol diameter in the second year and the highest anthocyanins content in the first year were obtained in the SA-100 ppm treatment. In addition, the highest fresh and dry weight of flowers in the second year was recorded in the SA-200 ppm treatment. The highest essential oil amount of flowers, shoots (without flowers), and total essential oil (in both years) were obtained in the GA3-100 ppm+SA-100 ppm combination treatment. Considering that increasing the plant dry matter yield as well as essential oil content were the most important objectives of this study, the GA3-200 ppm treatment for the plant dry weight increase and the GA3-100 ppm+SA-100 ppm combination treatment for the essential oil content increase could be suggested as the best treatments.

To evaluate the silicon effects on morphological characteristics as well as the percentage and composition of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil under cadmium stress, a factorial greenhouse experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design. The treatments included cadmium metal (Cd) as the first factor at three levels of 0, 25, and 50 mg kg-1 soil and silicon (Si) as the second factor with concentrations of 0, 1, and 2 mM. The characteristics including root length, fresh and dry weight of roots, plant height, fresh and dry weight of stems, stem diameter, number of leaves, fresh weight of leaves, number of buds, number of sub-stems, and percentage and composition of essential oil were evaluated. The results showed that Cd had negative effects on all studied morphological characteristics and significantly decreased their values compared to the control. However, Si treatment improved all these traits and with increasing the concentration of this element, a significant increase in the values of these traits was observed. Application of Si in the concentration of 2 mM caused 63.8, 81, 61, and 61% increase in the number of sub-stems, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight, and number of buds compared to the control, respectively. The amounts of five major constituents of basil essential oil including 1,8-cineole, linalool, estragole, methyl eugenol, and eugenol were affected significantly with the Cd and Si treatments. However, the interaction of these two treatments showed a significant effect only on the three compounds 1,8-cineole, linalool, and methyl eugenol. The maximum amounts of 1,8-cineole (5.06%) and methyl eugenol (6.21%) were observed in the plants which simultaneously exposed to the highest concentrations of Cd and Si. The amount of linalool was also decreased with the presence of Cd and increased with the Si treatment. The Cd treatment increased the amount of estragole by 12.8% and decreased the amount of eugenol by 25.2%. The Si treatment also increased the amount of estragole by 23.9% and decreased the amount of eugenol by 18.3%.