مجله پژوهشهای گیاهی (زیست شناسی ایران)
سال سی و ششم شماره 3 (پاییز 1402)

DNA-based techniques are more interesting for the taxonomic study of medicinal plants than the classical methods. DNA isolation from medicinal plants due to the higher secondary metabolites is faced with some difficulties. In this study, five protocols, including the original Doyle and Doyle method, two modified Doyle and Doyle methods in which 2-mercaptoethanol or ammonium acetate were removed, modified Murray and Thompson method, and Gene All kit were assayed to select an appropriate method for the DNA extraction of fresh and herbarium leaves of Echium amoenum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. The quality and quantity of the DNA were examined by gel electrophoresis and spectrophotometric analysis. The applicability of the purified DNA was checked by the PCR of nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence. Compared to the original Doyle and Doyle method, the elimination of 2-mercaptoethanol or ammonium acetate had no significant effects (p-value > 0.05) on the quantity and quality of the extracted DNA from fresh and herbarium E. amoenum. Although the highest DNA concentration was obtained by the modified Murray and Thompson method from herbarium leaves, the ITS region was not amplified in this sample. The expected PCR products of the ITS region were amplified from the other DNA samples. In conclusion, the easier modified Doyle and Doyle method by eliminating 2-mercaptoethanol or ammonium acetate is beneficial for DNA extraction from both fresh and herbarium leaves of E. amoenum. This modification does not negatively effect on the following PCR step.

Seed performs a significant role as the most influential factor in the transfer of tree species heritability and forest sustainability. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of altitude from sea level on seed production and regeneration of oriental beech in managed forests. For this purpose, 50 paired sample plots with 2 × 2 m at 1100, 1600 and 2000 m.a.s.l were established. For different experiments were transferred the collected seeds to the seed laboratory. The germinated seeds counted at each sample plot on spring in order to regeneration survey. According to the obtained results, 1600 meters consist of the highest seed, 2000 meters encompass the highest regeneration and 1600 include the un-healthiest seeds. In addition, the maximum seed eaten by insects related to the height of 1600 m. furthermore, 1000 seed weight at the 1100, 1600 and 2000 m were determined to be 207.684, 244.144 and 304.237 grams, respectively. Seed weight appears to be lower in frequently seed years than in regular years. According to the results, the best height for producing and collecting beech seed is at 2000 m.a.s.l. Therefore, the establishment of a seed production station as well as a temporary nursery at this altitude can create a suitable ground for seed reproduction and production in areas of equal height and homogeneity.

Onosma pachypoda Boiss. is a medicinal plant and belongs to Boraginaceae family. Enhancement of secondary metabolites using modern biotechnological methods such as tissue culture and hairy root induction by Agrobacterium rhizogenes can be important. In the present study, hairy root induction by A. rhizogenes strain A4 on the callus of O. pachypoda was examined via dry and immersion methods under different spectral LED lights. The effect of LED lights was also investigated on the concentration of flavonoid content in inoculated callus. The results showed that the highest percentage (50%) of hairy root induction was obtained by immersing the callus in the suspension of A. rhizogenes under dark conditions. The highest flavonoid content was observed in inoculated callus under blue LED light and dark conditions. Therefore, the immersion method is a suitable method for inoculation of callus to induce hairy roots in the plant. It seems that using of different spectral LED lights also affects flavonoid content in the callus of O. pachypoda.

To evaluate the effect of drought stress on grain yield, yield component, morphologic and phonological traits on 30 genotypes of wheat, an experiment in the form randomized complete block with three replication at 2 levels of irrigation (normal and stress), was carried out. Results showed that the studied genotypes were significantly different in terms of grain yield, 100-seed weight, number of seeds per pod, number of pods per plant, day to maturity, and seed size under stress and non-stress conditions. According to the results, it can be seen that Kavir, Pishtaz and Helmand cultivars showed the lowest yield reduction and Navid, Karim and Alvand cultivars showed the highest grain yield decrease among all cultivars. The analysis of tolerance index correlation showed index of tolerance stress, using mean and using numeral mean are the best indexes for identifying genotype with high yield in this test According to the results of phenotypic correlations, stepwise regression, path analysis and principal component analysis in both normal and stress conditions, it can be concluded that, expected that the traits of number of spike in plant, total spikes weight, biological yield, main spike of weight, were most important and effective traits affecting yield and considering that among the genotypes, The highest diversity was observed for these traits, therefore selecting and breeding for these traits can ideally be improved the yield Genotype grouping in both conditions was conducted based on studied traits with UPGMA method, in both conditions investigated genotypes were grouped in five clusters.

The increasing application of microbial lipids and fatty acids in various fields of health and industry and their advantages to the proportion of animals and plant lipids has elicited much attention in some research. The aim of this study was the investigation of lipid, biomass, and fatty acid production in Zygomycet fungi including Cunninghamella echinulata, ، Mucor rouxii, Mucor circinillioides and Rhizopus stolonifer in different media cultures containing plant oils (2% of coconut, sesame, olive, and almond oil) as carbon sources. Results showed all of the strains produced more than 25% lipid and C. echinulata is the best lipid producer in 4 strains and the yield of lipid production in olive oil medium was 63 % in this strain. Omega 6 fatty acids like GLA (gamma linoleic acid) and linoleate appeared in all of the media culture. M. rouxii created 9.69 % GLA in olive oil medium. Arachidonic acid and linolenate were other omegas that produce in some oil media. An important point of this study was increased about 2 to 10 times in omega 3 and 6 production in plant oils treated by fungi rather than raw plant oils. It could be concluded that zygomycete fungi are a good candidates for the production of valuable microbial oils and applied to the improvement of quality in dietary and industrial crops.

Castor (Ricinius communis L.) is one of the oldest medicinal plants in the world. The assessment of genetic diversity in castor beans plays a vital role in identifying superior genotypes to use in plant breeding programs. For this reason, the diversity and genetic association of 22 castor ecotypes were investigated. Out of 26 screened primers, 19 primers that produced the most polymorphic bands were used. Totally, these primers generated 188 bands, of which 180 bands (95.58 %) were polymorphic. The studied ecotypes were divided into two separate group’s using cluster analysis. The highest similarity was observed between ecotypes 4 and 5 (collected from Sari) and the lowest similarity was observed between ecotypes 1 and 14 (Sari and Babolsar).The highest Nei's genetic diversity (H) and Shannon index (I) were observed in population No. 2 including 12 ecotypes. According to the genetic structure of populations performed by Structure software, ecotypes were divided into two subpopulation clusters. The molecular analysis of variance showed that 37% of genetic variation attributed to between group's and 63% to within group's, which can be used in its breeding programs.

Galegine is one of the most important active ingredients in the Galga (Galega officinalis L.), which is used as a drug for lowering blood sugar in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The use of nano-elicitors to increase the production of secondary metabolites in plant cell and tissue culture is a useful method to achieve high levels of compounds with medicinal worth. In this study, the effects of nano-silver (5, 10, and 20 mg/L) stimuli, iron nano oxide (50, 100, and 200 mg/L), and molybdenum nanoparticles (30, 60, and 90 mg/L) on cell growth and production of some metabolites were studied in cell suspension culture of G. officinalis. The results showed that the application of silver nanoparticles in cell suspension culture at 5 and 10 mg/L for 48 h resulted in the highest galegine content. Also, the application of 100 mg/L iron nano oxide and 60 mg/L molybdenum led to an increase in galegine content in the cell suspension culture of G. officinalis compared with the control. The highest content of total phenols and flavonoids was obtained in the treatment of cells with 100 mg/L iron nano oxide. In general, considering that some treatments used increased the content of galegine in comparison with the control, it can be suggested that applying nano-elicitors in the cell suspension culture can be used to produce more galegine of this plant.