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Introduction: There are several factors that affect the quality and quantity of active ingredients and essential oil (EO) content, including pre and postharvest practices such as drying conditions. One of the most important factors in drying is temperature and then selective drying temperature (DT). In general, DT has a direct effect on the aromatic properties of Anethum graveolens. Methods: On this basis, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different DTs on the aroma profile of A. graveolens ecotypes. Results and discussion: The results showed that different DTs, ecotypes, and their interaction significantly affect EO content and composition. The highest EO yield was obtained from the Parsabad ecotype (1.86%) followed by the Ardabil ecotype (1.4%), both at 40° C. More than 60 EO compounds were identified, mainly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, highlighting α-Phellandrene, Germacrene D, and Dill apiole as major components in all treatments. Besides α-Phellandrene, the major EO compounds at shad drying (ShD) were β-Phellandrene and p-Cymene, while plant parts dried at 40° C showed l-Limonene and Limonene as the main constituents, and Dill apiole was detected in greater amounts in the samples dried at 60°C. To determine the appropriate DT, simple and factorial based-ANOVA together multivariate analysis demonstrated significant differences in the compounds produced under different DTs. The results indicated that more EO compounds, mainly monoterpenes, were extracted at ShD than other DTs. On the other hand, the content and composition of sesquiterpenes increased significantly when DT was increased to 60°C. From the genetic backgrounds point of view, the Parsabad ecotype (with 12 similar compounds) and Esfahan ecotype (with 10 similar compounds) were the most suitable ecotypes under all DTs in terms of EO compounds. Accordingly, the present study would help various industries to optimize specific DT(s) to obtain special EO compound(s) from different A. graveolens ecotypes based on commercial requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amaranthus retroflexus L. and Chenopodium album L. (Amaranthaceae) are weedy plants that cause severe ecological and economic damage. In this study, we collected DNA from three different countries and assessed genetic diversity using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Our analysis shows both weed species have low genetic diversity within a population and high genetic diversity among populations, as well as a low value of gene flow among the populations. UPGMA clustering and principal coordinate analysis indicate four distinct groups for A. retroflexus L. and C. album L. exist. We detected significant isolation-by-distance for A. retroflexus L. and no significant correlation for C.album L. These conclusions are based data from 13 ISSR primers where the average percentage of polymorphism produced was 98.46% for A. retroflexus L. and 74.81% for C. album L.These data suggest that each population was independently introduced to the location from which it was sampled and these noxious weeds come armed with considerable genetic variability giving them the opportunity to manifest myriad traits that could be used to avoid management practices. Our results, albeit not definitive about this issue, do not support the native status of C. album L. in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) is one of the most important plants in terms of medicine and economics in the world. Breeding of black cumin genotypes by using biotechnology and phytochemistry has always been an important area of different studies. In this study, 24 ISSR molecular markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure of Iranian black cumin genotypes. The primers produced a total number of 223 bands, of which 155 were polymorphic bands (indicating 69% polymorphism). By analyzing the similarity matrix based on the simple matching similarity coefficient, the similarity ranged from 0.46 to 0.84. The genotypes were classified into three main groups in the phylogenetic dendrogram, which was based on the similarity matrix and UPGMA algorithm. The average of Polymorphism Information Content, Marker Index, Resolving power, and Observed number of alleles, Effective number of alleles, Nei's gene diversity, and Shannon's information index were 0.26, 1.56, 3.07, 15.79, 13.72, 0.26, and 0.38, respectively. In analyzing the population structure, when the K value was adjusted to range from 2 to 10, two subpopulations were revealed. However, there was a degree of inconsistency when comparing the results of the phylogenetic dendrogram with those of the population structure. The results of this study can expand future inquiries into the assessments of germplasms and provide opportunities for breeding black cumin genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) belonging to the Lamiaceae family, is used as a spice and traditional herb in Iran. This plant has shown antispasmodic, antidiarrheal, antioxidant, sedative and antimicrobial activities. The basic requirement for plant breeding programs is a germplasm diversity that provides necessary facilities for breeding species with desirable features. Therefore, accurate identification of genotypes is considered as a prerequisite in this manner. Phenotypic Materials and Methods In this research, 20 accessions of S. hortensis were chosen from Iran, Bulgaria, Germany, Czech, Georgia, Syria, Hungary, Poland, Italy and Uzbekistan. Some morphological and phytochemical characteristics such as internode number, shoot number, number of days to germination, collar diameter, fresh weight of aerial part, bract fresh weight, flower number, peduncle length, 1000- seeds weight, flower fresh and dry weight and essential oil components were studied. The Results and Discussion Based on the results of morphological studies, internode number (11.03), shoot number (18.58), 1000-seeds weight (925.97 mg) high variable Uzbekistan accessions were best in this traits. Maximum flower number (26.34) and flower fresh weight (26.14 mg) were obtained from Bulgaria accession. Essential oil amount was higher in Karaj accession. Correlation coefficients among traits showed that fresh weight of aerial part had the highest correlation with flower fresh weight (0.97). Cluster analysis based on Euclidean distance divided the accessions into four major groups in which the third and fourth groups had valuable characteristics. The Bulgaria accession had the highest y-Terpinene and Borneol. The Karaj accession was the best in carvacrol and delta-3-carene content. Clustering from essential oil component assigned accessions into five clusters. It can be suggested that there is a considerable genetic variation among S. hortensis accessions. The main purpose of this study was to determine genetic diversity among S. hortensis accessions from Iran and other parts of the world. Significant differences were found among the accessions in almost every parameter measured. The range of vegetative and flower values obtained in this study was more than those reported in previous researches about S. hortensis. With increasing shoot and leaf number, Iran appears to be the main place to trap sunlight for photosynthesis and consequently provides the condition to produce flowers, seeds and secondary metabolites. Thus, Uzbekistan and Bulgaria accessions having high values of leaf and flower can also be considered for cultivation and breeding programs. Conclusion In this study, agro-morphological and essential oil properties of S. hortensis accessions originated from Iran and some Asian and European countries were evaluated. The study revealed a high level of diversity in morphological and phytochemical traits among S. hortensis accessions. This needs a breeding approach during the domestication process to obtain homogenous cultivars with suitable agricultural properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Many secondary metabolites produced by plants are used in manufacturing drugs and new treatments, but are too difficult, expensive or impossible to prepared by chemical synthesis. Biotechnology progresses have provided a huge source of new chemical compounds of plant origin to various applications. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is one of the valuable medicinal plants that World Health Organization (WHO) called it Global Panacea. Hairy root induction by Agrobacterium rhizogenes is an effective method for production of secondary metabolites. Materials and methods In this study, hairy roots of Purslane were produced using Agrobacterium rhizogenes strains A4 and ATCC15834. The presence of the rolB gene in the hairy roots was confirmed by PCR using rolB gene specific primers. The effect of the type of strain (A4 and ATCC15834), explant (cotyledon, hypocotyl and seedling) and also different concentrations of Iron oxide nanoparticles (0, 20, 40 and 6 mg l-1) were examined as abiotic elicitors on the hairy root induction, growth and increase of secondary metabolites of hairy roots. Results The results showed that the highest hairy root induction (80 percent) was observed in the A4 strain, seedling explants and 40 mg l-1 the iron oxide nanoparticles. The greatest hairy root length was obtained by 60 mg l-1 the iron oxide nanoparticles (4.17 cm) and also ATCC15834 strain, seedling explants and 40 mg l-1 the iron oxide nanoparticles were superior for highest phenolic and flavonoid content (4.92 and 0.48 mg g DW) and also 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (52.59%) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (60.37(Mol g-1 DW)). Hairy root lines showed significant differences in growth rate and biomass production and the largest biomass production was exhibited by G line. Conclusions Overall, the strain and explant types and iron oxide nanoparticles had considerable effects on the hairy roots induction secondary metabolites production. The results indicated significant increases in hairy root induction and medicinal compounds by A4 and ATCC15834 strains, seedling explant and 40 mg l-1 the iron oxide nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anethum graveolens L. is a vegetable-aromatic medicinal herb of Apiaceae family and cultivated in different parts of the world including Iran. The aim of this study was to study the chemical composition of essential oils in four Iranian dill ecotypes. The extracted essential oils compositions were different in the ecotypes so that 38, 27, 25, and 24 volatile constituents were identified in Ardabil, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Kerman ecotypes, respectively. Eighteen compounds such as Toluene, &#945-thujene, camphene, sabinene, ß-pinene, ß-myrcene, &#945-phellandrene, &#945-terpinene, β-phellandrene, undecane, sabinol, dill ether, carvacrol, germacrene D, dill apiole, neophytadiene, hexahydrofarnesyl acetone, and phytol were recognized in all ecotypes but in different amounts. Analysis of variance showed the significancy of &#945-thujene, β-pinene, β-myrcene, &#945-phellandrene, β-phellandrene, undecane, dill ether, sabinol, germacrene D, dill apiole, neophytadiene, and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone at 0.001 probability levels. Means comparison of significant compounds showed highest mean values for β-pinene, undecane, germacrene D, neophytadiene, hexahydrofarnesyl acetone, and phytol in Ardabil ecotype; &#945-thujene, β-myrcene, β-phellandrene, and dill ether in Mashhad ecotype; and &#945-phellandrene, sabinol, and dill apiole in Kerman ecotype. Factor analysis indicated that three main and independent factors accounted for 100% of the total variance. The first, second, and third factors with 47.5, 31.9, and 20.63 % of variance included 9, 6, and 4 compounds, respectively. The knowledge of essential oil compositions of the studied ecotypes could be useful to choose the appropriate for breeding purposes based on phytochemical diversity or for use in pharmaceutical and food industries for extraction of special compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the variability of essential oil composition in different parts of summer savory was investigated. Extraction of essential oils from air-dried leaves and healthy seeds was done using water-distillation in Clevenger-type apparatus for 4 h. In total, 23 and 24 components were identified in the leaves and seeds of summer savory, respectively. Carvacrol (46.023%), Estragole (Methyl Chavicol) (6.257%), Caryophyllene (4.753%), and E-Caryophyllene (4.753%) were the major constituents in the seeds and Carvacrol (56.537%), γ-Terpinene (21.377%), and p-Cymene (8.587%) were the major constituents in the leaves. Among all constituents, Carvacrol, Caryophyllene, E-Caryophyllene, ß-Bisabolene, cis-a-Bisabolene, Caryophyllene oxide, Z-Citral, E-Citral, γ-Terpinene, and d-3-Carene were present in both of leaves and seeds. Significant positive and negative correlations were detected between constituents for the investigated parts of summer savory. In addition, the correlation analysis of same volatile constituents in seeds and leaves indicated that some constituents in one part of summer savory have a significant correlation with another part. Also, γ-Terpinene in leaves has a negative significant correlation with γ-Terpinene in the seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology is an emerging field of science widely exploited in agriculture in recent years. In this investigation, application of nanotechnology in agriculture via application of some nano-particles (nano-iron and nano-silicon) have been investigated in seed priming of dragonhead. Seeds were subjected to prehydration treatments by factor nano-silicon dioxide as; (S1) 0 mM or distilled water, (S2) 1 mM concentration and (S3) 2 mM concentration and and factor nano-iron oxide as; (F1) 0 Mm or distilled water, (F2) 1 mM concentration and (F3) 2 mM concentration. Germination percent, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, root length, shoot length, dry weight of the seed residue, root dry weight and shoot dry weight were measured. Analysis of variance showed significant variation for the main effect of nano-silicon dioxide as well as nano-iron dioxide in root length and dry weight of the seed residue. The interaction effect of nano-silicon x nano-iron priming treatments were significant in all of the measured traits except germination percentage and root fresh weight. The highest germination percentage was recorded in S2-F3, S3-F1 and S3-F3 while the root fresh weight was high in S2-F3 and treatments S1-F1 following to S2-F3 and S3-F2 produced the highest shoot fresh weight. Also, S2-F3 has the highest root length (16.1 cm) and the highest shoot length (18.4 cm). The best treatment combination suitable for obtaining of high values of germination characteristics of dragonhead was identified as S2-F3 (1 mM nano-silicon dioxide plus 2 mM nano-iron dioxide). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]