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The eryngo plant is an herb related to the Apiaceae family with the greatest diversity of species, has a gorgeous taste when eaten as a vegetable, and is traditionally used in folk medicine for its health benefits. The present study was to assess the effects of different drying methods and storage times on the quality and appearance of Eryngium caeruleum. The treatments of this study were drying methods (room temperature (25°C) with proper ventilation, oven temperature 55°C, vacuum oven temperature 55°C, and a microwave with a power of 500 W) and storage times (1, 75, and 150 days). The lowest brightness index and the highest browning index were found in the shade‐dried samples kept in the refrigerator for 150 days. In these samples, the numerical values of chlorophyll were lower than others. After 75 days, in the vacuum oven‐dried samples, the maximum levels of total phenolics and flavonoids and antioxidant activity were calculated. The colorimetric test showed that the oven‐dried samples maintained their green color well. However, the storage decreased the quality of plant samples due to the degradation of chlorophyll. Overall, this study showed that the highest greenness and appearance qualities were found in the samples dried in a vacuum oven at 55°C. It seems that appearance indices can be introduced as an initial and quick step in the qualitative assessment of dried leafy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Cannabis is a herbaceous annual plant that belongs to the Cannabaceae family, which is used in the production of fibre, paper, oil and pharmaceutical products. Aims: The aim of this study was to identify drought-tolerant ecotypes and medicinal and industrial populations. Methods: Due to the medicinal and industrial importance of cannabis, 12 cannabis ecotypes were collected from different regions of Iran. Then, their agronomic and phytochemical characteristics were evaluated under different soil moisture conditions. Key results: The soil moisture levels had significant effects (P < 0.01) on the studied traits except for the 1000 seed weight. Based on duration of the growth period, the Tabas and Dasht-e-Moghan ecotypes were identified as early and late maturing ecotypes, respectively. Also, the highest stem dry weight and stem height/diameter ratio and the lowest seed yield were related to the Dasht-e-Moghan ecotype, which is valuable for fibre production. Based on seed yield (relative reduction) and some tolerance indexes, the Tabas and Tabrize ecotypes were shown to be the most tolerant and sensitive ecotypes, respectively. As soil moisture decreased, tetrahydrocannabinol levels increased and cannabidiol levels decreased. The highest amount of tetrahydrocannabinol was related to the Qom ecotype at 50% soil moisture and the highest amount of cannabidiol was related to the Rasht ecotype at 100% soil moisture. Conclusions: Generally, these ecotypes had different responses to soil moisture. Some ecotypes were valuable in terms of the production of pharmaceutical metabolites and some in terms of fibre production. Implications: Tolerant and sensitive ecotypes might be considered in production and also breeding programs. Cannabis is a herbaceous annual plant that belongs to the Cannabaceae family, and is used in the production of fibre, paper and oil. This plant has been used for the treatment of rheumatism, epilepsy, asthma, skin burns, gastrointestinal activity, osteoporosis, schizophrenia, cardiovascular disorders, cancer and metabolic syndrome-related disorders. Generally, our findings showed that these ecotypes had different responses to soil moisture, and some ecotypes were valuable in terms of the production of pharmaceutical metabolites and some in terms of fibre production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a valuable multipurpose medicinal plant belonging to Elaeagnaceae family. In this study, oil content and fatty acid composition of seed oil from 20 sea buckthorn wild populations of Iran were evaluated in 2014 and 2015. Oil extraction was done using n-hexane solvent in a Soxhlet apparatus and then GC analysis of fatty acid methyl esters was performed. The highest and lowest amount of seed oil content in two years were obtained from Sarein and Kejel populations, respectively (3.88 to 8.63% in 2014 and from 4.07 to 9.66% in 2015). Importance of seed oil is related to it’s highly amount of unsaturated fatty acids. Maximum content of oleic acid cis were existed in Kelavenga (21.19%) on 2014. The highest value of oleic acid trans were related to Shahrestanak (6.34%) in 2015. Maximum content of linoleic acid in 2014 were existed in Baladeh (42.03%) on 2015. The highest linolenic acid content were obtained from Dehdar (30.73%) in 2014. Factor analysis based on PCA revealed, first three components (PC1-PC3) explained 63.86% of the total variation. The first component (PC1) was contributed by some traits such as seed oil percentage, Palmitoleic acid, oleic acid trance and linoleic acid contents with about 29% of total variation. Hierarchical cluster analysis divided the populations into four main groups with high diversity. Wide range of variation across the sea buckthorn populations in seed oil traits could be exploited for selection of suitable genotypes to improvement and commercial exploitation of this plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Using an appropriate drying method is the most important step in the postharvest processing of Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss. to preserve its qualitative and quantitative essential oils. In this study, the effects of different drying techniques (sun, shade, conventional oven, vacuum oven, microwave, and infrared drying) were investigated on the essential oil content and composition of plants. Vacuum oven‐drying at 40°C was the best method for the retention of the essential oils of the samples. The essential oil was relatively sensitive to temperature, so its content was decreased with increase in the drying temperature. The results showed that oxygenated monoterpenes represented the main chemical class of essential oil components. Although the highest content of α‐pinene and geranyl acetate (as major compounds) was obtained by conventional oven‐drying at 40°C, the highest content of limonene and α‐terpineol was observed in the plants dried under the sun and by infrared drying at 0.5w/cm, respectively. Practical applications: The results suggest that vacuum oven‐drying could be the best method for obtaining the highest content of essential oils from Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss along with its major bioactive components. In addition, the microwave drying method was known as the most desirable drying method with regard to the final color of the dried products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gazania (Gazania rigens), a member of the Asteraceae family, is an ornamental plant that is cultivated on a large scale in gardens and landscapes. Material and Methods: : This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of bio-stimulants compounds on morpho-physiological and phytochemical traits of gazania on the basis of randomized complete blocks designed (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments included biostimulants of aminolforte, kadostim, fosnutren, humiforte (each of them at 2 and 4 L.ha-1), and control treatment (foliar spray with distillated water). Results: The effects of treatments were significant (p⩽0.01) on all of the traits except for the number of leaves and capitula per plant, and capitula diameter. The maximum amount of the plant height and total dry weight was obtained in the treatment of kadostim at 2 L.ha-1. The largest collar diameter of the stem and total fresh weight was observed in the treatment of aminolforte at 4 L.ha-1. The greatest diameter of the flower and stem was observed in the treatment of aminolforte and fosnutren at 2 L.ha-1, respectively. Also, the highest quantity of SPAD value, lorophylls a and b, and total chlorophyll, carotenoids, and nitrogen content were related to the foliar application of aminolforte at 4 L.ha-1, but the highest percentage of potassium content was attained in humiforte treatment at 4 L.ha-1. In comparison, the least amount of all traits was observed in contro treatment. Conclusions: The findings showed that the foliar applications of bio-stimulants based on bio-active amino acid compounds with a mixture of nutrients have positive effects on the growth, morphophysiological, and phytochemical traits of the gazania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]