Search

In the conventional agricultural systems, the excessive use of chemical inputs, such as chemical fertilizers, increased the agricultural productivity. Detrimental implications from intensive agricultural practices and long-term use of chemical fertilizers have been well evidenced on the environment and human health. Intercropping system and application of organic fertilizers and biofertilizers including vermicompost and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are recommended in the development of sustainable agricultural systems. The objectives were evaluating the effect of different fertilizer sources on the quantity and quality characteristics of Salvia officinalis L.Materials and methods The experiment consisted of two successive phases at the Miandoab, Iran in 2019-2020. The first was cultivation of spring green manure until the soft dough stage of barley and flowering stage of hairy vetch then returned to the soil, and the second phase was cultivation of medicinal plant of sage. Two species, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), were used as green manure. In second phase, a field experiment study was carried out as split plot in time based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 16 treatments and three replications. The main plot factor was eight different fertilizer sources including control (C), barley monoculture (B), hairy vetch monoculture (V), 75% V + 25% B, 50% V + 50% B and 25% V + 75% B, AMF: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (Rhizophagus intraradices) and vermicompost. Also the sub plot factor was harvesting time (first and second harvest). In AM fungi treatments, 80 g of the soil containing mycorrhizal fungi hyphae and the remains of the root and spores was added to soil in planting times. Also, vermicompost (2 t ha-1) was applied to the soil before planting. Analysis of variance of the data and mean comparison based on least significant difference (LSD) test and interaction effect slicing of different fertilizer sources × harvesting time were carried out by using of SAS 9.3 statistical software.Results and DiscussionThe plant height, number of lateral branches, number of leaves, chlorophyll index, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, essential oil percentage and yield was significantly affected by interaction of diffirent fertilizer sources×harvesting time. The highest of dry matter yield was achieved under AMF followed by 50% V+ 50% B. Also the highest of chlorophyll index and essential oil percentage of sage was obtained in 50% V + 50% B and first harvest. Also, the first harvesting time increased by 33.9, 10.7 and 40.7% this trait in comparison with second harvest. In addition, the maximum of essential oil yield was observed in AMF followed by 50% V+ 50% B in first harvest. Chemical analysis of the essential oil of sage demonstrated that in all treatements, cis-Thujone, 1, 8-cineole and camphor were the main dominant components. The maximum of cis-Thujone, 1, 8-cineole content was achieved in 50% V+ 50% B and second harvest. Also, the highest of camphor observed in 25% V+ 75% B treatment and first harvest. The roots of green manure plants can uptake nutrients from the lower layers of soil and transfer them to the aerial parts of plant. By incorporating green manure, the sage growth characteristics improved as a result of increasing soil microbiological processes and releasing of nutrients. Also, mycorrhizal fungus inoculation enhanced plant performance by increasing root surface area, turgor pressure adjustment, gradual availability to nutrients and water. Since essential oils are terpenoid components so that for the biosynthesis of precursor compounds (isoprenoids) such as isopentenyl pyrophosphate and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate necessary Acetyl-CoA, NADPH and ATP and mineral nutrients like N and P. Treating plots with 50% V + 50% B and AMF increase the essential oil percentage and compounds through releasing of nitrogen and phosphorus into the soil. Also, the higher morphological traits, essential oil percentage and yield in the first harvest than the second harvest can be attributed to longer growing period and optimal growth conditions (day length, sunlight, ambient temperature).Treating plots with green manure and AMF improve the morphological traits, quantity and quality of sage essential oil through adjustment the soil chemical properties. According to the quantity and quality indicators, application of 50% V+ 50% B as green manure and AMF can be suggested as an efficient and eco-friendly agricultural strategy in sage cultivation.

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) are dominant wild plants in large areas of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and they include several species and subspecies. The aim was to determine if there are significant differences in essential oil (EO) yield, composition, and biological activity of sagebrush within the Bighorn Mountains, U.S. The EO yield in fresh herbage varied from 0.15 to 1.69% for all species, including 0.25–1.69% in A. tridentata var. vaseyana, 0.64–1.44% in A. tridentata var. tridentata, 1% in A. tridentata var. wyomingensis, 0.8–1.2% in A. longifolia, 0.8–1% in A. cana, and 0.16% in A. ludoviciana. There was significant variability in the EO profile between species, and subspecies. Some EO constituents, such as α-pinene (0–35.5%), camphene (0–21.5%), eucalyptol (0–30.8%), and camphor (0–45.5%), were found in most species and varied with species and subspecies. The antioxidant capacity of the EOs varied between the species and subspecies. None of the sagebrush EOs had significant antimicrobial, antimalarial, antileishmanial activity, or contained podophyllotoxin. Some accessions yielded EO with significant concentrations of compounds including camphor, eucalyptol, cis-thujone, α-pinene, α-necrodol-acetate, fragranol, grandisol, para-cymene, and arthole. Therefore, chemotypes can be selected and possibly introduced into culture and be grown for commercial production of these compounds to meet specific industry needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of essential oils of Artemisia vulgaris L. plants collected in Lithuanian has been reported. The oils were obtained by hydro-distillation from air-dried aerial parts. Up to 75 compounds (an average 88.7– 99.3% of the total oil content) were identified by GC−MS and GC (FID). Germacrene D (10.6 ± 2.5 – 30.5 ± 2.0%) was revealed as the first principal constituent in the investigated oils. To the best of our knowledge, mugwort essential oils rich in germacrene D are quite rare. 1,8-Cineole (6.9 ± 1.9 − 9.8 ± 1.1%, in 4 oils), β-pinene (6.7 ± 1.2 and 8.4 ± 2.3%), sabinene (8.5 ± 1.8%), cis-thujone (12.9 ± 2.5%), β-caryophyllene (5.5 ± 1.3 − 16.7 ± 4.2%, in 5 samples), caryophyllene oxide (6.4 ± 1.1 − 9.3 ± 1.3%, in 4 oils), α-humulene (5.5 ± 1.5%) and davanone (6.5 ± 2.5%) were found to be the second or third major compounds. The toxic activity of five mugwort essential oil samples was evaluated using a brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) bioassay. LC50 mean values (10.25–19.11 µg/mL) revealed that the oils containing appreciable amounts of germacrene D were notably toxic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the production, contents, and essential oil (EO) components of sage as a function of the diurnal variation. The EOs from the aerial parts of the plant harvested at different day/night times were extracted by hydro-distillation. Plants were harvested in 2 h intervals (twelve harvesting times during each 24-h day). Harvesting between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. revealed the highest EO percentage (1.14%), whereas harvesting between 04:00 and 06:00 a.m. indicated the minimum EO percentage (0.599%). The analysis of the EO identified 32 components. The major identified EO compounds were cis-thujone (34.38–46.18%), 1,8-cineol (8.70–11.07%), camphor (9.65–14.38%), and trans-thujone (9.43–14.19%). The highest value of cis-thujone (46.18%) was related to the harvest time of 04:00–06:00 a.m., and the lowest value (34.38%) was recorded at the harvest time of 00:00–02:00 a.m. The highest value of trans-thujone (14.19%) was obtained between 10:00–00:00 p.m., and the lowest value (9.43%) was obtained between 10:00–12:00 a.m. Camphor was another dominant compound where the highest (14.38%) was observed at 00:00–2:00 a.m. Our findings in sage, for the first time, may pave the route towards the optimization of sage EO quality and quantity by selecting the best harvesting time of the plants.

Background: rhizobacteria are specific group of soil microorganisms that aggressively colonize the rhizosphere and rhizoplane, and substantially improve plant growth and efficiency via direct or indirect mechanisms. Objective: To investigate the growth promoting effects of rhizobacteria strains on cuttings growth and variations of essential oils content and yield in Salvia officinalis. Methods: In this research, different rhizobacteria including Pseudomonas putida (strains 41 and 159) and fluorescence (strain 23) with different growth promoting characteristics was used first on stem cuttings and later on aerial parts of S. officinalis L. (with final concentration of 109 CFU/ml). The essential oils were isolated from aerial parts of the plants by hydro-distillation method and then subjected to GC and GC-MS apparatus to determine the oil constituents. Results: Results showed that the dry weight of above and below ground parts of plants were increased in response to employed rhizobacteria inoculation. The highest root and leaf dry weight were observed in plants treated with Putida strain 159 which is caused increase of 45% and 33% compared to control untreated plants, respectively. Also, the highest essential oil yield was obtained in plants treated with putida strains, and the lowest of that was gained in control plants and also plants treated with fluorescence strain. The most abundant essential oil components were cis-Thujone, camphor, 1,8-cineol, camphene, α-pinene, viridiflorol, α-humulene, borneol and trans-meta-mentha-2 ,8-diene. Conclusion: Results from the current research indicate the plants inoculation with rhizobacteria had positive impact only on the major constituents of the essential oil compared to controls.

Garden sage (Salvia officinalis L.) is a medicinal, culinary, ornamental, and essential oil plant with a wide range of ecological adaptation. Garden sage essential oil traditionally is extracted by steam distillation from the above-ground biomass and has widespread applications as an aromatic agent in the food and pharmaceutical industries as well as in perfumery and cosmetics. The hypothesis of this study was that the steam distillation time (DT) may significantly affect essential oil yield and composition of garden sage and, therefore, DT could be used as a tool to obtain oil with different composition. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the effect of various steam DTs (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 minutes) on garden sage oil yield and composition. Most of the oil in the garden sage dry herbage was extracted in 10-minute DT; extending DT up to 160 minutes did not significantly increase oil yields. Overall, 39 oil constituents were identified in the garden sage essential oil. Fourteen oil constituents with the highest concentration in the oil were selected for statistical analyses. Monoterpenes represented the major percentage (58.2% to 84.1%) of oil composition followed by sesquiterpenes (4.0% to 16.1%) and diterpenes (0.3% to 7.6%). Overall, the monoterpene hydrocarbons (α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, myrcene, and limonene) were eluted early in the steam distillation process, which resulted in their high concentration in the oil at 5- to 10-minute DT and relatively low concentrations in the oil obtained at 160-minute DT. In general, the concentration of sesquiterpenes (β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, and verdifloral) increased with increasing duration of the DT and reached their respective maximum concentrations in the oil at 160-minute DT. The relative concentrations of major constituents, camphor and cis-thujone, in the oil obtained at 2.5-minute DT were higher than in the oils obtained at longer DT. Therefore, if oil with high concentrations of camphor and cis-thujone is desirable, garden sage dried biomass ought to be steam distilled for 2.5 to 5 minutes and the oil collected. If oil with a high concentration of monoterpene hydrocarbons and a high concentration of oxygenated monoterpenes is desirable, then garden sage should be distilled for 20 minutes. If oil with a high concentration of the diterpene manool is desirable, then garden sage should be steam-distilled for 80 minutes. If oil with a high concentration of sesquiterpenes is desirable, then garden sage should be stcam-dislilled for 160 minutes. The duration of steam distillation can be used as an economical method to obtain garden sage oil with a different chemical composition. The regression models developed in this study can be used to predict garden sage oil yield and composition distilled for various amounts of time and to compare literature reports in which different durations of DT were used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aerial parts of Salvia officinalis were collected in eight gardens in Eastern Lithuania. Essential oils were prepared by the hydrodistillation of air-dried plants and analyzed by GC and GC / MS methods. The dominant constituents were manool (14.4-20.9%, four oils), 1,8-cineole (12.4-17.6%, two samples) and cis-thujone (12.6%, two oils). The second major compound was viridiflorol (11.2-16.5%, four samples), manool (10.3-11.5%, two oils), cis-thujone (11.5%, one oil) and β-caryophyllene (9.0%, one oil). The third position in the sage essential oils was taken by α-humulene (7.3-11.2%, three samples), viridiflorol (10.5%, two oils) and by cis-thujone (9.6%), camphor (9.9%) and manool (8.9%) in other three oils. The S. officinalis essential oil richest in manool (20.9%) was found in Lithuania. The amounts of individual constituents in the oils varied from 2 to 25 times, while the quantities of oxygenated terpenes were close. The sage essential oils included larger quantities of the oxygenated terpenes (52.1-65.4%) than terpene hydrocarbons (18.7-34.1%). The seventy nine identified compounds comprised 89.5-99.3% of the oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two species belonging to the genus Salvia (Salvia brachyodon Vandas and Salvia officinalis L.) from Dalmatian region were studied for their essential oil composition, genome size and base composition. These species showed the same chromosome number (2n =14), similar genome size (0.95 and 0.97pg/2C) and base composition (38.52 and 38.55 GC%), respectively. This is the first estimation of DNA content and base composition for both species. The chemical composition of S. officinalis essential oil was characterized by high content of oxygenated monoterpenes with cis- and trans-thujone as the major constituents (57.0% and 15.0%, respectively). In contrast, the main component of S. brachyodon essential oil was oxygenated sesquiterpene humulene epoxide II (22.9%). S. brachyodon is an endemic Dinaric species with narrow geographical distribution limited to only two localities, one in Croatia and another at the border of Herzegovina and Montenegro. The Croatian population has been studied here for the first time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Salvia tomentosa essential oils from Greece were studied for the first time here. The oils from five populations growing in Mediterranean pine forests on the island of Thassos (northern Aegean Sea) and from 14 populations situated in deciduous forests in Thrace (northeastern Greek mainland) were investigated. Their essential-oil contents ranged from 1.1 to 3.3% (v/w, based on the dry weight of the plant material). The populations from Thassos had high contents of α-pinene (18.0 ± 2.9%), 1,8-cineole (14.7 ± 3.0%), cis-thujone (14.0 ± 6.9%), and borneol (12.8 ± 2.2%) and smaller amounts of camphene, camphor, and β-pinene, whereas the populations from Thrace showed high α-pinene (16.7 ± 4.0%), β-pinene (22.8 ± 4.5%), camphor (18.3 ± 4.3%), and camphene (10.3 ± 2.4%) contents, much lower 1,8-cineole and borneol amounts, while cis-thujone was completely lacking. The comparison of the present results with published data showed that oils having cis-thujone as one of the main compounds were reported for the first time here. Multivariate statistical analyses indicate that the observed essential-oil variation was related to geographical and environmental factors., (Copyright © 2014 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.)