Agriculture and horticulture
Kosar Taheri Boukani; Abbas Hassani; MirHassan Rasouli-Sadaghiani; Mohsen Barin; Ramin Maleki
Abstract
Background and objectives: Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae). Its fresh and dried leaves and essential oils are used in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. In recent years, the use of symbiosis with plant beneficial rhizospheric ...
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Background and objectives: Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae). Its fresh and dried leaves and essential oils are used in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. In recent years, the use of symbiosis with plant beneficial rhizospheric microorganisms including rhizobacteria and endophytic fungi has been considered as a cost-efficient and sustainable strategy to alleviate the adverse effects of environmental stresses such as salinity. Therefore, the present study was conducted in the research greenhouse of Urmia University. It evaluated the effect of inoculation with growth-promoting microorganisms on some growth, physiological, and phytochemical characteristics of basil plants under salt-stress conditions.Methodology: This research was conducted as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications. The experimental factors were inoculation with microorganisms at three levels (control without inoculation, inoculation with Serendipita indica, and inoculation with a mixture of Pseudomonas areuginosa, P. putida, and P. fluorescens) and salinity stress at four levels (0, 40, 80 and 120 mM of NaCl). For inoculation, the germinated seeds were separately inoculated with S. indica suspension (5×105 spores per ml) and inoculum containing a mixture of Pseudomonas bacteria (1.61×109 cells per ml) and planted in prepared pots. The pots were irrigated with ordinary tap water until the plants were eight-leafed, and from this stage onwards, salinity stress treatments were applied by dissolving different concentrations of NaCl in the irrigation water and continued until the full flowering stage. In the full flowering stage, plant samples were collected and root colonization percentage by fungus, growth parameters (plant height, stem diameter, number and total length of lateral branches, leaf number and area, inflorescence length, fresh and dry weight of leaf and stem), leaf relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic pigments, concentration of leaf nutrients (N, P, K, Na and Cl), essential oil content and yield were evaluated. For essential oil extraction, shade-dried samples were hydro-distilled using a Clevenger-type apparatus.Results: The results showed that due to salinity stress, the percentage of root colonization by S. indica, growth parameters, RWC, photosynthetic pigments, essential oil content, yield, N, P, and K content, and K/Na ratio decreased while Na and Cl content increased. In addition, all evaluated parameters in inoculated plants were higher than in non-inoculated plants except Na and Cl content. The highest and lowest rates of growth parameters, RWC (74.47 and 72.39%), essential oil yield (0.23 and 0.17 ml/pot), and N content of leaves (1.36 and 1.14%) were obtained in plants inoculated with S. indica and non-inoculated plants, respectively. The highest and lowest amounts of chlorophyll a (0.87 and 0.74 mg/g fw), chlorophyll b (0.41 and 0.37 mg/g fw), essential oil percentage (1.24 and 1.05%), K content (5.15 and 3.97%), P content (0.29 and 0.24%) and the K/Na ratio (10.05 and 4.07), were observed in plants inoculated with a mixture of Pseudomonas bacteria and non-inoculated plants, respectively. Also, the lowest Na (1.34%) and Cl (2.93%) accumulation was observed in plants inoculated with Pseudomonas bacteria and S. indica fungus, respectively.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the use of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (S. indica fungus and a mixture of Pseudomonas bacteria) can alleviate adverse effects of salinity stress on the growth and essential oil production of the basil plant by increasing the absorption of water and nutrients, preserving photosynthetic pigments and reducing the accumulation of toxic ions.
Improvement and breeding
Z. Aslani; A. Hedayati; A. Hassani; M. Barin
Abstract
Piriformospora indica is one of the growth-promoting microorganisms that can stimulate growth and increase plant tolerance in adverse environmental conditions. To evaluate the effects of P. indica inoculation on some vegetative, physiological, biochemical, and nutrient acquisition parameters and essential ...
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Piriformospora indica is one of the growth-promoting microorganisms that can stimulate growth and increase plant tolerance in adverse environmental conditions. To evaluate the effects of P. indica inoculation on some vegetative, physiological, biochemical, and nutrient acquisition parameters and essential oil content of Origanum vulgare L. ssp. vulgare, a pot experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments included control (without inoculation) and inoculation with P. indica. The results showed that inoculation with P. indica increased growth parameters, chlorophyll index, total phenols and total flavonoids content, essential oil content, and nutrients uptake of iron, potassium, and phosphorus singnificantly. The highest and lowest amounts for aerial parts fresh yield (3.92 and 3.06 g plant-1), aerial parts dry yield (1.12 and 0.78 g plant-1), chlorophyll index (47 and 42.23), total phenol (4.88 and 2.96 mg GAE g-1 FW), total flavonoids (0.52 and 0.23 mg QE g-1 FW), essential oil content (1.43 and 1.01%), phosphorus (0.41 and 0.35%), potassium (3.8 and 2.6%), and iron (219 and 180 mg kg-1) were obtained in the plants inoculated with fungus and non-inoculated plants, respectively. Inoculation with P. indica decreased the amount of major essential oil compounds such as carvacrol and thymol and increased the amount of ρ-cymene, carvacrol methyl ether, and γ-terpinene compared to the control. Overall, the findings of this study showed that inoculation with growth-promoting microorganisms can improve the morphological and phytochemical traits of oregano by improving nutrients uptake.
Agriculture and horticulture
Z. Azimzadeh; A. Hassani; B. Abdollahi Mandoulakani; E. Sepehr
Abstract
Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the fam. lamiaceae that is used as a spice for flavoring foods and also for medicinal purposes as carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, sedative, stomachic, diuretic, antitussive, and antirheumatic. To evaluate the effects of ...
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Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the fam. lamiaceae that is used as a spice for flavoring foods and also for medicinal purposes as carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, sedative, stomachic, diuretic, antitussive, and antirheumatic. To evaluate the effects of salinity stress on some growth and physiological parameters, essential oil content, and nutrients absorption in two oregano subspecies, a factorial pot experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. The experimental factors included two subspecies of oregano (ssp. vulgare and ssp. gracile) and salinity stress at four levels (0, 25, 50, and 100 mM of NaCl). The results showed that the salinity stress had a significant effect on the measured parameters. With increasing the salinity level, the growth characteristics (plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and dry matter yield), leaf relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll index (SPAD), percentage and essential oil yield, N, P, and K content and K/Na ratio in leaves and roots decreased, while Na and Cl content in leaves and roots of both subspecies increased. The two subspecies response to the different levels of salinity stress was different. The higher Na accumulation in the roots and higher K/Na ratio in the leaves compared to the roots indicated the ability of oregano subspecies to limit the transfer and accumulation of Na+ ions in their shoots. Overall, the findings of this study showed that the ssp. vulgare had higher tolerance to the salinity stress than ssp. gracile due to the less accumulation of Na and Cl ions, higher K/Na ratio, and lower reduction in chlorophyll index and dry matter yield.
Improvement and breeding
Sh. Ahmadi; M.J. Nazarideljou; A. Hassani
Abstract
Many studies have been conducted on the role of essential elements in various aspects of medicinal plant production. However, the role of silicon (Si) as a quasi-essential or beneficial element in the growth and development, quantity and quality of essential oil of many medicinal plants is unknown. In ...
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Many studies have been conducted on the role of essential elements in various aspects of medicinal plant production. However, the role of silicon (Si) as a quasi-essential or beneficial element in the growth and development, quantity and quality of essential oil of many medicinal plants is unknown. In this regard, different concentrations of silicic acid including 0 (control), 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 mg l-1 were added to the standard Hoagland and Arnone nutrient solution, and morphophysiological reactions and secondary metabolites production of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) were evaluated in soilless cultivation (hydroponic system). The fresh and dry weight of leaves and roots increased with the addition of Si to the nutrient solution compared to the control. The percentage of biomass changes varied depending on the concentration of Si, so that the plant fresh weight at 125 mg l-1 of Si increased by 41% compared to the control (without Si). However, the percentage of essential oil (fresh materials) in plants fed with Si increased significantly compared to control. Accordingly, the percentage of essential oil in different Si concentrations including 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 mg l-1 were 0.16, 0.21, 0.31, 0.33, 0.34 and 0.34(%), respectively. The reaction of lemon balm essential oil compounds to Si also indicated the important role of this element in the quality of the essential oil produced. The highest amounts of geraniol (21.27%) and citral (58.71%) were obtained in concentrations of 50 and 125 mg l-1 of Si, respectively. Also, the most important main compounds in various concentrations of Si (mg l-1) included citral+geraniol (Conc.0), citral+neryl (Conc.25), citral+linalool (Conc.50), citral+caryophyllene oxide (Conc.75), citral+geranyl acetate (Conc.100) and citral+geranyl (Conc.125). Based on the results of the experiment, Si as a beneficial element has a significant effect on the growth and development parameters, yield, and quality of essential oil of lemon balm.
S. Amini; A. Hassani; A. Alirezalu; R. Maleki
Abstract
Mullein (Verbascum L.) is a biennial herbaceous medicinal plant belonging to the Scrophulariaceae family. The flowers of this plant are used to treat respiratory disorders. In this study, the genetic diversity of different mullein species from different regions of West Azerbaijan province was investigated ...
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Mullein (Verbascum L.) is a biennial herbaceous medicinal plant belonging to the Scrophulariaceae family. The flowers of this plant are used to treat respiratory disorders. In this study, the genetic diversity of different mullein species from different regions of West Azerbaijan province was investigated based on some phytochemical markers to domesticate this valuable plant. Phytochemical diversity among different species of mullein was evaluated based on the content of carotenoid, beta-carotene, total phenol, total flavonoid, and antioxidant activity (by FRAP and DPPH methods), and identification of phenolic compounds (gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, coumaric acid, quercetin, cinnamic acid, and apigenin) by HPLC in leaf. The results showed that all phytochemical characteristics studied were significantly different among species (P<0.01). The highest content of carotenoid (76.27 mg g-1 DW), beta-carotene (5.88 mg 100g-1 DW), total phenol (32.83 mg GAE g-1 DW), total flavonoid (7.13 mg QE g-1 DW) and antioxidant activity by DPPH method (34.66 µg AA mL-1) was observed in V. sinuatum. The results showed that V. erianthum leaves had the highest content of chlorogenic acid, quercetin, cinnamic acid, and apigenin, while the highest content of gallic acid and caffeic acid was observed in V. saccatum. In general, the findings of this research showed that there was a wide variation of mullein species in West Azerbaijan province. Species V. erianthum and V. saccatum had unique phytochemical properties that can be used to design breeding programs and use them in the pharmaceutical industry.
M. Aghaei; A. Hassani; H. Nazemiyeh; B. Abdollahi Mandoulakani
Abstract
Plant polyphenolic compounds have long been of interest to researchers due to their antioxidant and possibly anti-cancer effects. In this research, in order to study the phytochemical diversity of 32 wild populations of Salicornia iranica Akhani grown around Lake Urmia, some traits including the content ...
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Plant polyphenolic compounds have long been of interest to researchers due to their antioxidant and possibly anti-cancer effects. In this research, in order to study the phytochemical diversity of 32 wild populations of Salicornia iranica Akhani grown around Lake Urmia, some traits including the content of chlorophyll, carotenoids, total phenol, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity were measured in the Department of Horticultural Science, Urmia University in 2016. The results revealed a wide range of phytochemical diversity among populations studied. The highest amount of total chlorophyll (12.05 mg/g fw) was observed in "Karkhaneh Maseh" population, while the lowest value (0.84 mg/g fw) was found in "Ghoshchi I" population. The highest (10.41 mg gallic acid/g fw) and lowest (3.7 mg gallic acid/g fw) amount of total phenol were observed in "Ghoshchi II" and "Karkhaneh Maseh" populations, respectively. Also, "Dashkhaneh" and "Aji Chai river" populations had the highest (2.12 mg quercetin/g fw) and lowest (0.18 mg quercetin/g fw) total flavonoids, respectively. The extract antioxidant capacity of different populations varied in the range of 3.16% ("Aji Chai river" population) to 70.89% ("Myghitalou" population). Cluster analysis divided the populations studied into three groups. The highest genetic distance was found between populations "Aji Chai river" and "Myghitalou". Overall, the findings of this experiment showed that the studied Salicornia iranica populations had a high diversity, especially from the viewpoint of antioxidant capacity, which can be used in the germplasm management and plant breeding of the species.
A. Minaei; A. Hassani; H. Nazemiyeh; S. Besharat
Abstract
To study the effect of different levels of drought stress on growth, yield and some physiological and phytochemical characteristics of oregano (Origanum vulgare L. ssp. gracile), a pot experiment, in a randomized complete design with four treatments and five replications, was conducted. Drought stress ...
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To study the effect of different levels of drought stress on growth, yield and some physiological and phytochemical characteristics of oregano (Origanum vulgare L. ssp. gracile), a pot experiment, in a randomized complete design with four treatments and five replications, was conducted. Drought stress treatments were 100% (non-stress), 80%, 60% and 40% of field capacity. The results showed that drought stress had significant effect on growth parameters, dry herb yield, leaf relative water content (RWC), total phenol and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, a, b and total chlorophyll content, essential oil content and yield. There was no significant difference between drought stress treatments for carotenoids. As the soil water content decreased, plant height, stem diameter, number and length of axillary shoots, dry herb yield, RWC, a, b and total chlorophyll content and essential oil yield decreased, but total phenol and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity and essential oil content increased. Despite the decrease in dry herb yield, the difference between 80%, 60% and 40% treatments was not significant. The highest essential oil content (1.54 ml/100 g DW) was observed in 60% of field capacity and the highest amounts of total phenol (5.21 mg gallic acid/g FW), total flavonoid (0.5 mg quercetin/g FW) and antioxidant activity (77.36%) were obtained in 40% of field capacity. The highest percentage of essential oil (54.1 mg / g dry matter) was observed in 60% of treatment capacity and the highest amount of total phenol (0.51 mg gallic acid per gram of fresh material), total flavonoid (0.5 mg Gram quercetin in grams of fresh milk) and antioxidant activity (37.36%) in 40% of treatment capacity.
A. Fallahi; A. Hassani; F. Sefidkon
Abstract
Zinc is an essential micronutrient element and has a number of vital roles in plants. In the recent years, zinc nano-fertilizers have received considerable attention due to their increased uptake by plants as they are small in size and have high rate of penetration through plant cell membrane. To study ...
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Zinc is an essential micronutrient element and has a number of vital roles in plants. In the recent years, zinc nano-fertilizers have received considerable attention due to their increased uptake by plants as they are small in size and have high rate of penetration through plant cell membrane. To study the effect of foliar application of different zinc fertilizers on yield and phytochemical characteristics of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), a pot experiment was conducted using a factorial based on a randomized complete block design with four replications during 2014 at the experimental greenhouse of the Horticultural Sciences Department of Urmia University. The treatments were three different zinc sources (zinc sulphate, zinc chelate and nano-zinc chelate) in four concentrations (0, 1, 2 and 3g/l). The results showed that foliar application of zinc had significant effect on evaluated parameters. Fresh and dry herb yield, zinc and phenol content of leaves, essential oil content, and yield increased with zinc application and in this regard, foliar application of nano-zinc chelate was more effective than two other zinc fertilizers. The lowest and the highest evaluated parameters were observed at concentrations of 0 and 3g/l, respectively. The results of essential oil analysis by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed that 20 components were identified in the basil essential oil. Linalool and eugenol were the main components of essential oil and they showed little variation under zinc application. Overall, the findings of this study showed that the effect of nano-zinc chelate application (especially at a concentration of 3g/l) was more effective than zinc sulphate and zinc chelate in increasing herb yield and active substances of basil.
Z. Azimzadeh; A. Hassani; M. Esmaiili
Abstract
Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum [Pursh] Kuntze) is a medicinal and perennial herb, belonging to the Lamiaceae family. The essential oil of this plant is a rich source of Methyl Chavicol, giving antifungal and antibacterial properties to this plant. To evaluate the effect of different drying methods ...
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Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum [Pursh] Kuntze) is a medicinal and perennial herb, belonging to the Lamiaceae family. The essential oil of this plant is a rich source of Methyl Chavicol, giving antifungal and antibacterial properties to this plant. To evaluate the effect of different drying methods on the essential oil content and composition of Anise hyssop, the leaves were harvested at full flowering stage and dried by four methods (shade drying, sun drying, oven drying at 40, 60 and 80°C, and microwave oven drying at 180, 360, 540, 720, and 900W) in a completely randomized design with four replications. The drying process was continued until the moisture content of samples reached around 0.11 based on dry weight. Dried leaves were subjected to hydro-distillation using a Clevenger type apparatus to extract the essential oil. The oil samples were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Results showed that drying methods had significant effect on the drying time and essential oil content. Minimum (4 minutes) and maximum (64 hours) drying time were obtained at 900 W microwave power and shade drying, respectively. The highest (1.51%) and the lowest (0.56%) essential oil content were observed in shade drying and microwave drying in 900 W, respectively. The results of essential oil analysis showed Methyl Chavicol was the main component of essential oil ranging from 83.1% (shade drying) to 94.6% (microwave drying at 720W). Overall, the findings of this study showed that shade drying in spite of long drying time was the best drying method. However, oven drying at 40°C or microwave method in low powers is recommended when our goal is fast drying and achieving essential oil with high percentage of methyl chavicol.
M. Aghaei; A. Hasani; R. Darvishzadeh
Abstract
Plants, used by human, contain different compounds such as polyphenols. The phenols in food diet are important because of antioxidant and probably anticancer activity. In present research, total phenolic contents (using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay) and antioxidant capacity (using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant ...
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Plants, used by human, contain different compounds such as polyphenols. The phenols in food diet are important because of antioxidant and probably anticancer activity. In present research, total phenolic contents (using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay) and antioxidant capacity (using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP)) of 31 Iranian basil landraces (Ocimum basilicum L.) were measured using spectrophotometery. Linear relationship between total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity was investigated. The similarity among studied genotypes was calculated by City block similarity coefficient and the classification of genotypes was done by the wards clustering method. Results showed that maximum and minimum total phenolic contents belonged to the landraces of Yazd with 19.84 mg/g fresh weight and Hamedan with 1.07 mg/g fresh weight, respectively. Maximum and minimum antioxidant capacity belonged to Birjand landrace with 3.73 mmol/100g, fresh weight and Shiraz II with 0.45 mmol/100g fresh weight, respectively. Phenotypic correlation between antioxidant capacity and total phenloic content in basil landraces was 0.59. According to cluster analysis, studied landraces were categorized in 3 clusters. Sanandej III and Shiraz II landraces had maximum distance from each other. It also became clear that genetic relationships among the studied populations did not match by their geographical origin. Basil populations displayed a considerable diversity for studied traits that could be useful for germplasm management and utilization into crop improvement.
Z. Aslani; A. Hassani; M. Rasooli Sadaghiyani; F. Sefidkon; M. Barin
Abstract
To study the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation and drought stress on growth, chlorophyll content and phosphorus uptake of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), a pot experiment was conducted using a factorial based on randomized complete blocks design with four replications. The factors ...
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To study the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation and drought stress on growth, chlorophyll content and phosphorus uptake of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), a pot experiment was conducted using a factorial based on randomized complete blocks design with four replications. The factors were mycorrhizal inoculation (non-inoculated and inoculated with Glomus mosseae T.H. Nicolson & Gerd. and Glomus intraradices N.C. Schenck & G.S. Sm) and three irrigation regimes (irrigation intervals were every 4, 8 and 12 days). The results showed that drought stress had significant effects on evaluated characteristics. As with decrease of the soil water content, plant height, stem diameter, number and area of leaves, number of axillary shoot, root dry weight, fresh and dry herb yield, chlorophyll content, P concentration in leaves and root colonization decreased. Also, AM fungi inoculation had significant effects on growth parameters and P uptake. Plants inoculated with AM fungi had higher growth, yield and P uptake than non-inoculated plants under droughtstress and non-stress conditions. G. mosseae was more effective than G. intraradices in alleviation of drought stress. It could be concluded that AM fungi are able to enhance the growth and yield of basil under drought stress condition through enhancing P uptake.
O. Khorsandi; A. Hassani; F. Sefidkon; H. Shirzad; A.R. Khorsandi
Abstract
Water and soil salinity on the environmental agents limit plant growth and its productivity in Iran. Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum kuntz.) is a perennial and aromatic herb plant, belonging to the Lamiaceae family. The essential oil of Anise Hyssop used in food industries, pharmacy, perfumery and ...
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Water and soil salinity on the environmental agents limit plant growth and its productivity in Iran. Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum kuntz.) is a perennial and aromatic herb plant, belonging to the Lamiaceae family. The essential oil of Anise Hyssop used in food industries, pharmacy, perfumery and making soda. This experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with six salt treatments including 0 (control), 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 mM NaCl and four replications in green house. Some parameters such as growth, yield and content and composition of essential oil were modulated. The results showed that salt stress had significant effects on estimated parameters. Salinity decreased plant height, number and length of axillary shoots, steam diameter, length of internodes, number and area of leaves, fresh and dry weight of leave and shoot, herbal yield and amount of essential oil in pot. In the composition of essential oil β-pinene, myrcene, anisaldehyd and β-bourbonene increased and amount of linalool and methyl chavicol decreased. Also high salinity (100 and 125 mM) destroyed plants.
A. Hassani
Volume 22, Issue 3 , November 2006, , Pages 256-261
Abstract
Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica) is an annual herb plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Moldavian balm is considered stomachic and sedative. Essential oil of this plant are used in pharmaceutical and food industries and possesses antimicrobial feature. To study the effects of different levels ...
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Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica) is an annual herb plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Moldavian balm is considered stomachic and sedative. Essential oil of this plant are used in pharmaceutical and food industries and possesses antimicrobial feature. To study the effects of different levels of water stress on growth, yield and essential oil content of Moldavian balm, a pot experiment in randomized complete block design with four treatments and four replications was conducted. Water stress treatments were: 100% of field capacity (non-stress), 85% of field capacity (mild water stress), 70% of field capacity (moderate water stress) and 55% of field capacity (severe water stress). According to the results of statistical analysis, water stress had significant effect on growth parameters, herb yield and essential oil yield. As the soil water content decreased, plant height, stem diameter, number and length of auxiliary shoots, fresh and dry herb yield in pot and essential oil yield decreased. There was no significant difference between water stress treatments for essential oil content. The highest amounts of essential oil content (0.35 ml/100gr dry weight) and essential oil yield (0.115 ml/pot) were observed in 70% and 100% of field capacity, respectively.
A. Hassani
Abstract
Soil water supply is an important environmental factor controlling seed germination. If the water potential is reduced, seed germination will be delayed or prevented. Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an annual herb plant of Lamiaceae family. The essential oil of basil, mainly used in food industries and perfumery, ...
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Soil water supply is an important environmental factor controlling seed germination. If the water potential is reduced, seed germination will be delayed or prevented. Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an annual herb plant of Lamiaceae family. The essential oil of basil, mainly used in food industries and perfumery, also possesses antimicrobial activity. To study the effects of water stress on seed germination and seedlings growth of basil, an experiment in completely randomized design with seven treatments and three replications was conducted. Seeds were subjected to water stress using polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) at seven concentrations (0, 5, 15, 20, 25 and 30%) representing water potentials of 0, -0.03, -0.19, -0.41, -0.67, -0.99 and -1.35 MPa. The results showed that water stress have significant effects on seed germination of basil. Seeds treated with -1.35 MPa did not germinate. The few seeds that did germinated in -0.67 and -0.99 MPa water potential, did not produce seedlings. There was no significant difference between 0 to -0.41 MPa for germination percentage. Germination rate showed significant reduction at -0.41 compared to 0, -0.03 and -0.19 MPa water potential. On the other hand, the results of this study showed that different levels of water potential (0, -0.03, -0.19 and -0.41 MPa) have significant effects on seedling growth. With decreasing water potential (from 0 to -0.41 MPa), plumule length, fresh weight of radicle, plumule and seedling decreased but radicle length, dry weight of radicle, plumule and seedling, the radicle length to plumule length ratio and the dry weight of radicle to dry weight of plumule ratio increased. It could beconcluded that in water stress condition, root growth of basil was affected lower than shoot growth.
