Agriculture and horticulture
leili safaei; Fatemeh Sefidkon; saeed- davazdahemami-; Davood Aminazarm
Abstract
Background and objectives: Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family and is one of Iran’s exclusive species. Due to its high essential oil content and significant amounts of carvacrol, it is particularly important in the cosmetic, health, and pharmaceutical ...
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Background and objectives: Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family and is one of Iran’s exclusive species. Due to its high essential oil content and significant amounts of carvacrol, it is particularly important in the cosmetic, health, and pharmaceutical industries. This study aimed to evaluate the plant’s adaptation to the climatic conditions of Isfahan province and enhance its quantitative and qualitative performance by identifying the most suitable fertilization method.Methodology: This project was conducted at Fozveh Station of the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Isfahan from 2017 to 2020 under irrigation conditions, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with eight fertilizer treatments. The treatments included different levels of chemical fertilizers (N50P25K25), organic fertilizers (30 and 60 tons/ha of cow manure, and 5 tons/ha of vermicompost), and combinations of chemical and organic fertilizers (N50P25K25 + 30 tons/ha cow manure, N50P25K25 + 60 tons/ha cow manure, and N50P25K25 + 5 tons/ha vermicompost). These treatments were compared with a control group, and the experiment was replicated three times. Seeds and seedlings were sourced from the Isfahan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center and the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands. Cultivation was performed indirectly through seedlings, which were first grown in greenhouse conditions using cultivation trays. In April 2017, after favorable weather conditions were established, the seedlings were transplanted to the field. Drip irrigation was applied immediately after transplanting, with watering scheduled twice a week in the early growth stages and once a week after plant establishment. The aerial parts of the plants were harvested at 50% flowering, cut 5 cm above the soil surface, and dried in the shade. Essential oil extraction was performed annually using water distillation (Clevenger apparatus). The essential oil percentage was measured, its composition was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC), and qualitative assessment was conducted through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).Results: According to the results, the maximum essential oil percentage and oil yield in S. khuzistanica were 3.7% (in the third year) and 132.6 kg/ha (in the second year), respectively. Across the experimental years, the highest oil yield was obtained in the combined treatment of 50 kg/ha nitrogen, 25 kg/ha phosphorus, and 25 kg/ha potassium, plus 5 tons/ha vermicompost, in the third year. Throughout the study, 14 compounds were identified in S. khuzistanica essential oil, with carvacrol being the predominant component. The concentration of carvacrol ranged from 86.4% to 95.3%.Conclusion: According to the results, the qualitative yield of essential oil in S. khuzistanica was less affected by soil fertility treatments, while the quantitative yield showed a significant increase, which indirectly enhanced the qualitative yield. Ultimately, the study concluded that the intermediate fertilization method was the most effective treatment for improving quantitative yield and promoting sustainable agriculture. The high carvacrol content in this species adds to its economic value. Given its diverse biological properties, including antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities, S. khuzistanica is recommended for applications where this valuable compound is required.
S. Davazdahemami; R. Onikazi; A.R. Jalalizand
Abstract
Varroa destructor (VD) tick is one of the most important pests of honey bee colonies around the world, causing a lot of economic damage to the beekeeping industry in the world by feeding on bee larva and transferring some viruses. The use of chemical pesticides against this tick creates resistant populations ...
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Varroa destructor (VD) tick is one of the most important pests of honey bee colonies around the world, causing a lot of economic damage to the beekeeping industry in the world by feeding on bee larva and transferring some viruses. The use of chemical pesticides against this tick creates resistant populations and infects hive products. In this study, the level of repellent toxicity of different essential oil (EO) concentrations of Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad and S. spicigera (C. koch) Boiss., on the mortality of VD tick and honey bee (HB) was evaluated under laboratory conditions. Mature female ticks were treated with different EO concentrations including 0, 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 ppm (at 32 °C, 50% relative humidity and darkness) for 5 and 10 hours, in four replicates, and after determining the equation of concentration vs. VD mortality, LC50 was calculated for concentrations of 20 to 1000 ppm. According to the results, the amount of LC50 at 5 and 10 hours after EO treatment was respectively determined as: for S. khuzistanica EO, 149.8 and 78.6 ppm for VD tick and 750.5 and 435.8 ppm for HB, and for S. Spicigera EO, 255.7 and 153.6 ppm for VD tick and 737.6 and 573 ppm for HB, indicating the more sensitivity of ticks in comparison with honey bees to applied EOs. The results showed that the EO of both species, especially S. khuzistanica, with the least mortality on HB, has a high potential for controlling VD tick. The main component(s) of essential oils was obtained as carvacrol (93%) in S. khuzistanica and carvacrol and thymol (43% and 29%, respectively) in S. spicigera based on qualitative analysis.
H. Molahoseini; M. Feizian; S. Davazdaemami; E. Mehdi Pour
Abstract
In order to evaluate the effects of silicone nano oxide coated with humic acid and salicylic acid on some morphological parameters and ionic composition of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) under salinity stress, two set of experiments were conducted (in lab. and greenhouse) during 2016-2017. First, silicone ...
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In order to evaluate the effects of silicone nano oxide coated with humic acid and salicylic acid on some morphological parameters and ionic composition of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) under salinity stress, two set of experiments were conducted (in lab. and greenhouse) during 2016-2017. First, silicone nano oxide was coated by different concentrations of humic acid (40-1600 mg l-1) in the presence of salicylic acid (pH=4) and at different times (0.5 to 120 hours) to maximize the coverage and energy absorption. Then, the effects of coated silicone nano oxide were evaluated in salinity stress in a split plot experiment based on randomized complete blocks with four replications. The salinity treatment was applied in three levels including 2 ds m-1 as control, 3.5 and 5 ds m-1 with irrigation. The coated silicone nano oxide treatments included 0, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 g l-1, applied via irrigation at two growth stages of black cumin (vegetative and reproductive). The results of laboratory experiment showed that by increasing humic acid concentration and exposure time (in presence of salicylic acid), the carbon adsorption rate increased from 6.6 to 11.9 mg g-1. However, the size of silicone nano oxide was not significantly different (20 to 30 nanometers). Results of analysis of variance showed that changes in dry weight of shoot, root, plant height, shoot/root ratio, number of branches, relative water content, and potassium in the salinity treatments and coated nanoparticles were independently significant. It is concluded that the silicone nano oxide coated with humic acid and salicylic acid can result in increased salinity tolerance of the black cumin through reducing the amount and frequency of these materials.
B. Ghavami; H. Zeinali; M. Khosrowchahli; S. Davazdahemami
Abstract
Crocus sativus L. is one of the most important medicinal plants and expensive spice in the world. This study was carried out to evaluate morphological traits and picrocrocin composition of 27 genotypes derived from different regions of country. Twenty-seven genotypes were cultivated in a randomized complete ...
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Crocus sativus L. is one of the most important medicinal plants and expensive spice in the world. This study was carried out to evaluate morphological traits and picrocrocin composition of 27 genotypes derived from different regions of country. Twenty-seven genotypes were cultivated in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications at Shahid Fozveh Station of Esfahan Research Center of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Stigma yield, flower fresh weight, number of flower, number of days to appearance of the first flower, plant height at flowering stage, flowering period and picrocrocin content were measured. Variance analysis of data showed significant differences among genotypes for all traits (p<0.01). Based on mean comparison, the highest and the lowest number of days to appearance of the first flower were recorded for Hamedan genotype and Ghaen and Boshroye genotypes, respectively. The variation range of picrocrocin varied from 0.425 to 0.681. Neishaboor and Esfahan genotypes had the highest and the lowest stigma yield, respectively. In addition, the highest number of flower was recorded for Neishaboor genotype. Cluster analysis divided the genotypes in to seven clusters. According to the obtained results, the genotypes classified in the 6th cluster showed appropriate traits of stigma yield, flower fresh weight, number of flower, flowering period, and number of days to appearance of the first flower. Results of this study revealed considerable variation among the genotypes probably because of the variety of ancestors or mutation phenomenon. Our results showed no relationship between agronomic diversity and geographic distribution.
