Study of Four Improved Cultivars of Matricaria chamomilla L. in Climatic Condition of Iran

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L. Rauch) is a highly valuable medicinal and aromatic plant and its anthodia used frequently in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Pharmacological effects of the plants is related to flavonoids, coumarins and essential oils. The most important pharmacological effects include anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic and wound healing action. Its essential oils contain valuable constituents such as chamazulene, α-bisabolol and α-bisabolol oxides A and α-bisabolol oxides B. In consideration of the demand from the pharmaceutical industry for this plant and with respect to the quality of Iranian wild growing chamomile, seeds of Bodegold (tetraploid), Germania (diploid), Bona (diploid) and Goral (tetraploid) cultivars were purchased from Germany and Slovakia and cultivated in Mashhad climate. During the flowering period, growth indexes such as plant height, anthodia diameter, percent of dry matter, flower yield, essential oils content and chamazolene were measured. The results show that plant height of Goral and Bodegold (85.5 cm and 77.2 respectively) are significantly higher than Germania and Bona (74.2 cm and 70.4 cm, respectively). The anthodia diameter of Bodegold and Bona were significantly higher than anthodia diameter of Goral and Germania. The results on dry anthodia yield showed that Goral produced the highest anthodia yield (221.15 g.m-2) and there is not significant difference between Goral and Bodegold. The lowest dry anthodia yield was produced by Bona (104.95 g.m-2). There was a significant difference between any harvest number and essential oils content. The highest essential oils content (0.627% w/w) extracted from Bona in the first harvest but Germania produced the lowest essential oils (0.627 %w/w) at third harvest. Chamazolene content of the cultivars ranged between 9.6-14 %. Chamazolene comparison between three harvest time showed that in all cultivars, the second harvest had more chamazolene than the first and the third harvest. In conclusion Bodegold and Goral cultivars are the most suitable improved cultivar for chamomile production in Mashhad climate.