مجله تحقیقات گیاهان دارویی و معطر ایران
سال سی و هفتم شماره 3 (پیاپی 107، امرداد و شهریور 1400)

Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) is a rich source of rutin, plays an essential role in human health. In the present study, the effects of cold (25°C as control, 4°C, and 7°C for 2, 4, and 7 days), heat (25°C as control, 30°C for 14 days, 32°C for 2 and 4 days, and 35°C for 8 hours), and carbohydrate treatments on the androgenesis efficiency were studied in the anther culture of caper. Also, the effects of maltose and sucrose at the concentrations of 30 and 60 g L-1 in combination with two temperature treatments (1- 30°C for 14 days and 2- 7°C for 7 days + azacytidine and 2,4-D pretreatments) on the androgenesis induction was evaluated. The temperature and carbohydrate treatments showed statistically significant differences (p ≤0.01) in terms of callus and embryo formation. The 7°C for 2, 4, and 7 days produced the highest percentage (at the third week: 80, 78.34, and 76.67%, respectively) and callogenesis speed (7.85, 7.75, and 7.60 calli week-1, respectively) and the 7°C for 7 days produced the highest embryo production (0.57 embryo anther-1). The 30°C for 14 days treatment showed the highest percentage (at the third week: 100%) and callogenesis speed (9.44 calli week-1). While the 32°C for 2 and 3 days and also 30°C for 14 days produced the highest number of embryos per anther (0.22, 0.20, and 0.18 embryo, respectively). The use of 30 g L-1 maltose in combination with the 30°C for 14 days produced the highest percentage (at the third week: 91.66%) and callogenesis speed (8.94 calli week-1), while the 30 g L-1 maltose in combination with the 7°C for 7 days + azacytidine and 2,4-D pretreatments produced the highest mean embryo number per anther (0.55 embryo). The results of this research are of great importance for the use in the caper breeding programs.

From the past until now, the plants and their products have been used as food and medicine in the nutrition and treatment of diseases in humans and animals. However, in the popular perception, the herbal nature of a medicinal or food product was equivalent to its lack of toxicity and safety, and the side effects and toxicity of the plants and their products have been less studied. Therefore, the use of a system that incorporates the bioethical considerations, speed, simplicity, and at the same time economic considerations is necessary to estimate the toxicity and determine the LC50 of medicinal plants before consumption. The aim of this study was to use the organism Artemia salina in the evaluation of toxicity and LC50 of some medicinal plants. In this study, the extract toxicity of medicinal plants Rosa damascena Mill., Descurainia sophia (L.) Schur, Ferula assa-foetida L., Colchicum autumnale L., Allium sativum L., and Taxus baccata L. was assessed by determining the LC50 index using the Artemia salina test. The extracts were prepared by the maceration technique. The Artemia salina cysts were hatched out in the artificial seawater at 27 °C and the larvae were then exposed to the plant extracts at the different concentrations (10, 100, and 1000 mg.ml-1) for 24 hours. The concentration needed to kill half of the larvae (LC50) was calculated. The LC50 levels of D. sophia, A. sativum, R. damascena, T. baccata, C. autumnale, and F. assa-foetida were obtained 4812, 3316, 997, 44.07, 10.44, and 2.37 mg.ml-1, respectively. Overall, the results showed that A. salina test could be used as a model in determining the LC50 index for the toxicological tests of herbal products.

This study aimed at comparing the effects of four commercial herbal additives and a growth-promoting antibiotic (virginiamycin) on the productive traits, some blood biochemical parameters, and serum hepatic enzymes activity of broilers. Nine hundred one day-old male broilers (Ross 308 strain) were used in a completely randomized design with five treatments and six replicates of 30 birds. The experimental treatments included the diets containing Noviherb®, Bioessence®, and Biostrong® (each at a rate of 100 g ton-1 of diet), diet containing Novigrow® (1000 g ton-1 of diet), and diet containing virginiamycin (100 g ton-1 of diet) as positive control. The amount of feed intake, body weight, mortality percentage, feed conversion ratio, and European broiler index were measured during 1 to 42 days of broilers age. At the 28 and 42 days of age, the blood samples were taken from four birds per replicate and the blood parameters including the concentration of total protein, uric acid, albumin, glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and the activity of gamma-glutamyl transferase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase serum enzymes were measured. The results showed that the effects of tested herbal additives on the performance and European broiler index were not significant in comparison with the antibiotic. The concentration of blood parameters and the activity of serum liver enzymes at the 28 and 42 days of age were not affected by the experimental treatments. Based on these results, the additives evaluated could be suitable alternatives to the growth-promoting antibiotics without adversely affecting the performance and serum biochemical parameters of broilers.

The environmental hazards of polymer packaging have increased the tendency to use the biodegradable composites. Due to the use limitations of synthetic antioxidants and antibiotics, the use of alternative natural products has been developed. In this study, the antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of Zataria multiflora Boiss. and Cuminum cyminum L. alcoholic extracts in the bioactive coatings on the shelf life of chicken meat were evaluated and compared with propyl gallate. For this purpose, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with five experimental treatments including the uncoated chicken fillets (control), fillets coated with 8% sodium caseinate, sodium caseinate-based coated enriched with thyme extract (1.5%), cumin extract (1.5%), and propyl gallate (100 ppm) and three replications for 10 days at refrigerator temperature. The results showed that the use of sodium caseinate coating reduced the number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, psychrophilic bacteria, thiobarbituric acid index, peroxide value, and total volatile nitrogen compounds of the fillets during storage. The use of plant extracts and propyl gallate increased the antioxidant and antimicrobial efficiency of the bioactive coatings. At the end of storage period, the fillets coated with sodium caseinate- cumin extract showed the lowest amount of aerobic mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria and the total volatile nitrogen compounds (p <0.05) and the fillets coated with sodium caseinate- thyme extract showed the lowest thiobarbituric acid index and peroxide value (p <0.05) with no statistically significant difference with the bioactive coatings containing propyl gallate. Therefore, the bioactive coating of sodium caseinate containing cumin and thyme extracts can be used to increase the shelf life of chicken fillets at the refrigerator storage for at least 10 days.

To determine the effects of Myco-Root biofertilizer and different irrigation levels on the content and essential oil compounds of thyme (Thymus daenensis Celak.), a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with eight treatments and three replications in the greenhouse of Plant Production and Genetics department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Iran, in 2020. The factors included drought stress at four levels of without stress (irrigation at field capacity (FC) as a control), mild (irrigation at 75% FC), moderate (irrigation at 55% FC), and severe (irrigation at 35% FC) stresses and biofertilizer at two levels of inoculation and non-inoculation with Myco-Root. The results demonstrated that the fresh and dry weight of leaves, stem dry weight, total dry weight, leaf relative water content, chlorophylls a and b and total chlorophyll content, and root colonization percentage decreased significantly with increasing the water deficit level. However, the carotenoid content and essential oil percentage showed an increasing trend with increasing drought stress. The highest carotenoid content and essential oil percentage was obtained by using Myco-Root under moderate drought stress. Thymol, carvacrol, p < /em>-cymene, 1,8-cineole, (E)-caryophyllene, borneol, γ-terpinene, and α-pinene were identified as the major constituents of essential oil in the all treatments. The highest content of thymol was obtained under mild drought stress with the Myco-Root application. Furthermore, the highest content of carvacrol was recorded under mild, moderate, and severe drought stresses, respectively with the Myco-Root application. On average, the application of Myco-Root biofertilizer increased the content of thymol, carvacrol, 1,8-cineole, E-caryophyllene, borneol, and α-pinene by 4.19, 48.28, 15.93, 16.33, 14.15, and 3.78%, respectively compared to not using this biofertilizer. Overall, the results showed that some morphological and physiological traits of thyme decreased significantly with increasing the water deficit levels, but the application of Myco-Root biofertilizer could amend drought stress and improve the growth, percentage and essential oil quality of the plant. Thus, the use of Myco-Root biofertilizer instead of chemical fertilizers could be recommended to achieve the sustainable agriculture in the thyme cultivation.

The nutrients are considered as the most important factor affecting morphological traits and secondary compounds in the medicinal plants. The method of plant nutrition is very important in the effective absorption of these elements. To evaluate the effects of different nitrogen sources including urea, nitrogen-nanofertilizer, and amino acids on the morphological characteristics and concentration of polyphenolic compounds of Echinacea purpurea L., a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 27 treatments and four replications. The experimental treatments included the urea fertilizer at three levels of 0, 100, and 200 kg ha-1, foliar application with nitrogen-nanofertilizer at three levels of 0, 1, and 3 g l-1, and foliar application with commercial amino acid Fermolife at three levels of 0, 1, and 3 g l-1. The traits were measured at the full flowering stage of plants. The results showed that the highest amount of fresh and dry weight of leaves and fresh weight of roots was obtained in the 3 g l-1 nitrogen-nanofertilizer treatment and the highest amount of aerial parts dry weight was measured in the combined treatment of 1 g l-1 nitrogen-nanofertilizer and 3 g l-1 amino acids. Most of the plant traits were increased by the foliar application of nitrogen-nanofertilizer and amino acids compared to the urea fertilizer use. The effect of different nitrogen fertilizers on the concentration of polyphenolic compounds in the plant was also significant. The highest amount of total phenol was obtained in the simultaneous application of 200 kg ha-1urea, 3 g l-1 nitrogen-nanofertilizer, and 1 g l-1 amino acids treatment. Overall, the results showed that feeding E. purpurea with the nitrogen fertilizers could improve the morphological traits and total phenol concentration in the plant.

To investigate the antioxidant properties of Oxalis corniculata L. leaves powder and compare the effects of its addition with vitamin C on the performance and meat quality of broilers under heat stress conditions, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four treatments, five replications, and 10 birds per replication. The experimental treatments included the corn-soybean diet as a basal diet (control), basal diet + 250 mg kg-1 vitamin C, basal diet + 0.5% O. corniculata leaves powder, and basal diet + 1% O. corniculata leaves powder. To apply heat stress, the chickens from 25 to 42 days of their age were exposed to 34 ± 2 °C for eight hours a day. The performance traits including feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were recorded at the end of the experiment. Also, at the end of the experiment, two birds per replicates were randomly selected and slaughtered to measure the meat quality traits. The total phenolic compounds content in the methanolic extract of O. corniculata was 11.73 mg of gallic acid / g of dry matter. The free radical scavenging activity (DPPH assay) percentage and the amount of vitamin C of this plant were obtained 46.63% and 88 mg/g of dry matter, respectively. The consumption of 1% leaves powder of the plant increased the feed intake and weight of broilers compared to the control (p < <0.05). The lowest feed conversion ratio was observed in the group of 1% leaves powder of the plant and vitamin C (p < <0.05). The highest water holding capacity and meat moisture was observed in the broilers fed with O. corniculata leaves powder compared to the control (p < <0.05). All the treatments reduced the cooking loss and dripping loss of meat compared to the control (p < <0.05). According to the results of this experiment, the basal diet + 250 mg kg-1 vitamin C and basal diet + 1% O. corniculata leaves powder treatments could improve the growth performance and some meat quality parameters of broilers under heat stress conditions.

To evaluate the effects of a mixture from Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J.Presl, Mentha pulegium L., and Capsicum annuum L. extracts on the relative weight of visceral and gastrointestinal organs, gastrointestinal tract acidity, blood parameters, and tibia characteristics of Ross 308 broilers, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with five treatments, four replications, and eight chickens per replication. The experimental treatments included basal diet (BD), BD+500 mg kg-1 oxytetracycline, BD+50 mg kg-1 mixed extract, BD+100 mg kg-1 mixed extract, and BD+200 mg kg-1 mixed extract. After 42 days of raising the broilers with the mixed extract, the sampling was performed to evaluate the desired traits. The results showed that the consumption of 100 mg kg-1 mixed extract increased the pancreas and heart weight, relative length of ileum and jejunum, and relative weight and length of tibia and reduced the acidity of duodenum and jejunum compared to the control (p < <0.05). The results showed that the experimental treatments did not affect the concentration of blood elements of broilers, but the amount of magnesium and phosphorus in tibia was affected by 50 and 100 mg kg-1 mixed extract (p < <0.05). Based on the findings of this study, it could be concluded that the use of 100 mg kg-1 mixed extract improved the performance of broilers by increasing the relative length and weight of gastrointestinal organs and reducing the acidity of gastrointestinal tract.

To evaluate the response of Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss. production to the livestock and chemical fertilizers, an experiment was conducted as a split plot with three replications in 2018 and 2019. The experimental treatments included the control (without fertilizer), chemical fertilizer, and different levels (100, 143, and 250 kg nitrogen ha-1) of poultry (PM100, PM143, and PM250), sheep (SM100, SM143, and SM250), and cattle (CM100, CM143, and CM250) manures. The traits including photosynthetic pigments, leaf area index, plant biomass, and percentage and essential oil yield were investigated. The effects of fertilizer, cutting, and the interaction of fertilizer and cutting were significant on all the triats. In the first cutting, the PM250 treatment produced more photosynthetic pigments than the chemical fertilizer. Also, the SM100 and CM100 treatments caused higher chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll compared to the chemical fertilizer. In the second cutting, the average photosynthetic pigments in the manure treatments were not superior to the chemical fertilizer. In the first cutting, the high level of livestock manures had a higher leaf area index compared to the chemical fertilizer, but in the second cutting, the medium and high levels of poultry manure and high level of sheep manure showed this superiority. In the first cutting, the all livestock manures treatments except CM100 produced the plant biomass similar to the chemical fertilizer, but in the second cutting, the PM143 treatment produced higher biomass compared to the chemical fertilizer. In the first cutting, the essential oil content of SM250 treatment was significantly superior to the chemical fertilizer. In the first cutting, the highest essential oil yield was obtained with the high level of livestock manures, but in the second cutting, there was no significant difference between the essential oil yield of different livestock manures levels and chemical fertilizer. In general, it could be concluded that the high level of poultry manure is a desirable alternative to the chemical fertilizer in D. kotschyi cultivation by creating the favorable conditions for the plant growth.

This study was aimed at investigating the effects of biopriming with a number of native isolates of Trichoderma harzianum on the germination and seed vigor indices of a native cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) population. Also, the effects of extracellular enzymes produced by these isolates as elicitors on the production and accumulation of secondary metabolites in the seedlings obtained from bioprimed seeds were studied. Based on the results, all the T. harzianum isolates were able to produce the enzymes amylase, protease, cellulase, xylanase, chitinase, and lipase. The results also showed that the cumin seed biopriming significantly affected the germination and seed vigor indices and improved the quality and health of seeds and seedlings. In this study, the essential oil of seedlings obtained from the bioprimed seeds was extracted by water distillation and its chemical compounds were identified by GC and GC/MS. The results showed that the main compounds identified included β-pinene, ρ-cymene, limonene, γ-terpinene, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, cuminaldehyde, and β-farnesene. Also, T. harzianum and the enzymes secreted by it as elicitors increased the expression of genes associated with the production and accumulation of secondary metabolites in cumin. This is the first report on the effects of seed biopriming with the native isolates of T. harzianum on the essential oil compounds of cumin seedlings. The findings of this research showed that the amount of extracellular enzymes secreted by the T. harzianum isolates is different and affects the production and accumulation of secondary metabolites in cumin.

To investigate the effects of chitosan foliar application on the various physiological and biochemical (proline, protein, antioxidant enzymes, and percentage and essential oil yield) characteristics and dry matter yield of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) under drought stress conditions, a split-plot experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in Lalehzar city, Bardsir county, Kerman province in 2019. The drought stress at four levels (35, 50, 65, and 80% of available moisture discharge) and the chitosan concentration at five levels (0, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 gram chitosan per liter of acetic acid) were considered as the main and sub plots, respectively. The results showed that the drought stress increased proline, antioxidant enzymes, and percentage and essential oil yield and decreased the dry matter yield significantly. The proline, antioxidant enzymes, dry matter yield, and essential oil percentage increased significantly with increasing the chitosan concentration, which resulted in a significant increase in the essential oil yield as the most important quality index in thyme. The protein and gayacol peroxidase enzyme were not affected by chitosan foliar application. In general, the results of this research showed that the higher chitosan concentrations (1.5 gram chitosan per liter of acetic acid) were more effective in ameliorating the damages induced by the drought stress and achieving the higher yield.