وحید روشن

Persian sage (Salvia mirzayanii L.) is a medicinal plant belonging to the mint family, which has been of interest since ancient times due to its many medicinal properties. In order to investigate the effect of different concentrations of amino acids (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 gr/L) and storage duration (0, 2, 4 and 6 months) on the amount and changes of Iranian sage essential oil, a factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design. Amino acid foliar application had a positive effect on the measured vegetative and reproductive traits of Iranian sage plant as well as the percentage of compounds after harvest. In this study, the most important compounds found in Iranian sage essential oil after harvesting were 5-neo-sedranol (20.11%), Lnalyl acetate (16.52%) and alphaterpinyl acetate (14.28%). The content of total phenol increased by increasing the level of amino acid foliar application up to the level of 1 mg/L (82.6 mg/L) and after that it decreased, and by continuing storage for 6 months after harvesting, it increased by 23.15% compared to four months. The highest antioxidant activity was obtained from foliar spraying of amino acid with a concentration of 1 mg/L, and storage for 6 months after harvest reduced it by 29% compared to the time of harvest. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended to use amino acid up to a concentration of 0.5 gr/L in order to achieve the maximum fresh and dry weight of the plant.

This investigation aimed to study the effects of different dietary levels of Zeo10on growth and digestive enzymes of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings. For this purpose, 180 pieces of common carp (mean weight: 20±4 g) were randomly distributed in 12 polyethylene tanks and with four diets with different levels of Zeo10 (included the control group (without zeo10), the treatment 1(2g/kg), treatment 2(4 g/kg), treatment 3 (8 g/kg)) for eight weeks. The fish fed three times a day (at 8:00, 12:00, and 16:00) in satiety. At the end of the experimental period, growth indices, and digestive enzymes (trypsin, chymotrypsin, alkaline phosphatase, lipase, and alpha-amylase) were measured. The results showed that the mean final weight, body weight gain percentage, and specific growth rate in treatments 1 and 2 were significantly higher than the control treatment and the third treatment (P<0.05). The use of zeo10 also affected the activity of digestive enzymes included trypsin, chymotrypsin, and alkaline phosphatase (P<0.05). In this study, the lipase and alpha-amylase activity did not show a significant difference (P>0.05). Based on the results, Zeo10 had a positive effect on the growth of common carp by affecting the activity of protease enzymes in the digestive tract of carp juveniles. Generally, the results of this study showed that the use of Zeo10 as a supplement in the diet of common carp, by increase the activity of digestive enzymes and food digestion, leads to increased growth in this species. Based on the results, the level of 4 g/kg of Zeo10 can propose as a supplement in the commercial diet of Common carp.

The use of humic acid fertilizer had a positive effect on the measured characteristics of Iranian sage and also the percentage of essential oil compounds. Dry weight of leaves (0.5 g) and number of inflorescences (35) and inflorescence weight (1.8 g) due to the use of 15 g of humic application was obtained. The amount and type of essential oil constituents were determined by GC and MS/GC devices and a total of 62 compounds were isolated from Iranian sage essential oil under the influence of experimental treatments, of which 18 similar compounds were present in all treatments. The most important compounds in Iranian sage essential oil was reported 5-neo-Cedranol (20.11%), Linalyl acetate (16.52), Terpinyl acetate (14.28%), Linalool (5.22) and Bicyclogermacrene (4.68%). Compounds Percentage increased with increasing humic acid density. As a result of using a concentration of 15 g / l of humic acid, the 5-neo-Cedranol, α-Terpinyl acetate, Bicyclogermacrene and Linalyl acetate compounds increased by 37.5, 22.5, 32.7 and 20.5 percent compared to control. The total phenolic compounds in the plant extract due to the use of 15 g / l humic acid increased significantly and by 72.8% compared to the control without fertilizer (516.43 mg / l). The highest phenolic composition in Iranian sage extract in this study was Rosmarinic acid at the rate of 421.64 mg / l at the level of 15 g / l humic acid. The use of humic acid caused a significant increase in the amount of antioxidants in the plant extract.

Thymus vulgaris L. is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in various industries, and its feasibility is very important in saline lands.To investigate the effect of salt stress on medicinal plant garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) A field experiment in a Block complete random design with three replicates was fitted. Salinity treatments used in this experiment were 1, 4 and 7 DS/m which were applied well water with natural salt for agriculture. In order to avoid the impact of the results of research on the type of salts, water with a salinity of 9 to 10 DS/m of agricultural wells, was moved to the farm. Then water with a salinity of 6 DS/m mixed and desired salinity was ready. Measurements of dry weight of stem and leaves, the amount of sodium and potassium elements, Proline and active constituents were done in the stage before flowering. The results showed that with the increase of salinity up to level 4 DS/m; the dry weight of stem and leaves and amount of proline were increased 27.6 and 68.86 percentages respectively. While the increase of salinity up to level 7 DS/m reduces these 49.53 and 22.86 percentages respectively. With an increase in salinity, the amount of sodium increased while potassium and potassium / sodium ratio showed reduced. Salt stress were increased some of the essential ingredients in the herb garden thyme and some others were reduced by salt stress. Such can be concluded in order to irrigate the plant thyme garden with salty water, the best results in terms of product yields and composition of essential oil in 4 DS/m is obtained.

Teucrium polium L. belongs to the fam. Lamiaceae and grows mostly in the barren, rocky, and sandy areas of various parts of Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, and southwest Asia including Iran. It has various therapeutic properties such as analgesic, antipyretic, antioxidant, and antihypertensive. These healing properties are due to the presence of various chemical compounds in the essential oil. Plant harvest at the different phenological stages has a great impact on the amount of essential oil compounds of this species. This study was conducted to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative changes of T. polium essential oil (EO) during the growing season in Cheshmeh-e-Anjir rangelands of Fars province and at three phenological stages (vegetative peak, beginning of flowering, and flowering peak) in a completely randomized block design in 2017. The EOs were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The results of this study showed that the main EO constituents were caryophyllene oxide (12.1%), α-pinene (11.8%), germacrene D (9.1%), myrcene (8.5%), limonene (7.2%), β-pinene (6.7%), bicyclogermacrene (6.6%), E-caryophyllene (4.6%), and α-bisabolol oxide B (3.4%) at the vegetative peak stage with the EO percentage of 0.9%, germacrene A (26.6%), bicyclogermacrene (18.3%), (E)-β-ocimene (8.9%), myrcene (7.8%), spathulenol (6.0%), limonene (5.3%), α-pinene (3.6%), and β-pinene (2.6%) at the begining of flowering with the EO percentage of 0.3%, and α-pinene (25.8%), myrcene (12.5%), germacrene D (11.8%), β-pinene (11.7%), limonene (8.5%), spathulenol (4.6%), and bicyclogermacrene (7.2%) at the flowering peak with the EO percentage of 0.2%.

In order to evaluate, the effect of different levels of ammonium sulfate on morphological and phytochemical characteristics of summer savory, an experiment based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five treatments and three replications on Karaj climate conditions was conducted. The treatment including five levels of ammonium sulfate consist of: control (without fertilizer), 40, 60, 80 and 100 kg/ha of ammonium sulfate that as split application was applied. At full flowering stage, the plant samples of all treatments were harvested and desired factors such as morphological characteristics (plant height, lateral shoot number, plant diameter and stem diameter), biomass, Antioxidant activity, polyphenolic compounds, rosmarinic acid and carvacrol contents were measured. With increasing levels of ammonium sulfate, plant height, number of lateral shoots, plant diameter, stem diameter, internode length and dry matter yield were significantly increased. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in 40 kg ammonium sulfate treatment and increasing in ammonium sulphate concentration was decreased antioxidant activity. The maximum content of rosmarinic acid (10.93 mg per g dry weight) related to 80 kg ammonium sulfate treatment and the lowest content (6.85 mg per g dry weight) was measured in control. The highest amount of carvacrol (6.92 mg per g dry weight) was obtained in 80 kg of ammonium sulfate treatment, followed by 40, 60 and 100 kg treatments on the same level and the minimum content (5.05 mg) in control were detected. According to the results, the treatment of 80 kg/ha of ammonium sulfate, in addition to increasing growth and yield factors, inhansed the amount of carvacrol and rosmarinic acid.

The Matricaria chamomile are medicinal and aromatic plants belonging to the Asteraceae family, which have many pharmaceutical properties. Salicylic acid naturally occurs in plants at a very low concentration. It is a common plant-produced signal molecule that is responsible for inducing tolerance to a number of mutation. The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of various concentrations of salicylic acid on biochemical and physiological characteristics of M. chammomile. The seeds of M. chammomile were grown in the greenhouse with the mean day/night temperature and relative humidity of 29 ± 4˚C, 38 ± 5% RH/17 ± 2˚C, 59 ± 5% RH respectively. To investigate the effects of salicylic acid on morphological characteristics of M. chammomile .Fourteen weeks old plants were subjected to different levels of salicylic acid [control, 150, 300, and 450 mg l-1]. Our results showed that salicylic acid caused a significant change in proline content, photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant activity in M. chammomile but phenolic compounds has shown different profiles. The essential oil components of M. chammomilewere identified and analyzed by GC/MS and GC technique. Polyphenol components were identified and analyzed by HPLC method. The main components of essential oil were α-Bisabolol oxide A, Chamazulene and En-in-dicycloether. The main components of polyphenols wereChloregeni acid, Caffeic acid, Catechin, Sinapic acid, Hesperidin, Ellagic acid, Quercetin, Eugenol. The proportions of these main compounds and synthesis of some important essential oil components were induced by salicylic acid.

Teucrium polium L. is a native plant of Iran that is used in traditional medicine. This study was designed to investigate the chemical composition of the essential oil in seven T. polium ecotypes with a range of 800 to 2500 altitudes in Fars province. To perform this study, the aerial parts of T. polium were collected in flowering stages and dried under laboratory conditions. Then, the essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation method and analyzed by GC/MS. The results showed that the most important constituents of essential oils varied in different habitats and the main components were germacrene- D (22.6–6.7%), bicyclogermacrene (15.1–4.4%), α-pinene (16.6–0.8%), β-Pinene (9.2–0.8%), myrcene (9.5–1.7%) and (E)-Caryophylle (13.9– 4.2%). Comparison of the major constituents of the essential oils showed that the ecotypes collected from higher altitude areas had higher sesquiterpene than monoterpenes. Data analysis of the main constituents of the essential oils using Minitab software led to the identification of three distinct groups, indicating the existence of intra-species phytochemical diversity in this plant.

Matricaria chamomilla L. is a medicinal and aromatic species, belonging to the Asteraceae family, which have many pharmaceutical properties. The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of various concentrations of salinity on biochemical and physiological characteristics of M. chamomilla. To investigate the effects salinity on biochemical characteristics of M. chamomilla., Fourteen weeks old plants were subjected to different levels of salinity [control, 50, 100, and 150 mg l-1]. Our results showed that salinity caused a significant increase in proline content and antioxidant activity in M. chamomilla. The proportions of these main compounds of essential oil and polyphenol components were induced by moderate and high salinity. The essential oil components of M. chamomilla were identified and analyzed by GC/MS and GC. Polyphenols were identified and analyzed by HPLC method. The main components of essential oil were α-Bisabolol oxide A, Chamazulene, and En-in-dicycloether. The main components of polyphenols were Chlorogenic acid, Caffeic acid, Catechin, Sinapic acid, Hesperidin, Ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Eugenol.

In this study we have demonstrated the variations of carbohydrates and phenolic compounds present in the leaves and stems of ‘Kinnow’ mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) trees in alternate bearing cycle and the possible involvement of these compounds to flower bud formation process. The amounts of these compounds were determined in the leaves and stems of “on” and “off” trees monthly from Nov. 2010 until Mar. 2011 coinciding with citrus trees floral bud induction and differentiation in northern hemisphere. The experiments were designed as a randomized complete block with three replications and two trees per each replication. Results showed that the presence of fruits on “on” trees inhibited flower bud formation, decreased total sprouted buds and resulted in the reduction of vegetative growth of these trees. The endogenous levels of soluble sugars and total non-structural carbohydrates in leaves and the starch contents of stems were affected by fruiting state of trees. Variations of total phenol contents in the leaves and stems related to presence or absence of fruits on trees. The phenolic contents of the stems were significantly lower in non-bearing trees than in fruit-bearing ones. Among the five phenolic compounds analyzed, the pattern of changes in the contents of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and naringin were different in two types of trees. Similar trend was observed for the amounts of all phenolic compounds in the stems of bearing and non-bearing tress.

Marrubium astracanicum Jacq. is belonging to the Lamiaceae family. In this study, five populations of M. astracanicum (Derak, the west of Dasht Arjan, Bavanat-Simakan (Lakposhti), Ghorogh Abolmahdi (Pasargad) and Sadra areas) from Fars province were collected. After drying the plant samples, the essential oils (EOs) were extracted from the aerial parts by using the Clevenger Apparatus, and analyzed by Gas Chromatography (GC-FID) and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Methanolic extract was prepared by maceration method and analyzed by HPLC for polyphenolic compounds. EO yields were from 0.21 to 0.34% (w/w) based on dried material. The major constituents of the EOs were n-decane, n-dodecane, germacreneD, n-hexadecanoicacid, (E)-caryophyllene, bicyclogermacrene, phytol, n-tricosane, n-pentacosane, n-heneicosane and caryophyllene oxide. The 12 major compounds were analyzed by Minitab V.14 software. The findings of chemical compounds showed that despite the difference in height and climate, Sadra region was more similar to Derak and Lakposhti Bavanat. The standards of gallic acid, quercetin, catechin, caffeic acid chlorogenic acid were measured in the wavelengths of 280nm and and 320nm. The amount of polyphenols varied in different areas. Our results showed that the height and climate in each area caused the variation of polyphenolic compounds.

Teucriumpersicum Boiss.is an Iranian endemic plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family which has traditionally been used to relieve abdominal pains, there are 12 species in Iran. The bulks aromatic plants come from wild populations whose essential oils compositions as well as their biological properties are severely affected by the geographical location Therefore, the aim of the present work is to provide more information on the variation of essential oil composition of T. persicum collected from four different geographical regions in Fars province in 2014. These areas were darab-gardanebezan, Zireh-darab, Ghir-karizin, and Zakharoyeh with, 1500, 1400, 950 and 800 meters altitudes respectively. Sampling of aerial parts (flowers and leaves) of the plant was carried out at flowering stage and dried in room temperature and the essential oil was obtained by hydro distillation using Clevenger machine.The GC / MS device was used to identify essential oils. A total of 93 combinations were identified in the essential oil of T. percicum populations, in which the number and type of compounds in the essential oils of these populations is very different. The most essential oil composition of this plant was identified in the darab-gardanebezan (68 combinations) mountain range, while the highest Essential oil yield was observed in, Zakharoyeh (0.3%). The habitat of Zireh-darab with the highest percentage of alpha pinene, beta-pinene, limonene and valerianol has high quality essential oil and is the best site for T. percicum plant in this study. Alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, E caryophylline and caryophylloin oxide were important components of essential oil in all four regions.

The genus Nepeta with the common Persian name “Pune-Sa” is one of the most important genera of Lamiaceae family. It has aromatic plants which are endemic of Iran. Its different species are distributed almost in all parts of Iran. Some of these species are valuable in medicine and used for medicinal purposes. Nepeta glomerulosa Boiss. is one of the most medicinal species of this family. This study was conducted to examine seed germination characteristics and to evaluate cardinal temperature of seed germination of N. glomerulosa.
Seeds of N. glomerulosa were collected from Abade region of Fars province in the middle of September 2014. Treatments were including four levels of cold period (1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks at5ºC) and four levels of potassium nitrate (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 %). Factorial experiment with a completely randomized design in three replications was done, to evaluate seed germination percentage, germination rate, T50, mean germination time, root and shoot length, root and shoot fresh and dry weight. Also, the effects of 8 constant temperatures including 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 ˚C and 3 variable temperatures including 5/15, 10/20 and 20/30 ˚C (12h light/12h dark), was investigated to evaluate germination percentage, germination rate, mean germination time and cardinal temperatures of seed germination.
The results showed that cold period and potassium nitrate interaction was significant only on root length. Potassium nitrate had no significant effect on germination rate, but the germination rate was increased by increasing the duration of being at5 ˚C, so that the highest germination rate was observed in 3 and 4 weeks at5 ˚C (1.7 and 1.2 /day respectively). The lowest germination rate (1.0 /day) was observed in 2 weeks at5 ˚C treatment. The maximum shoot length (51.5 mm), shoot fresh weight (30 mg), shoot dry weight (1.3 mg) and root dry weight (0.6 mg) was obtained in 2 weeks at 5 ˚C treatments andpotassium nitrate 0.1% was also the best treatment for abovementioned traits. Among the treatments, 3 weeks cold period and 0.1 % potassium nitrate showed the most positive effect on seed germination characteristics of N. glomerulosa, although, had no significant effect on germination percentage.
Based on the results of the second experiment, temperature had significant effect (P≤0.01) on germination percentage, germination rate and mean germination time. The highest amount of germination percentage (76 and 77.3 %), germination rate (4.4 and 5 /day) and mean germination time (5.1 and 5.4 /day) were recorded in the range of 20 to 25 ˚C. Germination rate and germination percentage were substantially reduced by increasing temperature above 25 ˚C. The day and night variable temperatures had significant effect on seed germination percentage and germination rate of N. glomerulosa seeds. The highest amount of germination percentage (72 and 69.3 %) and germination rate (4.6 and 5.7 /day) were observed at10/20 and 20/30 ˚C. The results of the relationships between temperature and germination rate showed that base, optimum and maximum temperatures for seeds of N. glomerulosa were 15 ˚C, 22 ˚C and 46 ˚C, respectively.
The overall results showed that most chilling occurred under natural conditions during winter and early spring which caused increasing inseed germination of lots of plants. This also found that increasingin chilling period significantly improved the seed germination characteristics of N. glomerulosa. Also, treating with potassium nitrate had significant effects on germination properties of N. glomerulosa. Although applying potassium nitrate and cold period did not show interaction effects on seed germination.
The effects of different day and night temperatures on seed germination rate and percentage have been reported in many medicinal and aromatic plants as may be due to the similarity of these conditions to the natural conditions. Comparing cardinal temperatures of N. glomerulosa with the other species of this genus indicated that they have different cardinal temperatures. Many of researchers reported that germination cardinal temperatures are significantly different amongspecies and different genotypes of species. Determining of cardinal temperatures helps us to estimate temperature range of wild species in natural areas, planting time and also suitable areas for cultivation.

In order to find a suitable alternative to conventional pesticides, fumigant toxicity of essential oils from Mentha longifolia, Tagetes minuta and Salvia macrosiphon were tested against adult of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) on laboratory condition. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design of factorial experiment with five concentrations and three replications at 25±10C, 60±5% R.H in darkness. The results showed that the percentage of mortality was increased with increase in concentration and exposure of time. The results also showed the effect of fumigant toxicity of Mentha longifolia was weaker than Salvia macrosiphon on the studied insects. The LC50 values were evaluated by M. longifoli, T. minuta and S. macrosiphon were 9.595, 12.434 and16.649 μl/l after 12h as well as 7.422, 9.128 and 13.071 μl/l after 24h for T. castaneum, respectively. Mean adult mortalities of Tribolium castaneum, at the highest concentration of essential oils (25μl/l), by M. longifolia, T. minuta and S. macrosiphon as 76.6%, 73.3% and 63.3% after 12h as well as 90%, 76.6%, and 70% after 24h, were recorded, respectively. It was found that plant essential oils could be used as a safe pesticide or model for new synthetic pesticides to control of insect pests

There are many medicinal plants that could be found in fields, hill sides, and specific natural habitats. Myrtus communis is one of the most valuable medicinal plants that widely extended in Iran. In this research, we studied the changes in the essential oil yield and chemical composition of Myrtle during 2013 to 2014 seasons. Samples of plants were collected from the Mian Jangal Fasa area. Essential oils were obtained by hydro distillation and were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The highest and the lowest essential oil yields were found in autumn (1.28%) and winter (0.41%), respectively. Major compounds were 1,8-cineol (22.9% in summer), α-Pinene (25.5% in spring), Limonene (26.8% in winter) and Linalool (18.5% in summer(.

In this study antimicrobial activity of methanolic extract and essential oil of Satureja bachtiarica were evaluated by “disk diffusion method” on Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, Rhizobium radiobacter, Ralstonia solanacearum, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, Bacillis subtilis, Pectobacterium cartovorum and Pectobacterium atrosepticum. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) determined by using a serial dilution method. The lowest inhibitory consistency of MIC and MBC values of Satureja bachtiarica essential oil and methanolic extract was observe on Bacillus subtillis. Chemical composition of essential oil and methanolic extract were determined by GC-MS and HPLC respectively. The major components of essential oil were: Carvacrol 53.94, γ- terpinene13.08, Tymole 11.16, P-symene 6.54, E- caryophylene2.16, Bornole1.2, Linalool2.49, α- terpnene. HPLC analysis of methanolic extract showed ten type of compound: Carcacrol (461.48mlgr/lit), Quercetin (75.80mlgr/lit) Eugenol (60.61mlgr/lit) Hesperetin (24.29mlgr/lit), Hesperedin(13.75mlgr/lit), Rutin (13.23mlgr/lit), Catechin (9.721mlgr/lit), Vanillin(1.01mlgr/lit), Caffeic acid (0.0812ml gr/lit), P-coumaric acid (2mlgr/lit), that are present in varying amount.Our result indicated that Satureja bachtiarica essential oil showed high antibacterial activity against all selected bacteria whereas, methanolic extract showed antibacterial activity against Xanthomona saxonopodis pv. citri, Bacillis subtilis, Ralstonia solanacearum, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. In general, essential oil and methanolic extract have strong antimicrobial activity against these pathogens.

Use of superabsorbent polymers is one strategy for increasing irrigation efficiency and optimal use of rainfall in arid and semi-arid region. In order to increasing the water use efficiency in basil production as a valuable medicinal plants and sensitive to water stress, was conducted the research as a factorial experiment on the basis of randomized complete blocks design with three replications. The treatments were two superabsorbent polymers Stockosorb® (industrial) and malva leaf (Herbal) in four concentrations (0, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% w/w on the basis of soil weight) with two application methods (mixed with soil only and mixed with soil roots). The results showed that all treatments and especially their interaction had significant and positive effects on some biochemical, biological, morphological traits and water use efficiency characteristic, except seeds swelling index. Both hydrophilic polymer (Stockosorb 0.2% mixed with soil and malva leaf 0.3% mixed with soil root) were able to reduce the drought stress intensity and improved water use efficiency (60%) in basil cultivation. Stockosorb® treatment %0.2 (mixed with soil), increased leaf number (149.89 per plant) and seed number (2125 number). Whereas the maximum content of chlorophyll “a” (30.74 mg. g-1) and one thousand seed weight (1.69 g/ per plant) were detected by using Stockosorb® (%0.2) when applied on soil roots. The best results were obtained for dry matter (2.34 g/ per plant) and biochemical traits (chlorophyll b (10.93 mg. g-1) and antioxidant capacity (87.03%)) with malva leaf treatment (%0.3) applied on soil roots and root respectively.

Thymus species are well known as medicinal plants because of their biological and pharmacological properties. Zataria multiflora and Thymus daenensis are two valuable medicinal plants which are extensively used in Iranian traditional medicine. Essential oil of Zataria multiflora and Thymus daenensis is a rich source of thymol which gives high antimicrobial and antioxidant activity to these plants. In this research, the aerial parts of Z. multiflora Boiss. and T. daenensis Celak. were collected at the reproductive phase and dried in shade. Extraction operation for each plant was done in 3 duration treatments of one, two and three hours with 3 replications using clevenger apparatus. Essential oils from each treatment were combined, identified and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The highest percentage of essential oil of Z. multiflora Boiss. Was obtaind in two hours treatment and in T. daenensis Celak. in one and three hours. The main constituents of Zataria multiflora Boiss. were carvacrol (29.2%) and thymol (27.6%) in two hours treatment, linalool (19.5%), terpinene (6.1%) and p-cymene (4.8%) in three hours treatment; while in Thymus daenensis Celak. thymol (36.7 %), geraniol (12.7%) and borneol (4.6%) in one hours treatment, carvacrol (30.4%) in two hours treatment and linalool (6.5%) in three hours treatment. In conclusion, the best extraction duration for Z. multiflora essential oil is two hours, whereas for T. daenensis, is one hour. Therefore, the process will become cost effective, accordingly.

This research was aimed to investigate the effect of salinity on quality and quantity of essential oil components and antioxidant activity in Achillea millefolium L. The study was conducted in a completely randomized design in greenhouse, controlled environment, with four treatments including 0 (control), 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl and four replications per treatment. The essential oil was first extracted and the active components of the essential oil were separated and identified by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods. Then, the proline content in fresh leaf and antioxidant activity of methanolic extract were determined. According to the results, the essential oil yield showed a significant increase at 150 mM NaCl. Regarding the essential oil composition, the main compounds were delta-cadinol, trans-beta-farnesene, α-Bisabolol, borneol, caryophyllene oxide, and menthone, showing an increase with increasing salinity. Some compounds such as sabinene, cis-β-ocimene, cis-γ-bisabolene were only detected in control treatment. Menthone, beta-bisabolene, epi-beta-santalene, and 1,8-cineole were only detected in the plants treated with salt. Proline content was increased with increased concentration of NaCl. The results showed that radical scavenging activity and reducing power of yarrow extract increased with increasing of salinity concentration. Our findings suggest that salt stress increases the antioxidant compounds in Achillea millefolium.

The antimicrobial activity of plant oils and extracts has been recognized for many years. There are many difficulties and deficiencies to control plant photogenic bacteria. Historically, natural plant products have been considered as great sources with therapeutic properties. This study was aimed to evaluate the chemical compositions and antibacterial activity of extract and essential oil of Artemisia aucheri collected from Iran.
In this sectional study, the compositions of essential oil and ethanolicextract of Artemisia aucheri were determined by GC/MS and HPLC assays. Antibacterial activity of the essential oil and extract was evaluated using micro broth dilution and disc diffusion methods.
The main component of the oil was, 1.8 Cineol (22.65%), and the main polyphenolic compounds of the extract was chloregenic acid (264.9 mg/l). Evaluating MIC and MBC values of the essential oil, the maximum inhibition zone diameter (in the range of 6.4-8 mm, and 6.4-9 mm) was measured against Bacillus subtilis, Brenneria nigrifluens, Streptomyces scabies, Rhizobium radiobacter, Rhizobium vitis, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv.citri, and Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis. Furthermore, evaluating MIC and MBC values of the extract the maximum inhibition zone diameter (in the range of 6.4-8 and 6.4-9 mm) was observe against Rhizobium Radiobacter, Brenneria nigrifluens, Rhizobium vitis, Streptomyces scabies, Bacillus subtilis, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv.citri, Xanthomonas arboricora pv. Juglandis, and Ralstonia solanacearum.
In general, both essential oil and ethanolic extract showed desirable antimicrobial activity against plant photogenic bacteria. Therefore, Artemisia aucheri can be considered as a biopesticide.

In order to study a the effect of different levels of Ammonium Sulfate on photosynthesis pigments, essential oil content and components in summer Savory, an experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five treatments and three replications on Karaj climate conditions. The treatments included five levels of ammonium sulfate consist of: control (without fertilizer), 40, 60, 80 and 100 kg/h of ammonium sulfate that were applied as split application (three weeks after sowing). At full flowering stage, the plant samples of all treatments were harvested and measured for the desired attributes such as Chlorophyll a, b and total, carotenoide, essential oil percentage, yield and components (consist of 26 compounds by GC-MS apparatus). The results showed significant differences among treatments on some traits measured. Among 26 identified components in different treatments, just 12 combinations were affected by ammonium sulfate fertilizer. Also, essential oil percentage and yield were significantly affected by treatments. With increasing ammonium sulfate concentration, essential oil percentage and yield significantly increased, so that the highest essential oil percentage and yield (3.55% and 49.97 ml, respectively) related to 100 kg ammonium sulfate and the lowest content (2.68% and 16.32 ml respectively) belonged to control. Carvacrol, as the main component in this plant was affected by treatments. The maximum content (52.06%) in 40 kg ammonium sulfate and the minimum content (46.57%) in 60 kg ammonium sulfate were detected. The lowest total chlorophyll content (18.69 mg/g FW) belonged to 100 kg ammonium sulfate and other treatments were placed in a same group.

Clostridium botulinum is one of the major causes of bacterial food intoxication especially in the vacuum-packed foods and meat products. Preventing such contamination is a major concern in the food industries. The current study was aimed to investigate the presence of Clostridium botulinum type A in the traditional dairy products and the possible effects of Teucrium polium L. essential oil(leaf and /or flower) on the growing of microorganism, in vitro. Out of 160 samples of traditionally made kashk and dough, only one sample was isolated (type A) using the selective culture, while, one sample of dough (1.25%) and two cases (3.75%) of kashk were respectively found positive to type A and B of the bacteria, using multiple PCR assay. The major components of the flower extract were: α-Pinene (16.67%) and Valerianol (8.32%), and for the leaf extract: α-Pinene (14.79%), Myrcene (10.9%) and Germacrene (10.44%), were the major components. In order to evaluate the anti-microbial effects of the leaf and flower, 10 µl of each extract was employed using the disc diffusion technique. At 40 and 80 µl/ml essential oil concentrations, the diameters of the growing inhibition zones were 9 and 8 millimeters for the leaf essential oil, and 12 and 8 millimeters for flower essential oil. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of both essential oilwas 160µl/ml. The results of the present study may recommend the use of Teucrium polium L. essential oil as a natural component to reduce and/or to inhibit the growing of Clostridium botulinum, in foodstuffs.

One of the most important limiting factors in production of medicinal plants in arid and semiarid regions of the world is water shortage or drought stress. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L. var. "Keshkeny levelu") is a valuable medicinal plant and sensitive to water stress. Therefore, the current study was aimed to increase water use efficiency in basil production by conducting a factorial experiment based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications. The treatments were two superabsorbent polymers namely Terracottem™ (industrial) and Plantago ovata mucilage (Herbal) at four concentrations (0, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% w/w on the basis of soil weight) with two application methods (mixed with soil only and mixed with soil+roots). The measured traits were morphological: leaf number, leaf area, shoot to root ratio, biological: number of seeds/plant, seed weight/plant, and water use efficiency, as well as two other important characteristics such as essential oil percentage and yield at flowering time. Results showed that the simple effect of treatments and their interaction had significant and positive effects on morphological, biological and biochemical traits, measured in this experiment. The best results in vegetative and generative characteristics were obtained by application of Plantagoovata mucilage and the highest essential oil percentage and yield were recorded by using Terracottem superabsorbent. The best results in both compounds were obtained at concentrations of 0.1% and 0.2% with application method in soil+roots and soil only, respectively. In conclusion, both compounds (terracottem™ and Plantago ovata) were able to reduce the adverse effects of drought stress and improved water use efficiency in basil cultivation.