EFFECT OF DROUGHT AND HUMIC ACID ON MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND ESSENTIAL OIL CONTENT OF THYMUS KOTSCHYANUS

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of Humic Acid organic fertilizer on the performance of Thymus Kotschyanus populations under the influence of drought stress. This experiment was performed as a three-factor factorial in the form of a completely randomized design (CRD) for 5 replications (pots) in the greenhouse of Pardisan Research Station belonging to Qom Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Training Center. Three factors include 5 top accessions of T. Kotschyanus (factor A), irrigation levels at 80% crop capacity (control), irrigation at 60% crop and irrigation capacity at 40% crop capacity (FC) (factor B); and different levels of Humic acid including 3 Levels of 0, 1500 and 3000 mg/l were dissolved in irrigation water twice after full establishment of the plants and twenty days after the first iteration (factor C). The results of trait variance analysis showed that there was a significant difference at the level of possible error of 1% or 5% between the top accessions of T. Kotschyanus and between different irrigation levels in terms of all traits under study. Effectiveness of accession × irrigation levels were also significant in most traits at the level of 1% or 5% probability of error. In other words, the behavior of different Thymus accessions at different irrigation levels was significantly different and the effect of irrigation levels on different irrigations was not similar. These results are consistent with the reports of many researchers on the effect of drought stress on morphological traits as well as increasing essential oil content in drought stress conditions in medicinal plants. Hassani et al. (2006) reported on the effect of different levels of water stress on growth, performance, and essential oil content of Dracocephalum moldavica. Many traits, such as aerial organ length, wet and dry weight of aerial organ were reduced in dry stress conditions, and the highest percentage of essential oil was obtained for 70% crop capa

Phytosociological features of frigana vegetation of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan

The phytosociological and floristic properties of mountain xerophyte plant associations (Frigana) spread on the territory of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan were investigated. These unions are dominated by barbed and grassy plants. On the other hand Acantholimon spp., Astragalus spp. and Onobrychis cornuta are common in the area and dominant in the mountainous regions of Nakhchivan. The major parts of Shahbuz, Julfa and Ordubad are dominanted by vegetation. In the floristic composition of the frigana units the shrubs are dominant and the characteristic species are: Pyrus oxyprion, Astragalus microcephalus, Astragalus aureus, Juniperus polycarpos, Rhamnus pallasii, Atraphaxis spinosa, Acantholimon bracteatum, Rhus coriaria, Acer ibericum, Lonicera iberica, Prangos ferulacea, Thymus kotschyanus etc. The frigana units dominate the region's vegetation. The mountainous xerophyte vegetation encompasses strongly torn by relief, rocky slopes, and talus of the territory of the mountains. The continentalization of the climate after the glacial era, as well as the advent of anthropogenic activity, appears to be effective in expanding the range of vegetation. Although skeleton is the only plant bitumen in the rocky slopes, it is important to protect the dive lining of the slopes along the slopes and to prevent the wash away and spoilage residues.

Diversity of antibacterial and antifungal activities of Thymus kotschyanus essential oil collected from fourteen regions of Iran

Background and Aim: Thymus kotschyanus is one of the most famous medicinal plants in Iran from the mint family and it has many applications in traditional medicine, such as relieving the symptoms of colds and coughs and relieving some gastrointestinal diseases. It also has antibacterial and antifungal effects. This study was performed to investigate the diversity of antibiotic effects of this plant. Materials and Methods: Essential oils of fourteen different ecotypes of Thymus kotschyanus were extracted by using the Clevenger apparatus. After oil analyses with GC-MS device, the minimum inhibitory concentration of growth and also the minimum lethal concentration of 7 types of bacteria and 2 types of fungi were measured by microdilution method in the range of 0.01 to 5.12 mg/ml. Results: Oxygenated monoterpenes were the major fraction (64.60–90.60%) of the oils, and thymol and carvacrol were considered as the most abundant constituents (27.23–75.55%). The amount and concentration of these two phenolic substances in thyme essential oil were directly related to antibacterial and antifungal effects. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of the essential oils ranged from 0.24 to 5.12 and 0.08 to 0.96 mg/ml, respectively. The most active antimicrobial activity is related to the essential oil of Salmas and Nodoshan ecotypes and the least activity was seen in Rudbar ecotype. Conclusion: Geographical characteristics of the place where plants grow had a significant role in the type and amount of compounds in the essential oil of the plant. In this regard, different biological effects and antibacterial and antifungal properties can occur from each ecotype.

Composition, Antifungal, Phytotoxic, and Insecticidal Activities of Thymus kotschyanus Essential Oil

Essential oils (EOs) are some of the outstanding compounds found in Thymus that can exert antifungal, phytotoxic, and insecticidal activities, which encourage their exploration and potential use for agricultural and food purposes. The essential oils (EO) obtained from Thymus kotschyanus collected in the East Azerbaijan Province (Iran) were characterized using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Thymol was the most important compound (60.48%), although 35 other active compounds were identified in the EO. Significant amounts of carvacrol (3.08%), p-cymene (5.56%), and γ-terpinene (6.67%) were found in the EO. The T. kotschyanus EO was tested against important phytopathogenic fungi (Botrytis cinerea, Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium expansum). The antifungal assay showed that the use of ≥500 ppm of EO resulted in a fungicidal effect against all funguses tested. In a similar way, the use of ≥500 ppm of EO inhibited the germination of all crop weed seeds (Amaranthus retroflexus L. and Panicum miliaceum L.) and their subsequent growth, which demonstrated its herbicidal effect. Finally, the insecticidal capacity of T. kotschyanus EO was also observed against selected insects (Oryzaephilus surinamensis and Sitophilus oryzae). O. surinamensis was more susceptible to the effect of EO (LC50 = 4.78 µL/L air) than S. oryzae (LC50 = 13.20 µL/L air). The obtained results of the present study can provide new safe resources to the development of new products for the food, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries.