Omid Sohrabi; Abdollah Hatamzadeh; Azim Ghasemnezhad; Habibollah Samizadeh; Vahid Erfani-moghadam
Abstract
Medicinal plants have been used historically for various treatments and in human nutrition. Due to their natural occurrence and biodegradability, medicinal plants can be an eco-friendly alternative to toxic chemicals such as pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. An in vitro experiment was conducted ...
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Medicinal plants have been used historically for various treatments and in human nutrition. Due to their natural occurrence and biodegradability, medicinal plants can be an eco-friendly alternative to toxic chemicals such as pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. An in vitro experiment was conducted to test the impact of six medicinal plant extracts on tomato growth and callus induction. Two concentrations of each extract (50 and 100 mg L-1) were added to the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium culture. Results showed that Juniperus sabina extract (50 mg L-1) accelerated tomato seed germination by 100% in vitro, compared to the control group in MS basal medium. Callus growth index (CGI) and callus weight (CW) increased by 50% and by more than 200% when using Taraxacum officinale (100 mg L-1) and Conocarpus erectus (50 mg L-1) extracts, respectively. Biochemical analysis revealed that the extracts were rich in phenolic compounds (348 mg g-1 of total phenol), flavonoids (162 mg g-1), antioxidants (61%), and auxin. A rise in antioxidant activity, plant growth regulators (PGR), and plant defense elicitation probably contributed to these outcomes. Plant extracts also affected the biochemical content of calluses, except for their total phenol. We recommend using these plant extracts to increase growth, accelerate seed germination, and promote callus induction. Optimizing concentrations and combinations of medicinal plant extracts require further research to maximize their benefits to different plant species and their growth-related values.
Omid Sohrabi; Abbdollah Hatamzadeh; Azim Ghasemnezhad; Habibollah Samizadeh; Vahid Erfani-Moghadam
Abstract
Irresponsible applications of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural production have caused significant environmental impacts and damage to human health. This study aimed to explore the effects of extracts from several Iranian medicinal plants on tomato growth under greenhouse conditions. ...
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Irresponsible applications of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural production have caused significant environmental impacts and damage to human health. This study aimed to explore the effects of extracts from several Iranian medicinal plants on tomato growth under greenhouse conditions. Within a completely randomized design, the treatments included methanolic extracts of Taraxacum officinale L., Conocarpus erectus L., Allium jesdianum L., Rheum ribes L., Dorema aucheri L., and Juniperus sabina L. at three concentrations of 1000, 5000, and 8000 mg L-1. The measured variables were stem length (SL), internode distance (ID), branch number (BN), auxin content (AC), cytokinin content (CC), auxin/cytokinin ratio, total protein, total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant potential (FRAP). Under greenhouse conditions, foliar spraying with Dorema aucheri plant extract (8000 mg L-1) significantly increased the stem length by 15% compared to the control. Rheum ribes extract (8000 mg L-1) increased internode distance (19%). However, the number of branches decreased by 34% in response to the plant extracts. Compared to the control, the amount of cytokinin decreased after spraying, whereas the auxin content showed a sinusoidal pattern of change. In response to all treatments, the auxin/cytokinin ratio increased, with the highest value observed in plants treated with Allium jesdianum extract (5000 mg L-1). According to the results, the plant extracts proved effective and assisted in tomato growth. Future research may aim to identify effective biological compounds in these extracts.
