Gh. Eghlima; J. Hadian; A.R. Motallebi Azar
Abstract
Satureja rechingeri, belonging to the family Lamiaceae, has been recently used Abstract Background and Objectives Satureja rechingeri, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, has been ...
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Satureja rechingeri, belonging to the family Lamiaceae, has been recently used Abstract Background and Objectives Satureja rechingeri, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, has been recently used in the pharmaceutical industry due to its high level of carvacrol in the essential oil. In order to select suitable clones for commercial cultivation in Dezful climatic conditions, in this study morphological and biological production traits of 58 clones of Satureja rechingeri were evaluated. Materials and Methods After initial screening of plant populations, 58 genotypes were selected based on their adaptation into field conditions. To evaluate the morphological and biological production traits of these clones in Dezful climatic conditions, an experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Morphological and biological production traits of 58 clones were evaluated in the second year of cultivation at the flowering stage. Results Analysis of variance showed significant differences for all studied traits (p< 0.01) among 58 clones. The most important traits varied in terms of plant height (27.83-71.50 cm), fresh weight (20.26-289.71 g/p), flower and leaf weight (4.05 to 83.62 g/p), and plant oil yields (0.07 to 1.54 g/p). Flowers and leaf dry weight had a significant and positive correlation with plant height, number of the main branches and lateral branches, leaf width, plant diameter, fresh weight, dry weight and essential oil yield. Cluster analysis grouped the 58 clones within two main groups. Factor analysis showed that three main factors justified 70.62 percent of the whole variation. Clones of Z28, Z19, K48, E7, H82, F14 and G48 were superior with regard to weight of dry leaves, flowers and essential oil yield. Discussion Superior S. rechingeri clones could be used for commercial cultivation in Dezful climate conditions. The most important biological production traits, yield of leaf and flower fraction, essential oil content and yield showed significant variation between clones. These variations could be used to breed high-quality and desirable cultivars for use in food and pharmaceutical industries.
