Document Type : Research Paper - Medicinal Aromatic Plants
Authors
- Parisa Sheikhzadeh 1
- mitra rostami hir 2
- Morteza Barmaki 3
- Nasser Zare 3
- Rasoul asghari zakaria 4
- farzad fard 5
1 Associate Professor, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Applied Sciences and Technology, Ardabil, Iran
3 Professor, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
4 Professor, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
5 M.Sc. Graduated of Agronomy, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction
The use of medicinal plants in traditional medicine has a long and rich history, deeply rooted in various cultures around the world. Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus L.) is a prominent medicinal plant belonging to the Apocynaceae family, recognized for its rich alkaloid content, which is distributed throughout all parts of the plant. This plant has been traditionally used for various therapeutic purposes, including the treatment of several diseases. Effective management of environmental conditions is crucial in the production of medicinal plants. By utilizing nutritional sources such as humic acid, nano-zinc chelate, and nano-iron chelate, both the quantitative and qualitative yields of these plants can be maximized, thereby enhancing their medicinal properties.
Materials and Methods
To assess the effects of humic acid, nano-iron chelate, and nano-zinc chelate on the characteristics of Madagascar periwinkle, a factorial experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications at the municipal flower and plant production farm in Ardabil, located in the village of Soumea during the 2016 growing season. The experimental factors included three levels of humic acid (0, 100, and 300 mg L-1), three levels of nano-iron chelate (0, 2.5, and 3%), and three levels of nano-zinc chelate (0, 1.5, and 3%). For seedling preparation, seven seeds were planted in each pot measuring 10 cm in height and 12 cm in diameter on March 13, 2016. The soil mixture consisted of two parts soil and one part sand to ensure proper drainage and nutrient availability. The seedlings were transferred to the main field upon reaching the 10-leaf stage on June 9, 2016. Treatments were applied through foliar spraying in two stages: first during the vegetative growth stage (12 leaves) on July 6, 2016, and second during the reproductive growth stage (early flowering) on August 17, 2016. Distilled water served as the control treatment. Key traits evaluated included chlorophyll index, relative water content, stomatal conductance, plant height, number of branches per plant, pods per plant, number of seed per pod, thousand-seed weight, seed yield, and biological yield.
Results and Discussion
The results indicated that foliar application of each substance significantly increased all measured traits compared to the control treatment. This enhancement is attributed to their positive effects on nutrient absorption efficiency, osmotic regulation improvement, increased chlorophyll synthesis, and enhanced photosynthesis processes. Notably, simultaneous application of humic acid, nano-iron chelate, and nano-zinc chelate demonstrated a greater impact than individual applications and showed significant effects on all traits except for the number of seeds per pod. The highest values for chlorophyll index, number of lateral branches per plant, number of pods per plant, and biological yield were achieved with the simultaneous application treatment comprising 300 mg/L humic acid + 3% nano-iron chelate + 3% nano-zinc chelate.
Conclusion
Given that the highest biological yield resulted from the simultaneous foliar application of 300 mg/L humic acid along with both 3% nano-iron chelate and nano-zinc chelate, it is recommended to utilize this combination to enhance vegetative growth as well as yield and yield components in Madagascar periwinkle cultivation.
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