Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) fruit: essential oil variability in Iranian populations

Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.), recognized in Iran and other areas of the Middle East as a very popular flavoring spice, contains a wide range of medicinally active components including organic acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, hydrolyzable tannins and terpenoids. In the present study, for the first time the variation of the essential oil compositions in R. coriaria fruits, collected from fourteen different locations in Iran, was assessed. A significant variability in the essential oil content was observed among the investigated populations (ranging from 0.04 to 0.19% (v/w)). GC-FID and GC–MS analyses of the essential oils identified a total of fifty-seven components. (E)-Caryophyllene (5.9–50.3%), n-nonanal (1.8–23.3%), cembrene (1.9–21.7%), α-pinene (0.0–19.7%), (2E,4E)-decadienal (2.4–16.5%) and nonanoic acid (0.0–15.8%) were identified as the main constituents of the essential oils, depending on the populations. The highest amounts of the mentioned components were identified in the essential oil of Tovrivar, Torbat jam, Qom, Kashmar, Torbat jam and Yazd populations, respectively. According to principal component (PCA) and cluster analyses (CA) the studied populations grouped into five different chemotypes: i.e., chemotype I ((E)-caryophyllene), chemotype II ((E)-caryophyllene/α-pinene), chemotype III ((E)-caryophyllene/cembrene), chemotype IV (nonanoic acid/cembrene), chemotype V (n-nonanal/(2E,4E)-decadienal). Such variability in essential oil compositions of Iranian sumac provides possibility to select populations with specific aroma profiles for domestication, breeding and industrial applications and suggests the effective in situ and ex situ conservation strategies for all populations and chemotypes of R. coriaria

Optimizing phytochemical and physiological characteristics of Balangu (Lallemantia iberica L.) by foliar application of chitosan nanoparticles and Myco-Root inoculation under water supply restrictions

Balangu is a medicinal plant used in the Iranian traditional medicine to treat nervous, hepatic and renal diseases. To determine the effects of Myco-Root biofertilizer and chitosan nanoparticles (Cs-NPs) on the physiological and biochemical properties of balangu (Lallemantia iberica (M.Bieb.) Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) under different irrigation levels, an experiment was laid out as a factorial based on completely randomized design (CRD) with twelve treatments and three replications. The first factor was represented by different irrigation regimes, including no water deficit (90% FC), mild water deficit (60% FC) and severe water deficit (30% FC); the second factor included control (no Myco-Root and Cs-NPs), inoculation with Myco-Root biofertilizer, foliar application of chitosan nanoparticles (Cs-NPs) and co-application of Cs-NPs along with Myco-Root. The results showed that the highest fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, chlorophyll index (SPAD) and fluorescence indices were obtained in 90% FC treated with Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root. In addition, the maximum activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POX) was achieved in 60% FC with application of Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root. Moreover, the maximum essential oil content (1.43%) and yield (0.25 g pot−1) were recorded in 60% FC following the application of Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root. Chemical analysis of essential oil showed that germacrene D (31.22–39.77%), (E)-caryophyllene (16.28–19.82%), bicyclogermacrene (7.1–9.22%) and caryophyllene oxide (3.85–6.96%) were the major volatile constituents of balangu. Interestingly, the maximum contents of germacrene D and (E)-caryophyllene were recorded in 60% FC after the application of Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root. Overall, it can be concluded that co-application of Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root could be a sustainable and eco-friendly strategy for improving the essential oil quantity and quality, as well as physiological characteristics, of balangu under water deficit conditions

β-Aminobutyric acid treatment confers decay tolerance in strawberry fruit by warranting sufficient cellular energy providing

In this experiment, the mechanisms employed by β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) treatment to confer postharvest decay tolerance in strawberry fruit stored at 4 °C for 12 days were explored. Notably, BABA treatment at 25 mM conferred remarkably decay tolerance in strawberry fruit which was accompanied by higher membrane integrity representing by lower malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Strawberry fruit treated with BABA exhibited remarkably higher cellular energy providing arising from higher H+-ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase, cytochrome c oxi- dase (CCO), and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) enzymes activity. Additionally, strawberry fruit treated with BABA exhibited remarkably higher superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) enzymes activity resulting in lower H2O2 accumulation. Also, higher phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) en- zyme activity may be accountable for higher phenols and anthocyanins accumulation in strawberry fruit treated with BABA leading to superior DPPH scavenging capacity. Finally, strawberry fruit treated with BABA exhibited remarkably lower membrane degrading enzymes phospholipase D (PLD) and lipoxygenase (LOX) activity. According to our results, postharvest 25 mM BABA applying may be considered as a favourable strategy not only for conferring decay tolerance of strawberry fruit by warranting sufficient cellular energy providing, triggering H2O2 scavenging enzymes activity, enhancing phenols and anthocyanins accumulation and hampering mem- brane degrading enzymes activity which not only are vital for preserving membrane integrity, but also are crucial for keeping nutritional quality of strawberry fruit during postharvest cold storage