Variation in bioactive contents and anatomical characteristics of different fennel (<i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill.) populations as affected by self-pollination

The production of self pollinated plant genotypes could be critical for improving medicinal plants. Pollination in Apiaceae family can also affect secondary metabolites. In this study, 23 fennel populations were used to assess the effect of self pollination on essential oil yield, antioxidant activity (based on three model system), total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC). First, some plant inflorescences were divided in two parts. Then the half was bagged and the second half was permitted for out crossing. The self and outcross pollinated seeds were sown in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in three replicates. Results revealed that inbreeding led to increase in the secretary ducts number (9.36%) as well as essential oil yield (25.61%) in all fennel populations. Essential oil yield ranged from 2.4% to 6.4% in seeds produced via out crossing, while it varied from 3.5% to 6.5% in self pollinated ones. Furthermore, self pollination increased TPC (21.66%), TFC (49.40%) and antioxidant activity (6.23%). Among the populations derived from self pollinated seeds Tabriz showed the highest TFC (8.4 mgQUEg-1DW) and antioxidant activity (IC50=83.1μg/ml), whereas Semirom possessed the highest TPC (150 mgTAEg-1DW), respectively. In overall, self pollination can produce lead to the populations with higher amount of secondary metabolites

Genetic relationships among Achillea tenuifolia accessions using molecular and morphological Markers. Plant omics journal

Abstract ISSR and morphological markers were used to detect genetic diversity in several genotypes of Achillea tenuifolia from different geographical regions of Iran. Fifteen primers revealed 247 polymorphic bands, out of which 214 (86.78%) were polymorphic. The dendrogram was constructed using SM coefficient and UPGMA method. The generated dendrogram revealed three groups. The accessions originated from central regions of the country separated from others in group 3. The principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) confirmed the results of clustering (&gt;90%). For morphological traits, North-western (NW) accessions had the highest values of leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, essential oil yield and the latest flowering time, while the Northern one (AtN76) had the highest flower diameter and number of florets in main inflorescence. Results showed the relatively broad genetic base of in most of the accessions evaluated in this study. The lowest and the highest gene diversity were obtained in North-western (AtNW) group (0.18) and Northern (AtN) accession (0.28) respectively. High genetic variation of A. tenuifolia might be attributed to its reproductive propagation and seed dispersal. So, conservation strategies should be provided to maintain such diversity aiming to improve future breeding programs

Study of self-pollination and capitula characteristics in globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus Hayek L.) under different irrigation regimes

In order to estimate the drought effects on capitula characteristics and self-pollination of globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus Hayek L.), the randomized complete block design was carried out with three irrigation regimes (20 %, 50 % and 80 % depletion of soil available water) and six replicates. The artichoke is mostly open-pollinated, however, after covering the buds and isolation of flowers to prevent cross pollination, 1.79 % self-pollination was observed and this amount was not affected by different irrigation regimes. In stress conditions (50 % and 80 % water depletion) as well as non-stress condition (20 % water depletion), plants with respectively one and two medium capitula and without small capitula had most relative frequencies in the population and drought stress increased these relative frequencies by reducing the number of medium and small capitula in plants. In addition, Capitula size and dry weight were significantly affected by water stress. Water shortage induced severe decrease in length and dry weight of all capitula including large, medium and small, although capitula width was less affected by water deficit and only slight decline in medium (12.5 %) and small capitula (23.7 %) was observed under severe stress condition

The relation between apomictic seed production and morpho-physiological characteristics in a world collection of castor bean (Ricinus communis L.)

Abstract Ricinus communis is one of the most important oilseed plants with many medicinal and industrial applications. Variation in 30 genotypes of castor bean collected from different regions of the world was evaluated for two consecutive years and the difference in seed production with two different reproductive modes (including apomixis and open-pollination) was compared based on yield components, agronomic traits, and phytochemical properties. Results of data analysis demonstrated that castor bean has the ability for a wide range of apomixis for seed production and the highest percentages of apomixis ability in the first and second years were 86.3% and 92.31%, respectively. Apomixis ability had a high positive correlation with yield components, seed oil content, and the amount of leaf rutin. Two genotypes from Brazil and Syria revealed the highest phenolic content in the first and second years, respectively. In addition, the Afghanistan genotype in two modes of apomixis and open-pollination in the first year and the Syria and Yazd genotypes in apomixis and open-pollination modes, respectively, in the second year showed the highest content of seed fatty acids. It is possible to maintain superior genotypes of castor bean in terms of phytochemical traits, yield, and oil quality through apomixis reproduction

Evaluation of Genetic Variation of Yellow and White Astragals (Astragalus sp.) in Protected Regions of Isfahan Province Using ISSR Marker

Genetic variation of 16 white and yellow astragal accessions collected from three protected regions of Isfahan province (Mooteh, Kolah-Ghazi and Ghamishloo) were evaluated using ISSR marker. Nine ISSR primers produced 221 bands in which 204 were polymorphic among astragal accessions. ISSR banding patterns were transformed into binary data of presence–absence and matrices were processed with NTSYS Ver. 2 software. Mantel correspondence tests were conducted to select the best similarity coefficient. Dendrogram was constructed using the simple matching coefficient with unweighted pair group mathematical average (UPGMA). Cluster analysis showed the presence of two large and five small groups and the PCoA data confirmed the results of clustering. Results showed that white astragals have more genetic similarity but yellow astragals have more genetic diversity and it is necessary to improve their systematic identification. The highest gene diversity was observed in Kolah-Ghazi (0.366) and the least gene diversity belonged to Moote (0.129). So, the regions with low gene diversity (e. g. Mooteh) should be more protected in relation to astragal accessions and it is necessary to apply genetic conservation strategies in these regions

Safety Assessment of a New Pigmented Safflower Seed Coat (A82) by a Feeding Study on Rat

ABSTRACT Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an annual herbaceous plant, cultivated mainly for the seed which is used for edible oil extraction and bird feeding. This study was designed to evaluate the safety of a new pigmented variety of safflower (A82) seeds. The results showed that oral administration of A82 seeds significantly increased the body weight of male rats in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05). Biochemical tests showed that A82 seeds significantly increased the serum levels of AST (Aspartate aminotransferase) (p<0.05), slightly reduced the serum levels of ALT (Alanine aminotransferase) and significantly reduced ALP (p<0.05) levels in a dose dependent manner. BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) and Cr (Creatinine) were not significantly changed in A82 seed treated groups. Also, testosterone levels were not significantly changed by administration of different doses of A82. However, Johnson scoring showed slightly decrease in experimental groups. No organ weight or histological changes were observed in liver, kidney, spleen, heart and brain of A82 seed treated animals. These results indicate that A82 seeds have not any toxic effects in Wistar rats. Future studies are required to clarify the exact mechanism by which A82 seeds alter AST levels and body weight in rat

An assessment of morphological genetic variations and heritability of Iranian fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) accessions

In order to assess the genetic variations in Iranian fennel accessions, an experiment on15 fennel ones including 13 Iranian and two foreign ones were carried out in randomized block design with three replicates. According to analysis of variance significant differences were observed among all studied traits. Most of the traits showed moderate to high heritability (90%) except for the number of the days up to 50% appearance. Seed yield had positive correlation with number of lateral shoots. The first factor in factor analysis explained 83% of variation. Number of lateral shoots, wet weight, dry weight and seed yield had the highest value in the second Eigen, while in the third one plant height, inflorescence diameter and seed length showed the highest values. Cluster analysis classified 15 fennel accessions in four groups that showed high differences in seed yield, day of ripening and plant height. Furthermore, most of accessions were grouped based on their geographical and climatic conditions. Therefore, it would be possible to cross the elite genotypes from different clusters and select the best ones in order to introduce new cultivars with appreciable agronomic traits