Influence of foliar fertilisers on biochemical and physiological properties in Nepeta racemosa Lam.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate some elements of physiology and biochemistry in Nepeta racemosa Lam. in the pedo-climatic conditions of the Moldavian forest steppe. The parameters were quantified under conditions of differentiated fertilisation with three foliar products (KSC 1, KSC 2, and Corona K). Biochemical analysis by GC/MS revealed the highest concentration of the following components: nepetallic acid (Untreat - 54.33%, KSC 1 - 55.50%, KSC 2 - 56.90%, Corona K - 53.77), eucalyptol (Untreat . 9.87%, KSC 1 - 10.70%, KSC 2- 12.80%, Corona K - 10.78%), 3-hydroxy- (4S, 4aS, 7S, 7aS)-dihydronepetalactone (Untreat - 5.87%, KSC 1 - 5.37%, KSC 2 - 4.87, Corona K - 3.67%), and (4aS, 7S, 7aS)-trans, cis-nepetalactone (Untreat - 4.30%, KSC 1 - 5.00%, KSC 2 - 4.20%, Corona K - 5.23%). Polyphenols were present in large quantities in the Corona K variant, with 33.1 mg GA/g dw at the first harvest and 27.88 mg GA/g dw at the second harvest. The highest concentration of flavonoids was identified in the Corona K variant (26.34 mg QE/g dw - first harvest and 56.77 mg QE/g dw - second harvest). The antioxidant activity was between 14.76 and 38.54% at the first harvest, and from 12.18 to 22.95% at the second harvest. Chlorophyll pigments ranged from 13.12- 17.68 μg/ml-1 for chlorophyll a, 5.43-9.66 μg/ml-1 for chlorophyll b, and 2.07-3.34 μg/ml-1 for carotenoids. The highest grass production per m2 was achieved in the version fertilised with KSC 1 for both crops, with 986.66 g/m2 for the first harvest and 861.33 g/m2 for the second. Iridoids are a class of substances that are commonly used for pesticide role. The study aims to highlight these substances and determine whether differentiated fertilization influences. The presented data confirm the results in the literature for polyphenols and flavonoids, but also present chemotypic novelties in terms of chemical composition and represent a direction to follow for future research

Influence of Environmental Factors on Some Biochemical and Physiological Indicators in Grapevine from Copou Vineyard, Iasi, Romania

Climate factors strongly impact the growth of grapes and their flavonoid composition, especially due to heat and drought stress. Four varieties—Gelu, Moldova, Purpuriu, and Coarna Neagra—from a Copou vineyard were analyzed to assess the impact of climate change on the anthocyanin concentration in grapes and total chlorophyll content of the leaves, and find possible correlations between these parameters during the two studied years, such as to raise producer awareness regarding the climate impact on table grape vine growth. Moldova and Purpuriu show adaptation to a slight temperature increase above the normal average and also to a water deficit, with increased concentrations of anthocyanins of up to three times. The Moldova variety accumulated low amounts of chlorophyll pigments in most analyzed development phases, indicating a negative correlation between these pigments. Coarna neagra exhibited an increase of the foliar pigments, a variety that proved to be less valuable from the point of view of anthocyanin content. Positive correlations were found between the anthocyanin and chlorophyll concentrations in the case of Gelu, Moldova, and Coarna neagra cultivars during the latter phase of the fruit development, whereas the water deficit in the second year induced negative correlations during fruit development and at the time of harvest for all studied varieties except Moldova

Studies regarding the influence of some phenotypic parameters on raw material’s quality of different genotypes from Mentha genus

Peppermint (Mentha sp.) is one of the most cultivated medicinal plant worldwide due to its diverse range of products in which it can be used. The main natural product (Herba Menthae) is used in pharmaceutical industry, as an additive and flavor in food industry and the extracted essential oil is used in numerous cosmetic and selfcare products. This study’s purpose is to quantify a series of biometrical and physiological elements of some species which pertain to Mentha genus from USAMV’s “Collection of Medicinal Plants”, which influence the raw material’s quality and the quantity of essential oils. The studied mint species are Mentha viridis var. crispata (Schrod) Beck Ecotype 2, Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson Ecotype 2, Mentha spicata var. viridis L., Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson Ecotip 1, Mentha viridis var. crispata (Schrod) Beck Ecotype 1. The study followed the influence of the leaf surface, the content of chlorophyll pigments, but also the total leaf number on the production of volatile oil. Being a very important parameter in the reception and estimation of needed quantity of raw material, drying efficiency was determined for each cultivar. The highest amount of volatile oil was obtained from two ecotypes of the Mentha viridis var. crispata (Schrod) Beck species, in a percentage of 0.54% and 0.58%, and the lowest amount from Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson Ecotype 2. The results are showing that the quantity of volatile oil is influenced by the leaf surface, especially by the basal leaves. It is being proved that the amount of the volatile oil is influenced by the leaf surface, its placement and the chlorophyll pigments content and the cultivar factor, in the same environmental conditions

Phytocomplex with Zingiber officinale extract, Piper nigrum and Piper cubeba oil - in vitro antimicrobial effect

Vegetal compounds are known for their therapeutic actions in correlation with their antioxidant activity so that in recent times the interest in their properties has greatly increased. The phytocomplex obtained by combining the Zingiber officinale extract, Piper nigrum and Piper cubeba oil is distributed and recommended in European space as a multi-benefit nutritional supplement for swine, poultry, cattle, horses and others. As the individual properties of the three compounds are known, we aimed to test the antimicrobial activity of the phytocomplex on various Gram negative pathogens. In the time-kill assay, in vitro inhibitory effects were visible after 15 minutes of contact and total inhibition of the species Samonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was obtained after 24 hours. The results obtained in vitro showed a very good antimicrobial activity which clearly contributes to the overall beneficial effects of the Zingiber officinale extract, Piper nigrum and Piper cubeba oil phytocomplex

The impact of salinity stress on antioxidant response and bioactive compounds of Nepeta cataria L.

In this study, the ability of Nepeta cataria L. to grow and synthesize bioactive compounds on soil treated with different salt concentrations was tested to evaluate the opportunity of cultivating it in soils affected by salinization. N. cataria L. was grown in soil containing specific amounts of NaCl, Na2SO4, and their mixture. After harvesting, the plants were analyzed from the morphological and physiological point of view. Salinity stress inhibited the growth, with the highest decrease of the plant yield up to about 70% in the case of salt mixture, and smaller values for the separate salt treatments. In the same time, as a defense mechanism, there was an increase of granular trichomes’ density, as observed with the scanning electron microscope. For mild concentrations of salt, the amount of chlorophyll pigments was enhanced, while for stronger salinity stress, it decreased. The opposite behavior was evidenced for the polyphenol content, as antioxidant activity was used as a protective mechanism against reactive oxygen species produced under salinity stress. The antioxidant activity was considerably higher for separate NaCl and Na2SO4 treatments than for the salt mixture variants. The results showed that the species Nepeta cataria L. reacts well to high salinity levels, with an increased content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity even for the highest studied salinity conditions

Salinity Stress Influences the Main Biochemical Parameters of Nepeta racemosa Lam.

In this work, the effects of salt stress on Nepeta racemosa Lam. were studied to analyze the possibility of using it as a potential culture for salinity-affected soils. A total of nine concentrations of salts—NaCl (18, 39, and 60 mg/100 g soil), Na2SO4 (50, 85, and 120 mg/100 g soil), and a mixture (9 g NaCl + 25 g Na2SO4, 19 g NaCl + 43 g Na2SO4, and 30 g NaCl + 60 g Na2SO4/100 g soil)—simulated real salinity conditions. Environmental electron microscopy offered information about the size and distribution of glandular trichomes, which are very important structures that contain bioactive compounds. The chlorophyll pigments, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were determined based on spectrophotometric protocols. The results have shown a different impact of salinity depending on the salt type, with an increase in bioactive compound concentrations in some cases. The highest polyphenol concentrations were obtained for Na2SO4 variants (47.05 and 46.48 mg GA/g dw for the highest salt concentration in the first and second year, respectively), while the highest flavonoid content was found for the salt mixtures (42.77 and 39.89 mg QE/g dw for the highest concentrations of salt in the first and, respectively, the second year), approximately 100% higher than control. From the Pearson analysis, strong correlations were found between chlorophyll pigments (up to 0.93), antioxidant activity and yield for the first harvest (up to 0.38), and antioxidant activity and flavonoid content for the second harvest (up to 0.95). The results indicate the possibility of growing the studied plants in salt-stress soils, obtaining higher concentrations of bioactive compounds

Salinity Stress Influences the Main Biochemical Parameters of Nepeta racemosa Lam.

In this work, the effects of salt stress on Nepeta racemosa Lam. were studied to analyze the possibility of using it as a potential culture for salinity-affected soils. A total of nine concentrations of salts—NaCl (18, 39, and 60 mg/100 g soil), Na2SO4 (50, 85, and 120 mg/100 g soil), and a mixture (9 g NaCl + 25 g Na2SO4, 19 g NaCl + 43 g Na2SO4, and 30 g NaCl + 60 g Na2SO4/100 g soil)—simulated real salinity conditions. Environmental electron microscopy offered information about the size and distribution of glandular trichomes, which are very important structures that contain bioactive compounds. The chlorophyll pigments, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were determined based on spectrophotometric protocols. The results have shown a different impact of salinity depending on the salt type, with an increase in bioactive compound concentrations in some cases. The highest polyphenol concentrations were obtained for Na2SO4 variants (47.05 and 46.48 mg GA/g dw for the highest salt concentration in the first and second year, respectively), while the highest flavonoid content was found for the salt mixtures (42.77 and 39.89 mg QE/g dw for the highest concentrations of salt in the first and, respectively, the second year), approximately 100% higher than control. From the Pearson analysis, strong correlations were found between chlorophyll pigments (up to 0.93), antioxidant activity and yield for the first harvest (up to 0.38), and antioxidant activity and flavonoid content for the second harvest (up to 0.95). The results indicate the possibility of growing the studied plants in salt-stress soils, obtaining higher concentrations of bioactive compounds

The Impact of Salinity Stress on Antioxidant Response and Bioactive Compounds of Nepeta cataria L.

In this study, the ability of Nepeta cataria L. to grow and synthesize bioactive compounds on soil treated with different salt concentrations was tested to evaluate the opportunity of cultivating it in soils affected by salinization. N. cataria L. was grown in soil containing specific amounts of NaCl, Na2SO4, and their mixture. After harvesting, the plants were analyzed from the morphological and physiological point of view. Salinity stress inhibited the growth, with the highest decrease of the plant yield up to about 70% in the case of salt mixture, and smaller values for the separate salt treatments. In the same time, as a defense mechanism, there was an increase of granular trichomes’ density, as observed with the scanning electron microscope. For mild concentrations of salt, the amount of chlorophyll pigments was enhanced, while for stronger salinity stress, it decreased. The opposite behavior was evidenced for the polyphenol content, as antioxidant activity was used as a protective mechanism against reactive oxygen species produced under salinity stress. The antioxidant activity was considerably higher for separate NaCl and Na2SO4 treatments than for the salt mixture variants. The results showed that the species Nepeta cataria L. reacts well to high salinity levels, with an increased content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity even for the highest studied salinity conditions

The Impact of Salinity Stress on Antioxidant Response and Bioactive Compounds of <i>Nepeta cataria</i> L.

In this study, the ability of Nepeta cataria L. to grow and synthesize bioactive compounds on soil treated with different salt concentrations was tested to evaluate the opportunity of cultivating it in soils affected by salinization. N. cataria L. was grown in soil containing specific amounts of NaCl, Na2SO4, and their mixture. After harvesting, the plants were analyzed from the morphological and physiological point of view. Salinity stress inhibited the growth, with the highest decrease of the plant yield up to about 70% in the case of salt mixture, and smaller values for the separate salt treatments. In the same time, as a defense mechanism, there was an increase of granular trichomes’ density, as observed with the scanning electron microscope. For mild concentrations of salt, the amount of chlorophyll pigments was enhanced, while for stronger salinity stress, it decreased. The opposite behavior was evidenced for the polyphenol content, as antioxidant activity was used as a protective mechanism against reactive oxygen species produced under salinity stress. The antioxidant activity was considerably higher for separate NaCl and Na2SO4 treatments than for the salt mixture variants. The results showed that the species Nepeta cataria L. reacts well to high salinity levels, with an increased content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity even for the highest studied salinity conditions