Cannabis sativa L. seeds have been an important source of protein, oil, and dietary fiber for human and animals. Currently, there is a growing interest in the commercial products of these seeds, which are recognized as a legitimate source of medicaments, cosmeceuticals, and nutraceuticals. The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional, phytochemical composition, and antioxidant properties of seeds from seven hemp cultivars grown in Greece for three consecutive years. All the measured parameters strongly varied under the influence of growing year and genotype. In particular, protein, oil, and carbohydrates’ content of hemp seeds as well as fatty acids’ composition were mainly affected by genotype, whereas the growing year had a major effect on phytochemical components and antioxidant activity, which was determined by the 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonate) (ABTS) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Moreover, a predominant effect of the year was observed for phenolic profiles as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and total carotenoids’ content. This study suggests that hemp seeds could be a promising food crop as a result of their high nutritive traits and antioxidant potential. A comparison of the studied cultivars, showed that Finola seeds had the highest oil and protein contents and, thus, appeared to be the most promising cultivar for cultivation in Greece.

Abstract:The volatile constituents of the essential oils of the peel, flower (neroli) and leaves (petitgrain) of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.) growing in Greece were studied by GC-MS. The analytical procedures enabled the quantitative determination of 31 components. More specifically, the components of the essential oils identified were: twelve in the peel, twenty-six in the flowers, and twenty and sixteen in old and young leaves, respectively. The major constituents of the different parts of Citrus aurantium L. essential oils were: β-pinene (0.62%-19.08%), limonene (0.53%-94.67%), trans-β-ocimene (3.11%-6.06%), linalool (0.76%-58.21%), and α-terpineol (0.13%-12.89%). The DPPH test demonstrated that the essential oils in the old leaves had the maximum antioxidant activity, followed by the flowers, young leaves and the peel in that order. This study updates the data in the literature on the essential oils of bitter orange, and provides information on the composition of the oils for a further evaluation of this product.

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The agricultural and medicinal plant pomegranate (Punica granatum L. cv. Wonderful) was studied to examine the effects of wounding of cuttings and to test the effects of different concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), gibberellic acid (GA 3 ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), melatonin (MEL), and ascorbic acid (ASC) on rooting of the shoot cuttings under mist. The data indicated that IBA had a positive influence on the rooting percentage in wounded and nonwounded cuttings. The best rooting was achieved with very thin cuttings (3-4 mm in diameter). The percentage of rooting (100.0 ± 0.0) and the number of roots per plant (15.2 ± 2.4) were positively affected if the point of severing was at an internode of the cutting. It was found that 17 mg L -1 H 2 O 2 in combination with 1000 mg L -1 IBA produced the longest roots, whereas 500 mg L -1 GA 3 in combination with the same IBA concentration (1000 mg L -1 ) reduced root length. In addition, the human hormone MEL at an application of 1.16 mg L -1 can be substituted for IBA to produce positive effects on rooting, while 352.24 mg L -1 ASC alone or in combination with IBA also promoted rooting.