Fresh loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) fruits easily lose their marketability because of fungal spoilage, browning, and weight loss after harvest. The use of essential oils as postharvest treatment is a talented alternative to fungicides mainly because of their ability to reduce respiration and transpiration of the fresh fruits during storage. However, the postharvest studies with the volatiles of essential oils are limited. The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of volatile essential oils of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) leaves for preserving the postharvest storability of loquat fruits. Test fruits of the present study were exposed to 5 different treatments, which are (i) water vapor (2 min), (ii) myrtle leaves (3% w/w), (iii) myrtle leaf vapor (2 min), (iv) myrtle leaf vapor (10 min), and (v) untreated control. A total of 30 compounds were isolated from the essential oil, and the three highest amounts of compounds were determined as eucalyptol (39.38%), α-pinene (24.98%), and linalool (8.18%). Exposure to myrtle leaves (3% w/w) and myrtle leaf vapor (2 min) was also noted to provide higher efficacy for reducing the weight loss, decay incidence, and browning index.

Tagetes minuta L. known as Muster John Henry is an annual, fragrant and naturalized plant species in Turkey. The study aimed to determine essential oil content and components of Tagetes minuta L. from the flora of Hatay. Flower and leaf parts were hydrodistilled together in the full flowering period. Essential oils were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Essential oil content was found at 1.8%. Essential oil compositions that constitute 99.20% of the essential oil were revealed. Main components found as trans-β-ocimene 45.92% and verbenone 32.68%. T. minuta has wide usage in perfume, food and ornamental plant industry. Further studies should perform on the cultivation of the species for national industries.

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Bay laurel leaves and fruits are usually obtained from naturally grown plants. Therefore, it is not always possible to obtain the product at the same quality. For this reason, plantation for leaf production should be established separately from fruit production to obtain quality products. The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of the production of the bay laurel plant such as field crops in a shrub form. It is also important to know the ontogenetic variability on the amount of active substance and determine suitable plant density and appropriate harvesting time in order to increase leaf yield and essential oil with desired quality characteristics. Three different planting frequencies (1x1.5m; 1x3 m; 1x1x3 m) and three different harvesting times (one form per year, two forms per year and two years per form) were applied to the experiment. The experiment was established with a total of 1080 seedlings. In the experiment, the shoot length (16,84 -31,50 cm), number of shoots (4,77 -16,00 plants/plant), fresh weight (6,88 -27,80 kg/da), dry weight (4,15 -26,63 kg/da), dry leaf yield (2,57 -17,29 kg/da), leaf area (20,41 -24,56 cm2), chlorophyll SPAD value (32,36 -39,5 kg/da), total ash content (7,96 -11,46 %), essential oil content (2,06 -3,12%) and essential oil yields were determined.

Medicinal and aromatic plants have an increasing demand but this demand requires qualified material. Most of the products still obtained from nature. The mint family (Lamiaceae) contains more than 7000 species and the largest genera of the family are Salvia, Scuttellaria, Stachys, Plectranthus, Hyptis, Teucrium, Vitex, Thymus and Nepeta. The member of the family has a value through their secondary metabolites. Essential oils are the most important secondary metabolite in many of the species in the family. The genus Salvia consists of 1000 species which 107 of the taxa represented in Turkey. This review focuses on two Salvia species from natural flora of Turkey: Salvia fruticosa and Salvia aramiensis. Salvia fruticosa Mill. with wide distribution is a very important commodity with medicinal and aromatic properties. Besides that, S. aramiensis Rech. fil. occurs in a restricted area in Turkey but depending on low camphor and thujone content has a great potential to be part in trade. The importance of two species were estimated and future approaches were discussed. Especially the botany, distribution, domestication, spread, cultivation, previous studies on agricultural aspects, biological properties, breeding, molecular characterization of the species were discussed.

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Five different Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) obtained from different sources were cultivated under Hatay ecological conditions used as a plant material. To determine essential oil rate fresh herbs of coriander were analysed with Neo-Clevenger apparatus by the method steam distillation. Essential oil components were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) apparatus.

C. cyminum (cumin) and M. communis (myrtle) comprise many biologically active molecules. In this study, cumin seed and myrtle leaves were mixed than hydrodistilled and analyzed in GC-MS. The main components of the essential oil were cuminal (50.71%), 1,8 cineole (8.30%), O-cymene (7.88%), β-pinene (7.62%), α-pinene (7.16%), γ-terpinene (6.09%) and α-terpinolene (2.19%). The antifungal activity of the essential oil against C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis was investigated using Spectrophotometric Broth Microdilution, Colorimetric Broth Microdilution, and Agar Well Diffusion tests. Antimicrobial mechanism of the EO were researched by TTC-dehydrogenase relative activity, protein and DNA leakage analysis. While the MIC values of the oil were 3.29 mg mL-1 for C. albicans, 3.57 mg mL-1 for C. parapsilosis and 3.65 mg mL-1 for C. tropicalis, the 50% cytotoxic concentration values were between 0.17 mg/mL and 2.61 mg mL-1 for Candidas'. The inhibition values against yeasts in dark and light conditions were found as 42.1 mm on C. parapsilosis and 39 mm on C. tropicalis exposed dark and light, respectively. The inhibition zones of oil in water, glucose, glycerol and salt environment. As a result, the highest IZ was found as 26.6 mm on C. albicans and 26 mm on C. tropicalis in the presence of 3% glycerol environment. The DNA and protein level were increased when yeast were exposed to the EO. As a result, the oil of mixed C. cyminum and M. communis preserved its antimicrobial stability in different environmental conditions and should contribute to new antifungal research.