Improvement of Growth, Yield, Seed Production and Phytochemical Properties of Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad by Foliar Application of Boron and Zinc

Abstract

Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad is a valuable and endemic medicinal plant. Boron and zinc are essential elements for the vegetative and reproductive growth of plants and have significant effects on yield, essential oil composition and the seed production of plants. To investigate the effects of the foliar application of zinc and boron on the growth, yield, seed production and phytochemical properties of S. khuzistanica, a study was conducted in a factorial experiment with three replicates in two consecutive years based on a randomized complete block design. The foliar application of boron (B) at three concentrations (control or distilled water, 0.4% and 0.8% as H3BO3) and zinc (Zn) at three concentrations (control or distilled water, 0.3% and 0.6% as ZnSO4) was carried out. Our results showed that the foliar application of B resulted in a significant increase in the fresh and dry weights of plants, the dry weight of stems, drug yield, seed yield, seed germination and 1000-seed weight. At the same time, the application of B resulted in a significant decrease in seed emptiness. The fresh and dry weights of plants, drug yield, seed yield, 1000-seed weight and seed germination were also significantly improved by Zn foliar spraying compared to the control. Application of 0.8% B resulted in a significant decrease in seed emptiness by 14.16% and 22.37%, as compared to the control. The foliar spraying of B and Zn improved the total phenolic content, the essential oil content and the yield and antioxidant activity of S. khuzistanica. Moreover, B application generally concentrated more carvacrol in the essential oil (in the first experimental year). In contrast, no significant differences were observed between Zn treatments in carvacrol content and total flavonoids. The use of several microelements, such as B and Zn, could improve both the quantity and quality of S. khuzistanica. Additionally, improvement of seed set and seed quality by the foliar spraying of Zn and B may be useful for growing plants in arid and semi-arid areas.

Effect of Boron Foliar Application and Different Fruit-set Orders on Summer Squash Seed Yield and Quality

“…In the current study, B application at 50 ppm significantly improved the seed quality traits, crude oil content, crude protein content and total antioxidant activity in both genotypes and seasons (Tables 2 and 3). In harmony with our results, Mumivand et al (2021) reported that foliar application of B had a significant effect on the essential oil content and yield of S. khuzistanica. Also, Hemantaranjan and Trivedi, (2015) and Mekki, (2016) recorded an increase in amino acids, protein and oil contents Egypt.…”

“…In this respect, the exogenous application of B increased the total seed yields of wheat, rice and maize by 14, 14 and 20%, respectively, (Ahmed et al, 2012). Also, the results of Mumivand et al, (2021) suggested that the foliar application of B can be considered a suitable method to increase the quantity and quality of the crop and seed yields of S. khuzistanica. In fact, the increase in seed yield of summer squash seeds by B application in the current study may be due to the increase in the seed yield component traits, e.g.…”

UV-A and UV-B combined with PAR intensity change in plant growth, total phenol, flavonoid, antioxidative and essential oil composition of Pelargonium graveolens

“…The higher accumulation of plant secondary metabolites in response to high PAR intensity could also be explained by the ecological functions of these compounds as a part of a plant defense mechanism against high light intensity(Raffo et al, 2020). Differently from what observed in this research, shading of solar radiation has been associated to the increased essential oil content of some species, due to the protection conferred by shading against the very intense radiation stress(Degani et al, 2016;Mousavinik et al, 2016).The essential oil yield of oil-bearing plants is thoroughly dependent on the plant biomass and percentage of essential oil(Mumivand et al, 2021b). The extent of increasing the essential oil content due to enriched UV-B irradiation was higher than that of decreasing the leaf dry weight.…”

Biosynthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles via Leaf Extracts of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don and Their Application in Improving Seed Germination Potential and Seedling Vigor of Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn

“…Zinc (Zn) has played a pivotal role in upregulating vital physiological and metabolic processes in enhancing seed germination, pollen grain formation, and fertilization and preserving the plant pigment system [22] and crop biomass production [23]. In addition, it functions as a cofactor in regulating enzymes such as oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, isomerases, lyases, and ligases [24].…”