Herbal
Maryam Ghannadnia; Behvar Asghari
Abstract
Introduction: Savory, a medicinal and aromatic plant from the mint family (Lamiaceae), has economic importance and is used in various industries such as food and cosmetics. Low doses of gamma radiation can have beneficial effects on the germination process and biochemical composition of plants, especially ...
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Introduction: Savory, a medicinal and aromatic plant from the mint family (Lamiaceae), has economic importance and is used in various industries such as food and cosmetics. Low doses of gamma radiation can have beneficial effects on the germination process and biochemical composition of plants, especially the medicinal types. Methods: In this study, irradiation of Satureja hortensis seeds with different doses of gamma ray (0, 15, 30, 60 and 90 Gray) was performed at the Nuclear Agriculture Research School, Karaj, Iran. Afterwards, some seed germination factors, morphological and biochemical characteristics of the plants were studied. Phytochemical content of the extracts such as total phenol and flavonoid were investigated using Folin-Ciocalteu and Aluminum Chloride colorimetric methods, respectively. Results and discussion: The results showed that the highest germination percentage and the lowest seed vigour index were obtained in 90 Gray treatment. By increasing the radiation dose up to 30 Gray, the amount of total phenol and flavonoid compounds (antioxidant molecules) as well as inhibitory property of DPPH free radicals raised, but the further enhancement of radiation dose, up to 90 Gray had a negative effect on the values of the mentioned factors. According to the obtained results, irradiation with a dose of 30 Gray on savory seeds can be suggested, due to obtain a useful crop for health, with maximum valuable metabolites, like phenols and flavonoids.
