The hexane extract from the aerial parts of Alchemilla sericata Reichenb. which was collected from Khalkhal-Asalem road, Ardabil Province, northwestern Iran, was obtained using a commercially available Soxhlet apparatus. The fatty acids were derived to methyl esters and determined through gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) systems. The extract was characterized by high amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFA) (66.0%) along with lower quantities of some other terpenoid compounds. Accordingly, the main components of the hexane extract were found to be hexadecanoic acid (41.4%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (21.0%), octadecanoic acid (18.0%) and dioctylphthalate (7.7%), respectively. The hexane extract from A. sericata was also detected as a rich source of an important source of palmitic acid compound. In addition, its antioxidant activity was evaluated by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The results indicate that extracts from the aerial parts of A. sericata possess considerable antioxidant activity. The highest radical scavenging activity was detected in this plant oil (IC50=185 μg/mL). The antimicrobial activity of the hexane extract sample were determined against seven Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae), as well as three fungi (Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger). The bioassays used showed that the hexane extract exhibited a moderate antimicrobial activity. This study revealed that the extracts from the aerial parts of this plant are potential sources of fatty acid components, as well as effective natural antioxidants. تفاصيل المقالة

BACKGROUND: Sustainable agriculture is a great solution to reduce chemical pollutants to overcome environmental pollution. OBJECTIVES: Considering the importance of the savory and the consequences of fertilizers application, current study was carried out to determine the optimum concentration of seaweed extract and Ecormon fertilizer -as an organic matter and growth promoting stimulus- on some biochemical characteristics of white savory. METHODS: The present study was conducted as a factorial experiment in a randomized complete blocks design including three concentrations of seaweed extract (0, 1.5, and 3/1000) and three concentrations of Ecormon fertilizer (0, 0.5 and 1/1000) in three replications to study the biochemical properties of white savory. RESULT: According to the results, the highest chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll and carotenoid levels were observed in the treatment of Ecormon1 (2.65, 2.31, 4.95 and 2.88 mg.g-1 respectively), whereas Seaweed 1.5 had the lowest pigments amounts. The highest amount of phenolic compounds (804.00 mg.g-1) was obtained from seaweed 3 plus Ecormon 1, while the lowest amounts were belonging to seaweed 1.5 plus Ecormon1 and seaweed 3 plus Ecormon 0.5 (247.40 and 248.30 mg.g-1), respectively. The highest amounts of antioxidant activity were observed in treatments of seaweed 3 plus Ecormon1 and Ecormon 0.5 (46.25 and 45.26 %, respectively) and the lowest value (25.87 %) was observed in control treatment. CONCLUSION: In general, application of Ecormon and seaweed extract showed a positive effect on photosynthetic pigments, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of white savory. So, it can be recommended to farmers as efficient bio-elicitors that improve the biochemical properties of the plant through induction of the immune system. تفاصيل المقالة