Comparison of quantitative and qualitative performance of superior genotypes of mountain thyme (Thymus kotschynus) in low salinity water and soil conditions

Subject Areas : Medicinal Plants

Abbas Pourmeidani ¹ , Ali Ashraf Jafari ² , Razia Azimi ³

1 - Research Assistant Professor, Forests and Rangelands Research Department, Qom Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Qom, Iran.
2 - Research Professor,, Rangeland Research Department, Forestry and Rangeland Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran. Iran.
3 - Research Assistant Professor, Medicinal Plant Research Department, Forestry and Pasture Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran. Iran.

Received: 2024-01-27 Accepted : 2024-07-29 Published : 2024-12-04

Keywords: medicinal, plants, thyme, essential oil composition, salt, ,

Abstract :

This research was carried out with the aim of introducing the most suitable accession in Thymus kotschynus species for the development of cultivation in saline conditions at Pardisan Qom Medicinal Plant Research Station. The seeds of the top 4 accessions along with the control (T.vulgaris) were planted in January 2016 in JF pots, and in April of the following year, potted seedlings were planted in the main field in the form of a randomized complete block design in three replications. Essential oil extraction was done by water distillation method and essential oil analysis was done by gas chromatography method. The results of composite variance analysis of traits showed that the effect of population, year and the interaction of year in the population on aerial organ performance, essential oil percentage and essential oil performance were significant at the error probability level of 1 or 5%. Comparison of the average interaction effect of year and population revealed that the highest yield of aerial parts was in the control with 3496 and population 5 at the rate of 3405 tons per hectare (in the second year of the experiment). After the control population in the first year, the highest percentage of essential oil was recorded in the populations of 70 and 54 and in the second year of the experiment. Also, the highest yield of essential oil with 30 kg per hectare was observed in populations 5 and 54. Although the performance of both essential oils was significantly lower than the control. Carvacrol chemotypes were identified in accessions 5 and 22, thymol in accession 54 and geraniol in accession 5. In total, accessions 5 (Qazvin 1) and 54 (Naqadeh) can be considered for the development of cultivation in saline water and soil conditions.