3 National Congress on Medicinal Plants 14, 15 May 2014 Mashhad

3rd National Congress on Medicinal Plants
14, 15 May 2014
Mashhad- Iran
EFFECTS OF FOLIAR APPLICATION OF NANO ZINC CHELATE AND ZINC
SULFATE ON CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT, PHOTOSYNTHETIC
PARAMETERES, ESSENTIAL OIL CONTENT AND YIELD OF HOLY
BASIL (OCIMUM SANCTUM)
Zohreh Moghimi Pour,1,* Mohammad Mahmoodi Sourestani,1 Naser Alamzade Ansari,1
Zahra Ramezani,2
1
Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz,
Iran
2
College of Pharmacy, Jundishapur University, Ahvaz, Iran
E-mail: [email protected]
Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), belonging to the lamiaceae family, is a perennial subshrub plant. Essential oil of holy basil contains estragol, linalool, eugenol and methyl
chavicol. This plant is known as “Queen of plants” the mother medicine of nature ranks
among the most important aromatic herbs for its enormous medicinal properties [1]. Essential
oil biosynthesis of medicinal plant is strongly influenced by Zn and the stresses caused by
deficiency of other elements [2]. In order to evaluate the effect of foliar application of zinc
fertilizer on chlorophyll content, photosynthetic parameteres, essential oil content and yield
of holy basil at first and second harvests, an experiment was conducted at research farm of
faculty of agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz based on randomized complete
block design, with three replications. The treatments were nano zinc chelate (zero, 0.5, 1 and
1.5 gr.lit-1) and zinc solfate fertilizers (1 and 1.5 gr.lit-1). Foliar application of fertilizer was
done at six to eight leaf stage and was repeated with interal 15 days until the end of the study.
The net photosynthesis (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E), quantum yield
(QY), water use efficiency (WUE) and chlorophyll content were measured on adult leaf at
begining of flowering. Then, the plants were harvested at full bloom stage and dried in shade.
The essential oil was extracted by a clevenger apparatus. The results showed that the effect of
foliar application of zinc fertilizer on Pn, gs, E, QY, chlorophyll content, essential oil content
and yeild of holy basil were significant (p≥0.01). There was no significant difference between
treatments in water use efficiency (WUE). The highest values of Pn (11.75 μmol CO2 m-2s-1),
gs (0.31 mmol H2O m-2 s-1), E (2.80 mmol H2O m-2 s-1), QY (6.10 μmol CO2 μmol. photon-1),
chl a, chl b and total chlorophyll (0.99, 0.20 and 1.19 gr.kg-1(FM)), essential oil content
(2.11%) and yeild (39.13 gr.m-2) were obtained in plant sprayed with 1.5 gr.lit-1 nano zinc
chelate. In total, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic parameteres, essential oil content and
yeild of holy basil were increased by foliar application of zinc and 1.5 gr.lit-1 nano zinc
chelate was recommended.
References
[1] Singh, V.; Amdekar, S.; Verma, O. Webmedcentral pharmacology. 2010, 1(10), 01–07.
[2] Misra, A.; Dwivedi, S.; Srivastava, K. A.; Tewari, D. K.; Khan, A.; Kumar, R. Scholars
Research Library. 2007, 4(1): 01-05.
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