Dense Cultivation and Fertilization for Higher Yield of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.)

Thyme ( Thymus vulgaris L.) plants were spaced at 15, 30 or 45 cm distances in a clay-loamy soil. They received different levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, besides a constant level of potassium. The results showed, that the wider spacing promoted the growth and production of herb and oil per plant, however dense cultivation significantly increased the yields of herb and oil per unit area. In all cases, the applied fertilization treatments significantly increased the productivity per unit area. Dense cultivation accompanied with higher levels of fertilization proved to be very usefull. The essential oil content was not influenced by either the plant spacing or fertilization treatments applied in this study.     

百里香营养器官解剖结构的观察

[目的]观察百里香营养器官的解剖结构。[方法]采用石蜡切片方法,在光学显微镜下观察百里香营养器官根、茎、叶的解剖结构。[结果]在光学显微镜下,百里香根的次生结构从外到内依次为周皮、韧皮部、维管形成层、木质部、维管射线。茎的次生结构从外到内依次为周皮、韧皮部、维管形成层、木质部和髓,髓位于茎的中心,全部由薄壁细胞组成。叶为典型的异面叶;表皮由一层紧密的形状不规则的表皮细胞组成,细胞外壁角质膜较厚;表皮上分布着较多的单细胞表皮毛;叶肉组织发达,栅栏组织由2层排列整齐的圆柱形细胞构成;海绵组织排列较为疏松。[结论]该研究为百里香的鉴别提供了理论依据。     

3种百里香精油的化学成分分析

采用同时蒸馏萃取法和气相色谱-质谱联用技术（GC-MS）分析3种百里香精油的化学成分。结果显示：从小叶百里香（Thymus quinquecostatu）中检测到45种成分,鉴定出40种;金边百里香（Thymus vulgaris‘GoldenQueen’）检测到11种,鉴定出10种;法国百里香（Thymus vulgaris‘French’）检测到41种,鉴定出36种。从小叶百里香、金边百里香和法国百里香检测到的主要成分分别为龙脑、反式香叶醇和百里酚。这3种百里香精油中共有的香味物质为3-己烯-1醇和正三十七醇。     

The impact of foliar fertilizers on growth and biochemical responses of Thymus vulgaris to salinity stress

Salinity reduces plant biomass and may lead to death when severe. To cope with the negative effects of this stress, plant species present specific physiological or biochemical responses. In this work, we hypothesized that spraying salt-stressed thyme leaves with K⁺ and Ca²⁺ could mitigate the negative effects of salinity on plant growth and metabolism. To test this hypothesis, we grew thyme plants under salinity stress for two and four weeks before applying foliar sprays. Also, to test the effect of stress relief, treated plants were allowed two weeks of recovery after four weeks of salt stress. In general, after two and four weeks of salinity stress, the leaf fresh weight of thyme plants was reduced by 31 and 43%, respectively. Salinity also decreased the relative water content, water, and osmotic potentials and led to ion imbalances and nutrient deficiencies. Salinity altered concentration of some essential oils, but leaf antioxidant contents remained fairly stable, except for a significant increase for plants under NaCl?+?KCl two weeks after treatment. Our results indicated that stressed plants accumulated significantly more soluble sugars and amino acids in comparison with the control. Foliar sprays with KCl and CaCl₂ reversed the negative effects of salinity on plant biomass and induced the accumulations of compatible solutes. Moreover, concentrations of some essential oils and gallic acid increased in sprayed plants, but these effects were dependent on the type and duration of the treatment. Overall, spraying leaves with K⁺ and Ca²⁺ was able to mitigate salinity stress in Thymus vulgaris even during the recovery period.     

Integration of Lactobacillus plantarum A7 with thyme and cumin essential oils as a potential biocontrol tool for gray mold rot on strawberry fruit

Chemical fungicides have been intensively used in the control of postharvest decay in fruit in postharvest conditions; nevertheless, continuous use of these fungicides has faced two major obstacles: development of pathogen resistance to many key fungicides, and public knowledge on the health and environmental hazards of these compounds. This study evaluated the efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum A7, thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) essential oils and the combination of these three elements as postharvest biocontrol agents against Botrytis spp. on strawberry fruit. Thyme oil had a remarkable antifungal effect against Botrytis spp. in vitro, whereas an inhibitory effect of cumin oil was achieved in higher concentrations. With thyme oil (2 h after artificial inoculation of the fruit), among three tested concentrations, only the 200 μL/L concentration showed an inhibitory effect on strawberries against Botrytis spp. (91.97%), while higher concentrations of cumin oil were required to prevent decay significantly. Both combinations of L. plantarum+ cumin oil and L. plantarum+ thyme oil completely inhibited the mycelia growth of the pathogens in vitro. Results showed that the combined treatments of strawberry fruit with L. plantarum+ cumin oil (50 μL/L) and L. plantarum+ thyme oil (100 μL/L) resulted in remarkably improved control of Botrytis infections, in comparison to the stand-alone application of L. plantarum A7 or essential oils. Quality (i.e. pH, acidity and ascorbic acid content) and sensory attributes of the strawberry fruit were better in the case of using cumin compared to thyme oil, when a combination of L. plantarum A7 and essential oils was used. This study has demonstrated that the integration of L. plantarum A7 with thyme and cumin essential oils is a potential biocontrol tool as a biofungicide in postharvest stage.     

Bioavailability of iron from four different local food plants in Jordan

The bioavailability of iron from local plants(black cumin seeds, milk thistle seeds, sesame seedsand thyme leaves) was investigated. Apparentabsorption of iron was calculated by subtracting fecal iron(using total collection of feces) from iron intake inSprague-Dawley rats. Two trials of animal feeding wereperformed. Liver and serum concentrations of iron, andserum hemoglobin concentration were taken as responseparameters for the bioavailability. Dry thyme wasparticularly rich in iron (117.2 mg/100 g dry matter)and milk thistle seeds in crude fiber (25 g/100 g drymatter). Rats fed the dry thyme diet or thatsupplemented with 5% egg white died but when the dietwas supplemented with 10% egg white, the animalssurvived. Iron intake and apparent and total ironabsorption were highest for the rats fed the drythyme-egg white diet. Liver weights for the groups fedblack cumin seeds and dry thyme were significantlyhigher (p < 0.05) than those for the groups fed milkthistle and sesame seeds. Liver content of ironwas highest for the animals fed black cumin seeds.Serum iron content increased significantly (p < 0.05)for the animals fed black cumin seeds, and serumhemoglobin concentration increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the groups fed milk thistle seed and blackcumin seed diets, but decreased for the group fed thethyme-egg white diet. It is concluded from this studythat iron was better utilized from black cumin seedsas indicated by liver storage of iron. On the otherhand, thyme had the highest iron absorption but lowestutilization.     

5种精油和多抗霉素对黄瓜枯萎病原菌抑菌活性的研究

[目的]研究百里香等5种精油对黄瓜枯萎病原菌的抑菌效果,以及筛选出的优选精油和多抗霉素的协同抑菌效果。[方法]采用菌丝生长速率法筛选抑菌效果最强的精油,并检测其最小抑菌浓度(MIC)和EC50,同时研究优选精油和多抗霉素的协同抑菌效果。[结果]精油中百里香的抑制效果最强,EC50为0.309μl/ml,MIC为0.530μl/ml。百里香精油和多抗霉素的协同抑菌效果明显大于两者的单一抑菌效果。[结论]试验结果为天然药物农药的开发与利用提供了理论依据。     

Integrated effect of Glomus mosseae and selected plant oils on the control of bacterial wilt disease of tomato

This study investigated the efficacy of Glomus mosseae and thyme and peppermint oils in controlling bacterial wilt disease (BW) of tomato caused by Ralstonia solanacearum under in vitro conditions and under greenhouse and field conditions. In an in vitro study, we tested nine plant oils against R. solanacearum, and the results demonstrate that only caraway, thyme, peppermint and marjoram oils inhibited the growth of the BW pathogen with differing degrees, thyme oil caused the highest reduction of the growth of the pathogen followed by peppermint and the lowest was caraway and marjoram. We evaluated the effect of thyme and peppermint under greenhouse and field conditions. Under greenhouse conditions, the thyme treatment exhibited the highest disease reduction percentage followed by the thyme + peppermint treatment, while G. mosseae caused the least disease reduction percentage. Under field experiments, thyme oil treatment exhibited the highest ability to reduce the disease by 94.8 and 97.1% in the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons, respectively, followed by the treatment of thyme oil + peppermint oil with the reduction of 89.5 and 82.4%, respectively. G. mosseae exhibited the lowest percentage of disease reduction; however, it caused a greater yield increase percentage during both of the tested seasons.     

百里香芳香油及其主要成分抗氧化试验

利用百里香芳香油及其主要成分进行大豆油和磷脂的抗氧化试验。结果表明，百里香芳香油对大豆油和磷脂有较强的抗氧化作用，同时不影响大豆油的颜色和气味。