چكيده لاتين :
Introduction: Spices and herbs are part of daily food intake in many regions of the world. They have been used as natural sources of flavorings and preservatives. Yarrow (Achillea spp.) belongs to Asteraceae family and more than 100 species have been recognized in this genus. This plantis reportedto be a diaphoretic, astringent, tonic, stimulant and mild aromatic plant. It contains isovaleric acid, salicylic acid, asparagin, sterols, flavonoids, bitters, tannins, and coumarins. The plant also has a long history as a powerful 'healing herb ' used topically for wounds, cuts and abrasions. The genus name Achillea is derived from the mythical Greek character, Achilles. Action is also reflected in some of the common names mentioned below, such as staunchweed and soldier 's woundwort. The genus Achillea is a well-known medicinal plant, widely used in folk medicine against gastrointestinal disorders such as lack of appetite. This plant is native to Europe and Western Asia but isalso found in Australia, New Zealand and North America. Nineteen species of Achillea have been recognized in Iran distributed in different geographical and ecological regions. Achillea spp. are diaphoretic, astringent, tonic, stimulant and mild aromatic. Major components in Achillea spp. essential oil are sabinene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-pinene, β-pinene, borneol and bornyl acetate. The aim of this work is to investigate growth, essential oil yield and chemical composition of essential oils of A. eriophora, A. millefolium, A. biebersteinii and A. tenuifolia.
Material and Methods: This study investigated the growth and essential oil yield of four Achillea species in the North of Khuzestan situation,Shoushtar, in2008-2010. An experiment was conducted in combined analysis based on complete block design with 4 replicates. Achillea species examined concluded Achillea eriophora, A. millefolium, A. biebersteinii and A. nobilis. Seedling establishment, essential oil percentage andyield, flowering period and shoot dry weight was measured during the experiment. The clevenger apparatus was used to extract oils by hydro-distillation of leaf and head branches for 3 hours according to the method described in the British Pharmacopeia. For identification of components, Agilent gas chromatography model 6890 N, was equipped with MSD model 5973 N and fused with the silica capillary column (HP-5MS, 30m- 0.25mm) were used for qualitative and quantitative analysis.Analysis of variance was employed for statistical analysis of the data using a MSTATC software. The mean values were compared with the Duncan test.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that year, species and their interaction (year×species) had significant (p <0.01) effects on flowering date, flowering period, plant height, biomass, inflorescence dry weight, essential oil percentage and yield. The longest flowering period obtained from A. millefolium in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 (74 days and 90 days respectively). In both years highest inflorescence number showed in A. millefolium and lowest A. millefoliumwas obtained fromA. eriophora. Highest dry matter was obtained from A. millefolium, 1014 g m-2 at first year and 1211 g m-2for the secondyear.A. millefolium had the maximum plant height in 2 years (84 and 85 cm respectively) but A. eriophora showed minimum plant height in both years compared toothers. The highest essential oil percentage was observed in A. eriophora, 0.75 % at first year and 0.71 % forsecond year. The highest essential oil value (108 g m-2) was obtained from A.eriophora, at first year and 109 g m-2 at second year. In both years, the major constituents in A. eriophora and A. nobilis werecamphor, sabinene, camphen, β-pinene and α –Pinene. Maximum concentrations in A. millefolium were camphor, sabinene, β-pinene, 3-octanone and Borneol. Camphor, sabinene, β-pinene, 3-octanone and terpinyl acetate were major compoundsin A. nobilis in both years. In both years more than 85% of yarrow chemical compound was recognized.
Conclusion: Results indicated A. eriophora and A. millefolium were perfect species for fall cultivation in Shoushtar climatic condition compared to other species. A. eriophora and A. millefolium had the highest essential oil yield compared to A. biebersteinii and A. nobilis because these species had thehighestplant dry weight and essential oil percentage than other Achillea species.
