Essential Oil and Bioactive Compounds Variation in Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) as Affected by Seasonal Variation and Salt Stress.

The effect of different NaCl concentrations (control, 2, 4 and 6 dS/m) and three harvesting times in different seasons including spring (9 April), summer (5 July), and fall (23 September) was evaluated on essential oil (EO) yield, composition, phenolic, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of myrtle. Essential oil yield ranged from 0.2% in control and fall to 1.6% in moderate salinity (4 dS/m) and spring season. The main constituents obtained from gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis were α-pinene, 1,8-cineole, limonene, linalool, α-terpineol, and linalyl acetate in which α-pinene ranged from 11.70% in moderate and fall to 30.99% in low salinity (2 dS/m) and spring, while 1,8-cineole varied from 7.42% in high salinity (6 dS/m) and summer to 15.45% in low salinity and spring, respectively. Salt stress also resulted in an increase in total phenolic, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. The highest antioxidant activity based on DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power (FTC) and ß-carotene/linoleic acid model systems was found in plants harvested in spring and summer in high stress condition. The lowest IC50 values obtained in 6 dS/m in spring (375.23 µg/ml) followed by summer (249.41 µg/ml) and fall (618.38 µg/ml). Eight major phenolic and flavonoid compounds were determined in three harvesting times using high performance liquid chromatography analysis. In overall, late harvesting time of myrtle in fall can lead to reduce the most of major EO components, while it can improve the amount of phenolic acids.

NaCl-induced physiological and biochemical adaptative mechanisms in the ornamental Myrtus communis L. plants.

Physiological and biochemical changes in Myrtus communis L. plants after being subjected to different solutions of NaCl (44, and 88 mM) for up to 30 days (Phase I) and after recovery from the salinity period (Phase II) were studied. Myrtle plants showed salinity tolerance by displaying a series of adaptative mechanisms to cope with salt-stress, including controlled ion homeostasis, the increase in root/shoot ratio, the reduction of water potentials and stomatal conductance to limit water loss. In addition, they displayed different strategies to protect the photosynthetic machinery, including limiting toxic ion accumulation in leaves, increase in chlorophyll content, and changes in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, leaf anatomy and increases in catalase activity. Anatomical modifications in leaves, including a decrease in spongy parenchyma and increased intercellular spaces, allow CO2 diffusion in a situation of reduced stomatal aperture. In spite of all these changes, salinity produced oxidative stress in myrtle plants as monitored by increases in oxidative stress parameter values. The post-recovery period is perceived as a new stress situation, as observed through effects on plant growth and alterations in non-photochemical quenching parameters and lipid peroxidation values.

In vitro propagation of ornamental myrtus (Myrtus communis).

The Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) is an evergreen shrub typical of the Mediterranean area; it is an interesting plant with multipurpose use. The ornamental use takes into account the production of green cut branches for indoor decoration and production of pot plants for gardening. In this species, there is a great variability in the natural germplasm around the Mediterranean coasts for type and size of fruit, plant architecture, leaf size and internode length. Selected genotypes have been successfully sterilized and cultured in vitro. The shoots were multiplied on MS (16) salts and vitamins, with 0.5 mg/L BA and 0.2 mg/L IAA. Clones showed variation of multiplication rate and rooting percentage. IAA or IBA at 0.5 mg/L increased the rooting percentage and noticed differences in root number and length. The sucrose concentration can affect rooting, such as light intensity during the in vitro rooting phase can modulate biomass production and chlorophyll content. The combination of these factors enhanced the frequency rate of acclimatization.

Comparison of arsenic resistance in Mediterranean woody shrubs used in restoration activities.

Myrtus communis, Arbutus unedo and Retama sphaerocarpa are Mediterranean shrubs widely used in revegetation of semiarid degraded soils. The aim of this work is to study the resistance of these plants to arsenic under controlled conditions, in order to evaluate their potential use in revegetation and/or phytoremediation of As-polluted soils. R. sphaerocarpa showed higher resistance to As than M. communis or A. unedo according to its higher EC50, P status and P/As molar ratio in both, roots and shoots, and the lower increases in lipid peroxidation and decrease of chlorophyll levels in response to arsenic, while the highest arsenate sensitivity was obtained for A. unedo. Arsenic was mainly retained in roots, and, although M. communis accumulated higher arsenic amounts than the other two species, R. sphaerocarpa showed the highest root to shoot transfer. Most of the studied parameters (chlorophylls, MDA and total thiols) showed significant correlation with arsenic concentration in roots and leaves of plants, so they can be useful indexes in the diagnosis of arsenic toxicity in these species. According to our results, both M. communis and R. sphaerocarpa could be used in the revegetation of moderately arsenic contaminated sites.

Natural abundance carbon isotope composition of isoprene reflects incomplete coupling between isoprene synthesis and photosynthetic carbon flow.

Isoprene emission from leaves is dynamically coupled to photosynthesis through the use of primary and recent photosynthate in the chloroplast. However, natural abundance carbon isotope composition (delta(13)C) measurements in myrtle (Myrtus communis), buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus), and velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) showed that only 72% to 91% of the variations in the delta(13)C values of fixed carbon were reflected in the delta(13)C values of concurrently emitted isoprene. The results indicated that 9% to 28% carbon was contributed from alternative, slow turnover, carbon source(s). This contribution increased when photosynthesis was inhibited by CO(2)-free air. The observed variations in the delta(13)C of isoprene under ambient and CO(2)-free air were consistent with contributions to isoprene synthesis in the chloroplast from pyruvate associated with cytosolic Glc metabolism. Irrespective of alternative carbon source(s), isoprene was depleted in (13)C relative to mean photosynthetically fixed carbon by 4 per thousand to 11 per thousand. Variable (13)C discrimination, its increase by partially inhibiting isoprene synthesis with fosmidomicin, and the associated accumulation of pyruvate suggested that the main isotopic discrimination step was the deoxyxylulose-5-phosphate synthase reaction.