The present results suggest a direct cytotoxic activity of K. odoratissima leaf extract against human cancer cell lines. This activity of K. odoratissima may find application in combination with traditional herbal medicines to develop a new anticancer pharmacopuncture therapy.

Proper priming techniques are among the most important methods for increasing seed germination and seedling growth. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of plant hormone (500 and 1000 mg/L gibberellic acid (GA)), magnetic field (3, 15, 30 mili Tesla (mT)) and laser irradiation at 650 nm (200 mW) on the germination and the growth of Salvia officinalis. We examined the plumule and radical length, plumule and radical fresh weight, plumule and radical dry weight, germination percentage, germination rate and seed vigor. The two concentrations of GA significantly increased seed germination and seedling growth. The magnetic field at 15 mT significantly increased radical length. The effect of laser irradiation was also significant on plumule length, and fresh and dry weight, radicle fresh weight, germination percentage and rate and seed vigor. Such results may be of practical use in the field, especially in arid and semiarid areas, but more research must determine the response of medicinal sage, treated with the priming techniques tested in our experiments, under stress conditions.

Rosa damascena Mill L. also known as "Damask Rose" and "Gole Mohammadi" is a well-recognized high value ornamental and medicinal plant, which can be used in food, perfume and medicine industries. This studiy aimed to analyze the genetic diversity of 10 Rosa damascena genotypes by evaluating their morphological traits, flower yield and oil content to find the best genotype with a high productivity under rainfed condition in Lorestan province, Iran. This study was conducted in a completely randomized design trial with three replications. The data analyses, using Pearson's correlation coefficients showed that flower dry yield per hectare was significantly and positively correlated with, flower dry weight per plant, flowering period, plant height, number of flowers per plant, fresh and dry weight of petals, average weight of each flower, and number of flowers per day. Principal component (PC) analysis revealed that the first three PCs, respectively called as flower yield, 2 2 receptacle, and flower size components accounted for 88.33% of the total variation. The genotypes were grouped into four clusters in which the highest genetic distance was observed between Kermanshah and Fars1 genotypes. Fars1 and Yazd1 genotypes had the highest productivity in terms of respectively flower yield and oil content and showed the high potential for cultivation under rainfed condition in Lorestan province.

Understanding how plants respond to salinity, which severely restricts plant growth, productivity, and survival, is highly important in agriculture. Using three genotypes of Matricaria recutita L. (Shiraz, Ahvaz, and Isfahan) with different sensitivity to NaCl, the effect of long-term (about 110 days) NaCl treatments (2.5, 6, 9, and 12 dS * m -1 ) on crop growth, oil quality and quantity, and nutrient variations were investigated to underpin its agricultural management in the future. The adaptation strategy and plant responses were influenced by salinity level, genotype, and genotype × salinity interactions. With higher productivity compared to the Isfahan genotype, the Shiraz and Ahvaz genotypes had efficient Na + exclusion at root surface as an avoidance strategy; however, under higher NaCl concentration, their higher performance were mainly attributed to the Na + sequestration in root vacuoles and higher Ca 2+ /Na + , Mg 2+ /Na + , and root/shoot ratios as tolerance strategies. The higher oil yield and chamazulene percentage in the Isfahan genotype were not affected by salinity level and were only genotype dependent. Under 12 dS*m -1 NaCl, roots of the Shiraz and Ahvaz genotypes accumulated markedly higher Ca 2+ (2.5% and 1.5% respectively) and Mg 2+ (1.6% and 1.3% respectively), required for membrane stability and chlorophyll synthesis, respectively, more than the Isfahan genotype (0.2% Ca and 0.1% Mg 2+ ) and considerably more than the control plants to keep low concentrations of ion toxicity of Na 2+ and Cl -in shoots. Overall, greater salt tolerance found in the Shiraz and Ahvaz genotypes could be due to a variety of mechanisms, including higher efficiency of nutrient uptake (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , and Zn 2+ ), utilization (N, P, Ca 2+ , and Mg 2+ ), compartmentation (Na in roots), and maintenance of higher root/shoot ratios. Taking flower and oil yield as well as chamazulene percentage into consideration, the findings recommended cultivation of the Ahvaz genotype in the absence of salt stress (by 1.18 g*plant -1 , 6.25 kg*ha -1 , and 12.54% respectively), the Isfahan genotype under 6 dS*m -1 NaCl (by 0.73 g*plant -1 , 4.84 kg*ha -1 , and 11.66% respectively), and the Shiraz genotype under high salinity of 9 and 12 dS*m -1 NaCl (by 0.68 g*plant -1 , 5.20 kg*ha -1 , and 13.46% respectively under 12 dS*m -1 NaCl).

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