The scent of Mare Nostrum: medicinal and aromatic plants in Mediterranean soils

Abstract

In the Mediterranean area, the simultaneous occurrence of pedological, climatic and economic constraints often sets a limit on the profitability of agriculture, and farmers are forced to grow a reduced number of species, dealing with a secure-albeit low-market income. The introduction of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) inside the current farming systems could represent a useful means to meet the multifunctional role of agriculture: producing safe food, in respect of the environment, and contributing to the development of rural areas. The study of the relationships between MAPs and the soils in which they may be grown may have two approaches: (1) the evaluation of yield and qualitative response of MAPs to the variation of soil features; and (2) the study of selective recovery of certain elements (toxic and beneficial), and their subsequent release in herbal products. In many MAPs, significant variations of plant characteristics have been ascertained with varying soil traits, and the selective recovery and subsequent release in food of certain elements have been demonstrated. Hence, great attention must be paid to the choice of soil and cropping strategies, to obtain satisfactory yields of high quality and best-priced products, respecting their safety and nutritional value.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi altered the hypericin, pseudohypericin, and hyperforin content in flowers of Hypericum perforatum grown under contrasting P availability in a highly organic substrate

“…John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) is a perennial herb belonging to the Hypericaceae family (Ruhfel et al 2013), native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, introduced and naturalized in North America and in temperate areas of the Southern hemisphere (Carrubba and Scalenghe 2012). H. perforatum and related species have been used since ancient times as a local resource for medicinal purposes, due to their wound healing, mild sedative, antiviral, and antidepressant properties (Russo et al 2014).…”

Nonchemical weeding of medicinal and aromatic plants

“…Hence, such plants have been used by mankind for thousands of years and, in many places on Earth, still represent the basic traditional sources for many food and medicinal items (Carrubba and Scalenghe 2012;Padulosi et al 2002;WHO 2003).…”

Organic Agriculture and Innovative Crops under Mediterranean Conditions

“…Also, there were significant differences between the fertilization treatments with the highest values of seed yield (2485-2643 kg ha ) and quality traits (18.8% total The Mediterranean region is characterized by an extremely variable climate with warm dry summers and cool rainy winters (winter rainfall is more than three times summer rainfall), being a transition between dry tropical and temperate climates (Ceccarelli et al, 2007). Mean annual temperatures range from 9 to 20 °C and mean annual rainfalls vary from 200 to 2000 mm, depending on altitude (Carrubba and Scalenghe, 2012). The future climate change scenarios prognosticate drier and warmer conditions in the Mediterranean region, including southern Europe, as a result of global warming (IPCC, 2007).…”