محمدرضا مرشدلو

The genus Thymus (belonging to the family Lamiaceae) consists of 928 species, native to Europe, and grown in the Mediterranean basin and northern Europe, as well as other parts of the world such as Asia, South America, and Australia (1). The genus Thymus exhibit a long list of pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral activities, cytotoxicity, antiparasitic and so on (1,2). Cultivation of genus Thymus plants is considered as an interesting possibility for providing additional agricultural revenue for farmers, due to their wide use in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries (1). The objective of the present study was to select valuable Thyme species (Thymus serpyllum, Thymus citriodorus and Thymus vulgaris) according to the productivity of biomass, antioxidant activity and some phytochemicals for the greenhouse cultivation. A greenhouse experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with three replications. By comparing the three tested species, the highest drug yield was observed in Th. serpyllum and Th. vulgaris plants (22.57 and 22.44 g/plant, respectively). But, total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activities of Th. citriodorus and Th. serpyllum were higher than those of Th. vulgaris. The highest essential oil percentage was obtained by Th. citriodorus (0.65 w/w). Nevertheless, essential oil yields of Th. serpyllum and Th. vulgaris (0.125 and 0.1 g/plant, respectively) were significantly higher than those obtained from Th. citriodorus plants (0.075 g/plant). In conclusion, we established that Th. serpyllum is more suitable for the greenhouse cultivation than other tested species, because can grow more dried total drug yield, shows highest antioxidant activity and synthesize higher amounts of phenols and flavonoids with highest essential oil yield.