Khan Nafeesa Farooq, Bashir Abid, Ganaie Khursheed Ahmad, Shah Sumaya Quadir, Nazir Romaan, Sultan Phalisteen, Hassan Qazi Parvaiz
Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, CSIR-IIIM (Branch), Srinagar, India.
Front Microbiol. 2025 Jul 2;16:1579383. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1579383. eCollection 2025.
The Kashmir Himalaya, renowned for its rich floristic diversity, harbors a multitude of native and introduced aromatic and medicinal plants. Among these, (rosemary), a Mediterranean native plant species, known for its culinary and therapeutic properties, is widely being cultivated owing to its local adaptability. essential oil has been used in folk medicine, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. In our study, we compiled the morphological and chemoprofiling differences of field grown cultivars, wherein populations were grouped into 21 classes. Further, oils from identified accessions were screened for their anti-microbial potential against panel of four priority pathogens.
The characterization was based on phenotypic traits (flower color variability, calyx color, flower size, and leaf morphology) variance across identified genotypes was validated using Chi 2 test. Abundance distribution data displayed polymorphism in evaluated character/traits of rosemary accessions and a total of 21 classes were reported from an underrepresented region. Furthermore, field grown cultivars in Kashmir Himalaya produced essential oil yield ranging from 0.8% to 1.7% maintaining benchmark constituents. Similarly, variability in chemical constituents using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), grouped accessions into chemotypes rich in beta-myrcene, 1,8 cineole, and camphor. Antimicrobial assays on the essential oils obtained from different accessions using gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and one fungal pathogen were conducted to directly evaluate the IC (concentration at which there is 50 percent growth inhibition of pathogen) and Minimum Inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. MIC evaluation of the active essential oil was performed using the broth dilution method.
The data generated in this study emphasizes the use of morphological and chemical characteristics to characterize and conserve elite cultivars, promoting cultivar R1 (1.7%) in summer season and R14 (0.95%) and R3 (0.93%) in winter season for large-scale cultivation, emphasizing propagation of higher essential oil yielding varieties in Kashmir Himalaya. The diverse rosemary genepool conserved in Kashmir exhibits significant variability in essential oil yield and composition while, certain accessions demonstrate potent antimicrobial properties. The findings of the study are useful for further elaborate studies on the development of natural bioactive compounds to improve human health.
克什米尔喜马拉雅地区以其丰富的植物多样性而闻名，拥有众多本土和引进的芳香植物和药用植物。其中，迷迭香是一种原产于地中海的植物，因其烹饪和治疗特性而闻名，由于其对当地环境的适应性，正在广泛种植。迷迭香精油已被用于民间医药、制药和化妆品行业。在我们的研究中，我们汇编了田间种植品种的形态和化学特征差异，其中种群被分为21类。此外，对已鉴定种质的精油进行了筛选，以检测其对四种优先病原体的抗菌潜力。
表征基于表型性状（花色变异性、花萼颜色、花大小和叶形态），使用卡方检验验证已鉴定基因型之间的差异。丰度分布数据显示迷迭香种质的评估性状存在多态性，并且从不太具代表性的地区报告了总共21类。此外，克什米尔喜马拉雅地区田间种植的品种产生的精油产量在0.8%至1.7%之间，同时保持了基准成分。同样，使用气相色谱 - 质谱联用仪（GC/MS）对化学成分的变异性进行分析，将种质分为富含β - 月桂烯、1,8 - 桉叶素和樟脑的化学型。使用革兰氏阴性菌、革兰氏阳性菌和一种真菌病原体对从不同种质中获得的精油进行抗菌测定，以直接评估IC（病原体生长抑制50%时的浓度）和最低抑菌浓度（MIC）值。使用肉汤稀释法对活性精油进行MIC评估。
本研究生成的数据强调利用形态和化学特征来表征和保护优良品种，在夏季推广种植品种R1（1.7%），在冬季推广种植品种R14（0.95%）和R3（0.93%）用于大规模种植，强调在克什米尔喜马拉雅地区繁殖高产精油的品种。克什米尔保存的多样迷迭香基因库在精油产量和成分方面表现出显著变异性，同时，某些种质表现出强大的抗菌特性。该研究结果有助于进一步详细研究天然生物活性化合物的开发，以改善人类健康。
