Plant Process and Function

en In vitro application of chitosan effects on essential oil content and physiological characteristics of Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss بیوتکنولوژی biotechnology پژوهشي Research  D. kotschyi is a source of essential oils with medicinal properties such as antihyperlipidemic, immunomodulatory, antinociceptive and cytotoxic effects. This study aimed to investigate whether the application of chitosan can improve plant growth, increase secondary metabolite production and help antioxidant enzymatic systems in Dracocephalum kotschyi under in vitro culture. Tow-week-old seedlings of D. kotschyi were cultured in MS medium containing 0, 5, 10 and 20 mg.L-1 chitosan. Four weeks after treatments, the enzymatic and morphological parameters were measured and the GC/MS analysis was used to evaluate the secondary metabolites. Chitosan resulted in changes in physiological and morphological responses. It had a beneficial effect on the main essential oil contents such as thymol, p-cymene and candinol increased by 16.2%, 20.3% and 34%, respectively. In spite of reduction of antioxidant  activities and growth, 20 mg/l had a positive effect on the oil components in D. Kotschyi.     Antioxidant enzymes, Chitosan, Dracocephalum kotschyi, Essential oil, Morphological parameters, Phenolic compound 23 30 http://jispp.iut.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-53-6&slc_lang=en&sid=1 roya Razavizadeh razavi.roya@gmail.com Yes Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, 19395-3697, Tehran, Iran گروه زیست شناسی، دانشگاه پیام نور Fatemeh Adabavazeh f.adabavazeh@gmail.com No h.D. Student, Department of Biology, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman, Iran گروه زیست شناسی، دانشگاه پیام نور