Abstract

The effect of methyl jasmonate (MeJa) on essential oil content and composition ofAgastache foeniculum was investigated. Two experiments were carried out under a hydroponic system. In the first experiment, the plants were subjected to different concentrations of MeJa (0, 0.1 and 1 mM) for 24 h. MeJa at concentration of 0.1 mM significantly increased essential oil percentage after 24 h of treatments (1.51%) compared with other concentrations. However, different concentrations of MeJa did significantly affect the proportion of the various components after 24 h of treatment. In the second experiment, the plants were treated with 0.1 mM MeJa for 48 and 72 h. The MeJa treated plants showed higher amount of essential oil content after 48 h (2.42%) and 72 h (1.92%) of treatment compared with control plants of those time. The highest amount of methylchavicol (97.6%) was accumulated in the plants treated with 0.1 mM MeJa for 48 h. Results of the study show that MeJa may act as an elicitor in A. foeniculum.

Key words: Agastache foeniculum, essential oil, methyl jasmonate, methylchavicol.