CULTIVATION OF NATURALLY DISTRIBUTED MOUNTAIN TEA (Sideritis spp.) TAXA IN ISPARTA (TURKIYE) AND DETERMINATION OF THEIR CHEMICAL AND AGRICULTURAL TRAITS - Güliz TÜRKMENOGLU; Hüseyin FAKIR (Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 2025)
The aim of this study was to cultivate Sideritis spp. taxa that are naturally distributed in the province of Isparta, Türkiye and evaluate agricultural performance. The taxa investigated includedSideritis perfoliata L., Sideritishispita P.H.Davis, SideritislibanoticaLabill. subsp. linearis ((Benth.) Bornm., Sideritis libanotica subsp. libanotica,Sideritiscondensata Boiss. & Heldr.,Sideritis cilicica Boiss. & Balansa, Sideritis congesta P.H.Davis & Hub.-Mor., Sideritis stricta Boiss. & Heldr., Sideritis leptoclada O.Schwarz & P.H.Davis, Sideritissyriaca subsp. nusairiensis (Post) Hub-Mor., Sideritispisidica Boiss. & Heldr., Sideritisphrygia Bornm., Sideritisdichotoma Huter and Sideritiserythrantha var. erythrantha. Twelve of these taxa are endemic to the region. Successful cultivation was achieved in nine species among these taxa: S. perfoliata, S. hispita, S. libanotica subsp. linearis, S. libanotica subsp. libanotica, S. condensata, S. congesta, S. stricta, S. leptoclada, and S. syriaca subsp. nusairiensis.Thesespecies showed high total phenolic content values and high antioxidant activity in both wild and cultivated conditions. The highest total phenolic content (mg GAE/g dry sample) values were found in Sideritis libanotica subsp. Linearis, with14.06mg/g GAE in wild conditions and 12.56 mg/g GAE undercultivation conditions. Among all taxa, the highest antioxidant activity was forSideritis leptoclada in wild conditions. SPME analyses showed the main volatile compounds under wild conditions were:β-pinene (18.12-5.66%), trans-caryophyllene (12.77-0.83%), and germacrene-D (10.59-0.67%) in Sideritis condensata. In Sideritis perfoliata, the primary compounds were α-pinene (51.72-43.36%), β-pinene (14.07-12.25%), and limonene (10.96-14.09%), while in Sideritis hispita, they were α-pinene (22.86-13.74%), β-pinene (28.31-16.39%), and trans-caryophyllene (11.24-14.49%). Other species such as Sideritis libanotica subsp. linearis, Sideritis libanotica subsp. libanotica, Sideritis stricta, Sideritis leptoclada, and Sideritis syriaca subsp. nusairiensis showed varying dominant compounds including α-pinene, β-pinene, germacrene-D, caryophyllene, and bicyclogermacrene. For Sideritis congesta, the highest compound concentrations were trans(β)-caryophyllene (25.03%), β-bisabolene (13.24%), and bicyclogermacrene (9.47%), while other compounds varied between wild conditions and cultivated conditions, including β-pinene, dl-limonene, α-pinene, (Z)-2-heptenal, Z-3-hexenyl 2-methylbutanoate, and benzoate<isobutyl>. Cuttings were successfully cultivated forS. perfoliata, S. hispita, S. libanotica subsp. linearis, S. libanotica subsp. libanotica, S. condensata, S. congesta, S. stricta, S. leptoclada, and S. syriaca subsp. nusairiensis. In addition, seed germination was successful forS. perfoliata, S. libanotica subsp. libanotica, S. condensata, S. congesta, and S. stricta. The remaining species were not suitable for cultivation through seed germination. These findings highlightthe potential for domestication and commercial cultivation of select Sideritis species. Further long-term studies are recommended to evaluate agricultural productivity and quality throughout the life cycles of species that showed successful outcomes in cultivation trials.
Keywords: journal article; Sideritis; Culture studies; Agricultural performance; Antioxidant-phenolic; Volatile compound; Türkiye