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The longevity of seeds varies greatly between species and seed viability reduction due to seed ageing is one of the major problems affecting agricultural productivity. To comprehend the mechanisms involved in the ageing, seeds of two plant species dragon head ( Lallemantia iberica ) and lady’s mantle ( Lallemantia royleana ) and with 5, 15 and 25% seed moisture content were tested for 24 and 48 h storage period at 40 °C. Increased seed moisture content and storage period significantly reduced germination percentage, protein content, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase enzyme activity. During storage, most significant deterioration was observed in L. iberica seeds showing lower germination percentage, protein content, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase enzyme activities. As a result, the cell membrane of L. iberica seeds was damaged, resulting in an increase in electrical conductivity, hydrogen peroxidase and malondialdehyde contents compared to L. royleana . Overall, the lowest deterioration was obtained in stored seeds of both Lallemantia species by 5% seed moisture content and 24 h storage period; in contrast increasing of seed moisture content and storage period induced the faster deterioration of Lallemantia seeds. Furthermore, L. iberica deteriorates rapidly by rising of seed moisture content and storage period in comparison with L .royleana.

Balangu is a medicinal plant used in the Iranian traditional medicine to treat nervous, hepatic and renal diseases. To determine the effects of Myco-Root biofertilizer and chitosan nanoparticles (Cs-NPs) on the physiological and biochemical properties of balangu (Lallemantia iberica (M.Bieb.) Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) under different irrigation levels, an experiment was laid out as a factorial based on completely randomized design (CRD) with twelve treatments and three replications. The first factor was represented by different irrigation regimes, including no water deficit (90% FC), mild water deficit (60% FC) and severe water deficit (30% FC); the second factor included control (no Myco-Root and Cs-NPs), inoculation with Myco-Root biofertilizer, foliar application of chitosan nanoparticles (Cs-NPs) and co-application of Cs-NPs along with Myco-Root. The results showed that the highest fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, chlorophyll index (SPAD) and fluorescence indices were obtained in 90% FC treated with Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root. In addition, the maximum activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POX) was achieved in 60% FC with application of Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root. Moreover, the maximum essential oil content (1.43%) and yield (0.25 g pot−1) were recorded in 60% FC following the application of Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root. Chemical analysis of essential oil showed that germacrene D (31.22–39.77%), (E)-caryophyllene (16.28–19.82%), bicyclogermacrene (7.1–9.22%) and caryophyllene oxide (3.85–6.96%) were the major volatile constituents of balangu. Interestingly, the maximum contents of germacrene D and (E)-caryophyllene were recorded in 60% FC after the application of Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root. Overall, it can be concluded that co-application of Cs-NPs+ Myco-Root could be a sustainable and eco-friendly strategy for improving the essential oil quantity and quality, as well as physiological characteristics, of balangu under water deficit conditions.

There is an increasing demand for bioactive-loaded bio-based packaging materials to obtain food products with extended shelf-life and improved quality. The aims of the present study were to fabricate a Citrus paradise essential oil (CPEO)-loaded Lallemantia iberica seed mucilage (LISM) based edible coating and to evaluate the effects of the CPEO-LISM edible coating on the preservation of lamb slices during cold storage for 9 days. CPEO was rich in limonene (79.4%) with superb antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Its incorporation into the edible coating (at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2% v/v) effectively inhibited the microbial growth (total viable count, psychrotrophic count, Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , and fungi) and lipid oxidation (peroxide and thiobarbituric values) in lamb slices. The meat color (L*, a*, b*) and sensory properties were also preserved by the edible coating containing CPEO, and the bioactive edible coating based on LISM and CPEO, particularly LISM + 2%CPEO significantly inhibited quality deterioration of lamb slices and improved the shelf-life of the meat (> 9 days). The results suggested that the LISM-CPEO edible coating could be developed as an antioxidant and antimicrobial packaging to improve the shelf-life of various meat products.

Lallemantia iberica (L. iberica) is an important dry season medicinal plant. Drought, an important abiotic stress, adversely affects the plant’s metabolism, which can be alleviated by plant growth regulators like brassinolides. A two-year field experiment was conducted in 2017–2018 to determine the effects of three different irrigation regimes and four brassinolide concentrations on the L. iberica biochemical properties. A split-plot based on a completely randomized block design in three replicates was used as an experimental design with the following irrigation regimes: full watering, watering until flowering and watering until branching. These were the main plots, and 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 μM brassinolide concentrations were applied as the subplots. The results showed that many antioxidant enzymes and some biochemical parameters were affected by brassinolide treatment. Furthermore, the highest membrane stability and grain yield were produced in full watering treatment in the second year, and these treatments were not affected by brassinolide application. Several concentrations of brassinolide differently affected the studied treatments, and our study suggests that the amelioration of the effects of the drought stress on L. iberica could possibly be achieved through brassinolide-induced elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging defense systems. There is a need for complementary research to prove the effectiveness of foliar application of this growth regulator to improve the growth and yield of L. iberica under water shortage conditions.

In this study, Lallemantia royleana mucilage (LRM) based edible coating containing 1.5 × 10 8 and 3 × 10 9 CFU/mL Lacticaseibacillus casei XN18 (Lbc1.5 and Lbc3) was designed to improve the quality and shelf-life of fresh pistachio. The fresh pistachios were coated with LRM + Lbc and their physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties were evaluated after 1-, 5-, 15-, 25-, and 35-day storage at 4 °C. By the end of storage day, in comparison to control, the presence of probiotic isolate in the edible coating (particularly LRM + Lbc3) led to a marked decrease in fungal growth (3.1 vs. 5.8 Log CFU/g), weight loss (6.7 vs. 8.1%), and fat oxidation (0.19 vs. 0.98 meq O 2 /kg), and preserved total chlorophylls (8.1 vs. 5.85 mg/kg) and phenols (31.5 vs. 20.32 mg GAE/100 g), and antioxidant activity (38.95 vs. 15.18%) of samples during storage period. Furthermore, LRM + Lbc3-coated samples had a probiotic number above the recommended level (6.85–9.29 log CFU/g) throughout storage. The pistachios coated with probiotic-enriched edible coatings were greatly accepted by panelists. In the next section, Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) was used for predicting some parameters including: weight loss, TSS, Fat content, PV, Soluble carbohydrate content, Viability, Total phenolic compounds, Antioxidant activity, Mold and yeast, Total chlorophylls, Total carotenoids, Color, Odor and Overall acceptance. The results indicated that, there is a good agreement between the actual and predicted data by GPR model and it can be used for similar situation to decrease the cost of laboratory tests and increase the respond of analysis.

The main objectives of the current study were to investigate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and nano-iron chelate fertilizer under water deficit conditions on grain yield, root colonization, leaf chlorophyll concentration, oil percentage, and fatty acid profile of Lallemantia species . The experiment was carried out as a factorial based on a complete randomized block design consisting of three factors of irrigation levels of 30, 60, and 90% depletion of available soil water (ASW)), fertilizer levels of control (without fertilizer), AMF inoculation, and nano-iron chelate, and plant species of Lallemantia ( L. iberica and L. royleana ). The results showed that increasing water deficit stress significantly decreased the above traits, while applying nano-iron and AMF fertilizers significantly increased them across water treatments. AMF fertilizer inoculation significantly improved yield of both Lallemantia species. Higher root colonization by AMF inoculation enhanced seed oil production with all major fatty acid moieties improved. In contrast, applying nano-iron chelate by increasing chlorophyll concentration in any irrigation regime could enhance seed oil of L. royleana and some fatty acids such as palmitoleic acid. Water deficit stress and application of fertilizers had different effects on both species. L. iberica , compared with  L. royleana , had the most tolerance to water deficit stress and the highest dependence on AMF inoculation. Overall, these results demonstrated that the application of AMF could improve major features of Lallemantia species under irrigation deficit conditions, especially at the 60% depletion of ASW.

Pesticides and dyes are significant water contaminants threatening environmental quality and compromising human health. Metal nanoparticles have appeared to be efficient in treatment of various pollutants from water. The present work reports the use of green synthesized palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) for removal of Congo red (CR) dye and two pesticides: chlorpyrifos (CP) and tebuconazole (TB). A highly facile and environmentally friendly synthesis of Pd NPs was achieved using hemicellulose (arabinoglucan) from Lallemantia royleana seeds (Tukh Malanga) at mild conditions without the addition of any reducing or stabilizing agent. Different synthetic approaches were used, viz. room temperature, heating, microwave and ultrasonication. The NPs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and zeta potential measurements. NPs size varied between 15 and 61 nm having dominant hexagonal structure. Zeta potential values varied between − 5 and − 18.7 mV. The synthesized NPs exhibited excellent catalytic activity for degradation of CP, TB and CR with high adsorption capacities for CP (9245–14,633 mg g −1 ), TB (15,882–16,745 mg g −1 ) and CR (10,265–10,400 mg g −1 ). The results demonstrate simple synthesis of biogenic Pd NPs employing naturally occurring substances and their potential role in eco-friendly treatment of hazardous pollutants like pesticides and dyes.

Dragon’s head (Lallemantia iberica) is a medicinal and oilseed crop cultivated in different parts of Iran. In Jun 2018 in the experimental plots in Gonbad-Kavous, and 2022 in a commercial field in Gorgan, both located in the north of country, a typical Sclerotinia stem rot was observed. The isolated Sclerotinia-like fungus from the infected plant sample was subjected to morphological as well as molecular and phylogenetic investigations using the internal transcribed spacer gene region. The obtained results showed that the fungus is Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The pathogenicity tests on the plant in the field and under controlled conditions were positive. Koch’s postulates were confirmed through the successful re-isolation of the pathogen. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the first report of the disease not only in Iran but also in the world.

Balangu (Lallemantia sp.) is a medicinal herb with a variety of applications, all parts of which have economic uses, including leaf for extraction of essential oils, as a vegetable and potherb, seed for extraction of mucilage and edible or industrial oil. To investigate the effect of cultivation season and standard chemical and nano fertilizers (n) on the yield components and antioxidant properties of Dragon’s head, a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design was conducted with 12 treatments and three replications. Experimental treatments consisted of two seasons (spring and winter cultivation) and six levels of fertilizer (control, NPK-s, NPK-n, Fe-chelated-n, NPK-n + Fe-chelated-n, NPK-s + NPK-n + Fe-chelated-n). The traits included grain yield per plant, essential oil percentage and yield, mucilage percentage and yield, antioxidant properties in the seeds and leaves, including total phenols and flavonoids content, DPPH radical scavenging, and nitric oxide and superoxide radical scavenging. The results showed that winter cultivation had a noticeable advantage over spring cultivation across all of the traits. The highest grain yield per plant was obtained in winter cultivation using NPK-n + Fe-chelated-n fertilizer treatment. The highest essential oil percentage was in NPK-n + Fe-chelated-n. The highest mucilage percentage was observed in NPK-s + NPK-n + Fe-chelated-n fertilizer treatment, which was not statistically different to NPK-n + Fe-chelated-n treatment. The combined effects of winter cultivation and NPK-n + Fe-chelated-n fertilizers resulted in improving antioxidant activity traits. Overall, the results indicated that the combination of winter cultivation and NPK-n + Fe-chelated-n fertilizers are the most appropriate treatment to acquire highest qualitative and quantitative yield of Dragon’s head, in the Azerbaijan region (Iran).

The present study aims at optimising the oil extraction from Dragon’s head ( Lallemantia iberica ) seeds using response surface methodology. For this purpose, the working conditions (solid/liquid ratio, ultrasound intensity and extraction time) were varied in a series of experiments to determine the optimum extraction conditions, which were further verified through an independent extraction experiment. The experiments were conducted using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) technique. The maximum yield obtained for UAE extraction efficiency under optimal conditions was 97.02%, taking the Soxhlet technique as a reference (corresponding to an oil content of 39.73 g/100 g dry seeds). The operation conditions for maximum extraction efficiency were: 1/16 (g/mL) solid/liquid ratio, 13.77 (W/cm 2 ) ultrasound intensity and 12.5 min extraction time.