دراسة بيئية و كيميائية لنوعين من جنس الزوفا المنتشرة في سوريا Micromeria myrtifolia and Micromeria nervosa

Abstract EN

An environmental-geographical survey of two species of Micromeria genus Micromeria myrtifolia Boiss.

et Hohen and Micromeria nervosa Benth., were made between 2007-2008, in four Syrian governorates (Dammascus countryside, Hamah, Tartous and Latakkia).

The survey demonstrated an intensive abatement in addition to reduction in the presence and the distribution area of most Micromeria species, particularly the two studied species.

This finding disagrees the previous studies of reference species of flora, as these studies stated wide distribution area of Micromeria genus.

The limit of the reduction in both presence and distributtion of Micromeria species would lead to their extinction, as a result of extensive collection for popular use without compensation consideration.

The extraction process of volatile oil was also optimized to identify the chemical ingredients of extracted oil.

It was found that the full maturity necessitates obtaining the highest volatile oil extract and forming of essential chemical ingredients.

Therefore, the full maturity phase is the optimum phase for plant harvest, when its desired medical benefit would be completely fulfilled.

Then, the effects of the environmental factors (Climate, Soil, and Topography) on the amount and chemical composittion of extracted volatile oil were studied.

It was figured out that the relative humidity is the most factor affecting the extracted amount of the volatile oil, the higher the relative humidity, the more the extracted amount of the volatile oil.

The highest difference in the extracted volatile oil amount was 0.4%.

This diffference was between Harf Msitra where the highest relative humidity and Draej where the lowest relative humidity.

The extracted amount of oil is also affected by the indirect environmental factors such as topography (The altitude of Plant Region), the higher region above the sea level, the larger the extracted amounts of the volatile oil, as the difference reached 0.1% within the same governorate.

18 chemical comppounds of the extracted volatile oil were determined, it was found that 50% of these compounds are terpenes.

The percentages of these compounds subjected to the various environmental factors, as it was noticed that the percentage of β-Caryophyllen) was 51.96% from plants grown in Harf Msitra, and then this percentage reduced to 20.97% when these plants were grown in Draej.

However, the percentage of piperitone oxide was 24.5% form plants grown in Drekish, and then this percentage increased to 51.9%.