Diversity of Chemical Composition and Morphological Traits of Eight Iranian Wild Salvia Species during the First Step of Domestication

Abstract

As one of the largest genera of the Lamiaceae family, Salvia has a wide distribution worldwide. Despite their great importance and medicinal use, most Salvia species are collected from their natural habitats, and some of them are endangered and vulnerable. This study aimed to evaluate the domestication process of eight Iranian native Salvia species. The studied species were cultivated and adapted to the cultivation area after two years, and then some of their important biochemical properties were investigated. According to some significant results, the root architecture was closely correlated with the climatic conditions of the species origins. The distribution of total dry matter varied widely among species; accordingly, S. sclarea and S. officinalis had 65.6% and 55.9% dry weights in their leaves, respectively. Moreover, S. nemorosa had a 24.3% dry weight in its flowers, while S. frigida (Jahrom), S. frigida (Targavar), S. virgata (Eghled), and S. macrosiphon had 44.6%, 43.3%, 46.0%, and 44.3% dry weights in their roots. The most potent antioxidant activity (IC50) was observed in the roots of S. macrosiphon (10.9 μg/mL) and S. sclarea (14.9 μg/mL), the stem of S. nemorosa (14.3 μg/mL), and the leaves of S. atropatana (14.0 μg/mL). Rosmarinic acid, a key phenolic substance in Salvia species, was present in the range of 0.24–0.47 mg/g dry weight. The essential oil content ranged from 0.35% in S. atropatana to 1.45% (w/w) in S. officinalis. β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, and germacrene D were the major ingredients of the essential oils. The cluster analysis based on the essential oil data revealed the most similarities between S. sclarea and S. macrosiphon, and a clear separation of S. virgate, S. syriaca, and S. officinalis from other species. Salvia spp. contain a wide variety of compounds of interest under cultivation, with S. sclarea having the greatest potential to profit from the production of medicinal compounds, such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and essential oils. Furthermore, S. officinalis, S. nemorosa, and S. sclarea are the best species for producing raw medicinal materials.