Variability in Morphology and Essential Oil Profile for 30 Populations of Satureja Species with Respect to Climatic Paramours Using Multivariate Analysis: An Opportunity for Industrial Products

Abstract

Around the world, different parts of most Satureja species are traditionally used to control a wide range of human diseases. The pharmacological and ethnomedical properties of most Satureja species have been evaluated; however, there is no document on the morphological and essential oil (EO) profile of the plants concerning environmental variations. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the variability and correlation of morphological traits and EO compositions of 30 Satureja populations (from 10 species) in various climates of Iran. The plants were collected at the flowering stage in a completely randomized block design (CRBD) in 2018 and were evaluated based on multivariate analysis. The permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) results showed significant differences in morphological traits as well as EO composition in different populations. The redundancy analysis (RDA) showed EO profiles were significantly affected by maximum and minimum temperature and humidity, while changes in morphological characteristics were more related to a maximum temperature, humidity, average maximum temperature, and minimum temperature. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that among 29 morphometric traits, only seven significantly changed the EO quality, and also RDA identified the number of the main branch and vegetative leaf width as the main responsible traits representing the changes in EO profile. According to the significant effects of climatic parameters on morphological and phytochemical compounds of Satureja species, selecting effective environmental factors in the habitats to access the more elevated amount of active substances and desired morphological traits can help breeders to grow and cultivate suitable populations.