Effect of Cyanobacterial Extract on Medicinal Plant Mentha piperita L.

As the simplest photosynthetic organisms,cyanobacteria are the interface betweenbacteria and plants in terms of evolutionaryprocess. The positive effect of these photosyntheticmicroorganisms on plant growthis one of the important roles in biotechnology.Their production of various secondarymetabolites is another known application ofthese microalgae in agricultural biotechnology.In this study, the effect of two speciesof heterocystous cyanobacteria, isolatedfrom paddy fields of Golestan Province inIran, on the growth of peppermint (Menthapiperita L.) was evaluated. A significant differencewas observed between treated plantsand control in terms of growth parameters.In addition, as one of the factors influencingthe vegetative parameters of plants, thequalitative identification of phytohormonesin cyanobacterial biomass was investigatedby biochemical methods and High PerformanceLiquid Chromatography technique.The results indicated the presence of plantgrowth hormones such as indole acetic acidand indole butyric acid in extracts of studiedcyanobacteria.

Keywords:

Cyanobacteria , High Performance Liquid Chromatography , Phytohormones , Peppermint , Vegetative Parameters