Original contributions 64 Z Arznei- Gewurzpfla | 17(2): 64 – 71 | © Agrimedia GmbH & Co. KG 2012 Nadjafi F et al | Cultivation of Nepeta binaludensis Jamzad Introduction The cultivation of medicinal plants is useful to meet current and future de- mands for a large volume production of plant-based drugs and herbal remedies, and also to reduce pressure on wild populations (21). Cultivation can have the potential to save wild populations of medicinal plants and their genetic diversity. However, many species are difficult to cultivate because of spe- cific biological features or ecological requirements such as seed dormancy, slow growth rate, special soil require- ments, low generation rates, suscepti- bility to pests etc. (17). A thorough un- derstanding of their reproductive and growth biology as well as the identifi- cation of biological constraints leading to reduced fitness or even extinction is therefore increasingly necessary. Understanding of the biological, phy- tochemical and ecological characteri- stics of species in their common habitat is also essential for their conservation biology as well as to predict their be- havior under artificial cultivation (14). In case of domestication beyond their normal ecological range or in case of F. Nadjafi, A. Koocheki, P. Rezvani Moghadam and B. Honermeier First experiments on cultivation of Nepeta binaludensis Jamzad – an example of domestication of a highly endangered medicinal plant of Iran Abstract Nepeta binaludensis Jamzad is a rare and highly endangered ethnomedicinal plant of the Lamiaceae family which grows in the northeast of Iran. A field experiment was con- ducted with biennial cultivation of the plant in 2006 and 2007 at the University of Ma- shhad to evaluate its domestication performance. Different experiments were set up to clarify the effects of cultivation on the establishment, phenology, yield and the morpho- logical and phytochemical properties of the plant. These experiments included irrigation intervals (7, 14, 21 and 28 days), cow manure application (10, 20, 30 and 40 t/ha) and row spacing of 50 and 75 cm and in-row spacing of 25 and 50 cm. The results indicated that N. binaludensis can be well established in an agricultural system. The highest bio- mass (1 105 g∙m -2 ), plant height (50 cm), plant diameter (48 cm), essential oil yield (5.1 g∙m -2 ) and 4aα,7α,7aα-nepetalactone concentration (14.8 %) were observed at an irriga- tion interval of 7 days in the second year of the study. The highest amount of eucalyptol (1,8-cineole) was obtained at an irrigation interval of 21 days in both years of the study. The effects of cow manure on biomass, essential oil content and chemical components were not statistically significant. The whole growth period of N. binaludensis was nearly 206–214 days which was equivalent to 2 792-2 826 growing degree days (GDD). Plant distances did not affect the biomass and essential oil content significantly. Keywords Domestication, essential oil, irrigation, Nepeta binaludensis, organic fertilization, spa- cing, yield changed ecosystem conditions, many of the wild medicinal and aromatic plants tend to behave differently. So the species’ response to different agro- nomical parameters such as planting date, irrigation, soil condition, fertili- zation, plant density, harvesting time, etc. in new ecological conditions on the farm should be studied. Different researches are focused on the effect of agronomical conditions like irrigation and water deficiency (6,7,13) and soil fertilization (19) on growth, yield and chemical components of different me- dicinal plant species. The genus of Nepeta represents 67 spe- cies, which are found wild in different regions of Iran (9). Nepeta binaludensis Jamzad is an endemic and rare peren- nial aromatic herb belonging to the La- miaceae which grows in a limited area in the Binalud mountains in northeast Iran (5). This plant is widely used in traditional medicine as an antispas- modic, nervine, and diuretic (10). Eu- calyptol is the main component of its essential oil. Over-exploitation and unsustainable herbal collection of this plant by local gatherers and the limi- ted abundance in the habitat make the plant an endangered species (10). The objective of the present research was to study the domestication per- formance of N. binaludensis as a me- thod to conserve the wild species. In the domestication process, the effect of the agronomical factors fertilization, irrigation and row spacing on growth, yield and chemical components of this plant should be determined. Material and Methods Plant material Ripe seeds of N. binaludensis Jamzad were collected from its native habitat in the Binalud Mountains, Dowlat Abad (latitude: 36°, 18΄N; longitude: 58°, 5΄ E), in the Northeast of Iran. The seeds were placed in a mixture of 2 peatmoss, 2 sand and 1 loamy soil (v/v) and grown in a glasshouse of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad at 16 h light and 8 h dark, 24±2 °C day/15±2 °C night, conditions. A mist irrigation system was used. The two months old plants with a height of 12–15 cm in the 8–12 leaves stage were used for farm experiments after one week of hardening outside the green- house in the shade. They were cultiva- ted on the farm in the mid of May 2006. Local conditions Three field experiments were carried out in the growing seasons 2006 and 2007 at the experimental station of the College of Agriculture, Ferdowsi Uni- versity of Mashhad (latitude: 36°, 15΄ N, longitude: 59°, 28΄ E, altitude: 928 m). The climate in Mashhad is semi- dry and precipitation occurs from No- vember to May. The annual mean air temperatures in 2006 and 2007 were 15.4 °C and 14.6 °C respectively. The annual rainfalls in 2006 and 2007 were 279.8 mm and 153 mm respec- tively. Soil samples were taken at the beginning of May with an auger (core size of 80 mm) from a depth of 0–15 cm