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Thymus, an aromatic medicinal plant, is a well-known, perennial and woody herb from Lamiaceae family. Thymus is taxonomically a very complex genus with a high frequency of hybridization and introgression among sympatric species, and some species of this herb are endemic to Iran. In the present study, in order to identification genetic variability in this medicinal plant seven Thymus spp. accessions collected from different regions of Iran along with London agricultural species were studied by karyotypic characteristics. The secondary basic numbers in all ecotypes was x = 15 that probably originate from a primary basic number x = 7. The ploidy levels of these ecotypes were diploid and tetraploid. The Thymus ecotypes under study occupied classes 1A and 1B of Stebbins’ karyotype classification, indicating the presence of a primitive symmetrical karyotype in these ecotypes. The mean chromosome length ranged from 1.03 to 1.53 µm. chromosome types were detected as metacentric “m”. Furthermore, the cluster analysis using chromosomal parameters and based on UPGMA assigned the ecotypes into four groups.

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Plants are capable of responding to environmental stresses by activating their adaptation mechanisms and their response to environmental factors by changing their gene expression. Drought stress is considered as the most important abiotic stress in agriculture. In this regard, in present research, proteomics techniques used to detect proteins were responding to drought stress. To select drought susceptible genotype, 64 chickpea genotypes were assessed by simple lattice design 8×8 at the Sararood station (Iran) and then in the greenhouse of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Kermanshah Razi University (Iran) in three levels of stress including normal, medium and intensive stress conditions at poding stage. Finally, SAR 80 JI 09 K12-8 genotype was selected as susceptible to drought stress. Then, the evaluations consisted of a leaf proteome induced under drought stress conditions were performed. To study and identify the proteins associated with drought, total protein was extracted from the leaves by TCA- acetone method and isolated in the first dimension by IPG gels with pH gradient 7-4 and in second dimension after by 12.5% concentration polyacrylamide gels. Therefore, in the drought susceptible genotype the value of each spot was used as a standard amount. Protein spots on the gel were scanned and identified by using Image Master 2D Platinum of Melanie 6.0 software. The results of two-dimensional gel analysis and protein identification of drought susceptible genotypes showed that leaf proteome pattern has been widely changed in drought stress condition. In susceptible genotype, 212 protein spots repeatable were identified. 10 spots were detected by using MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry which were divided in different groups based on response to drought stress in biological cycles.