Joint Effects of Developmental Stage and Water Deficit on Essential Oil Traits (Content, Yield, Composition) and Related Gene Expression: A Case Study in Two Thymus Species

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The objectives of this study were to investigate for the first time the dual effects of harvesting time and soil water availability on herbal material marketable yield as well as on essential oil yield and composition in T. armeniacus in comparison to T. kotschyanus.

In my opinion this manuscript will be solid after major revision.

Please follow the amendments below:

1. There are too much keywords and some of them are the same like words in the title. Please change it.
2. The last sentence in the Introduction is an Authors' opinion about own article. Please cancel it.
3. The Materials and Methods are too long and too detailed described.
4. Plants were cultivated for 3 months in 2019. In the Results or Conclusions the Authors should add the information that in accordance with good agricultural practice, conducting three-year field trials would enable a more complete assessment of Thymus yield.
5. In the Results too often a particular table or figure is referred to in the text. Please use etc. (Table 1) no more than once in a paragraph.
6. The discussion is well described and the References are up-to-date but in the article there might be more than 30 cited articles. Please add some.

Author Response

Reviewer #1

The objectives of this study were to investigate for the first time the dual effects of harvesting time and soil water availability on herbal material marketable yield as well as on essential oil yield and composition in T. armeniacus in comparison to T. kotschyanus.

 

In my opinion this manuscript will be solid after major revision.

 

Please follow the amendments below:

 

1. There are too much keywords and some of them are the same like words in the title. Please change it.

Authors: As suggested, the number of keywords was reduced, and the ones that appear in the title were removed.

 

2. The last sentence in the Introduction is an Authors' opinion about own article. Please cancel it.

Authors: As suggested, this line was erased (Line 88).

 

3. The Materials and Methods are too long and too detailed described.

Authors: As suggested, several passages in the Materials and Methods were reduced (Lines 91–92, 94, 127–128, 132, 148, 199).

 

4. Plants were cultivated for 3 months in 2019. In the Results or Conclusions the Authors should add the information that in accordance with good agricultural practice, conducting three-year field trials would enable a more complete assessment of Thymus yield.

Authors: As suggested, this is now dealt in the last section of the discussion (Lines 599–603).

 

5. In the Results too often a particular table or figure is referred to in the text. Please use etc. (Table 1) no more than once in a paragraph.

As suggested, the reference to a table or a figure was reduced in the results (Lines 344, 346, 347, 348, 351, 356, 357, 372, 373, 393, 417, 433, 436, 440, 444, 453, 459, 462, 478, 482, 485).

 

6. The discussion is well described and the References are up-to-date but in the article there might be more than 30 cited articles. Please add some.

As suggested, more references were now included in the discussion (Lines 529, 554, 564, 566, 589, 598).

Reviewer 2 Report

The manuscript entitled „Joint effects of developmental stage and water deficit on essential oil traits (content, yield, composition) and related gene expression: A case study in two Thymus species“ seems to be of good scientific quality with appropriate and well described methods and will be suitable for publication in Agronomy after changes that are suggested:

• The weakest point of the manuscript is discussion; authors should improve this paragraph and add more references and write it in a broader context

 

Minor changes:

1) in Abstract line 5 instead of eithers species there should be both species

2) In M&M paragraph 2.1.in first line … were sanitized…. better expression is …seeds were sterilized…

Author Response

Reviewer #2

The manuscript entitled „Joint effects of developmental stage and water deficit on essential oil traits (content, yield, composition) and related gene expression: A case study in two Thymus species“ seems to be of good scientific quality with appropriate and well described methods and will be suitable for publication in Agronomy after changes that are suggested:

 

The weakest point of the manuscript is discussion; authors should improve this paragraph and add more references and write it in a broader context

Authors: As suggested, the discussion was enriched (Lines 562–564, 588–589, 599–603), and more references were added (Lines 529, 554, 564, 566, 589, 598).

 

Minor changes:

 

1) in Abstract line 5 instead of eithers species there should be both species

Authors: Done.

 

2) In M&M paragraph 2.1. in first line … were sanitized…. better expression is …seeds were sterilized…

Authors: Done (Line 91).  

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

I accept the manuscript in present form.