Chamomile and Anise Cultivation in Olive Agroforestry Systems

Abstract

Agroforestry systems have been practiced for hundreds of years with multiple benefits both environmentally and economically in terms of productivity. Olive cultivation is widespread in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Greece. Agroforestry practices are common in olive groves, but little research has been conducted on the productivity of such systems, especially with medicinal–aromatic plants (MAPs) as understory crops. Natural populations of MAPs can be found in various ecosystems, while some of them are cultivated. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of fertilization and shading both on yield and chemical composition of essential oils derived from chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) and anise (Pimpinella anisum L.), grown in olive silvoarable systems. Fertilization and shading increased the plant height of chamomile and delayed the flowering. In addition, fertilization increased the concentration of α-bisabolol oxide A and (Z)–spiroether, and reduced the α-bisabolone oxide A and hamazulen. Shade also reduced α-bisabolone oxide A and hamazulen but increased the α-bisabolol oxide B. In the case of anise, fertilization increased plant height, decreased the concentration of limonene, and increased the concentration of E-anethole. Shading reduced plant height. Intercropping of olive trees with chamomile and anise yielded essential oils rich in the substances defined by the commercial specifications.

Five Important Seeds in Traditional Medicine, and Pharmacological Benefits

“…Its seeds are one of the few types of seed that need light in order to germinate, so establishing by seed is a delicate process. Chamomile is classified mostly into five chemotypes according to the content of α-bisabolol, bisabolol oxide A and B, chamazulene, and bisabolone oxide in its essential oil [182]. The essential oil of chamomile has showed significant antioxidant, antibiotic, sedative, antifungal, antiinflammatory, and anti-allergic activities [183][184][185][186].…”

“…[177][178][179][180][181] Chamomile contains terpenes, volatile oils, organic acids, coumarins, flavonoids, sterols, and polysaccharides. [180][181][182][183][184][185] Chamomile is mainly cultivated by seeds, but keeping seed viability for a long time is a very important factor as well as seed germination. [180][181][182][183][184][185] Chamomile has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.…”

“…[180][181][182][183][184][185] Chamomile is mainly cultivated by seeds, but keeping seed viability for a long time is a very important factor as well as seed germination. [180][181][182][183][184][185] Chamomile has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. [175][176][177][178][179][180] Chamomile has anticancer and neuroprotective activities.…”

Chemical Profiling and Antioxidant Activity of Wild and Cultivated Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) Essential Oil

“…Several groups have addressed the influence of light modification on EO metabolism in different plant species [40,60,61]. The EO content of marigold [62], chamomile [63] and yarrow [64] decreased with shading level, whereas sage [39] and oregano [29] were improved by limited light intensity.…”

Ecosystem Services in the Context of Agroforestry—Results of a Survey among Agricultural Land Users in the Czech Republic

“…Woody plants on agricultural land and the ecosystem they deliver are perceived as an important source of ES, providing benefits to society depending on the situation and use. These benefits include biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration [29], increasing soil fertility through atmospheric nitrogen [30], climate regulation [31,32], soil moisture retention [32][33][34] and many others [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. Some of these benefits are offered by the woody plants themselves, but most are due to where they grow (i.e., a unified system including the soil and the trees growing on it).…”