Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) flowering affected by foliar nitrogen application

Abstract

A b s t r a c tThe aromatic and curative properties of basil are connected with the presence of essential oil, mainly in the leaves and flowers. Herb yield and the quality of basil oil are related to the effect of genetic, ontogenetic and environmental factors. In the studies conducted in the years 2008-2009, the effect of basil cultivar and foliar feeding upon selected flowering features was examined. In an unheated plastic tunnel, plants of Kasia, Wala, Genua Star and Opal cultivars were grown. Foliar feeding was done by the application of 0.5% urea solution or by spraying the plants with water. During harvest the characteristic features of flowering were determined, i.e. the number and length of inflorescences, as well as the number of verticils and flowers per inflorescence. A vast differentiation was demonstrated in flowering of sweet basil plants of the examined cultivars. The most inflorescences were formed by the plants of the Polish cultivar Kasia, compared to the remaining ones. The longest inflorescences with the highest number of flowers in the main inflorescence were found in 'Genua Star'. Foliar feeding of the plants with nitrogen caused a significant increase of inflorescence number, but it did not significantly affect the remaining features of basil flowering.

Insight into Composition of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds in Leaves and Flowers of Green and Purple Basil

“…These molecules were identified on the basis of the presence in their fragmentation profile of the ions at 287.06 m/z, corresponding to the aglycon moiety. As regards anthocyanins with higher molecular weight (n. 23,27,28,29,30,33,35), our results confirmed the description recently provided by Luna et al [10] by an MS 2 -MS 3 approach. Considering that our approach was based only on MS 2 spectrum profiles, the molecule assignments matched with a very high reliability, and were also coherent on the basis of RT.…”

“…Statistically significant differences were assessed by one-way ANOVA test (p ≤ 0.05, Tukey post hoc, letters in brackets within each row). IC, RR and DO plants showed inflorescences and flowers with the typical morphology of green and purple basil [22,23]. The plants had a verticillaster type of inflorescence composed by flowers of about 1 cm in length, with a corolla formed by a larger upper lip and a smaller lower one and with declinate stamens (Figure 1).…”

“…Overall, the phenotypic traits observed in both the vegetative and the reproductive stages corresponded well with the typical description of green and purple basil, confirming that the greenhouse condition allowed to maintain the varietal characteristics in IC, RR, and DO. IC, RR and DO plants showed inflorescences and flowers with the typical morphology of green and purple basil [22,23]. The plants had a verticillaster type of inflorescence composed by flowers of about 1 cm in length, with a corolla formed by a larger upper lip and a smaller lower one and with declinate stamens (Figure 1).…”

Biological value and chemical components of essential oils of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) grown with organic fertilization sources

“…The genus Ocimum of the family Lamiaceae (Labiatae) includes at least 60 species and numerous varieties . Within the Ocimum genus, there are many chemical and morphological variations, which result from an ease of crossing and genetic polymorphism . In addition, climatic conditions have an influence on growth, flowering and, also effective on chemical components of plants .…”

“…1 Within the Ocimum genus, there are many chemical and morphological variations, which result from an ease of crossing and genetic polymorphism. 2 In addition, climatic conditions have an influence on growth, flowering and, also effective on chemical components of plants. 3,4 Sweet basil does not show a natural distribution in Turkey, although it is cultivated as a medicinal, seasoning or oil plant, especially in western and southern Anatolia.…”