The Effect of Harvesting on the Composition of Essential Oils from Five Varieties of Ocimum basilicum L. Cultivated in the Island of Kefalonia, Greece

Abstract

Five varieties of Ocimum basilicum L. namely lettuce, cinnamon, minimum, latifolia, and violetto were separately cultivated in field and greenhouse in the island Kefalonia (Greece). The effect of successive harvesting to the essential oil content was evaluated. In total 23 samples of essential oils (EOs) were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Ninety-six constituents, which accounted for almost 99% of the oils, were identified. Cluster analysis was performed for all of the varieties in greenhouse and field conditions, in order to investigate the possible differentiation on the chemical composition of the essential oils, obtained between harvests during growing period. Each basil variety showed a unique chemical profile, but also the essential oil composition within each variety seems to be differentiated, affected by the harvests and the cultivation site.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Productivity and Raw Material Quality from Organic Cultivation

“…The highest content, irrespective of cultivation method, was observed in the herb from the last cut, and the lowest was observed from the first cut (Tables 4 and 5). These results are in agreement with the previously published results concerning the accumulation of essential oil in fresh basil collected successively from plants cultivated in a greenhouse in Greece [5]. According to Lemberkovics et al [37], the essential oil content increases during basil ontogenesis.…”

“…In the case of plants cultivated in the open field, the content grew from 53.52% (first cut) to 59.50% (fourth cut), and, in thecase of plants cultivated in the foil tunnel, the content grew from 48.50% (first cut) to 54.01% (fourth cut) ( Table 4). The increase in linalool content during successive harvests of the fresh herb was described earlier by Tsasi et al [5]. However, it was observed for one out of four tested varieties of sweet basil.…”

“…Earlier trials showed that only two-three cuts are possible during one vegetation period [9]. The productivity of plants from our experiment was comparable to or even higher than those cultivated in Greece, where two-four harvests were performed, depending on the cultivation system [5]. In our study, plants grown in the foil tunnel were taller and produced a greater number of shoots per plant than those in the open field (Table 2).…”

Achillea filipendulinaLam.: Chemical Constituents and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oil of Stem, Leaf, and Flower

“…These results suggest that the composition of the essential oil obtained from A. filipendulina grown in Khoy considerably differs from those produced in other geographical regions. Such difference could also stem from the variation of environmental conditions, harvesting time, genetic diversity, the growth stage, drying and extraction method of essential oil . Moreover, it was shown that the compositions of the essential oils obtained from three varying segments of this plant are different.…”

Microemulsions enhance the shelf‐life and processability of Smyrnium olusatrum L. essential oil

“…AEO and isofuranodiene were also able to induce apoptosis in HCT116 colon cancer cells evidenced by DNA fragmentation, phosphatildyserine externalization and elevated caspase‐3 activation . AEO has also been evaluated in terms of antimicrobial activity, however, the results of different studies are controversial showing very different effects even when tested on the same species . Recently, isofuranodiene was shown to possess neuritogenic activity in vitro and hepatoprotective effects in vivo .…”