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Essential‐Oil Variability in a Collection of Ocimum basilicum L. (Basil) Cultivars
Author(s) -
Maggio Antonella,
Roscigno Graziana,
Bruno Maurizio,
De Falco Enrica,
Senatore Felice
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemistry and biodiversity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1612-1880
pISSN - 1612-1872
DOI - 10.1002/cbdv.201600069
Subject(s) - basilicum , ocimum , estragole , eugenol , cultivar , methyl eugenol , linalool , essential oil , chemotype , lamiaceae , sweet basil , botany , antibacterial activity , horticulture , biology , chemistry , traditional medicine , bacteria , organic chemistry , pest analysis , tephritidae , medicine , genetics
Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) is an aromatic plant of great tradition in the Mediterranean area. Its economic importance is growing up determining an expansion of cultivation. This paper evaluated the morphological traits, the chemical profiles, and antibacterial activity of 21 cultivars of basil belonging to ʻGenoveseʼ, ʻNapoletanoʼ, and ʻPurple basilʼ types. The cultivars were characterized by different growth rate and morphological traits. The chemical composition of the oils analyzed by GC and GC / MS analysis, supported by the PCA analysis, underlined the strong influence of chemotype. It is noteworthy that estragole, never present in Genovese and purple basil types, occurred in Napoletano type. The high presence of eugenol, methyl eugenol, and linalool in the majority of cultivars, belonging both to Genovese and to Napoletano types was registered. Of great interest resulted the composition of the purple basil ʻOpalʼ. All the samples tested exhibited similar antibiotic profiles with moderate antibacterial activity. The results enhanced the importance of determination of essential‐oil profile in the selection of cultivars characterized by diverse morphological traits and are useful for different purposes.