Variability of thujone content in essential oil due to plant development and organs from Artemisia absinthium L. and Salvia officinalis L.

The study compared changes in essential oil content and its thujone ratio in two popular herbs (Artemisia absinthium L. and Salvia officinalis L.), pertaining to plant development and plant organs. Both species were harvested in 2018 at the vegetative, floral budding, flowering and after flowering phases; flowers and leaves were sampled separately. The essential content is always higher in the flowers than in the leaves at the same phenophase in both species we examined. Decreased essential oil content in both organs during the developmental phases was also common to both species. In S. officinalis, both leaf and flower oils showed quantitatively different compositional profiles. During plant development, the main component α-thujone decreased significantly in leaf oils, while both thujone isomers demonstrated statistically stable values in flower oils. In A. absinthium, leaf and flower oils exhibited similar thujone ratios. During plant development, neither of the thujone isomers changed significantly in leaf oils but the ratio of α-thujone increased in the flowers. It was established, that only the distribution and dynamics of total volatiles showed common features in the two species, while the variability of thujone ratios represents differences specific to each target species. For the praxis, in S. officinalis timing of harvest seems to be more important while in A. absinthium the ratio of organs may play a more significant role in reaching lower thujone levels of the drug

Effect of genotype and age on essential oil and total phenolics in hyssop (<i>Hyssopus officinalis</i> L.)

Five Hyssopus officinalis L. accessions (German, Hungarian and Polish ones) were compared over three years with regard to their development and secondary metabolite production, in an open field experiment. The Hungarian variety ‘Sophie’ produced the highest essential oil (EO) yield (up to 2.037 ml/100 g). In general, one-year old individuals accumulated the most volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the accumulation was influenced significantly by genotype and year. A total of 47 components were identified in all of the oils. In all accessions cis- and transpinocamphones were most frequently the major compounds, but there were quantitative differences among genotypes. Highest proportions of these two components together appeared in ‘Erfurter Ysop’ (70.7%). The third main compound was β-pinene that accumulated in the Hungarian accessions in the highest proportions (11-19%). The cultivation year did not have a considerable influence on the EO composition. Significant difference in the total phenolic content was evident among genotypes, and ranged from 443.64 mg/g DW (‘Erfurter Ysop’) and 329.32 mg/g DW (‘Hyzop lekarsky’) calculated as gallic acid. The effect of the year was not significant, although we detected a significant variety × year interaction. In general, the selected hyssop cultivars showed an advance to commercial batches

Comparative investigation of 11 Achillea collina Becker accessions concerning phenological, morphological, productional features and active agent content

Eleven Achillea collina Becker accessions of different origin were tested in open field plots during three years for their phenological, morphological, productional features and active material content in Budapest, Hungary. Among the tested plant materials European selected cultivars, Hungarian cultivated stocks and populations from wild growing habitats were investigated. Concerning flowering time, two types (early and late) were distinguished. Flowering time of the less abundant late type, represented by Hungarian variety ‘Azulenka’ and ‘Gb22’, started approximately 2 weeks later than that of the early flowering type. Plant height and length of flowering horizon varied only slightly among taxa, and increased after the first year of cultivation. The proportion of useful plant organs in the drug was stable. Biomass and drug production of the investigated genotypes was variable, late flowering types providing higher yields. Essential oil, proazulene, total phenolic and flavonoid content varied on a large scale among accessions and years.Results demonstrate the high intraspecific variability of A. collina and also the role of valuable genotypes in drug production. Selected cultivars may provide stable and good yields and drug quality under particular environmental conditions, while genotypes of wild origin may be valuable sources of future breeding programs

Effect of Irrigation on the Production and Secondary Metabolites of Summer Savory (Satureja hortensis L. ‘Budakalászi’)

As consequence of the predicted climatic changes, analysis of the effects of drought stress on different plant species seems to be essential. In our study summer savory (Satureja hortensis L. ’Budakalászi’) was investigated in an open field experiment in the Experimental and Research Farm of the Szent István University in Soroksár. To identify the effect of water supply, irrigated (W) (additional 2 × 20 mm water per week) and non-irrigated control (C) treatments were applied on the plants with 50 × 30 cm growth distance. During the vegetation period water potential (pressure chamber) and the chlorophyll content (SPAD-502) were measured. Fresh and dry mass and leaf ratio were determined when plants were harvested at full flowering stage. The essential oil content was hydro-distilled with a Clevenger-type apparatus according to the Hungarian Pharmacopoeia (7th ed.). The essential oil composition was identified by GC-MS. The effect of the irrigation was obvious for the majority of the examined traits. The chlorophyll content decreased (W: 32.58 SPAD unit; C: 35.70 SPAD unit) while the water potential increased (W: -12.85 bar; C: -21.35 bar) significantly with water supply. The fresh mass (W: 104.00 g per plant) and dry mass (W: 14.09 g per plant) of the watered plants were higher compared to the untreated control (fresh: 60.55 g per plant; dry: 6.58 g per plant). The leaf ratio did not change significantly (W: 51.04%; C: 48.40%). The essential oil composition of savory seems to be independent from the water supply. The main components of the essential oil were carvacrol (50-51%), γ-terpinene (35-36%), and p-cymene (3-4%) in both oils. Irrigation decreased the accumulation level of the essential oil (W:  4.289 ml 100 g-1 DM; C: 4.859 ml 100 g-1 DM). However,  due to higher biomass,  the essential oil yield of well-watered plants was higher. Based on this information we may declare that during the cultivation of savory, additional irrigation seems to be necessary

Effect of Irrigation on the Production and Secondary Metabolites of Summer Savory (Satureja hortensis L. ‘Budakalászi’)

As consequence of the predicted climatic changes, analysis of the effects of drought stress on different plant species seems to be essential. In our study summer savory (Satureja hortensis L. ’Budakalászi’) was investigated in an open field experiment in the Experimental and Research Farm of the Szent István University in Soroksár. To identify the effect of water supply, irrigated (W) (additional 2 × 20 mm water per week) and non-irrigated control (C) treatments were applied on the plants with 50 × 30 cm growth distance. During the vegetation period water potential (pressure chamber) and the chlorophyll content (SPAD-502) were measured. Fresh and dry mass and leaf ratio were determined when plants were harvested at full flowering stage. The essential oil content was hydro-distilled with a Clevenger-type apparatus according to the Hungarian Pharmacopoeia (7th ed.). The essential oil composition was identified by GC-MS. The effect of the irrigation was obvious for the majority of the examined traits. The chlorophyll content decreased (W: 32.58 SPAD unit; C: 35.70 SPAD unit) while the water potential increased (W: -12.85 bar; C: -21.35 bar) significantly with water supply. The fresh mass (W: 104.00 g per plant) and dry mass (W: 14.09 g per plant) of the watered plants were higher compared to the untreated control (fresh: 60.55 g per plant; dry: 6.58 g per plant). The leaf ratio did not change significantly (W: 51.04%; C: 48.40%). The essential oil composition of savory seems to be independent from the water supply. The main components of the essential oil were carvacrol (50-51%), γ-terpinene (35-36%), and p-cymene (3-4%) in both oils. Irrigation decreased the accumulation level of the essential oil (W:  4.289 ml 100 g-1 DM; C: 4.859 ml 100 g-1 DM). However,  due to higher biomass,  the essential oil yield of well-watered plants was higher. Based on this information we may declare that during the cultivation of savory, additional irrigation seems to be necessary