Essential oil composition of sweet basil cultivars as affected by nitrogen and potassium fertilization

Authors: RENATA NURZYNSKA-WIERDAK, BARTLOMIEJ BOROWSKI, KATARZYNA DZIDA, GRAZYNA ZAWISLAK, RADOSLAW KOWALSKI

Abstract: This study was designed to find correlations between the rate of nitrogen and potassium and basil herb quality resulting from essential oil content and composition. An increase in the amount of nitrogen in the nutritional environment of the plants resulted in the enhanced accumulation of essential oil, as well as in a rise in linalool and germacrene D concentration. The present study also showed increased content of essential oil in the herb, as well as an increase of 1,8-cineole in the oil under the influence of the increased rate of potassium. The studied basil cultivars Kasia and Wala were characterized by a high content of essential oil, whose dominant component was linalool (64.7%). In addition, the components that occurred in larger amounts were as follows: geraniol (12.6%), 1,8-cineole (4.1%), and epi-alpha-cadinol (3.8%).

Keywords: Essential oil content, geraniol, linalool, Ocimum basilicum L.

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