EFFECTS OF GROWTH CONDITION AND THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE OF TWO TUNISIAN VARIETIES OF ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS L. ON THE ESSENTIAL OIL YIELD AND ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

This study aims at comparing the yield and essential oils composition of two Tunisian varieties of rosemary (troglodytorum and typicus) under different growth conditions (wild or cultivated) and phenological stages (vegetative or flowering). Seedlings of Rosmarinus officinalis L. collected from Matmata (troglodytorum variety) and Kef (typicus variety) areas were transplanted in an experimental field at the Institut des Régions Arides of Médenine (South Tunisia). The aerials parts were harvested at flowering and vegetative stages.
The essential oil was isolated by hydrodistillation and its chemical composition was determined by GC (RI) and GC-MS. The highest yield was recorded in cultivated plants during full vegetative stage (3.26 and 3.23% for troglodytorum and typicus variety, respectively). The chemical composition of the essential oil was dominated by 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-pinene and camphene for troglodytorum variety and 1,8-cineole for typicus variety.
It appears that growth conditions (cultivated, wild) and phenological stage (vegetative or flowering) of rosemary plants revealed a similar essential oil composition.

International Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants – SIPAM2009

A. Ben Arfa, M. Neffati

accession, cultivated plants, Tunisian endemic variety, rosemary

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.853.17