EVALUATION OF THE YIELD AND BIOLOGICAL VALUE OF TARRAGON (Artemisia dracunculus L.) IN THE BUNCH HARVEST CULTIVATION

Grażyna Zawiślak

University of Life Sciences in Lublin

Renata Nurzyńska-Wierdak

University of Life Sciences in Lublin



Abstract

The biological value of fresh and dried spice material is strongly influenced by climatic and agronomic conditions as well as by genetic and ontogenetic factors. In the available scientific literature, few publications present the problems of growing herbal plants for direct consumption and discuss the biological value of fresh herbal material. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the yield and quality of tarragon herb grown for bunching depending on plant density (20 × 20 cm and 30 × 30 cm) and harvest date (beginning of July and beginning of September). This study was conducted during the period 2010–2012 at the Experimental Station of the Department of Vegetable Crops and Medicinal Plants, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, in south-east region of Poland (51º14’N 22º34’E). In fresh plant material, the contents of L-ascorbic acid, chlorophyll, carotenoids and essential oil were determined, while the contents of essential oil, tannins and flavonoids were determined in leaf herbage. The yield of tarragon herb grown for bunching was dependent on the plant density and harvest date as well as their interaction.
Plants grown at lower density and harvested during the early summer period were characterized by better yield parameters compared to the other treatments. Tarragon herb harvested at the beginning of July was characterized by higher concentrations of L-ascorbic acid, chlorophyll a, b and a + b, flavonoids and essential oil as well as a lower content of tannins than the plant material harvested at the beginning of September. The carotenoid content in tarragon herb was not dependent on the factors studied, with their significant interaction. In growing tarragon for bunching, lower plant density can be recommended, since it contributes to high herb and essential oil yields. The beginning of July proved to be a more favourable time for harvesting tarragon grown for bunching than the beginning of September due to the quantity and biological value of tarragon yield and essential oil yield.

Keywords:

fresh herbs, chemical composition, plant density, harvest date, essential oil yield

Azizi K., Kahrizi D., 2008. Effect of nitrogen levels, plant density and climate on yield quantity and quality in cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) under the conditions of Iran. Asian J. Plant Sci., 7(8), 710–716.
Atanassova M., Georgieva S., Ivancheva K., 2011. Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity and biological contaminants in medicinal herbs. J. Univ. Chem. Tech. Met. (Sofia), 46, 1, 81–88.
Bowes K.M., Zheljazkov V.D., 2004. Factors affecting yields and essential oil quality of Ocimum sanctum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. cultivars. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., 129(6), 789–794.
Daly T., Jiwan M.A., O’Brien N.M., Aherne S.A., 2010. Carotenoid content of commonly consumed herbs and assessment of their bioaccessibility using an in vitro digestion model. Plant Foods Hum. Nutr., 65, 164–169.
Damtew Z., Tesfaye B., Bisrat D., 2011. Leaf, essential oil and artemisinin yield of artemisia (Artemisia annua L.) as influenced by harvesting age and plant population density. World J. Agric. Sci., 7(4), 404–412.
Eisenman S.W., Juliani H.R., Struwe L., Simon J.E., 2013. Essential oil diversity in North American wild tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) with comparisons to French and Kyrgyz tarragon. Ind. Crops Prod., 49, 220–232.
Farahani H.A., Valadabadi S.A., Daneshian J., Khalvati M.A., 2009. Evaluation changing of essential oil of balm (Melissa officinalis L.) under water deficit stress conditions. J. Med. Plant. Res., 3(5), 329–333.0
Grzeszczuk M., Jadczak D., 2008. Estimation of biological value and suitability for freezing of some species of spice herbs. J. Elem., 13(2), 211–220.
Haghi G., Ghasian F., Safaei-Ghomi J., 2010. Determination of the essential oil from root and aerial parts of Artemisia dracunculus L. cultivated in central Iran. J. Essent. Oil Res., 22, 294–296.
Hassan F.A.S., Bazaid S., Ali E.F., 2013. Effect of deficit irrigation on growth, yield and volatile oil content on Rosmarinus officinalis L. plant. J. Med. Plant. Stud., 1, 3, 12–21.
Jadczak D., 2007. Effect of sowing data on the quantity and quality of the yield of summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) grown for a bunch harvest. Herba Pol., 53(3), 22–27.
Jadczak D., Grzeszczuk M., 2008. Effect of a sowing date on quantity and quality of the yield of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) grown for a bunch harvest. J. Elem., 13(2), 221–226.
Jadczak D., Grzeszczuk M., 2009. Effect of swing date on quantity and quality of field of chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium (Hoffm.) ssp. sativum) grown for a bunch harvest. Herba Pol., 55(3), 292–297.
Kadam V.B., Gaikwad K.N., Sonawane V.B., Mail M.V., 2013. Estimation of chlorophyll content in leaves of some medicinal plants of genus Sesbania. J. Drug Discov. Therap., 1(9), 24–26.
Khorshidi J., Tabatabaei M.F., Omidbaigi R., Sefidkon F., 2009. Effect of densities of planting on yield and essential oil components of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var Soroksary). J. Agric. Sci., 1(1), 152–157.
Kowalski R., Wawrzykowski J., Zawiślak G., 2007. Analysis of essentials oil and extracts from Artemisia abrotanum L. and Artemisia dracunculus L. Herba Pol., 53(3), 246–254.
Korenman I.M., 1973. Analiza fitochemiczna. Metody oznaczania związków chemicznych. WN-T, Warszawa, 280–281.
Lichtenthaler H.K., Wellburn A.R., 1983. Determinations of total carotenoids and chlorophylls a and b of leaf extracts in different solvents. Biochem. Soc. Trans., 603, 591–592.
Lopez-Lutz D., Alviano D.S., Alviano C., Kołodziejczyk P.P., 2008. Screening of chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Artemisia essentials oils. Phytochemistry, 69, 1732–1738.
Mannan A., Achmed I., Arshad W., Hussain I., Mirza B., 2011. Effect of vegetative and flowering stage on the biosynthesis of artemisinin in Artemisia species. Arch Pharm. Res., 34(10), 1657–1661.
Martyniak-Przybyszewska B., Wojciechowski T., 2004. Plonowanie wybranych gatunków roślin przyprawowych w rejonie Olsztyna. Folia Univ. Agric. Stetin., Agricultura, 239(95), 245–248.
Miguel M.G., 2010. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oils: A short review. Molecules, 15, 9252–9287.
Mir F., Rather M.A., Dar B.A., Rasool S., Shawi A.S., Alam M.S., Qurishi M.A., 2012. Comparative GC-MS and GC-Ms analysis of the chemical profile of the leaf, steam and root essential oils of Artemisia dracunculus L. growing in Kashmir (India). J. Pharm. Res., 5 (3), 1353–1356.
Mysiak B., Tendaj M., 2008. Content of phenolic acids in edible parts of some alliums species grown for the green bunching. Acta Sci. Pol., Hortorum Cultus, 7(4), 57–62.
Nurzyńska-Wierdak R., Dzida K., 2009. Influence of plant density and term of harvest on field and chemical composition of sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana L.). Acta Sci. Pol., Hortorum Cultus, 8(1), 51–61.
Obistioiu D., Cristina R.T., Schmerold I., Chizzola R., Stolze K., Nichita I., Chiurciu V., 2014. Chemical characterization by GC-MS and in vitro activity against Candida albicans of volatile fractions prepared from Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia abrotanum, Artemisia absinthium and Artemisia vulgaris. Chem. Cent. J., 8 (6), DOI: 10.1186/1752-153X-8-6.
Obolskiy D., Pischel I., Feistel B., Glotov N., Heinrich M., 2011. Artemisia dracunculus L. (tarragon): A critical review of its traditional use, chemical composition, pharmacology, and safety. J. Agric. Food Chem., 59, 11367–11384.
Omobolanle Ade-Ademilua E., Oghenekome Obi H., Cracker L.E., 2013. Growth and essential oil yield of African basil Ocimum gratissimum, under light and waters stress. J. Med. Active Plants, 1(4), 143–149.
Polish Pharmacopoeia VI, 2002. Polskie Towarzystwo Farmaceutyczne, Warszawa.
Polish Pharmacopoeia VII, 2006. Polskie Towarzystwo Farmaceutyczne, Warszawa.
Rao B.R.R., 2002. Biomass yield, essential oil yield and essential oil composition of rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium species) as influenced by row spacings and intercropping with cornmint (Mentha arvensis L. f. piperascens Malinv. ex Holmes). Ind. Crops Prod., 16, 133–144.
Sawilska A.K., Mielcarek S., 2009. The content of flavonoids and polyphenolic acids in inflorescences of Sandy Everlasting (Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench) from natural stands and plantations. Herba Pol., 55, 3, 118–126.
Sulaiman C.T., Balachandran I., 2012. Total phenolics and total flavonoids in selected Indian medicinal plants. Indian J. Pharm. Sci., 74(3), 258–260.
Veeru P., Kishor M.P., Meenakshi M., 2009. Screening of medicinal plant extracts for antioxidant activity. J. Med. Plant. Res., 3(8), 608–612.
Zawiślak G., 2011. Hyssop herb yield and quality depending on harvest term and plant spacing. Acta Sci. Pol., Hortorum Cultus, 10(3), 331–342.
Zawiślak G. Dzida K., 2012. Composition of essentials oils and content of macronutrients in herbage of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) grown in south-eastern Poland. J. Element., 17(4), 721–729.
Zhang L., Ravipati A.S., Koyyalamudi S.R., Jeong S.C., Reddy N., Smith P.T., Bartlett J., Shanmugam K., Münch G., Wu M.J., 2011. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of selected medicinal plants containing phenolic and flavonoid compounds. J. Agric. Food Chem., 59(23), 12361–12367.
Download

Published
2014-08-31



Grażyna Zawiślak 
University of Life Sciences in Lublin
Renata Nurzyńska-Wierdak 
University of Life Sciences in Lublin



License

 

Articles are made available under the conditions CC BY 4.0 (until 2020 under the conditions CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
Submission of the paper implies that it has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

The author signs a statement of the originality of the work, the contribution of individuals, and source of funding.

 


Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 4 5 > >>