Essential Oil Yield and Aromatic Profile of Lemon Catnip and Lemon-Scented Catnip Selections at Different Harvesting Times
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: The chemical profiles of essential oilbearing plants can greatly vary as a response to ecological and seasonal changes.For specialty crops such as catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) and lemon catnip, (Nepeta cataria L. var.citriodora), optimizing these conditions based on field performance evaluations and chemical analyses of aromatic profiles can provide a benchmark for future harvest timelines.In this study, we describe the field performance of five lemon-scented N. cataria selections and one commercial lemon catnip line, based on biomass, essential oil yield and essential oil composition, while determining the effects of harvesting time on plant performance and chemical composition.The essential oil was extracted via hydro-distillation and analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).The four compounds in highest concentration present in the assessed genotypes were citronellol, geraniol, (E)-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide.Biomass, essential oil yield and chemical composition were significantly affected by harvesting times in all genotypes.Essential oils from catnip and lemon catnip cultivars have been used commercially as a source of natural insect repellents.Understanding how ecological and genetic factors affect the secondary metabolism of these crops is a fundamental step for product standardization and commercialization.
DOI: 10.7275/6v2v-4333
Institution: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3014292540