Environmental Effects on Yield and Composition of Essential Oil in Wild Populations of Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia Medik.)

Abstract

Spike lavender, Lavandula latifolia Medik., is a species of economic importance for its essential oil (EO). The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of the variable climate and fixed factors such as soil and geographic location on EO yield and quality. The study material was collected in 34 populations from four different Spanish bioregions for three years. The EO extraction from spike lavender leaves and flowers was done with simple hydrodistillation, in Clevenger. Soil samples were also collected. Climate data were provided by the State Meteorological Agency. The EO average yield was obtained for the bioregion mean and in each bioregion. The higher EO yield is related clearly to the climate condition. A greater amount of annual rainfall produced a higher EO yield in the four bioregions and of better quality. Soils richer in organic matter and minerals produced higher EO yield but with less quality. The altitude had little effect on EO yield. Higher altitude favored obtaining higher EO quality. At lower latitude, further south, the populations obtained a higher EO yield. The evaluation of the environmental effect on the EO yield and quality could allow better natural conservation and more accurate selection of the best populations for breeding and spike lavender cultivation protocols.

Crop Yield and Essential Oil Composition of Two Thymus vulgaris Chemotypes along Three Years of Organic Cultivation in a Hilly Area of Central Italy

“…In this regard, Herraiz-Peñalver et al [ 20 ] found EO yield variations in Lavandula latifolia Medik., along two years of cultivation, depending on the differences in annual climatic conditions. Similar findings were obtained by Fernández-Sestelo and Carrillo [ 21 ], who found a significant and positive correlation between rainfall and OE yield of spike lavender in different bioregions in Spain.…”

“…The variability in the chemical composition and quality of thyme EO depend on several factors including climatic, seasonal and geographic conditions [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ], harvest period [ 27 ] the storage conditions [ 28 ] and distillation techniques [ 25 , 29 ]. The EO can be obtained in different ways: hydrodistillation (HD), the most common conventional method, used in research laboratories, is one of the easiest and routine methods and the most recommended by Pharmacopeia [ 30 ].…”

Effects of Biostimulants on the Chemical Composition of Essential Oil and Hydrosol of Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel.) Cultivated in Tuscan-Emilian Apennines

“…In particular, the terpenes located on positive values of PC1 (Figure 1C) were The marked variation in the chemical composition of the EOs from the three farms might be due to several factors, and their impact on most of the biosynthetic pathways is still unclear. Several authors assert that cultivation techniques, in addition to pedo-climatic conditions, physicochemical characteristics of soil, and light exposure of the crop are crucial factors in the secondary metabolism of aromatic plants [41][42][43][44]. In our study, all lavandins belong to the same variety and were harvested under the same conditions and, therefore, the variation of composition might be due to both different cropping techniques and sunlight exposure of the aromatic plants [44].…”

Chemical Composition, Allelopathic, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Sesquiterpenes Rich Essential Oil of Cleome amblyocarpa Barratte & Murb.

“…Interestingly, the chemometric analysis revealed that the EO compositions of ecospecies from the nearest countries were similar. This observation reflects the effect of environmental and climatic factors [ 30 , 32 , 33 ].…”

“…These significant variations of chemical composition might be ascribed to environmental circumstances (such as temperature, rainfall, soil factors, altitude, etc.) and genetic characteristics [ 11 , 30 , 32 , 33 ].…”