The Use of Appropriate Cultivar of Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Can Increase Water Use Efficiency under Water Stress

Abstract

Drought is one of the major yield constraints of crop productivity for many crops. In addition, nowadays, climate change creates new challenges for crop adaptation in stressful environments. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of water stress on five cultivars of basil (Mrs Burns, Cinnamon, Sweet, Red Rubin, Thai) and whether water use efficiency (WUE) can be increased by using the appropriate cultivar. Water stress affected the fresh and dry weight and also the partitioning of dry matter to leaves, flowers, and stems. Also, there are cultivars, such as Mrs Burns and Sweet, which were not affected by the limited amount of water and continued to produce a high amount of dry matter and also showed high essential oil yield. Essential oil content was not affected by the irrigation; however, essential oil yield was affected by the irrigation, and the highest values were found at Mrs Burns. The water use efficiency was affected by the cultivar and irrigation level, and the highest was found at Mrs Burns. The results show that using appropriate cultivars basil can achieve higher WUE and allow saving water resources and utilizing fields in areas with limited water resources for irrigation.

Chemical components and pharmacological benefits of Basil (Ocimum basilicum): a review

“…Basil is sensitive to drought stress, a meaningful reduction in the fresh and dry matter yield, essential oil content, chemical constituents such as proline content, carbohydrate content and protein have been reported in former studies. [29,30] Kalamartzis et al [31] found that basil cultivars should have higher water use efficiency in semi-arid regions, which allow them to save more water resources. Its dry products of the stems usually harvest at 1.2-2 (fresh weight 8-10) t/ha.…”

Valorization of Nutritional Potential and Specialized Metabolites of Basil Cultivars Depending on Cultivation Method

“…The genus Ocimum is characterized by great variability in both morphological characteristics and chemical composition, as evidenced by numerous cultivars and chemotypes with different growth, yield, and raw material quality characteristics [1][2][3]. Among the number of species in genus, Ocimum basilicum L. (basil) has been the most often used, primary as a culinary herb, then in the cosmetic industry and as an ornamental plant [1].…”

Agro-morphological and phenotypic variability of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicumL.) genotypes for breeding purposes

“…By contrast, Kalamartzis et al [49] determined the effect of water stress on five cultivars of basil (Mrs Burns, Cinnamon, Sweet, Red Rubin, Thai) were found to be within the ranges of 378.5-4357.5 g m −2 for fresh herb, 65.8-922.5 g m −2 for dry herb. In addition, Karaca et al [36] determined that fresh herb yield and dry herb yield of nine basil genotypes were found to be within the ranges of 195.00-383.99 g plant −1 , 22.21-46.85 g plant −1 , respectively.…”