Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXVI, Issue 1
Written by Elena Alina GOVOREANU, Violeta Alexandra ION, Elena SĂVULESCU, Monica Luminița BADEA, Vlad POPA, Elena MARIA DRĂGHICI
The article presents aspects regarding the anatomy and composition of volatile oil in the species Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae), cultivar 'Aromat de Buzău'. Anatomical observations were made on cross-sections in the stems and lamina of the leaf. The epidermis of the leaf is unilayered, with the outer walls covered by a thin cuticle. Glandular and nonglandular hairs are present on both epidermis, especially on the lower epidermis. There are short glandular hairs, capitate or peltate and the non-glandular ones are unicellular or multicellular, sharp or with a curved tip. The stomata are present in both epidermis but more numerous in the lower epidermis, being of the diacytic type. The leaf mesophylle is bifacial with palisade tissue under the upper epidermis consisting of a single row of elongated cells, rich in chloroplasts and spongy tissue, below the lower epidermis, consisting of 3-4 rows of ovoid cells and with intercellular spaces. The oil has been extracted during the flowering period, by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main chemical compounds present in the volatile oil were: methyl chavicol (63.56 %), linalool (17.10 %), 1,8-cineole (4.01%) and α-epi-cadinol (2.64 %).
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