Acta Pharm. 62 (2012) 251-261
Short communication
Culture conditions and salt effects on essential oil composition of
sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana) from Tunisia
OLFA BA TOUR, IMEN TARCHOUNE, HELA MAHMOUDI, NAWEL
NASSRI, WISSAL ABIDI, RYM KADDOUR, GHAITH HAMDAOUI, MOUHIBA BEN NASRI-AYACHI,
MOHTAR LACHA L and BRAHIM MARZOUK
1 Unit de Physiologie et Biochimie de
2 Laboratoire des Substances Bioactives, Centre de
Biotechnologie de Borj-Cedria, BP 901, 2050 Hammam-lif, Tunisie
Accepted May 3, 2012
O. majorana shoots were investigated for their essential oil (EO) composition. Two experiments were carried out; the first on hydroponic medium in a culture chamber and the second on inert sand in a greenhouse for 20 days. Plants were cultivated for 17 days in hydroponic medium supplemented with NaCl 100 mmol L-1. The results showed that the O. majorana hydroponic medium offered higher essential oil yield than that from the greenhouse. The latter increased significantly in yield (by 50 %) under saline constraint while it did not change in the culture chamber. Under greenhouse conditions and in the absence of salt treatment, the major constituents were terpinene-4-ol and trans-sabinene hydrate. However, in the culture chamber, the major volatile components were cis-sabinene hydrate and terpinene-4-ol. In the presence of NaCl, new compounds appeared, such as eicosane, spathulenol, eugenol, and phenol. In addition, in the greenhouse, with or without salt, a very important change of trans-sabinene hydrate concentration in EO occurred, whereas in the culture chamber change appeared in cis-sabinene hydrate content.
Keywords: Origanum
majorana, greenhouse, culture chamber,
salt, yield, terpinene 4-ol