Composition of essential oils and content of macronutrients in herbage of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) grown in south-eastern Poland

Abstract

Tarragon is a spice but also used for medicinal purposes. In Poland, tarragon plants are grown on plantations to produce herbage used as raw material. The aim of the study was to evaluate the yield of tarragon grown from seedlings in south-eastern Poland and to assess the content of minerals and essential oils in raw material. The experiment was established using seedlings produced in a greenhouse and planted at 30 x 40 cm spacing. The essential oil content in ground herbs was determined in a Deryng apparatus according to a method defined in Pharmacopoeia. Qualitative and quantitative composition of essential oils was characterized by means of gas chromatography coupled with the mass spectrometry (GC/MS) technique. Ground herb underwent determinations of total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrates, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur. The level of atmospheric precipitation considerably affected the height of tarragon plants and fresh herb yields. Total nitrogen and potassium were dominant elements in tarragon herb (32.0 g kg –1 d.m. and 28.8 g kg –1 d.m., respectively). The content of essential oils in herb ranged from 0.75 to 0.95%. Presence of 35 compounds, including two unidentifiable ones, was detected in the essential oil. Most of the identified compounds were monoterpenes. The following substances dominated in the essential oil: elemicin (56.0%), sabinene (20.9%), methyleugenol (6.2%), and E-asarone (6.2%). These compounds belong to different chemical classes.