Effect of cultivation on chemical composition and bioactivities of essential oils from Artemisia herba-alba Asso grown in Morocco

Abstract

Due to its numerous uses in traditional Moroccan medicine, Artemisia herba alba Asso is intensively exploited from the wild and now is considered as threatened species. In order to contribute to the conservation of this valuable plant, the effect of domestication on the chemical composition and bioactivities of A. herba-alba essential oil (EO) were studied. The GC-MS analyses identified chrysanthenone (56.8–68.2%) and trans-thujone (31.1–17.9%) as the main constituents in oil samples. Cultivation of A. herba alba induced qualitative and quantitative modification marked by a diminution of compounds identified and an increase in chrysanthenone content and a parallel decrease of trans-thujone. Concerning the bioactivities, cultivated A. herba alba EO presented the best antioxidant (IC50 values 3.71 ± 0.15 mg/mL and 3.57 ± 0.39 mg/mL), and insecticidal properties (LD50 value of 0.65 and LD90 value of 1.36 μL/cm2 in the contact assay and LD50 and LD90 values of 701.12 μL/Lair as well as of 1655.24 μL/Lair, respectively, in the fumigation assay), while no significant difference has been observed in the allelopathic potency.