Abstract
BackgroundThe Essential oils (EOs) are important bioactive secondary metabolites of aromatic plants, such as Basil, and find extensive utilization in pharmaceutical sector as therapeutic agents. A more eco-friendly industrial production of EOs requires new sustainable methods to improve yield and quality of these bioactive compounds in aromatic plants. Here, we evaluated the biostimulation effects of natural organic materials, such as humic substances (HS) extracted from a humified green compost made with artichoke biomasses.ResultsThe molecular characteristics of HS from green compost were determined by 13C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy and offline pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and combined to the bioactivity of the EOs extracts to investigate the structural–activity relationship. Basil plants were grown under HS treatments at different concentrations and the yield, the chemical composition and the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were determined for EOs extracted by steam distillation method from Basil leaves. HS showed a positive effect on total extraction yield of the most bioactive EO components, with a progressive enhancement of abundance for eugenol, eucalyptol and geranyl acetate with increasing HS concentrations. Humic biostimulation influenced the EOs antioxidant proprieties, as well as their antimicrobial activity against some common Gram-negative bacterial strains such as Klebsiella pneumoniae. The HS biostimulation of Basil plants was associated to their structural hydrophobic characteristics that may have favoured the interactions with the Basil rhizome and to specific bioactive molecular components, such as a lignin-derived phenols and polar saccharidic and aminoacidic compounds.ConclusionsOur results support the potential use of humic substances from green compost as promising effective biostimulants to improve the production and bioactive properties of EOs in aromatic plants.Graphic
Highlights
The Essential oils (EOs) are important bioactive secondary metabolites of aromatic plants, such as Basil, and find extensive utilization in pharmaceutical sector as therapeutic agents
In contrast with previously results [32], who did not found any detectable effect of soil HS application neither on plant growth nor on essential oils (EOs) antibacterial activity, our results indicate that humic substances from green compost do influence the secondary metabolism of an aromatic plant, such as Basil, and promote larger yields of phenolic EO components, such as eugenol, which are involved in their antimicrobial activity
Humic substances isolated from composted artichoke residues were tested as biostimulants of Basil plant growth and, in particular, of the synthesis of essential oils (EOs)
Summary
The Essential oils (EOs) are important bioactive secondary metabolites of aromatic plants, such as Basil, and find extensive utilization in pharmaceutical sector as therapeutic agents. Basil plants were grown under HS treatments at different concentrations and the yield, the chemical composition and the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were determined for EOs extracted by steam distillation method from Basil leaves. The HS biostimulation of Basil plants was associated to their structural hydrophobic characteristics that may have favoured the interactions with the Basil rhizome and to specific bioactive molecular components, such as a ligninderived phenols and polar saccharidic and aminoacidic compounds. (2021) 8:28 secondary metabolites, such as terpenes and phenylpropanoids compounds [6, 7] The characteristics of these aromatic compounds in Basil plant are related to the specific genotype which determine the amount and composition of EOs [6, 7]
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