Maria de Fátima Arrigoni-Blank

Influence of the harvesting time, temperature and drying period on basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil

Ocimum basilicum L. essential oil with high concentration of linalool is valuable in international business. O. basilicum essential oil is widely used as seasoning and in cosmetic industry. To assure proper essential oil yield and quality, it is crucial to determine which environmental and processing factors are affecting its composition. The goal of our work is to evaluate the effects of harvesting time, temperature, and drying period on the yield and chemical composition of O. basilicum essential oil. Harvestings were performed 40 and 93 days after seedling transplantation. Harvesting performed at 8:00 h and 12:00 h provided higher essential oil yield. After five days drying, the concentration of linalool raised from 45.18% to 86.80%. O. basilicum should be harvested during morning and the biomass dried at 40oC for five days to obtain linalool rich essential oil.

Acaricidal activity of Lippia gracilis essential oil and its major constituents on the tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.

The present study aimed to evaluate the activity of Lippia gracilis Schauer essential oil obtained from different L. gracilis genotypes and their major components, carvacrol and thymol against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (cattle tick) larvae and engorged females. The larval test was performed parallel to the adult immersion test for engorged females for four L. gracilis genotypes. Similar tests were further performed for their major compounds carvacrol and thymol. Carvacrol (LC50 of 0.22 and 4.46 mg/mL, to larvae and engorged females, respectively) was more efficient than thymol (LC50 of 3.86 and 5.50 mg/mL, to larvae and engorged females, respectively). The lethal concentrations obtained for the isolated essential oil from genotypes LGRA-201 against larvae (1.31 mg/mL) and LGRA-106 against engorged females (4.66 mg/mL) confirmed the acaricidal activity of L. gracilis essential oil and its effectiveness in controlling the southern cattle tick.

Estabelecimento de alecrim-pimenta in vitro

Lippia sidoides Cham. is a native shrub from the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil. Its essential oil has high commercial value, due to the major compounds thymol and carvacrol, which have strong antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. The effect of concentrations and immersion time in sodium hypochlorite, culture media, the use of antibiotic and antioxidants on in vitro establishment of L. sidoides were evaluated. The assays were conducted in a completely randomized design. We evaluated the concentrations 0.2; 0.4; 0.6 and 0.8% of sodium hypochlorite and 8; 12; 16 and 20 minutes of immersion, in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme; the concentrations 0; 50; 100; 150 and 200 mg L-1 of cefotaxime sodium; the medium cultures MS, B5 and WPM; and the effect of antioxidants (PVP: 0.5 and 2 g L-1; and activated charcoal: 3 and 12 g L-1). The concentration of 0.8% of sodium hypochlorite resulted in a significantly higher (p<0.01) number of leaves per shoot: 1.88. For the other characteristics we did not observe any significant effect of sodium hypochlorite concentrations: the contamination varied from 33.7 to 50.6%; the number of new shoots varied from 1.17 to 1.65, and the number of leaves per explant varied from 1.77 to 3.07. Although we did not observe significant difference for immersion times, 12 and 16 minutes of immersion tend to result in minor contamination. Increasing the immersion time from 16 to 20 minutes tends to induce a reduction of new shoots (form 1.52 to 1.22), number of leaves per explant (from 2.62 to 1.81) and number of leaves per shoot (from 1.70 to 1.24). The use of cefotaxime sodium reduced significatively the bacterial contamination (55.23% at the control treatment; 9.99% at the 200 mg L-1 concentration), increasing the survival of explants from 0 (control) to 37.32% (200 mg L-1). The medium cultures offered statistically identical results. All the evaluated antioxidants, even at the lowest concentrations, reduced the oxidation from 50% (control) to as little as 10%. For in vitro establishment of L. sidoides nodal segments, the results indicate immersion of explants for 16 minutes in a 0.8% sodium hypochlorite solution, 200 mg L-1 of cefotaxime sodium, WPM, MS or B5 culture medium, and 3.0 g L-1 of activated charcoal or 0.5 g L-1 of PVP.

Acaricidal activity of essential oils from Lippia alba genotypes and its major components carvone, limonene, and citral against Rhipicephalus microplus

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the acaricidal potential of Lippia alba essential oil, citral chemotypes (LA-10 and LA-44 genotypes) and carvone chemotypes (LA-13 and LA-57 genotypes), as well as purified citral and enantiomers of carvone and limonene. Efficacy against Rhipicephalus microplus was assessed by the larval packet and the engorged female immersion tests. Citral chemotypes had greater larvicidal activity than carvone chemotypes, and this was further supported by larvicidal and adulticidal activity of purified citral with LC50 values of 7.0 and 29.8 mg/mL, respectively. While purified enantiomers of carvone exhibited greater larvicidal activity than those of limonene, enantioselectivity of limonene was observed with R-(+) displaying significantly higher efficacy (LC50 of 31.2mg/mL) than S-(-) (LC50 of 54.5mg/mL). The essential oils and purified compounds were much less toxic toward engorged adult females, with the exception of citral, and this may be due to limited cuticular penetration.

Densidades de plantio e doses de biofertilizante na produção de capim-limão

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de densidades de plantio e doses de biofertilizante comercial na producao de capim-limao (Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) Stapf). O experimento foi implantado em parcelas subdivididas com tres repeticoes, colocando-se nas parcelas as densidades de plantio (33.333, 49.382, 55.555 e 111.111 plantas ha-1) e nas subparcelas as doses de biofertilizante (0; 20; 40 e 60 t ha-1). Foram realizadas nove colheitas em intervalos de 42 dias. Avaliou-se a sobrevivencia, a altura de planta, o numero de perfilhos por touceira, a massa seca por touceira e da parte aerea, o teor e o rendimento de oleo essencial. O teor de oleo essencial nao foi influenciado pelas densidades de plantio e doses de biofertilizante. A densidade crescente resultou em regressoes lineares crescentes para o rendimento de oleo essencial e a massa seca da parte aerea e em uma regressao linear decrescente para a massa seca por touceira. A dose de biofertilizante resultou em regressoes lineares crescentes para o rendimento de oleo essencial e a massa seca por touceira e da parte aerea. A densidade de 111.111 plantas ha-1 (0,30 x 0,30 m) e a dose de biofertilizante de 60 t ha-1 no primeiro ano de cultivo poderao ser recomendados para producao do capim-limao.

Efeitos da adubação química e da calagem na nutrição de melissa e hortelã-pimenta

This work aimed to evaluate the effects of chemical fertilization and liming on growth and nutrition of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and peppermint (Mentha piperita), using the missing element technique. Treatments were: complete (fertilized with N, P, K, S, B, Cu, Fe and Zn+ liming); complete - liming; complete -N; complete -P; complete -K; complete -S; complete -B; complete -Zn; complete -Fe and control (natural soil). The following results were obtained within 120 days after sowing: liming and fertilization are essential for lemon balm and peppermint growth. In the soil used in this experiment the nutrients which showed highest results on growth and nutrition of lemon balm and peppermint were N and P, besides liming.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Hyptis pectinata (l.) Poit.

Essential oil was extracted from leaves of Hyptis pectinata using hydrodistillation, and its composition determined using GC-FID and GC-MS. Chemical analysis showed that there was a predominance of sesquiterpenes, of which β-caryophyllene (18.34%), caryophyllene oxide (18.00%) and calamusenone (24.68%) were measured for the first time in the genus Hyptis. Twenty-one compounds were identified, and calamusenone was isolated using preparative thin layer chromatography with a silica gel plate (60 PF254). The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal microbicidal concentration (MMC) were determined for various pathogenic microorganisms. H. pectinata oil was most effective against Gram (+) bacteria and yeasts.

Chemical Diversity in Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Brown Germplasm

The aim of this study was to perform chemical characterization of Lippia alba accessions from the Active Germplasm Bank of the Federal University of Sergipe. A randomized block experimental design with two replications was applied. The analysis of the chemical composition of the essential oils was conducted using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. The chemical composition of the essential oils allowed the accessions to be allocated to the following six groups: group 1: linalool, 1,8-cineole, and caryophyllene oxide; group 2: linalool, geranial, neral, 1,8-cineol, and caryophyllene oxide; group 3: limonene, carvone, and sabinene; group 4: carvone, limonene, g-muurolene, and myrcene; group 5: neral, geranial, and caryophyllene oxide; and group 6: geranial, neral, o-cymene, limonene, and caryophyllene oxide.

Chemical diversity in basil (Ocimum sp.) germplasm.

The present study aimed to chemically characterize 31 accessions and seven cultivars of basil. The percentage composition of the essential oils of the accessions and cultivars was based on the 14 most abundant constituents: 1,8-cineole, linalool, methyl chavicol, neral, nerol, geraniol, geranial, methyl cinnamate, β-bourbonene, methyl eugenol, α-trans-bergamotene, germacrene-D, epi-α-cadinol, and δ-cadinene. The genetic materials were classified into eight clusters according to the chemical composition of the essential oils: Cluster 1—mostly linalool and 1,8-cineole; Cluster 2—mostly linalool, geraniol, and α-trans-bergamotene; Cluster 3—mostly linalool, methyl chavicol, methyl cinnamate, and β-bourbonene; Cluster 4—mostly linalool, methyl chavicol, epi-α-cadinol, and α-trans-bergamotene; Cluster 5—mainly linalool, methyl eugenol, α-trans-bergamotene, and epi-α-cadinol; Cluster 6—mainly linalool, geraniol, and epi-α-cadinol; Cluster 7—mostly linalool and methyl chavicol; Cluster 8—mainly geranial and neral.

Inhibitory effect of linalool-rich essential oil from Lippia alba on the peptidase and keratinase activities of dermatophytes

Abstract Lippia alba (Miller) N.E. Brown is an aromatic plant known locally as “Erva-cidreira-do-campo” that has great importance in Brazilian folk medicine. The aim of our study was to evaluate the antidermatophytic potential of linalool-rich essential oil (EO) from L. alba and analyze the ability of this EO to inhibit peptidase and keratinase activities, which are important virulence factors in dermatophytes. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of L. alba EO were 39, 156 and 312 µg/mL against Trichophyton rubrum, Epidermophyton floccosum and Microsporum gypseum, respectively. To evaluate the influence of L. alba EO on the proteolytic and keratinolytic activities of these dermatophytes, specific inhibitory assays were performed. The results indicated that linalool-rich EO from L. alba inhibited the activity of proteases and keratinases secreted from dermatophytes, and this inhibition could be a possible mechanism of action against dermatophytes. Due to the effective antidermatophytic activity of L. alba EO, further experiments should be performed to explore the potential of this linalool-rich EO as an alternative antifungal therapy.