Bio-molecular variability of different Ocimum species in India Raina Archana P.1,*, Misra R.C.2 1Division of Germplasm Evaluation, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India 2Regional Station, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Cuttack, India *Corresponding author e-mail: aprraina@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 29 June, 2023. Abstract Ocimum L. (Lamiaceae) is an extremely versatile genus having more than 150 species, widely found in tropical and subtropical parts of Asia, Africa and South America. Chemo diversity in the composition of basil oils due to inter-specific hybridization and polyploidy plays an important role in determining their use and value for industrial applications. Essential oil extracted from aerial biomass can be employed in the fragrance and perfume, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. The present study was performed to investigate chemical variability among Ocimum germplasm of 36 accessions of six Ocimum species namely O. tenuiflorum, O. basilicum, O. americanum, O. citridorum, O. kilimandscharicum and O. gratissimum. The essential oil content among theses Ocimum species ranged from 0.09% to 0.58% in fresh herb. Chemical characterization of oil by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) and GC/FID grouped them into different chemotypes based on presence of major chemical compounds. Essential oil profiling showed species-specific chemotypes present among these species: camphor-rich in O. americanum; eugenol-rich in O. gratissimum; (E)-methyl cinnamate-rich in O. basilicum; geranial/neral-rich in O.citriodorum; methyl chavicol-rich in Ocimum kilimandscharicum and eugenol and methyl eugenol-rich in O. tenuiflorum. Other aromatic constituents identified in basil oils across the germplasm were monoterpenoids (camphor, linalool, neral, nerol, geraniol, 1,8-cineole, ocimenes) and phenylpropanoids (methyl chavicol, eugenol, methyl eugenol, methyl cinnamate). These chemical variations existing between the species can facilitate selection for better economic trait for further improvement in Ocimum genotypes. Ocimum species can be utilized as a source of industrially important aromatic compounds and could be further improved by varietal and agro technology research strategies. Top Keywords Ocimum spp., Essential oil, Aromatic profiles, Chemotype, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Top |