ISHS Acta Horticulturae 306: International Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, XXIII IHC
A COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION OF CAMOMILE GENOTYPES UNDER EXTREMELY VARYING ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS |
| Authors: | W. Letchamo, A. Vömel |
| Abstract:
The results of a practical comparative investigation of five camomile genotypes in the fields of extremely varying multiple ecological conditions (one region in West Germany, 1987 and three regions in Ethiopia, 1987/88) indicated that camomile could be successfully produced with adequate quality of the drug in tropical highlands of Africa. The plants flowered in a mean of 55 – 75 days in R.Holzhausen and 66 – 138 days in three different growing conditions in Ethiopia. The mean yield components, drug and straw yields of the genotypes varied in all the four locations grown. The diploid "Degumill" and the locally grown "Ethiopian" strain produced the highest drug yield in Addis Ababa and Alemaya. The lowest drug yield was obtained in the hot and dry region of Dire Dawa. In R.Holzhausen tetraploids "BK2–39" and "O-29" produced higher drug and straw yields. There was no significant deviation in either the content or in the composition of the essential oil. The mean (-)-a- bisabolol content in the essential oil significantly changed due to the environmental changes from 36.0–64.9 % in the subsequent harvests. Chamazulen content in the oil varied between 12.3–26%. Bisabololoxide A predominated (68–80 %) the essential oil of the Ethiopian camomile, having only traces of chamazulen (matricin) in its flower heads. During the first harvest, cis and trans En-In-Dicycloethers content was between 10.1–25.5 % in Ethiopia and 14.1–15.4 % in R.Holzhausen. No clear differentiation was found in the content of farnesen due to the change of the growing regions. | |
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