Impact of Biofortification, Variety and Cutting on Chosen Qualitative Characteristic of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Abstract

DOI:10.15414/afz.2015.18.03.71-75

Received 31. July 2015 ǀ Accepted 03. September 2015 ǀ Available online 14. October 2015

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) as a member of family Lamiaceae becomes favorite part of human healthy diet because of its food taste improvement properties in combination with its powerful antioxidant beneficial effects, confirmed by even more scientific studies. The aim of paper was oriented to the impact of selenium biofortification on the content of selected qualitative parameters (total polyphenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AOA) of basil (Ocimum Basilicum L.) in dependence on grown variety and term of cutting. Field experiment was led in a botanical garden SAU Nitra in 2014. There were evaluated ´Dark Green´ and ´Red Opal´ varieties in three variants; each variant was carried out in quadruplicate. The first variant was untreated (control). In the second variant, selenium as sodium selenate was foliar applied at a concentration of 25 mg /m², double dose 50 mg/m² was applied in the third variant. Total polyphenols were determined by the Lachman´s method and expressed as mg of gallic acid equivalent per kg fresh mater (Lachman, et al., 2003). Total antioxidant capacity was measured by the Brand-Williams method using a compound DPPH (2.2-diphenyl-1-pikrylhydrazyl) (Brand and Williams et al., 1995). The selenium biofortification had significant impact on observed characteristics. It caused increasing of AOA values in ´Red Opal´ variety, in the frame of second cutting. Increasing of AOA was noticed after double dose of selenium in case of ´Dark Green´ as well after the first cut. Application of selenium had significant impact on tested level (P < 0.001) for ´Dark Green´ variety, where values slowly increased from control variant, to 1 x Se dose and the highest were after double dose of sodium selenate. From the variety influence point of view, the ´Dark Green´ variety reached the higher values of AOA in comparison with ´Red Opal´. It was also statistically confirmed dependence of variety on TPC content, when ´Red Opal´ reached higher values of TPC in comparison with ´Dark Green´. Term of cutting had significant influence on TPC and AOA according to used statistical analyzes. The values of AOA as well as TPC were higher in case of second cut.

KEY WORDS: basil – selenium biofortification – polyphenols – antioxidant activity