Effects of organic and alcoholic elicitors on content and composition of essential oil characters of Lavender for food application

Abstract

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis Mill.) is a valuable species widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. This study assessed the effects of organic (chitosan, salicylic acid, phenylalanine) and alcoholic (methanol, ethanol, acetone) elicitors on the essential oil yield, composition, and morpho-physiological characters of L. officinalis to identify the most effective treatment. A two-year field experiment employed a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications, including controls. Elicitor treatments consistently and significantly enhanced key characters. The 0.25 g L⁻¹ chitosan treatment produced the highest essential oil content and yield (1.47 % and 99.36 kg ha⁻¹, respectively), representing a > 15 % increase in content and a > 300 % increase in yield over the control. Twenty-two components were identified, with nine key compounds (e.g., linalool, linalyl acetate, camphor) collectively constituting over 60 % of the oil. Chitosan (0.25 g L⁻¹) and phenylalanine (1000 mg L⁻¹) were the most effective elicitors, increasing the concentration of major monoterpenes by 8–33 % compared to the control. Given the low cost of these elicitors and the significant enhancements in both the quantity and quality of essential oil, their application is a commercially viable strategy for improving lavender production under similar agricultural conditions.