Water stress effect on the quality and quantity of lemongrass essential oils in glass greenhouses: Juvenile and adult stages

Abstract

The detrimental effects of water stress on the survival and productivity of many medicinal and aromatic crops of pharmacological interest are becoming increasingly important given the socioeconomic issues involved. The scarcity of precipitation and its irregularity endanger the life and productivity of certain medicinal plants of pharmaceutical interest with high economic value. Indeed, the biosynthesis of essential oils is influenced by various environmental factors, namely, an increase in the intensity of water stress. This natural constraint could have a positive impact on the synthesis of essential oils as well as on their chemical composition. In this article, we propose the study of the impact of this abiotic constraint on the quality and quantity of essential oils at the juvenile and adult stages of lemongrass, known for its therapeutic effects, by gas chromatography (GC). This study revealed a reduction in the yield of essential oil from citronella depending on the increase in the intensity of water stress at the juvenile and adult stages, except at the adult stage for severe drying, with a significant increase in the αcitral of 27% for the moderate treatment for adult lemongrass, and the increase in the βcitral increased by 37% for the severe treatment for adult lemongrass compared to the controls.