Sweet Basil (<i>Ocimum basilicum</i> L.) Productivity and Raw Material Quality from Organic Cultivation

Sweet basil is one of the most important culinary herbs. Currently, its production is carried out mainly in accordance with conventional agriculture. However, its cultivation in organic systems seems to be better adjusted to consumer demands connected with the lack of pesticide residues in foods and their safety. In the present study, two methods of basil cultivation in organic farming system were applied, i.e., in the open air and under foil tunnels. During the experiment, in central European climatic conditions, it was possible to obtain four successive cuts of herb. The herb was subjected to chemical analysis, including determination of the content of essential oil, phenolic compounds, and chlorophylls. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC&#8722;MS) and flame ionization detector (GC-FID) analysis of the essential oil was performed, whereas the fresh herb was subjected to sensory analysis. The cumulative mass of fresh herb was distinctly higher in the cultivation under foil tunnels (44.7 kg∙10 m&#8722;2) in comparison to the open field (24.7 kg∙10 m&#8722;2). The content of essential oil, flavonoids, and phenolic acids was also higher in the raw material collected from plants grown under foil tunnels (0.81, 0.36, and 0.78 g&#183;100g&#8722;1 DW, respectively) than from the open field (0.48, 0.29, and 0.59g&#183;100g&#8722;1 DW, respectively). In turn, the dominant compound of the essential oil, i.e., linalool, was present in higher amounts in the essential oil obtained from plants cultivated in the open field. The sensory and microbiological quality of herb was comparable for both methods of cultivation. The obtained results indicate that, in central European climatic conditions, it is possible to obtain good-quality yield of basil herb. However, for its better productivity, it seems that cultivation under foil tunnels is preferable