Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access
ISSN: 2167-0412
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2167-0412
+44 1300 500008
Short Communication - (2016) Volume 5, Issue 5
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Keywords: Rosemary; Aromatic; Medicinal; Variety
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is an evergreen, shrubby herb that belongs to mint family, Lamiaceae. Rosemary is a perennial crop and will remain in the site for 5 years or more, depending on crop performance. One harvest is made per year, with first harvest made in the year after planting. Well drained sandy loam soil with pH of 4.5 to 8.7 is ideal for rosemary production. Rosemary grows for its leaves and essential oil obtained from stems, leaves, and flower twigs. Rosemary leaves have many traditional uses based on their antibacterial and spasmolytic actions. The leaves are crushed into meats, fish, potato salads to prevent food poisoning and flowers are laid in clothes and cupboards to destroy moths [1-4]. Rosemary oil is colorless to pale yellow with characteristic flavor and camphoraceous taste. It is largely used for food, flavor and fragrance industries. Rosemary oil is used for all variety respiratory problems colds, sinusitis, lung congestion and asthma. The oil is used as perfume in ointments, shampoos and soaps. The leading countries in production of essential oil of rosemary are Morocco, Spain, USA, and Tunisia [5]. Different types of rosemary grown worldwide. In Ethiopia different rosemary varieties are produced for different purposes like fresh leaf, dry leaf, and/or essential oil yield. It is well distributed and grown by the community and investors in many parts of the country. However, no rosemary variety registered in the county while there is large production and marketing opportunities. Thus, in order to fulfill variety gap, identification, evaluation and registration of promising rosemary varieties research was proposed together with the activities of aromatic and medicinal plants research projects at WondoGenet Agricultural Research Center, south Ethiopia. Different accessions were collected and evaluated from different parts of the country. Based on their leaf yield and essential oil yield, three candidate varieties were selected and promoted for verification in the country which is the first to be released. Thus, the objective of the trial was to verify and register rosemary as variety in Ethiopia.
Three candidate varieties were proposed by names WG-rosemary-I, WG-rosemary-II, and WG-rosemary-III (Figure 1). Preliminary performance of the candidate varieties sent to national variety release committee (Tables 1 and 2). Verification trial was conducted at eight locations namely Wondogenet, Entaye, Hawassa, Green mark herbs, koka, DebreZeit, Holeta, and Menagesha during 2014-2015 cropping season on plot area of 10 metre × 10 metre at each site. Seedlings prepared on polyethylene tube transplanted on appropriately prepared field and adequate agronomic practices were conducted during evaluation period. Supplementary irrigation was given during growing season. Essential oil extraction was done using hydro-distillation method in a Clevenger apparatus according to Guenther. No chemical fertilizer and pesticide was used. After six month of transplanting all trial sites were evaluated by national variety release committee.
Figure 1: Pictorial representation of the varieties.
| Variety character | Growth habit | Leaf color | Leaf width | Flower color | Recommended for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WG-rosemary-I | Creeper | Gray green | Narrower | - | Essential oil Yield |
| WG-rosemary-II | Upright | Dark green | Broader | Dark blue | Dried Leaf yield |
| WG-rosemary-III | Intermediate | Light green | Intermediate | Pale blue | Fresh leaf yield |
Table 1: Morphological characteristics of rosemary varieties.
| Item/Character | Variety Name | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| WG-rosemary-I | WG-rosemary-II | WG-rosemary-III | |
| Year of registration | 2015 | 2015 | 2015 |
| Altitude (masl) | 1500-3000 | 1500-3000 | 1500-3000 |
| Rainfall (mm) | >500 | >500 | >500 |
| Soil type | Having fertile, not water logging soil | Having fertile, not water logging soil | Having fertile, not water logging soil |
| Spacing (cm) | 60 × 90 | 60 × 60 | 60 × 60 |
| Harvesting time | Six month | Six month | Six month |
| Crop pest reaction | Powdery mildew | Powdery mildew | Powdery mildew |
| Leaf yield (ton/ha) | 2.57 | 2.84 | 2.42 |
| Essential Oil content (% w/w) | 0.74-1.05 | 0.64-1.01 | 0.53-0.82 |
| Essential Oil yield (kg/ha) | 123.79-293.58 | 110.96-275.93 | 82.41-207.23 |
Highest and lowest essential oil yield (kg/ha) was recorded at wondogenet and Holleta for all the three varieties respectively.
Table 2: Detail information of the varieties.
The three candidates were evaluated by national variety release committee on all testing locations and registered and released as the first variety in the country. These can be used as recognized starting material for local producers, national and international investor for further production purposes.
The three rosemary varieties can easily cultivated in Ethiopia; so that, local producers, investors, research organizations, universities can use them for production and further research purposes.
We are grateful to the national aromatic and medicinal plants research case team for providing the fund and Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center for provision of facilities for the research. Our sincere gratitude goes to Hawassa green mark herbs plc, Debre Zeit and Holetta Agricultural research centers, Birra Tilahun, Desta Daremo, Negesu Guteta and Zirhun Jonba for their endless support throughout the entire field and laboratory work.