Purpose: To evaluate the effect of growth hormones - naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and indole-3-
acetic acid (IAA) - on the essential oil of
S. ebulus
leaf.
Methods: The leaves of
S. ebulus were sprayed three times in one week with distilled water (as control)
or with a solution of either NAA or IAA (150 ppb). Following the treatment, the leaves were collected
from each of the plant and dried in the dark in a dry environment. The essential oil content of the leaves
was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass
spectrometry (GC-MS)
Results: Sixty constituents were identified in the plant oil, some of which could have been responsible
for the plant’s biological and/or toxicological activities. The results indicate that NAA and IAA exerted
significant effect on the composition of the essential oil, increasing some components and decreasing
some others significantly. In some cases, certain compounds were eliminated completely from the oil.
Conclusion: The use of phytohormones seems a useful strategy for modifying the composition of the
essential oil in plants.
