Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Growing seasons in Egypt have an effect on Lantana essential oils
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Research Articles | Published: 03 December, 2025
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Keywords: Lantana, Essential oil, β-caryophyllene, Seasons, Hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes
Abstract
Numerous biological and pharmacological characteristics are present in essential oil from lantana (Lantana camara); thus, it can be applied to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Harvest seasons have important roles in the metabolism of essential oils. Different growing seasons lead to changes in essential oils and their components, affecting their biological activities, as demonstrated by earlier research; therefore, current study’s objective was to assess essential oils that were extracted from lantana aerial parts in the winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Essential oils were extracted from samples that were gathered over various seasons using hydro-distillation method. Gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to analyze the extracted essential oils. One-way analysis of variance was used to statistically examine the collected data. Samples of lantana essential oils obtained over various seasons revealed the presence of forty-four components. Different harvesting seasons resulted in several variations in the content of essential oils. Essential oils that were isolated during winter, spring, summer, and autumn seasons were primarily composed of β-Caryophyllene, eucalyptol, and β-humulene; chemical group of hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes was the major one. The maximum values of essential oil output levels (0.3%), β-caryophyllene (84.3 mg 100 g− 1), eucalyptol (32.4 mg 100 g− 1) β-humulene (26.1 mg 100 g− 1) and hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes (196.3 mg 100 g− 1) were obtained from lantana samples that were gathered in spring. This variation highlights the importance of growing seasons since they may affect essential oil composition and, in turn, biological activity. Additionally, it allows food and pharmaceutical industries to select essential oils that contain certain components; where these constituents are responsible for the essential oil’s antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and insecticidal properties.
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Author Information
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt