Difference of Growth Traits, Essential Oil Content and Compositions Between Diploid and Iinduced Tetraploid Plants of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Artificial autotetraploids were done by colchicine treatments in the essential oil bearing basil. A significant increase in the essential oil content was found in C-1 generation and tetraploid plants had the potential of productivity 69% more essential oil than the diploid parents. Twenty- three compounds were identified in the essential oil of diploid basil and twenty-six components in the essential oil of tetraploid basil. The major components that were identified in the essential oil of diploid basil to be linalool (64.9%), nerol (12.6%), tau-cadinol (6.5%), cis-alpha-bergamotene (5.8%) and germacrene D (5.7%). Major components were analyzed in the essential oil of tetraploid basil were linalool (73.8%), tau-cadinol (11.2%), gamma-cadinene (5.9%),eugenol (5.6%) and alpha-cadinene (4.4%). Two major constituents of the essential oil such as linalool and 1,8-cineole was increased 13% and 77% respectively, in the tetraploids than the diploid plants. This study demonstrated in tetraploid basil revealed significant increases in dry and fresh weight, leaf wide and thickness, stem diameter and number of branches per plant increase in ploidy level causes significant decrease in leaf long, cluster number, seed germination percent and rate as compared with diploid parent.