Chemical and biocidal characterization of two cultivated Artemisia absinthium populations with different domestication levels

Abstract The objective of this study was the characterization and valorization of the essential oil from a domesticated Artemisia absinthium population (Teruel, Spain), and its comparison with another one (Sierra Nevada, Spain) undergoing the domestication process. These populations are being experimentally cultivated in the same field since 2008. We studied their biomass and essential oil production (Clevenger hydrodistillation, HD and semi-industrial vapor-pressure, VP). The domesticated population showed lower chemical variation and higher biomass and essential oil yields, allowing for the registration of a new plant variety. The observed variations in oil composition (HD, VP) between the two populations were mostly quantitative. The oils were characterized by the presence of cis -epoxyocimene, (−)- cis -chrysanthenol, chrysanthenyl acetate, linalool and trans -caryophyllene. The insect antifeedant ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata , Spodoptera littoralis , Myzus persicae and Rhopalosiphum padi ) and antifungal ( Fusarium spp. and Botrytis cinerea ) effects of their oils were also tested. All VP extracts showed strong antifungal effects and the active antifungal compounds have been identified.