Comparative study on the performance of five lavender genotypes cultivated in the conditions of the west of the country, the perimeter of the Mănăștur locality, Arad County
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59463/ejtpat55Keywords:
essential oil, yield, drying ratio, cultivars, Lavandula × intermedia, agronomic characteristicsAbstract
The paper presents a comparative study on floral productivity, drying yield, and distillation process efficiency in five lavender cultivars belonging to the species Lavandula angustifolia Mill. and Lavandula × intermedia, cultivated in the locality of Mănăștur. The study was conducted to identify cultivars with the best agronomic and technological potential. The research aimed to evaluate the technological performance of the cultivars “Munstead”, “Miss Katherine”, “Silver Mist”, “Grosso”, and “Edelweiss” to identify the most productive and stable sources of raw material for obtaining essential oils. The experiment was carried out in the second year of vegetation (2024) using a randomized block design with three replications. Fresh and dry floral mass, drying yield, and distillation yield were determined, and the data were statistically analyzed using the ANOVA method. The results revealed significant differences between cultivars. L. × intermedia “Grosso” and “Edelweiss”, which are hybrids, recorded the highest floral productions (≈6.5–6.9 t/ha fresh and 1.9–2.1 t/ha dry), with a drying yield of about 30%, while the L. angustifolia cultivars had moderate values (≈3.1–4.6 t/ha fresh and 0.9–1.2 t/ha dry), but a superior quality of the inflorescences. In the distillation process, the essential oil yield ranged from 1.3% to 1.7% for fresh flowers and from 2.2% to 3.6% for dried flowers, with the highest value recorded for the “Edelweiss” cultivar (3.64%). The hybrids were distinguished by superior extraction efficiency, more intense oil color, and high aromatic stability. The results confirm the technological potential of the Lavandula × intermedia cultivars “Grosso” and “Edelweiss” for commercial cultivation and the relevance of L. angustifolia cultivars for producing premium-quality essential oils, contributing to the strategic orientation of lavender cultivation in western Romania.
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