Agronomic and phytochemical evaluation of different cultivars of Lavandin (Lavandula hybrida Reverchon) and Lavander (Lavandula angustifolia Miller) grown in open field in the Tyrrhenian coast of Tuscany (Italy).

Labiateae family (Lavandula genera) is one of the most important medicinal plant families, typical of the Mediterranean region and central Europe. It includes a great number of aromatic species, generally annual or perennial grassy or suffruticose plants. Essential oils obtained from different species of Lavandula are frequently used in aromatherapy and massage to obtain many health benefits traditionally ascribed to their antibacterial, antifungal, carminative, sedative and antidepressant actions . They are also used for perfumes, cosmetic and herbal products. In the present work three different cultivars of Lavandula hybrida (sin. L. x intermedia), commonly known as lavandin (Grosso, Super A and Sumiens) were compared with one cultivar of lavander (Lavandula angustifolia Miller, cv Mailette) in order to evaluate the crop yield and the quantity and quality of essential oil (EO). The plants were cultivated with an organic agricultural system in the Tyrrhenian coast of Tuscany (Bibbona, Livorno) during the 2014 growing season. For each cultivar, the main biometric and productive characteristics, together with EO yield and composition were evaluated. EOs were extracted in triplicate with a Clevenger apparatus and then analyzed by the GC-FID/GC-MS instrument. The data obtained were compared with each other and with data available in the literature [3]. Variations in the main productive traits and EO composition were evidenced depending on species and cultivar. All this information contributed to determine the best lavandin cultivar in terms of qualitative characteristics for industrial use and suitability for the cultivation area.