Yield and quality features of some rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) genotypes

Rosemary has broad distribution in the world, especially in the Mediterranean region and naturally grows on the west and south coasts of Turkey. In this study, a total of 70 genotypes, with 58 local samples collected from different locations in Turkey and 12 foreign samples obtained from different countries located around the Mediterranean belt, were placed under morphological observation in 2021-2022 by creating an observation garden in the trial fields of Yalova Atatürk Horticultural Central Research Institute. As a result of the research, according to general averages for 2021 and 2022, among morphological and agronomic features, the plant height was 41.1 - 82.3 cm, green herb yield 268.2 - 1137.7 kg/ha, dry herb yield 66.2-110.6 kg/ha, dry leaf yield 51.9 - 71.5 kg/ ha, and essential oil yield 0.2 - 2.9 ml/ha. Among quality features, the essential oil proportion was 0.4 - 4.8%, and phenolic compounds included rosmarinic acid (RA) 2.1 - 12.3 mg/g, carnosic acid (CA) 9.3 - 60.7 mg/g and carnosol (CAR) 1.3 - 4.9 mg/g. In conclusion, 9 rosemary genotypes identified with high green herb yield, dry leaf yield, phenolic compounds, essential oil proportion and essential oil quality are B2, B3, B5, B6, B8, B52, B62, B69 and B70, and recommended to include these genotypes in repeated yield trials.