Micronutrients and Essential Oils in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Grown in an Aquaponics System

Chicago State University (CSU) aquaponics system uses the water from the fish tanks to supply the nutrients for sweet basil (Oscimum basilicum L.) in a continuous re-cycling of water. The relative proportions of soluble micro nutrients available to sweet basil plants by fish excretion do not mirror the proportions of nutrients assimilated by normally growing plants. Deficiencies in these nutrients result in symptoms ranging from brown/yellow leaves, small plants, and poor root structure to overall poor crop yield. It has also been reported that these micronutrients play a key roles sweet basil essential oil biosynthesis and quality and are strongly affected by deficiencies in one or more of these nutrients. The essential oil compositions were determined by microwave extraction followed by gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Inorganic micronutrients were determined by microwave digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric analysis (ICP-MS). Potential correlations between essential oil profiles and micronutrient concentrations will be discussed. We will also compare essential oil profiles of CSU aquaponics sweet basil with sweet basil obtained from local grocery stores.