Diurnal variations of essential oil content and composition of satureja cilicica P.H. Davis under culture conditions

Satureja (Lamiaceae) species are aromatic plants used to produce essential oil and aromatic water in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, and Satureja cilicica P.H. Davis is an endemic species for Turkey. This study was conducted to determine the effects of diurnal variability on essential oil (EO) content and components of Satureja cilicica in the Ermenek district/Turkey in 2021. During the day, four different harvest times were considered as follows: 7:30 and 10:30 a.m., 01:30 and 4:30 p.m. at the flowering stage. The aerial parts of harvested plants were dried in the shade. The greatest and least EO contents of S. cilicica aerial parts were obtained at 4:30 p.m. (0.61%) and 1:30 p.m. (0.32%), respectively. The results of the analysis revealed that the major components of essential oils of S. cilicica are p-cymene (19.24-40.04%), carvacrol (16.42-29.59%), thymol (10.04-19.34%), γ-terpinene (4.92- 12.94 %) and linalool (4-42-6.53%). In this study, it was determined that the best harvest time for optimum essential oil content and chemical properties was the cool hours of the day.