Volume 12, Issue 25, January - June 2026

Genotype-environment interactions in basil lead to the development of stable genotypes through convergent selection

Lal RK^1♦, Chanotiya CS²

¹Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources Conservation, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow 226015, Uttar Pradesh, India
²Laboratory of Aromatic Plants and Chiral Separation, Phytochemistry Division, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226015, India

^♦Corresponding author
R.K. Lal, Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources Conservation, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow 226015, Uttar Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT

Field investigations were performed at CSIR-CIMAP in Lucknow, India, in 2022, 2023, and 2024 to evaluate the stability of genotypes. The associations between attributes in different environments were examined using principal component analysis (PCA) and the RBD two-factor design. Tea prepared with basil leaves is said to help with loose motions, rheumatic discomfort, and vomiting. Tea made with black pepper and basil leaves can help reduce high fevers. Antioxidants found in abundance in basil may promote longevity and good health. Currently, there is inadequate research on how genotype and environmental interactions (GE) impact the stability and diversification of basil crops. However, a multi-environment essential oil yield trial for the basil cultivars has not been conducted with any stability, reliability, or contemporaneous evaluations. Therefore, the current study's objective was to evaluate the stability, reliability, and suggestions for making essential oils from commercial genotypes. The current study's objective was to evaluate the stability, reliability, and recommendations for producing essential oils from commercial genotypes of basil. Twelve different basil cultivars were investigated in this study to examine which cultivars consistently yielded high levels of linalool oil in a variety of environments and seasons. Both PCA and the RBD twofactor designs have been demonstrated to be compatible with the separation of genotype and environment into sources of variation. The basil genotypes O-2, O-6, and O-10 for essential oil yield and linalool content (%) were found to be the most stable and adaptable due to their ability to withstand a wide range of climatic conditions throughout time. In light of this, it can be concluded that the genotypes/varieties O-6, OC-8, and OC-10 were the most stable and performed well in terms of linalool content (%) and essential oil yield. Significant genetic variation was also found in this basil sample, according to PCA, with PC1 through PC12 showing high variable data values. The PCA also revealed the considerable genetic variety in this set of basil materials. For instance, PCs 1 through 11 displayed wildly disparate data values. The twelve basil traits had matched maximum eigenvalues of 5.121 and a percentage of variances of 42.671. Variability and genotypes O-6, OC-8, and OC-10 were found to be useful for additional genetic advancement via heterosis breeding.

Keywords: Aromatic compounds; basil; cosmetic; environmental interactions; methyl chavicol; Stabile genotype

Discovery Agriculture, 2026, 12, e12da3213

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Published: 24 May 2026