Deciphering the stability of Eryngium foetidum L. through AMMI and Eberhart and Russell model for herbage and essential oil yield

Coriander is an important herb with prodigious application as a flavoring agent, including in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. Considering the short-lived span of commonly found coriander, Eryngium foetidum is a first-rate alternative, considering it is perennial with a higher shelf life. Taking into account the emerging global market demand, a stable, high essential oil-yielding variety of E. foetidum is the need of the hour. Considering this, in the present study, thirty-five germplasm (seeds) of E. foetidum, which were collected from different regions of Northeast India, were planted in Randomized Block Design (RBD) in the experimental farm of CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat. All the agronomical and essential oil data were recorded as per standard protocol for two consecutive years (2018, 2019, and 2020). In the selection trial, one high essential oil-rich line was selected and planted at four different locations in NE India during the rabi season. By considering four environments of the genotypes, stability was checked using AMMI and the Eberhart-Russell model for four check varieties along with the identified strain, which was named Jor Lab LC-1. The identified variety was found to be more stable considering both the genotype and the environment interaction than the other genotypes. GC-FID and GC/MS analysis of Jor Lab LC-1 essential oil showed that trans-2-dodecenal (62.34 %) is the main component. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on stability studies on E. foetidum. Therefore, Jor Lab LC-1 can be considered an elite genotype that has the potential to open up new doors for industrial uses, ranging from pharmaceuticals to agriculture, and can contribute to both conservation and cultivation efforts, ultimately safeguarding this valuable plant species for future generations.