Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) organic cultivation

Chamomile is one of the most important medicinal plants. Its flower heads are used predominantly for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and skin inflammation. High demand, and increasing quality requirements have led to the search for new, more effective methods of chamomile cultivation. In the present study, the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on chamomile development and quality of raw material in organic cultivation was investigated. Inoculation with AM fungi resulted in higher mass of aboveground- and underground organs, including the mass of raw material. In the flower heads, five phenolic acids, i.e. chlorogenic, ferulic, caffeic, rosmarinic, and ellagic acids as well four flavonoids, i.e. apigenin-7-glucoside, apigenin, isorhamnetin, and luteolin-4'-glucoside, were detected, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Herniarin (cournarin compound) was also present in this raw material. Most of the identified phenolic compounds occurred in larger quantities in inoculated plants, with the exception of apigenin, the content of which was significantly higher in non-inoculated plants. No differences in the content and composition of essential oil between inoculated and non-inoculated plants were observed. The dominant compounds in the essential oil, detected using GC/MS and GC/FID, were a-bisabolol (41.34-52.60%), chamazulene (25.21-28.54%), and beta-farnesene (6.03-7.30%).