Cultivating for the Industry: Cropping Experiences with Hypericum perforatum L. in a Mediterranean Environment

Abstract

Hypericum perforatum is an intensively studied medicinal plant, and much experimental activity has been addressed to evaluate its bio-agronomical and phytochemical features as far. In most cases, plant material used for experimental purposes is obtained from wild populations or, alternatively, from individuals grown in vases and/or pots. When Hypericum is addressed to industrial purposes, the most convenient option for achieving satisfactory amounts of plant biomass is field cultivation. Pot cultivation and open field condition, however, are likely to induce different responses on plant’s metabolism, and the obtained yield and composition are not necessarily the same. To compare these management techniques, a 4-year cultivation trial (2013–2016) was performed, using three Hypericum biotypes obtained from different areas in Italy: PFR-TN, from Trento province, Trentino; PFR-SI, from Siena, Tuscany; PFR-AG, from Agrigento province, Sicily. Both managements gave scarce biomass and flower yields at the first year, whereas higher yields were measured at the second year (in open field), and at the third year (in pots). Plant ageing induced significant differences in phytochemical composition, and the total amount of phenolic substances was much higher in 2015 than in 2014. A different performance of genotypes was observed; the local genotype was generally more suitable for field cultivation, whereas the two non-native biotypes performed better in pots. Phytochemical profile of in-pots plants was not always reflecting the actual situation of open field. Consequently, when cultivation is intended for industrial purposes, accurate quality checks of the harvested material are advised.