A Comprehensive Review of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in Greenhouse Production: Bioactive Compounds, Pharmacological Properties, and Responses to Water Deficit Stress

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Department of Horticultural Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, East Azerbaijan, Iran

2 Department of Horticultural Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran and Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

Abstract
Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), a member of the Lamiaceae family, is among the most commercially significant medicinal and aromatic plants worldwide. The increasing demand for standardized, high-quality raw material has driven a shift from open-field cultivation to greenhouse production. However, the literature on basil phytochemistry and pharmacology has rarely been connected to greenhouse cultivation and stress physiology, and no unified framework links these topics. This review therefore synthesizes current knowledge on basil's bioactive constituents, their pharmacological activities, and the responses of basil to water deficit stress in greenhouse and other controlled-environment systems, with emphasis on recent advances and Iranian landraces. Basil produces a large number of metabolites (830 volatile compounds were detected in a recent leaf study), including rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, and volatile terpenoids, many of which exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, neuroprotective, and anticancer activities. In greenhouse systems, water deficit is not an unavoidable stress but a manageable tool: mild to moderate, controlled deficit increases secondary metabolite production through upregulation of phenylpropanoid pathway genes, raising total phenolics by up to 40% and rosmarinic acid by up to 30%, whereas severe stress reduces biomass by more than 45%. Soilless systems offer the precise water and nutrient control needed to apply such strategies, so that yield and phytochemical quality can be balanced. Iranian native landraces are promising genetic resources for stress tolerance and phytochemical quality in greenhouse breeding programs. We conclude that controlled, mild to moderate deficit irrigation combined with precise greenhouse management can raise the concentration of bioactive compounds in basil, provided that biomass losses are kept low; future research should prioritize multi-omics approaches, CRISPR-based breeding, and sustainable greenhouse cultivation strategies.

Keywords


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Volume 3, Issue 4
Autumn 2026
Pages 32-52

  • Receive Date 16 September 2026
  • Revise Date 16 October 2026
  • Accept Date 30 October 2026
  • First Publish Date 30 October 2026
  • Publish Date 01 December 2026