Essential oil composition of three accessions of Dracocephalum heterophyllum Benth. cultivated at Palampur, India.
Seeds of three accessions of Dracocephalum heterophyllum growing wild in high altitude locations in the cold desert regions of trans-Himalaya were collected and propagated under polyhouse conditions at IHBT Palampur to evaluate, compare their growth performance and essential oil composition. Three different chemotypes viz., citronellol-rose oxides type, citronellol type and citronellal-trans rose oxide type were identified. Samples of essential oils were distilled separately from leaves and inflorescence of all the three cultivated accessions and characterised by capillary GC and GC-MS techniques, which showed variation in the volatile constituents. In all the three accessions, citronellol was higher in the inflorescence oils as compared to leaf oils. Rose oxides, which are important high odour value cyclic monoterpene ethers were found in the essential oil samples of leaves as well as in the inflorescence of accession II, whereas these constituents were absent in the leaves of other two accessions. The essential oil from the inflorescence part of accession I was devoid of both cis and trans isomers of rose oxide, while accession III contained only one isomer of trans rose oxide. Under polyhouse conditions, seed germination was higher in accession III, whereas aerial biomass was higher in accession I. In comparison to other accessions, yield of volatile oil was higher in both leaf and inflorescence of accessions I, whereas accession II had higher oil yield from inflorescence. This is the first report of volatile oil composition of three accessions of D. heterophyllum cultivated at Palampur having potential as a new source of high valued essential oil for introduction in the perfumery industry.
Singh
Narendra
N
Department of Natural Plant Products, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Post Box No. 6, Palampur 176061, India.
Kaul
Vijay K
VK
Megeji
Nima W
NW
Singh
Virendra
V
Ahuja
Paramvir S
PS
D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000737:chemistry; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007194:India; D019686:Lamiaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000737:chemistry; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*
D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000447:Aldehydes; D039821:Monoterpenes; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; C007078:citronellol; C108217:citronellal