Essential oil variation among 21 wild myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) populations collected from different geographical regions in Iran

Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) is an industrial medicinal plant with various pharmaceutical and nutritional applications. The leaf essential oils in 21 wild populations of myrtle collected from natural habitats were investigated for their chemical components and oil yield diversity. The leaf essential oil yield ranged from 0.6 to 1.4 ml/100 g based on dry matter. GC-MS analyses revealed 38 compounds, constituting 94.1-98.3% of the essential oils. The main constituents were alpha-pinene, 1,8-cineole, limonene, linalool, alpha-terpineol, and linalyl acetate. According to the results, two chemotypes were determined for Iranian myrtle populations, including high alpha-pinene/1,8-cineole, and high limonene/low alpha-pinene groups. Among populations the Fars possessed the highest amount of alpha-pinene and 1,8-cineole. The highest correlation coefficient was between alpha-pinene and 1,8-cineole (+0.90), while the highest negative correlation was between 1,8-cineole and limonene (-0.90). The analyses indicated that populations collected from higher altitudes with loamy and clay soils, had higher amounts of alpha-pinene and 1,8-cineole, while the populations collected from sandy soils rich in organic matter possessed higher contents of limonene. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.