Study of Myrtle (Myrtus Communis L.) Genetic Resources to Promote Extensive Crop as Integration of Spontaneous Harvests

Journal of Essential Oil Research

Marchetti³

2015

The composition of essential oils extracted from leaves and flowers of five selected cultivars of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) growing in the same orchard was determined by GC/MS at the full bloom time. Yields of essential oil by hydrodistillation ranged from 1.2 to 3.2 g·kg −1 of leaf fresh weight, while flower essential oil yield was comprised between 1.2 and 4.4 g·kg −1 . Fifty-one compounds were identified with a percentage of corresponding peak ranging from 94.3 to 99.8% of the total. The main components of the essential oils were 1,8-cineole, linalool, and α-terpineol. Dihydroeugenyl-butanoate was the main component of the flower oil of the 'Daniela' cultivar with a rate of 19.45%, while in the 'Barbara' flower oil reached the 21.24%. This compound was not previously detected in the essential oils of myrtle, as well as the dihydroeugenyl-pentanoate, which ranged from 1.40 to 6.82% when detected. Other main compounds of the essential oils were α-pinene, limonene, bornyl-acetate, eugenol, geranyl-acetate, and methyleugenol.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical composition of essential oils of leaves and flowers from five cultivars of myrtle (Myrtus communisL.)

Usaï

Journal of Essential Oil Research

Marchetti³

2015

“…At present, the biomass of spontaneous myrtle shrubs is the only source of raw material for oil extraction and other industrial processes, such as the liqueur production from leaf hydro-alcoholic infusion (9). The sustainable use of natural resources and the conservation of myrtle habitat in the Mediterranean maquis is a problem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Essential Oil Composition of Myrtle (Myrtus communis) Leaves

Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal Plants

Melis

2011

Self Cite

Nine cultivars of myrtle ( Myrtus communis) were analyzed for their leaf essential oil yield and composition during two seasons. The oil yield composition on leaf dry weight basis varied with the year of collection and the season ranging from 0.6 to 10.7 g·kg −1 in the different cultivars. The oils were analyzed by GC-MS for compound identification and by GC for quantitative determinations by comparison with authentic standards. The main components of the essential oils were α-pinene (366.8 to 816.8 g·kg −1 ); limonene (42.8 to 468.8 g·kg −1 ), 1,8-cineole (32.0 to 230.6 g·kg −1 ), linalool (0.8 to 110.3 g·kg −1 ), geranyl-acetate (12.4 to 99.2 g·kg −1 ). Other minor components were α-terpineol (1.6 to 44.4 g·kg −1 ), terpinolene isomer 1 (0.0 to 42.6 g·kg −1 ), linalyl-acetate (0.0 to 36.3 g·kg −1 ), α-humulene (0.0 to 19.6 g·kg −1 ), terpinolene-isomer 2 (0.0 to 14.9 g·kg −1 ), p-cymene (0.0 to 13.0 g·kg −1 ) and geraniol (0.0 to 12.4 g·kg −1 ). The total content of the other minor components was less than 10 g·kg −1 . All cultivars were suitable for hydro-alcoholic infusion production and, in spite of the minor oil yield, the leaves harvested in winter showed an essential oil composition quite similar to those from spring.

“…With the aim to preserve wild myrtle populations and to select suitable genotypes for cultivation and industrial uses, the domestication process of myrtle species was started [28]. Moreover, the production and quality of berries is dependent on the variability of several factors, in particular environmental conditions and the altitude of the growing area of wild plants [29].…”

Section: The Myrtle Industry and Problems Of Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fruit Quality Characters of Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Selections: Review of a Domestication Process

Medda

2021

Sustainability

Interest in myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) by food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutic industries generated the integration of biomasses harvested from wild populations as raw materials with yields of cultivated orchards. The domestication process is reviewed considering shoot, fruit, and leaf biometric characters of selections obtained in three steps of the program. The first step started in Sardinia (Italy) in 1995 by the analysis of wild germplasm variability. Seventy accessions were the object of the first studied population of mother plants. Agamic propagation tests, as well quality evaluations of fruit and leaves, were integrated into the first step. In the second step, a field of comparison of forty-two agamically propagated cultivars functional to biomass production and to food uses was planted and evaluated for phenotypic characters. In the third step, a new population of twenty selections was obtained by open cross-pollination of some of the cultivars and further phenotypic selection in seedling population. In this review, the three populations are compared for biometric shoot, leaves and fruit characters, in order to verify the pressure of domestication process on these traits. Wild populations showed high variability only partially used during the first step, while the hybridization may create new variability for use in the genetic improvement of myrtle.