Changes in the essential oil composition of Majorana hortensis Moench. cultivated in India during plant ontogeny

Abstract

The essential oil content and composition of “sweet marjoram” (Majorana hortensis Moench.) cultivated in the Kumaon region of the western Himalayas was studied at different ages of the crop. The samples were taken after 60, 90, 120 and 150 days of transplanting. The essential oil contents varied from 0.20 to 0.70 %. The essential oil was analyzed by GC and GC–MS. Twenty eight components, representing 96.53–98.44 % of the oil, were identified. The major essential oil constituents, viz., cis-sabinene hydrate (37.05–47.49 %), terpinen-4-ol (14.45–16.22 %) and trans-sabinene hydrate (5.81–6.97 %) showed considerable variation in their concentrations in relation to crop age.

Keywords

• Majorana hortensis
• Lamiaceae
• crop age
• essential oil content
• GC–MS