Relationships between essential oil properties of prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus) berries and environmental factors

• Main Authors: Serkan Gülsoy, Alican Çıvğa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Isparta University of Applied Sciences Faculty of Forestry 2016-11-01
• Series: Turkish Journal of Forestry
• Online Access: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/tjf/issue/25806/272176?publisher=iubu

Main objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil of ripe berries of prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus) and to determine effects of the environmental factors on the major volatile components. Berry samples were collected from 13 different sample plots in the lakes district of Turkey in November and December in 2014. The essential oil was obtained from the berries of the plant by hydro-distillation techniques. The yield of essential oil was 0,59% ±0,08 (v/w dried weight). The composition of the essential oil from ripe berries was analyzed by SPME/GC/MS. A total of 35 components were identified. The major components were β-myrcene (57,14 % ±11,86), α-pinene (32,85 % ±9,80) and limonene (5,23 % ±2,01). Pearson Correlation Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to determine the relationships between environmental factors (physiographical, climatically and edaphically site factors) and major components. The results from these statistical analyses revealed some significant relationships. Especially, β-myrcene and α-pinene were related to distance from the sea, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the wettest quarter and cation exchange capacity of the soils.