Influence of non-genetic factors on yield of monoterpenes in leaf oils ofEucalyptus camaldulensis

✍ Scribed by J. C. Doran; R. E. Bell

• Book ID: 104616749
• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 805 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0169-4286
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00036735

✦ Synopsis

Application. Tree breeders aiming to improve yields of essential oils in eucalypts require a knowledge of the effects of non-genetic factors on this trait to help devise sampling and selection procedures. Studies of variation in young plants of Eucalyptus camaldulensis showed leaf maturation and environmental factors to have a substantial influence on yields (as a fraction of leaf weight) of 1,8-cineole, the compound of most commercial interest, and three other monoterpenes viz. ct-pinene, 13-pinene and limonene. The highest yielding plants maintained their ranking in both the nursery and field trials, even though oil yields fluctuated widely in some conditions. As long as comparisons within site are based on leaves of the same physiological age and selections across sites are tested in a common environment, non-genetic sources of variation should be minimized and reliable selection of high oil-yielding genotypes assured.