Essential oil composition of berries and leaves of Juniperus oxycedrus ssp. oxycedrus L. from two typical substrates of Valencia (Spain)

Abstract

Essential  oil  (EO)  of  berries  and  leaves  of  Juniperus  oxycedrus  ssp.  oxycedrus  L.  is  characterized  by  the  predominance  of hydrocarbon monoterpenes and a -pinene as the major compound. Nevertheless, a noticeable variability is found with respect to other compounds belonging to hydrocarbon monoterpenic and sesquiterpenic fractions. Insofar as this species grows in many type of substrates and no clear relationships can be found between EO composition and geographical origin, the hypothetical influence of soils may be considered. For this reason, a first approach to this matter is carried out in this study by comparing EO composition of berries and leaves coming from two typical substrates of Eastern Iberian Peninsula.

In general, the berries EO composition shows the typical profile reported in the literature: a -pinene (55.7-65.0 %) and myrcene

(16.6-22.6 %) were the main compounds in berries, whereas the hydrocarbon monoterpenic fraction in leaves exhibited a wider range of secondary compounds accounting for 1-5 % such as b-pinene, d-3-carene, p-cymene, limonene, b-phellandrene and terpinolene. Noticeable amounts of germacrene-D were also found in this fraction.

Regarding substrate, statistically significant differences were observed concerning all the fractions and major compounds for EO berries composition. Hydrocarbon monoterpenes were significantly higher in siliceous location (95.4 %) against calcicolous one (78.4 %); conversely, the rest of fractions reached significant lower amounts. No significant differences were found for leaves in any fraction or major compound. These results lead to consider extending this study by comparison of individuals coming from a wider range of soil types, analyzing their main physicochemical parameters.