Investigation on quality and quantity of essential oil cultivated different Satureja species in Yazd province

Essential oils of Satureja spp. contain valuable components, such as thymol and carvacrol. This research was carried due to evaluate essential oil quality and quantity of different accessions of Satureja species in cultivated condition., Seeds of 35 accessions of 10 Satureja species were collected from natural habitats and the seedlings were planted, using a randomized complete block design with for three replications at Medicinal Plants Research Station, Yazd, Iran. Aerial parts of plants were collected during four consecutive years, air dried in shadow and essential oils were extracted with hydrodistillation clevenger method. Essential oil compounds were identified by Gas chromatography (GC) and chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Analysis of variance showed significant differences at 1% between accessions for percentage of essential oil and essential oil yield per hectare. According to the results, accessions 15 (Satureja rechingeri) from Ilam province with 5.8% and 113.9 kg/ha essential oils, and 64% carvacrol and 12.2% thymol; accession 107 (S. spicigera) from Gillan province with 2.4% and 75.5 kg/ha essential oils, and 9.2% carvacrol and 43.4% thymol; accession 24 (S. rechingeri) from Ilam province with 4.2% and 63.8 kg/ha essential oils, and 75.4% carvacrol and 6.2% thymol; and SKM (S. bachtiarica ) from Yazd province with 2.6% and 51.5 kg/ha, essential oils, and 66% carvacrol and 0.5% thymol, respectively, showed the highest essential oil production in Yazd, Iran.