Linalool-rich essential oil quality variants obtained from irradiated stem nodes in Lippia alba

Abstract

Lippia alba cv. Kavach is a cultivar that grows perennially as a shrub for use on slopes to control soil erosion. Plants of this genotype yield several crops of leaves annually in the sub-tropical environment, containing essential oil in about 0.2% yield. The oil contains linalool, citral and 1,8-cineole, 64.9%, 4.8%, 1.9%, respectively. A 40 Gy and 50 Gy dose of γ-rays caused 80% and 90% killing of single node cuttings of L. alba cv. Kavach. The 1027 regenerants obtained from 1695 irradiated cuttings demonstrated enormous variability in terpenoid profiles. They fell into 50 of 64 classes formed on the basis of concentrations of 1,8-cineole, neral, geranial and linalool. Testing of the clone L-601 over four cycles of vegetative multiplication showed stability of the mutated highly linalool-rich ( > 80%) essential oil profile. γ-Rays somatic mutagenesis has been found to be an effective tool for generating new essential oil profiles in L. alba cv. Kavach.