Document Type : Research Paper
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Abstract
To study correlations between essential oil and essential oil components and determining the role of these traits in variation among 12 genotypes of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), an experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications at Fozveh Research Station of Esfahan. The studied traits included seed yield, essential oil percentage, oil yield and oil components. Results of analysis of variance showed significant differences among the genotypes for all traits. Correlation coefficients showed that essential oil yield had a positive significant correlation with essential oil percentage, seed yield, and the percentage of α-pinene, camphene, myrcene, phlandrene, fenchone and camphor. In principal component analysis, the first four components could justify 90% of the total variation. Seed yield, essential oil percentage and yield, and the percentage of α-pinene, camphene, myrcene, phlandrene, fenchone, g-terpinene, E-anetole and camphor had a major role in explaining the first component. In the second component, sabinene, Beta pinene and p-cymene were more important whereas limonene and 1,8-cineole in the third component and methyl cavichol and cis-anethol in the forth component had more importance. Based on the cluster analysis, genotypes of fennel were classified into 4 groups which had noticeable differences, especially for seed yield, essential oil percentage, essential oil yield, and the percentage of α-pinene, fenchone and E-anetole. Consequently, crossing between superior genotypes of different clusters and testing their progeny through breeding and selection programs may result in production of cultivars with desirable essential oil quality.
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