Assessment of Qualitative and Quantitative Composition of Essential Oil of Three Salvia Species

Farahnaz Farajzadeh1, Hossein Ali Asadi-Gharneh*2, Naser Sabaghnia3 1-Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran 2- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran 3- Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Iran *Corresponding address Email: h.asadi@khuisf.ac.ir Received: 25 July 2018                                              Accepted: 10 March 2019                                 Abstract Different species of Salvia are the most important medicinal plants. In this research essential oil composition of three Salvia species cultivated in climate condition in Marand region were investigated. The plants were harvested in flowering stage and after drying in room temperature, the essential oils of them were extracted with hydro-distillation technique and chemical compositions were analysed by a gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The highest and lowest amounts of essential oil yield were measured in Salvia officinalis and Salvia virgata, respectively. A total of 31 different components were identified accounting by 89.51%, 92.62% and 87.40% of the oils of Salvia officinalis, Salvia nemorosa and Salvia virgata, respectively. The main components were found in Salvia officinalis were α-thujone (37.35%), followed by camphor (18.59%), 1, 8-cineol (8.26%), β-thujone (5.53%), e-caryophyllene (4.15%), and α-humulene (3.50%). The oil of Salvia virgata contained, as main components, E-caryophyllene (37.51%), E- β-farnesene (15.26%), Caryophyllene oxide (8.57%) and camphor (5.16%). Major compounds in the volatile of Salvia nemorosa were e-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, spathulenol and caryophylla-β-ol with 42.54, 23.94, 7.44 and 6.61%, respectively. Results indicated variation in the essential oil percent and composition among studied salvia species. Keywords:Essential oil, Salvia officinalis, Salvia nemorosa, Salvia virgata.