VOLATILE TERPENOID COMPOSITION OF ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS, "CIM-HARIYALI": VARIABILITY IN NORTH INDIA DURING ANNUAL GROWTH

To investigate the seasonal influence on essential oil content and composition of rosemary (Rosmarinus of ficinalis) cultivar 'CIM-Hariyali' a study was conducted in Kumaon region of western Himalaya. Essential oil content was found to vary from 1.0% to 1.14% during the year. GC and GC-MS analyses enabled to identify thirty components representing 95.33% - 97.03% of the total oil composition. Main components of the oils were 1,8-cineole (22.61% - 23.85%), camphor (24.40% - 25.85%), α-pinene (10.74% - 12.59%), verbenone (4.90% - 5.77%), camphene (5.46% - 6.16%), β-pinene (3.28% - 4.02%), limonene (2.86% - 3.39%) and ,S-myrcene (1.89% - 1.95%). The study clearly showed that there were no drastic changes in the essential oil content and composition of rosemary due to season. Therefore, the crop may be harvested in any season to get good quality oil in hilly region of north India.