Variation of essential oil and beta;-Asarone content among sweet flag (Acorus calamus L.) Accessions

In the present in, thirty eight different accessions of Acorus calamus L. were estimated by using hydro distillation method. The content of oil in the fresh and dry sweet flag rhizomes was 2.45% and 3.13%, while oil content in fresh and dry sweet flag leaves was 0.41% and 0.60%. The phytochemical analysis of β-asarone content was determined through HPLC method. The β-asarone content ranged from 6.45 mg g-1 to 9.96 mg g-1 in fresh rhizomes and 10.19 mg g-1 to 26.41 mg g-1 in dry rhizomes whereas 0.59 mg g-1 to 0.10 mg g-1 in fresh leaves and 9.01 mg g-1 to 1.48 mg g-1 in dry leaves. APAc-5 accession recorded highest essential oil content in dry rhizomes (3.13%) and fresh rhizomes (2.45%) whereas APAc-9 accession recorded highest essential oil content from dry leaves (0.60%) and fresh leaves (0.41%). Regarding β-asarone content APAc-8 accession recorded highest in dry rhizomes (26.41 mg g-1), fresh rhizomes (9.96 mg g-1), dry leaves (9.01 mg g-1) and fresh leaves (0.59 mg g-1) whereas the lowest β-asarone content was recorded in dry rhizomes (10.19 mg g-1), fresh rhizomes (6.45 mg g-1), dry leaves (1.48 mg g-1) and fresh leaves (0.10 mg g-1) of TNAc-9.