Variation in yield of essential oil from different population of Litsea cubeba in North East India with emphasis on identification of industrially adoptable elite genotypes

Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. is an evergreen, tree of laurel family native to Southeast Asia. In India, the species is found in Eastern Himalayas from Sikkim to Mishmi Hills. The fruit of the plant is a massive source of essential oil (EO) resembling citronella oil. The study explores the variation of EO content of L. cubeba fruit/seeds from 16 different population from North East India. Sixteen numbers of population were selected with 10 accessions for the study. Fruits were crushed to hydro distillation by using Clevenger apparatus for 5-6 h and the essential oil was extracted with dichloromethane and finally oil yield was estimated. The highest oil yield (6.15±0.05%) was extracted from Mebo area followed by Pashighat (5.47±0.1%) and Kasom Khullen (5.32±0.07%). Otherwise, Jowai (1.53±0.21%), Latyrke (1.53±0.09%) and Sohomi village (1.50±0.16%) exhibited the lowest EO yield. Variation in climato-ecological characteristics of different geographical locations influenced in oil content studied among the population. The present investigation is intended for selection of superior population with high EO yield. The study identified as superior in EO yield of Mebo and Pashighat population and could be potential for large scale cultivation and industrial utilization.