Comparitive Study on Essential Oil in Natural and In vitro Regenerated Plants of Vetiveria zizanioides (Linn.) Nash

In vitro studies with rhizome explants of Vetiveria zizanioides obtained through organogenetic pathway was focused on the difference in essential oil content with that of control plants. There was variation exhibited by In vitro regenerated plants in their morphological growth and were referred as “morphotypes”. Two types of morphotypes were identified as long and short based on differences in their height. Essential oil was extracted and analyzed by Gas chromatography. The two morphotypes showed varied essential oil content of 2.1% (long), 1.9% (short) with the control showing 1.8% and also the plants showed marked differences in percentage composition of essential oil with respect to important compounds like khusimol, valencene, vetiverol, vetivone, vetivenene, vetiselinol and nootketone. Further studies on the screening and selection of the chemotypes for high producing essential oil content and composition are under progress