Essential Oil Content and Compositional Variability of Species Cultivated in the Mid Hill Conditions of the Western Himalaya.

The increase in the utilization of essential oil in industries led to an impressive rise in the demand for quality essential oils. However, a post-harvest drying of species can be a decisive factor to determine the quantity and quality of essential oil. The study was conducted in western Himalayan conditions to assess the essential oil content and composition of two species viz., lavender ( Mill.), and lavandin ( × Emeric ex Loisel), at four different drying duration (0 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after the harvest). The higher growth attributes viz., plant height (71.7 cm), ear length (8.8 cm), number of spikes (18.1), and number of flowers per ear (47.5) were higher in lavandin, while the number of branches (17.1) was higher in lavender. Essential oil content (%) and moisture reduction (%) were significantly higher at 72 h than at 0 h. The major components of lavender and lavandin essential oil were linalool (33.6-40.5%), linalyl acetate (10.8-13.6%), lavandulyl acetate (2.8-14.5%), and linalyl propionate (5.3-14.1%) in both the species. There was a decreasing trend in linalool and an increasing trend in linalyl acetate content in lavandin, with an increase in drying duration up to 72 h; while in lavender, no regular trend was observed in linalool and linalyl acetate content. It was observed that linalool and linalyl acetate levels were the highest at 24 and 0 h of drying in lavender and lavandin, respectively, and essential oil extraction can be done according to the desire of the constituent at varied drying duration.