Variation in volatile compounds from tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) related to genetic and morphological differences of genotypes

Air-dried flower heads of 20 Finnish tansy genotypes were extracted with pe troleum ether and analyzed using GC-MS. A total of 55 volatile compounds we re detected, and 53 were identified. Of the tansy genotypes studied, 15 wer e well defined and five were mixed chemotypes, Complete linkage analysis di fferentiated the populations into six clusters. The most frequently found m onoterpene was camphor with or without several satellite compounds such as camphene, 1,8-cineole, pinocamphone, chrysanthenyl acetate, bornyl acetate and isobornyl acetate. In 13 genotypes, camphor concentration exceeded 18.5 % and in seven genotypes, camphor was less than 7.2%. Other chemotypes rich in Il ans thujone, artemisia ketone, 1,8-cineole, or davadone-D were also identified. Davadone-D and a mixed chemotype, containing tricyclene and myr cene, were identified from a Finnish tansy for the first time. Geographical ly, most chemotypes containing camphor originated from Central Finland, whe reas chemotypes without camphor such as artemisia ketone, davadone D and my rcene-tricyclene originated from South or Southwest Finland. Morphologicall y, the 20 tansy chemotypes based on the groups formed from complete linkage cluster analysis, were compared. The group containing the highest concentr ation of camphor chemotypes had the tallest shoots. The groups consisting f rom chemotypes containing davadone-D or artemisia ketone, which originated from Southwest Finland, produced the highest number of flower heads, had th e tallest corymb, and were last to flower. Also, the group consisting from chemotypes with a high concentration of camphor and originated from South F inland started to flower late. The correlation between the genetic distance matrices based on RAPD patterns reported previously (Keskitalo et al., 199 8. Theor. Appl. Genet. 96, 1141-1150.) and the chemical distance matrices o f the present study of the same tansy genotypes was highly significant (0.4 1, P < 0.0001). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.