Studies on Oil Content and Quality of Eucalyptus pellita In Agro-Climatic Zone-9 of Karnataka
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Date
2011
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UAS, Dharwad
Abstract
A study was conducted in the established 4 year old Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell plantations in
four sites of Agro-climatic Zone-9 of Karnataka in 2010-11 which comes under two districts Shimoga
and Uttar Kannada which known for extensively established plantations of E. pellita. Being Hilly Zone
it provides a wide variation in climatic, topographic and edaphic factors. The present study was aimed
at assessing the growth and productivity, soil properties and quantity and quality of leaf oil under
different site conditions. All the sites were classified based on the rainfall and altitude. The analysis of
variance showed significant effect of site conditions on various growth and productivity parameters,
Teerthahalli plantations showed superiority in growth (DBH 23.44 cm) and also good performance in
productivity viz., basal area (35.35 m2/ha) and total volume (360 m3/ha) as compared to other
experimental sites. The soil under plantations exhibited better physical and chemical properties as
compared to their respective control sites. The highest leaf oil yield was from Sorab (0.44%). The
colour of oil from Sammasagi and Sorab was yellow, while it was pale yellow for Sagar and
Teerthahalli. The leaf yield varied from 5.685 (Sammasagi) to 13.115 t/ha (Teerthahalli) in all the sites.
The Sagar site had highest leaf oil (41.25 lit/ha) as compared to other sites. Sagar recorded highest
value of Rs.78,299/ha as compared to other sites. The Eucalyptol leaf oil content was highest in Sagar
(71.68%) as compared to other sites. Among the experimental sites, Sagar site showed superiority in
total height (14.80 m), bole height (12.71 m), leaf biomass (10,355 kg/ha), oil yield (41.5 lit/ha), 1,8-
Cineol (71.68%). At the Sagar site, eight chemical components were determined from E. pellita leaf
oil, which contained Eucalyptol (71.68%), a–Pinene (17.43%), a-terpeniol (3.29%), Geraniol (2.05%),
b–Pinene (1.25%), bi-Fenchol (1.24%), b-Selinene (0.94%) and Globulol (0.49%).
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Keywords
Plant Biochemistry