Monoterpene Variation in Turpentine of High Resin Yielders and Check Trees in Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii Sargent)

Twenty six high resin yielders (HRYs) and ten check trees of Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) marked at different locations of Himachal Pradesh were evaluated for monoterpene composition and their variation. Among monoterpenes, alpha-pinene content was highest in the Bumbloo-5B HRY followed by Ghandir-2 and UHF-3 HRYs. Beta-pinene + delta-3-carene is the major constituent with alpha-pinene and other terpenes the next in proportion and longifolene as minor constituent. The variation in alpha-pinene, beta-pinene + delta-3-carene, other terpenes and longifolene content may be due to degradation of one component into another. Knowledge of the variation pattern in monoterpene composition offers the possibility for identifying geographic origin for further improvement studies.