comparison of essential oil content and composition of seven populations of satureja sahendica bornm. in farm condition

satureja sahendica bornm. is an endemic medicinal plant which grows wild in natural habitats of west and north-west regions of iran. in this study, for domestication of satureja sahendica and study it's essential oil content and composition, the seeds of seven populations were collected from natural habitats and cultivated in three replications as a complete randomized blocks design. the aerial parts of each accession were collected in full flowering stage at three consecutive years. the essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gc and gc/ms. the results showed the highest oil yields were obtained at the first year after cultivation. the major compounds in all oils were thymol, p-cymene and -terpinene with different percentages. the highest amount of thymol was found in the oils of the plants at second year. in the other words, the oils had better quality, in the second year. the percentage of -terpinene were reduced in the oils in the second year and then increased in the third year. amount of p-cymene did not show similar changes during three studied years. generaly, it can be said annual plants had higher oil yields and two-year old plants had better oil quality.