Comparative investigation of 11 Achillea collina Becker accessions concerning phenological, morphological, productional features and active agent content

Eleven Achillea collina Becker accessions of different origin were tested in open field plots during three years for their phenological, morphological, productional features and active material content in Budapest, Hungary. Among the tested plant materials European selected cultivars, Hungarian cultivated stocks and populations from wild growing habitats were investigated. Concerning flowering time, two types (early and late) were distinguished. Flowering time of the less abundant late type, represented by Hungarian variety ‘Azulenka’ and ‘Gb22’, started approximately 2 weeks later than that of the early flowering type. Plant height and length of flowering horizon varied only slightly among taxa, and increased after the first year of cultivation. The proportion of useful plant organs in the drug was stable. Biomass and drug production of the investigated genotypes was variable, late flowering types providing higher yields. Essential oil, proazulene, total phenolic and flavonoid content varied on a large scale among accessions and years.Results demonstrate the high intraspecific variability of A. collina and also the role of valuable genotypes in drug production. Selected cultivars may provide stable and good yields and drug quality under particular environmental conditions, while genotypes of wild origin may be valuable sources of future breeding programs

Evaluation of yarrow (<i>Achillea</i>) accessions by phytochemical and molecular genetic tools

Yarrow (Achillea) species are known and utilized worldwide. In the recent study our primarily goal was to get information about the intraspecific diversity of A. collina in the Carpathian Basin. Five cultivated genotypes and six populations of wild origin were compared involving seven other species as control. Essential oil (EO) and proazulene (PA) contents were determined and the DNA samples were evaluated by RAPD (11 primers) and ISSR (12 primers) methods. The EO content varied between 0.010 (A. distans) and 0.365 (A. collina) ml/100g DW, the PA content was found between 0.021 and 0.173% DW. The used RAPD markers provided 140 bands (97.14% polymorphic). They distinguished primarily among species and less characteristically among the A. collina populations. With ISSR primers we detected 188 bands (97.34% polymorphic). ISSR markers and combined RAPD and ISSR method enabled an informative intraspecific evaluation of A. collina accessions. The largest genetic distances were found between A. ptarmica and the members of sect. Achillea (genetic distances 0.52-0.72). Similarity is highest (genetic distance 0.27) among the populations of lower geographical distances. Nei’s genetic distances of cultivated populations are also relatively low (0.23- 0.36). Some wild accessions may represent valuable biological resources for breeding

Phytochemical characteristics of root volatiles and extracts of <i>Achillea collina</i> Becker genotypes

<p>Recently, several publications revealed the presence of potentially active volatile substances in the roots of yarrow species. Though their specific function is not clear, they are supposed to have an important role in plant–environment interactions. In the present paper, chemical composition of hydrodistilled essential oil (EO), headspace (HS) volatiles and dichloromethane extracts (DE) of the roots of 10 different <i>Achillea collina</i> Becker accessions were analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS and compared. Volatility and solubility of active ingredients and the sensitivity of extraction methods resulted in different chemical compositions. Only a few of the main constituents (alismol, (E)-β-farnesene, β-sesquiphellandrene and neryl esters) were found in each extract type. In the EOs, the main compound was component with RI 1874 tentatively identified as heptadecen-7-one (28.9–43.0%). Albene (20.8–52.1%) and β-pinene (8.3–47.1%) were the most represented constituents among HS volatiles. The main and universal constituents of DEs were component with RI 1874 tentatively identified as heptadecen-7-one, linoleic acid, 2,4,6-decatrienoic acid piperideide, sterols (RI 3280, 3338 and 3360) and a triterpene (RI 3456) which together amounted 34.4–61.7% of the extracts.</p