Essential oil compositions of different accessions of Coriandrum sativum L. from Iran.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) has been cultivated for a many years in different parts of Iran. The chemical profiles of different accessions were analysed by means of GC-MS. The essential oil content of the dried seeds varied from 0.1% to 0.36%. Thirty-four different compounds were identified in the essential oil of all accessions. Linalool (40.9-79.9%), neryl acetate (2.3-14.2%), gamma-terpinene (0.1-13.6%) and alpha-pinene (1.2-7.1%) were identified as main components in the oil of the coriander accessions. Almost all of the studied accessions contained more that 60% linalool, showing the high quality of coriander seeds produced in Iran and the suitability of the accessions as initial genetic materials for the breeding of homogenous and talented Coriander cultivars.