Evaluation of the Yields and Chemical Compositions of the Essential Oils of Different Litsea cubeba Varieties

To investigate and select specific genetic resources that can be used for breeding and genetic improvement of L. cubeba, a comparative analysis of the content and chemical composition of essential oils from 13 varieties was carried out. The results showed the yields of essential oil of the different variety ranged from 3.02 to 4.79%, and total eighty-three individual chemical components were identified. Oxygenated monoterpenes (84.11-92.22%) had the highest concentrations in all varieties. The predominant compounds were geranial and neral. 12 compounds were identified in all varieties and 27 compounds were only identified in 10 varieties and at low levels. The variety BJ1, which produced the highest essential oil yields and the highest concentrations of citral, is considered a good candidate for development of improved varieties. Path coefficient analysis showed that the contribution of the characteristics to the yield was a result of synthetic action. 100-fruit weight and fruit longitudinal diameter could serve as indicators for selecting varieties of L. cubeba through correlation analysis and path coefficient analysis. The variety heritability of these characteristics was high, ranging from 0.700 to 0.928. The results may help for breeding improved varieties, bioactivity, and applications of L. cubeba.