Application of cluster analysis of the genus pinus various species essential oils terpene compounds for their taxonomic identification

Abstract

By means of GC-MS, the composition of terpene and terpenoid compounds of 6 pine species belonging to the Strobus subgenus was studied: P. sibirica, P. pumila, P. koraiensis, P. peuce, P. griffithii, P. strobus, P x schwerinii and 5 species, included in the subgenus Pinus: P. mugo, P. ponderosa, P. contorta, P. sylvestris, P. rigida. It was shown that monoterpenes dominate in the studied essential oils, its’ relative content ranges in different species from 46 to 88%. The sesquiterpenes in the studied essential oils range from 2.3 to 31%. The relative content of terpenoids: alcohols, ethers, ketones range from 0.7 to 11%. On the basis of cluster analysis of terpene and terpenoid compounds in the essential oils of the studied pine species, statistical processing was carried out to identify closely related species. As a result of the analysis of monoterpene compounds, the most closely related species included in the subgenus Strobus were established, having a distance of less than 5 units from other samples. It was found that, in terms of the composition of terpenoids, the mountain pine is the most distant from other samples (distance ~4.5 units). Two groups, the first of which includes P. strobus, P. wallichiana, P. sibirica, and in the second – P. sylvestris, P. peuce, P. koraiensis and a hybrid P.peuce Griseb. x P. stobus L., had the smallest differences among themselves and were located at a distance of 1.7 units.