The component composition of essential oil of Coriandrum sativum L. fruits from the VIR collection

Relevance. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a highly valuable multipurpose crop, widely used in medicine, the food industry, perfumery, and agriculture. The VIR world col- lection includes 790 accessions from 78 countries and represents an extensive source of coriander genetic diversity for research and breeding. The aim of the study was to investigate the essential oil (EO) content in coriander fruits and characterize its component composition. Materials and Methods. The object of the study was seeds of 208 coriander accessions from the VIR collection. The EO content was determined by hydrodistillation. The component composition was analyzed by GC-MS. Results. The EO content varied from 0.10% to 3.00%, averaging 1.01%. Sixty-six com- pounds were identified, the main one in all accessions was linalool (averaging 68.2%). The conducted study confirmed high variability in both the quantitative content and qualitative composition of EO among the coriander accessions from the VIR collection. Accessions from Abkhazia (k-424, vr.538), Georgia (vr.336), and Russia (vr.939, Alekseevsky 413) with a balanced EO composition, which are of the greatest commercial value for the perfumery-cosmetic and food industries, have been selected. The obtained data provide a basis for the targeted selection of sources of valuable traits in breeding programs.