Register      Login
Animal Production Science Animal Production Science Society
Food, fibre and pharmaceuticals from animals
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > AN > EA06191
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 47(6)

Screening selected myrtaceous tree species for production of essential oils in northern Queensland

J. C. Doran A D , J. E. Drinnan B , P. F. Macdonell C and K. M. Aken A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Ensis, PO Box E4008, Kingston, ACT 2604, Australia.

B Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, PO Box 1054, Mareeba, Qld 4880, Australia.

C Ensis, PO Box 873, Cooroy, Qld 4563, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: john.doran@ensisjv.com

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47(6) 755-761 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA06191
Submitted: 1 April 2006  Accepted: 25 October 2006   Published: 17 May 2007

Abstract

Trials to identify alternative cropping options to Melaleuca alternifolia for northern Queensland essential oil growers were established at Dimbulah and Innot Hot Springs in 2001. Seed sources of Asteromyrtus symphyocarpa (1,8-cineole form), Eucalyptus staigeriana (citral), Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. cajuputi (trans-nerolidol), M. ericifolia (d-linalool), M. quinquenervia (trans-nerolidol and viridiflorol forms) and M. viridiflora (methyl cinnamate) with potential to produce commercial foliar oils were evaluated. Information was gathered on their adaptability, growth and oil yields over 49 months and 52 months (two harvests) from planting at Dimbulah and Innot Hot Springs, respectively. Of the species and chemotypes evaluated, M. quinquenervia showed potential for commercial production of trans-nerolidol, a compound used in perfumery. It had a very high survival rate (96%) and yields could be expected to improve dramatically from the average 100 kg/ha per harvest achieved in these trials with further research into selection of seed source, control of insect damage and breeding for genetic improvement. M. cajuputi subsp. cajuputi gave a similar performance to M. quinquenervia. The rarity of the trans-nerolidol form of this species and remoteness of its natural occurrence are impediments to further planting and research. E. staigeriana, with second harvest yields of ~600 kg/ha, performed exceptionally well on both sites but potential for development is limited by the ready availability of competitively priced E. staigeriana oil produced in South America. Survival of M. ericifolia ranged from 62% to 82% at 32 months (second harvest) at Innot Hot Springs and was deemed a failure at Dimbulah with poor growth and low survival, raising a major question about the suitability of this species for cultivation in the seasonally dry tropics. Planting of this species on a wider scale in northern Queensland cannot be recommended until more is known about factors affecting its survival. A. symphyocarpa and M. viridiflora were too slow-growing to warrant further consideration as potential oil-producing species at this time.


Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank members of the North Queensland Essential Oils Co-operative Assoc. Ltd, Fabio and Judy Petrusa (Dimbulah) and Robert Smith (Innot Hot Springs) for providing and maintaining the planting sites. The funding support of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project FST/1998/113 made the work possible. Erich Lassak (then Secretary of Essential Oil Producers Association of Australia) advised on the commercial potential of the various oils and gave helpful comments on drafts of the manuscript as did Maurice McDonald, David Bush and Lex Thomson.


References


Bauer K, Garbe D, Surburg H (1997) ‘Common fragrance and flavor materials.’ (WILEY-VCH: Weinheim)

Boland DJ, Brooker MIH, Chippendale GM, Hall N, Hyland BPM, Johnston RD, Kleinig DA, Turner JD (1984) ‘Forest trees of Australia.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne)

Brooker MIH, Kleinig DA (2004) ‘Field guide to the Eucalypts Vol. 3: Northern Australia.’ 2nd edn. (Blooming Books: Melbourne)

Brophy JJ, Doran JC (1996) ‘Essential oils of tropical Asteromyrtus, Callistemon and Melaleuca species.’ ACIAR Monograph No. 40. (ACIAR: Canberra)

Brophy JJ, Doran JC (2004) Geographic variation in oil characteristics in Melaleuca ericifolia. Journal of Essential Oil Research 16, 4–8. open url image1

Brophy JJ, Lassak EV (1988) Melaleuca leucadendra L. leaf oil: two phenylpropanoid chemotypes. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 3, 43–46.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Brophy JJ, House APN, Boland DJ, Lassak EV (1991) Digest of the essential oils of 111 species from northern and eastern Australia. In ‘Eucalyptus leaf oils’. (Eds DJ Boland, JJ Brophy, APN House) pp.129–155. (Inkata Press: Melbourne)

Colton RT, Murtagh GJ, Drinnan J, Clarke B (2000) ‘Tea tree oil.’ Agfact P6.4.6. 2nd edn. (NSW Agriculture: Sydney)

Coppen JJW (1995) ‘Flavours and fragrances of plant origin. Non-wood forest products 1.’ (FAO: Rome)

Coppen JJW (2002) ‘Eucalyptus – The genus Eucalyptus. Medicinal and aromatic plants – Industrial profiles. Vol. 22.’ (Taylor & Francis: London)

Couto L (2002) Cultivation and production of eucalypts in South America: with special reference to the leaf oils. In ‘Eucalyptus – The genus Eucalyptus. Medicinal and aromatic plants – Industrial profiles. Vol. 22’. (Ed. JJW Coppen) pp. 239–250. (Taylor & Francis: London)

Craven LA (1988) Reinstatement and revision of Asteromyrtus (Myrtaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 1, 373–385.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Craven LA (1999) Behind the names: the botany of tea tree, cajuput and niaouli. In ‘Tea tree – The genus Melaleuca. Medicinal and aromatic plants – Industrial profiles. Vol. 9’. (Eds I Southwell, R Lowe) pp. 11–28. (Harwood Academic Publishers: Amsterdam)

Curtis A, Southwell IA, Stiff IA (1990) Eucalyptus, a new source of E-methyl cinnamate. Journal of Essential Oil Research 2, 105–110. open url image1

Davis RL (2003) The Australian tea tree oil industry. In ‘Proceedings of the International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades international conference’. (Ed. C Green) pp. 29–40. (CD-ROM) (IFEAT: London)

Doran JC (1999) Cajuput oil. In ‘Tea tree – The genus Melaleuca. Medicinal and aromatic plants – Industrial profiles. Vol. 9’. (Eds I Southwell, R Lowe) pp. 221–233. (Harwood Academic Publishers: Amsterdam)

Doran JC (2002) Genetic improvement of eucalypts: with special reference to oil-bearing species. In ‘Eucalyptus – The genus Eucalyptus. Medicinal and aromatic plants – Industrial profiles. Vol. 22’. (Ed. JJW Coppen) pp.75–101. (Taylor & Francis: London)

Doran JC, Turnbull JW (1997) ‘Australian trees and shrubs: species for land rehabilitation and farm planting in the tropics.’ ACIAR Monograph No. 24. (ACIAR: Canberra)

Doran JC, Turnbull JW (1999) Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.T. Blake. In ‘Plant resources in South-East Asia No. 19, Essential Oil Plants’. (Eds LPA Oyen, NX Dung) pp.131–135. (Backhuys Publishers: Leiden)

Doran J, Baker G, Chudleigh P, Simpson S (2000) ‘Using clones to establish tea tree plantations.’ The Short Report No. 73. (RIRDC: Canberra)

Doran JC, Baker GR, Williams ER, Southwell IA (2002) ‘Improving Australian tea tree through selection and breeding (1996–2001).’ RIRDC Publication No. 02/017. (RIRDC: Canberra)

Guenther E (1952) ‘The essential oils. Vol. 5.’ (D. Van Nostrand Co. Inc.: New York)

Hellyer RO, Lassak EV (1968) The steam volatile constituents of Melaleuca viridiflora. Australian Journal of Chemistry 21, 2585–2587. open url image1

Houlder DJ, Hutchinson MF, Nix HA, McMahon JP (2000) ‘ANUCLIM user guide. Version 5.1.’ (Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University: Canberra)

Ireland BF, Hibbert DB, Goldsack RJ, Doran JC, Brophy JJ (2002) Chemical variation in the leaf essential oil of Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.T. Blake. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 30, 457–470.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Lassak EV (2005) Newsletter of Essential Oil Producers Association of Australia. Issue No. 12. EOPAA, Sydney.

Payne RW, Lane PW, Ainsley AE, Bicknell KE, Digby PGN, et al (1987) ‘GENSTAT 5 reference manual.’ (Clarendon: Oxford)

Southwell I, Lowe R (1999) ‘Tea tree – The genus Melaleuca. Medicinal and aromatic plants – Industrial profiles. Vol. 9.’ (Harwood Academic Publishers: Amsterdam)

Southwell IA, Russell M, Smith RL, Brophy JJ, Day J (2003) Melaleuca teretifolia chemovars: new Australian sources of citral and 1,8-cineole. Journal of Essential Oil Research 15, 339–341. open url image1

Trilles B, Bouraima-Madjebi S, Valet G (1999) Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cavanilles) S.T. Blake, Niaouli. In ‘Tea tree – The genus Melaleuca. Medicinal and aromatic plants – Industrial profiles. Vol. 9’. (Eds I Southwell, R Lowe) pp. 237–246. (Harwood Academic Publishers: Amsterdam)

Turnbull JW (1986) ‘Multipurpose Australian trees and shrubs: lesser-known species for fuelwood and agroforestry.’ ACIAR Monograph No. 1. (ACIAR: Canberra)

Webb MA (2000) ‘Bush sense – Australian essential oils and aromatic compounds.’ (Mark A. Webb: Sydney)

Williams ER, Heng S, Aken KM, Nguyen A, Harwood CE (2000) ‘DataPlus Version 3. Productivity software for experimenters.’ (CSIRO: Canberra)

Wrigley JW, Fagg M (1993) ‘Bottlebrushes, paperbarks and tea trees and all other plants in the Leptospermum alliance.’ (Angus and Robertson: Sydney)