RELATIVE AMOUNTS AND ENANTIOMERIC COMPOSITIONS OF MONOTERPENES IN DIFFERENT TISSUES OF PICEA ABIES AND PINUS SYLVESTRIS

Anna-Karin BORG-KARLSON-1, Monika PERSSON-1, Kristina SJÖDIN-1, Torbjörn NORIN-1 and Inger EKBERG-2

1-Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, S-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden;
2-Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Genetics, Box 7027, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.


The relative amounts of 23 monoterpene hydrocarbons, including enantiomers, present in extracts of various tissues from 41 Picea abies and 18 Pinus sylvestris plus-trees of widely different origins, were determined. A two- dimensional gas chromatographic system was used for the determination of the enantiomeric compositions of the seven major chiral monoterpenes. Data were evaluated by multivariate data analysis.

Large variations were found in the enantiomeric coin-positions, as well as in the relative amounts of the monoterpenes, both within and among the trees. In the xylem samples of Picea abies, (-)-a-pinene, (-)-ß-pinene and (-)-ß- phellandrene, and in the needles, (-)-a-pinene, (-)-limonene and (-)-camphene, dominated over their corresponding (+)-enantiomers.

In the xylem samples of Pinus sylvestris (+)-a-pinene dominated over (-)-a-pinene. In trees with large amounts of limonene the (-)-enantiomer dominated. In the resin the (-)-enantiomers were prevailing. The realitive amount of (-)-a-pinene were generally much lower in pine samples than in spruce samples.

The significance of the enantiomeric composition of mono-terpenes in hostinsect relationships are discussed.

Literature
  1. Sjödin, K. Persson, M., Borg-Karlson, A.-K., Norin, T., and Ekberg, I. (1996)
    Relative amounts and enantiomeric compositions of monoterpenes in different tissues of Picea abies Phytochemistry in press.
  2. Persson, M., Sjödin, K., Borg-Karlson, A.-K., and Norin, T. (1996)
    Enantiomeric compositions of monoterpene hydrocarbons in different tissues of four individuals of Pinus sylvestris. Phytochemistry, 41, 2, 439-445.
  3. Wibe, A., Borg-Karlson, A.-K., Norin, T, and Mustaparta, H. (1996)
    Identification of plant volatiles activating the same receptor neurons in the Pine weevil, Hylobius abietis. Entomalogica experimentalis et applicata in press.

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