One of the factors determining drug quality in bitter fennel is the
types and quantities of fatty acids stored in the seeds. We measured the
fatty acid content of 50 Iranian fennel landraces. Fatty acid
concentration of the 50 fennel landraces ranged from 9.5 to 23% of seed
mass, and the highest amounts of fatty acid content among the early
maturing races belonged to Hamedan and Arak (19.5 and 18.5%,
respectively), among the medium maturing races to Marvdasht, Kohn and
Meshkin Shahr (23, 20.5 and 19%, respectively), and among the
late-maturing races to Sari (21%). The highest fatty acid yields
belonged to Fasa (65.3 ml/m2) among the early maturing races, Meshkin
Shahr and Moqhan (92.5 and 85.4 ml/m2) among the medium maturing races,
and Sari (71.4 ml/m2) among the late-maturing races. The main
compositions of fatty acids, measured in twelve of the landraces, were
oleic acid (52-64%), linoleic acid (26-39%), palmitic acid
(0.3-4.1%), stearic acid (1.3-2.4%), linolenic acid (0.6-3.6%) and
myristic acid (0.35-1.07%). It was observed that landraces with high
oleic acid content originated from regions with a dry and warm climate,
while landraces with high linoleic acid content originated from regions
with a humid and cool climate. Understanding relationships between the
fatty acid profile and landrace origin climate may improve the
efficiency of identifying landraces with specific fennel chemotypes. In
conclusion, these results indicate that some of these fennel landraces
have the potential to be complementary sources of certain fatty acids,
such as oleic and linoleic acids.
Differential Accumulation of Oil content and Major Fatty Acids During Seed Developmental Stages in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Hybrids Differing in Oleic Acid Content
