One-month-old rooted stem cuttings of three rosescented geranium cultivars, namely Bourbon type, CIM-Pawan and Kelkar were transplanted at 50 × 50 cm plant spacing in the experimental field of Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Center Purara, Uttarakhand, in October 2007. Plants were irrigated immediately after transplanting and further crops were raised following the normal agricultural practices needed to grow the plant. The experimental site is located between the coordinates 28° 60′ and 31° 29′ N, 77° 49′ and 80° 60 m E, and at an altitude of 1250 m in the Kattyur valley. Climatologically, it is categorized as a sub-temperate (1200-1700 m) zone, where monsoon usually breaks in June and continues up to September. Sampling of the rose-scented geranium cultivars was started from March 2008 and taken on the tenth of every month until February 2009. Samples were collected in triplicate in each season. (A, cv. Bourbon type; B, cv. CIM-Pawan; C, cv. Kelkar; I, spring season; II, summer season; III, rainy season;IV, autumn season; V, winter season).

The major components in the essential oil of cv. Bourbon type were geraniol (14.1-34.6%), citronellol (15.2-31.3%), linalool (2.9-9.2%), citronellyl formate (4.4-9.2%), isomenthone (4.5-6.6%), 10-epi-gamma-eudesmol (4.7-6.7%) and geranyl formate (3.8-6.2%). The dominant constituents of the cv. CIM-Pawan essential oil were geraniol (11.9-31.9%), citronellol (16.1-30.2%), citronellyl formate (5.2-8.9%), linalool (3.7-6.4%), isomenthone (4.0-6.3%), 10-epi-gamma-eudesmol (4.4-5.2%) and geranyl formate (4.3-5.0%). However, the chemical composition and odor of cv. Kelkar was quite different from the other two cultivars and the major components found in this oil were citronellol (51.0-63.4%) and isomenthone (9.8-17.8%).