The Effect of Geographical Location on the Content and Antimicrobial Activity of Cyperus rotundus Rhizomes Essential Oil

The present paper represents an attempt to investigate the effect of the geographical location on the yield percent and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Cyperus rotundus. The  essential oils of the plant were collected in five different locations in Sudan, namely Dongola (northern Sudan); Darfour (western Sudan); Aljazeera and Khartoum (central Sudan) and Sinnar (eastern Sudan) and prepared by hydro -distillation technique. The percentage yields were found to be variable according to the growing location. The highest yield was found in the Dongola sample (1.2%) and the lowest in Khartoum and Aljazeera samples (0.5%). The antimicrobial activities of the prepared essential oils were also variable with regard to the sample tested .The highest antimicrobial activity was found in Khartoum oil sample followed by Darfour oil sample; Dongola oil sample; Aljazeera and Khartoum oil samples and finally Sinnar oil sample.