Taxol content in the bark of Himalayan Yew in relation to tree age and sex

Taxol content in the bark of Taxus baccata trees growing in a homogenous (uniform) environment at Jageshwar, District Almora in Central Himalaya has been quantified. The average taxol concentration in the bark of sampled trees was 0.0558 +/- 0.008% (of dry wt.) and was about 64% higher for male plants (averaged across tree age) in comparison to female trees. Maximum taxol content was recorded in the bark samples collected from trees of > 110 yrs age. ANOVA indicates a significant difference in the taxol content of bark from trees of different ages, however, differences were not significant between sexes. Taxol was quantified by HPLC using a standard curve prepared with authentic taxol; the identification of bark taxol was confirmed by UV and mass spectrometry. The total taxol content of the bark of Taxus trees across an age series was found to range between 0.064 to 8.032 g/tree, and a tree of about 100 yrs age can yield 5.74 kg dry bark. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.