Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of Medicinal Plants, Shahid Bakeri Higher Education Center of Miandoab, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
2
Department of Horticultural Science, Mahabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran
Abstract
In the past decade, there has been a surge in interest regarding the cultivation of medicinal plants. Controlled environment farming methods, particularly soilless techniques, have emerged as effective alternatives to enhance production and water efficiency sustainably. This study aims to assess the morpho-physiological and biochemical characteristics and antioxidant capacity of lemongrass cultivated in soilless conditions in comparison to traditional soil-based cultivation, as well as comparisons of various harvesting times (two harvests). Results revealed notable distinctions in various parameters between the two cultivation methods and harvest times. Chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid, relative water content (RWC), plant height, leaf number, as well as fresh and dry weights exhibited higher values in soilless-grown plants, particularly during the second harvest. The biomass or dry matter generated in soilless cultivation exhibited a 25% increase during the initial harvest and a 27% augmentation in the second harvest in comparison to soil-based cultivation. Conversely, soil-grown plants displayed elevated levels of phenols, flavonoids, antioxidant activity, ion leakage and proline, especially during the second harvest compared to the first harvest, increased (25%, 26%, 12%, and 32%) respectively and the total chlorophyll in soilless cultivation compared to soil cultivation in the first and second harvest was observed to increase by 1.01 and 1.05 times, respectively. The highest content of essential oil (3.03%) was observed in soil cultivation and first harvest. This study contributes valuable insights into the optimization of lemongrass cultivation and time harvesting, emphasizing the advantages of soilless techniques in enhancing key morpho-physiological attributes and antioxidant potential.
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