Effect of Nutrition and Harvest Time on Growth and Essential Oil Content of Thymus vulgaris L.

Authors

1 Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran

2 Young Researchers and Elites Club, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) is an important medicinal plant with highly valuable essential oils. In this study, effects of different fertilizer treatments and cuts on Thymus vulgaris L. was evaluated in 2008-2009. The research was conducted at Alborz Research Station, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Karaj, Iran. The Experimental design was split plot in time in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main factor was nutritionin 16 levels consisting of different combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and manure (M): N0P0K0M0, N40P32K40M0, N80P64K80M0, N120P96K120M0, N160P128K160M0, N140P112K140M5, N120P96K120M10, N100P80K100M15, N80P64K80M20, N60P48K60M25, N40P32K40M30, N20P16K20M35, N0P0K0M40, N0P0K0M30, N0P0K0M20 and N0P0K0M10 (indices following the letters N, P and K are application rates in kg/ha, indices following the letter M are the application rates of manure in t/ha). The sub factor was harvest (cut) time (late May and early September). Results indicated that fertilizer, harvest date and their interactions significantly affected most of the traits. Mean comparison of the interactions indicated that treatments containing both chemical fertilizers and manure showed positive effects, although the most plant height was achieved with N160P128K160M0 × 1st cut, in both years (32.5 cm in 2008 and 32.66 cm in 2009). Essential oil yield was the highest in 2008 in N120P96K120M10 × 2nd cut (26.01 kg/ha), and in 2009 in N100P80K100M15 × 1st cut (26.79 kg/ha). Generally, it can be concluded from the results that T. vulgaris responds well to fertilization, and selecting the best treatment depends on the objective of production.

Keywords

References

1. Bolous L. Flora of Egypt, vol. 3. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo, Egypt, 2002.
2. Chiej R. The Macdonald Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Macdonald & Co., London, 1984.
3. Morales R. The History, Botany and Taxonomy of the Genus Thymus. In: Stahl-Biskup E, Saez F (eds). Thyme: The Genus Thymus. Taylor and Francis, London, 2002;1-43.
4. Prakash V. Leafy Spices, Boca Raton. CRC Press, Inc., Florida, USA, 1990.
5. Yarnell D. Thymus vulgaris L. (thyme), Lamiaceae and related species. www.aaronsworld.com, accessed 21 Dec. 2012, 2007.
6. Fageria NK. The Use of Nutrients in Crop Plants. CRC Press, US, 2009.
7. Fageria NK, Baligar VC. Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants. Adv Agron. 2005;88:97-185.
8. Tiessen H. Phosphorus in the Global Environment. In: White PJ, Hammond JP (eds). The Ecophysiology of Plant-Phosphorus Interactions, Springer, US, 2008. pp. 1-8.
9. Wiedenhoeft AC. Plant Nutrition. Chelsea House Publishers, US, 2006.
10. Omidbaigi R, Rezaei Nejad A. The influence of nitrogen-fertilizer and harvest time on the productivity of Thymus vulgaris L. Int J Hortic Sci. 2000;6:43-46.
11. Baranauskiene R, Venskutonis PR, Viskelis P, Dambrauskiene E. Influence of nitrogen fertilizers on the yield and composition of thyme (Thymus vulgaris). J Agric Food Chem. 2003;51:7751-7758.
12. Verma RK, Rahman LU, Verma RS, Chauhan A, Singh A, Kalra A. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus levels on plant growth and yield attributes of clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.). Int J Agron Plant Prod. 2010;1:129-137.
13. Valmorbida J, Boaro CSF. Growth and development of Mentha piperita L. in nutrient solution as affected by rates of potassium. Brazilian Arch of Biol Technol. 2007;50:379-384.
14. Schoenau JJ, Benefits of long-term application of manure. Advances in Pork Production. 2006;17:153-158.
15. Tabrizi L, Koocheki A, Rezvani Moghaddam P, Nassiri Mahallati M, Bannayan M. Effect of irrigation and organic manure on Khorasan thyme (Thymus transcaspicus Klokov). Arch Agric Soil Sci. 2011;57:317-326.
16. Rahbarian P, Afsharmanesh G, Shirzadi MH. Effects of drought stress and manure on relative water content and cell membrane stability in dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica). Plant Ecophysiol. 2010;2:13-19.
17. Bertrand I, Holloway RE, Armstrong RD, McLaughlin MJ. Chemical characteristics of phosphorus in alkaline soils from southern Australia. Aust J Agric Res. 2003;41:61-76.
18. Fageria NK, Gheyi HR. Efficient Crop Production. Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil. Federal University of Paraiba, 1999.
19. Biesiada A, Kuś A. The effect of nitrogen fertilization and irrigation on yielding and nutritional status of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Acta Sci Pol, Hortorum Cultus. 2010;9:3-12.
20. Zheljazkov VD, Cantrell CD, Wayne Ebelhar M, Rowe DE, Coker C. Productivity, oil content, and oil composition of sweet basil as a function of nitrogen and sulfur fertilization. Hortscience. 2008;43:1415-1422.
21. Anwar M, Chand S, Patra DD. Effect of graded levels of NPK on fresh herb yield, oil yield and oil composition of six cultivars of menthol mint (Mentha arvensis Linn.). Indian J Nat Prod Resour. 2010;1:74-79.
22. Forouzandeh M, Fanoudi M, Arazmjou E, Tabiei H. Effect of drought stress and types of fertilizers on the quantity and quality of medicinal plant basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Indian J Innov Develop. 2012;1:734-737.
23. Patra DD, Anwar M, Chand S. Integrated nutrient management and waste recycling for restoring soil fertility and productivity in Japanese mint and mustard sequence in Uttar Pradesh, India. Agric Ecosys Environ. 2000;80:267-275.
24. Berti MT, Fischer SU, Wilckens RL, Hevia MF, Johnson BL. Borage (Borago officinalis L.) response to N, P, K, and S fertilization in south central Chile. Chilean J Agric Res. 2010;70:228-236.
25. Alipour Mansoorkhani R, Shahriari Z, Mohaselli V, Osfoori M, Shahriari AG. Effect of graded levels of NPK on herb, oil yield and oil composition of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Global J Res Med Plants Indig Med. 2012;1:258-264.
26. Ateia EM, Osman YAH, Meawad AEAH. Effect of organic fertilization on yield and active constituents of Thymus Vulgaris L. under north Sinai conditions. Res J Agric Biol Sci. 2009;5:555-565.
Journal of Medicinal plants and By-Products
Volume 2, Issue 2
September 2013
Pages 143-151

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics