To study the effect of plant density and different nutritional systems (chemical, biological, and integrated) on the quantitative and qualitative performance of Thymus daenensis L. in Mahidasht Agricultural Training Center, Kermanshah/Iran, in 2017, an experiment was conducted in a split-plot design based on a randomized complete block with four replications. The first variable involved two planting distances in the row of 15 and 30 cm (the main factor), and the subsidiary factor comprised four different nutritional systems including control (no-fertilizer), chemical (100 kg superphosphate, 100 kg potassium sulfate, 150 kg urea per ha), biological (8 tons of cattle manure/ha), and integrated (50% cattle manure + 50% chemical) fertilizers. The results showed that the integrated fertilizer treatment produced the highest shoot dry weight (789.1 kg/ha), essential oil content (3.35%) and root length (15.97 cm). The integrated fertilizer treatment along with the 30-cm planting density resulted in the highest essential oil content of 3.35%. The results of this project have suggested that the integrated fertilizer and the 30-cm planting interval is the optimal treatment in thymus production due to the higher chemical fertilizer efficiency and better crop quality.

To evaluate the effect of head pruning and different nutritional systems (chemical, biological and integrated) on yield and seed oil content in medicinal pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.), an experiment was conducted in Kermanshah/Iran during the 2013 growing season. The experimental treatments consisted of two levels - no head pruning, control (Co) and head pruning (C1) allocated to the main plots. Four levels of different fertilizing systems - control (without fertilizer) (T0), chemical (T1), biological (a combination of nitrogen fixing bacteria, Azospirillum brasilense and Glomus mosseae) (T2), and integrated fertilizing system (biological fertilizer + 50% chemical fertilizer) (T3) were assigned to the sub-plots. The experimental treatments were arranged as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed that the highest percentage of seed oil was obtained (37%) in the integrated nutritional system along with the head pruning treatment. The highest grain yields of 53 and 50 g per square meter were obtained in integrated and chemical fertilizing systems, respectively while no pruning was applied. The highest fruit yields of 3,710 and 3,668 kg per hectare were produced by chemical and integrated fertilizing systems, respectively. The biological nutrition system required more time to demonstrate its positive effect on the growth and yield of medicinal pumpkin.