Fertilizer Source in Biomass Production and Quality of Essential Oils of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.)

Abstract

Aims:The goal of this study was performed in order to test the effect of the source of crop fertilization and harvest days in the production of biomass and measure the qualitative and quantitative properties of the principal components of the essential oil of thyme. Study Design: A randomized complete block experimental design with five replications and a factorial arrangement was used. Place and Duration of Study:The experiment was at the Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo (Texcoco, Mexico), during the 2007 spring-summer season. Methodology: We included three harvests at 60, 90 and 120 days after transplantation. The organic fertilization was with applications of humic acid in the irrigation and by adding a liquid fertilizer combined with biosynthetic amino acids. Steiner solution at 75% concentration was used for the inorganic fertilization as mineral treatment. We evaluated plant height, fresh and dry biomass of the plant, and main stem diameter. Essential oils

The Effect of Open Field and Foil Tunnel on Yield and Quality of the Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), in Organic Farming

“…The fluctuation of thymol content in common thyme was investigated earlier by other authors. It was found out that it depends on the various agents, such as: chemotype, cultivar, organic fertilization source, mineral fertilization, and, the most significant-stage of plants development [6][7][8][9][10]27,28,30,31,40,44,45]. Generally, thymol content seems to be strongly variable, however, most authors consider the beginning of blooming as a phase when it reaches its maximum level.…”

“…Common thyme cultivation methods are known and widely presented in the literature data [26][27][28][29][30][31]. However, majority of publications concern conventional cultivation of this species, in order to produce dry herb and/or essential oil.…”