The yield and growth characteristics of thymus (Thymus daenensis L.) treated with different fertilizers and plant densities

Abstract

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.