The application of organic and mineral fertilizers to increase the productivity of essential-oil crops

Abstract

Essential oils obtained from aromatic plants are of great value to many industries. In traditional and alternative medicine, the peppermint essential oil of Mentha piperita and Dracocephalum moldavica is used for the production of medicinal preparations, which have immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, sedative and antispasmodic effects. The aim of the research was to study the effect of organic and mineral fertilizers Аbsolute, EcoFus, microfertilizer Siliplant and their complex on the yield and content of essential oil in Mentha piperita and Dracocephalum moldavica. We carried out the treatment in the phase of regrowth of Mentha and branching of Dracocephalum, we carried out the harvesting in the phase of budding - the beginning of flowering. We noted an intensification of growth processes: the height of Mentha piperita in the variant with EcoFus increased by 20 %, with Silipant – by 26 %, and the double treatment of Dracocephalum moldavica with a binary mixture of Absolute and Silipant increased their height by 16 % in comparison with the control. The activation of growth processed contributed to an increase in the yield of raw materials. The increase of in the grass yield of Mentha piperita in the variant with EcoFus was 21 % (0.46 t per ha) compared to the control, with Siliplant – 26 % (0.57 t per ha). The content of essential oil in Mentha piperita increased by 6-8 %, the yield of essential oil per unit area increased by 28 % and 36 %. The combined use of Аbsolute and Siliplant on the Dracocephalum moldavica provided an increase in productivity and yield of essential oil per hectare not only in comparison with the control (36 % and 45 %), but also with variants of treatment with individual preparations - 15-16 % and 18-25 %, respectively.