Effect of some agricultural treatments on growth, yieldand essential oil of mentha longifolia (L.)sub- species typhoides / Hala Saber Abdrabbu Sayed ; Supervised Azza Mohamed Saeid Arafa , Atef Mohamed Zakaria Sarhan , Makarem Abdellah Mohamed

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Agriculture - Department of Ornamental Horticulture

This study was performed at The Experimental Area of Ornamental Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, during the two successive seasons of 2013 and 2014.The aim of this study was to investigate the response of Mentha longifolia plant to organic manures and biofertilizers using 1.79 ton compost, 1.49 ton rabbit manure (RM) and 1.88 ton farmyard manure (FYM) /feddan they were added alone or with one of the following biofertilizers: nitrobein (N), phosphorine (PH) and a mixture of both biofertilizres 25 l/feddan in comparison to the recommended dose of chemical fertilizers (175 kg ammonium sulphate (20.5%), 100 kg calcium superphosphate (15.5%) and 50 kg potassium sulphate (48%) /feddan), and to study three different plant spacing 20,25 and 30cm on growth, yield and the essential oil of the plant. The results indicated that FYM with biofertilizers was the most effective in increasing the mean values of plant height, branches number per plant, herb fresh and dry yields (per plant and per fed.) in the two cuts in both seasons.RM with biofertilizers and FYM with biofertilizers had the best effect on the volatile oil yield in fresh herb/plant and/fed. The maximum percentage of total oil constituents for the second season obtained from the control treatment at the first cut and from compost + Ph at the second cut. RM and compost with biofertilizers resulted in the higher values of N, P, K and carbohydrates percentages in dry herb than FYM with biofertilizers in both seasons. Thus applying organic manures with biofertilizers was more favorable in enhancing growth, yield and essential oil of Mentha longifolia plant than applying organic manures alone or chemical fertilizers. Results showed also that, the narrowest space (20cm) increased the mean value of plant height, herb fresh and dry yield ton/fed., as well as volatile oil yield (l/fed.) and 1,8 cineole. On the other hand the widest space (30cm) increased the mean value of branches number/plant, herb fresh and dry weight g/plant, volatile oil content ml/plant as well as, main oil constituents (pulegone, menthone), N, K and carbohydrate percentage in both cuts for the first and the second seasons

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