ENHANCING OF GROWTH, ESSENTIAL OIL YIELD AND ...

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(61) ENHANCING OF GROWTH, ESSENTIAL OIL YIELD AND COMPONENTS OF
YARROW PLANT (Achillea millefolium) GROWN UNDER SAFE AGRICULTURE
CONDITIONS USING ZEOLITE AND COMPOST
By
E. M. Z. Harb and M. A. Mahmoud
Agricultural Botany Department, Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
ABSTRACT
The unique cation exchange, adsorption, hydration-dehydration and catalytic properties of natural
zeolites (as granules) loaded with micronutrients, have promoted their use in clean agriculture as soil
amendments and slow-release fertilizers. This research was conducted in open field to investigate the
effects of natural zeolite, organic fertilizer (compost) and combination of them on herb growth, oil yield
and components of Yarrow plants (Achillea millefolium). The results indicated that zeolite loaded with
micronutrients mixed with organic fertilizer led to significant increase in fresh weight, dry weight,
number of flowers, total chlorophylls, carbohydrates content, oil yield as well as major ingredients of
essential oil, and mineral nutrients, in comparison with the recommended dose of chemical fertilizers
NPK (control) under the same conditions. These results undoubtedly confirm that zeolite and organic
fertilizer (compost) mixture could replace the application of chemical fertilizers and consequently
improve the quality and quantity of Achillea yield. This application may have direct impacts on safety and
efficacy of herbal active constituents which entail for medicinal and aromatic products. Besides
minimizing economic costs and pollution of agricultural environment.
Key words: Achillea millefolium , chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizer, yarrow plant, , zeolite.
1. INTRODUCTION
Effective agriculture, sanitary, safety
treatments and collection practices for medicinal
and aromatic plants is only the first step in quality
assurance, on which the safety and efficacy of
herbal medicinal and aromatic products directly
depend upon (WHO guidelines). Lately, the safe
agriculture is one of the main attitudes in the
world (El-Kouny, 2002). Also, there has been an
increasing awareness of the undesirable impact of
mineral fertilizers on the environment, as well as
the potentially dangerous effects of chemical
residues in plant tissues on the health of human
and animal consumers.
Therefore, organic fertilizers are very
important in plant fertilization in many countries
due to their beneficial effects on the soil, growth
and increase the productivity as well as improving
the quality of plant production (Galbiatti et al,
1992 on Onion, Hsich et. al, 1994 on Sweet
pepper and Mallanagouda et. al, 1995 on Garlic
and Onion).
Natural Zeolite (clinoptilolite) containing
micronutrients is an amazing crystalline mineral
capable of adsorbing and absorbing many
different types of gases, moisture, petrochemicals,
heavy metals, low-level radioactive elements and
This research scrutinizes the effects of organic
fertilizer and natural zeolite on Yarrow plants in
586
a multitude of various solutions and high cation
exchange capacities, also produces long term soil
improvements as well as slow release fertilizer of
nitrogen. Zeolites can also act as water
moderators, in which they will adsorb up to 55%
of their weight in water and slowly release it under
plant demand. (Jean and Dupont, 1983). Many
researchers had been worked on zeolite, Krutilina
et. al (2000), indicated that zeolite improved
biomass production and photosynthesis rate in
maize and barley. Also Miller (2000), on
bermudagrass found that, zeolite works as soil
amendment and has potential to influences soil
water content.
Achillea millefolium known as Yarrow,
Thousand-leaf and Angel flower of Asteraceae
family comprises 115 species, Yarrow is a
perennial herb that produces one to several stems
(8 to 14 inches tall) from underground horizontal
rootstock (rhizome) (Bartram, 1995) For
medicinal purposes it has been used as
administered both internally and externally. It is
valuable for treating wounds, stopping the flow of
blood, treating colds, fevers, kidney diseases,
menstrual pain (Duke,1985, Bown,1995,
Chevallier,1996 and Moerman,1998) .The whole
plant is used, both fresh and dried (Foster,1990).
comparison with chemical fertilizers (N, P and K)
as control.

Enhancing of growth, essential oil yield and components of………………………………………………….
2. MATERIAL AND METHODS
This research was carried out at the
ton/fed. were recorded as mean value of the first
and the second cut for both seasons.
Table (1): Some physical and chemical properties of experimental soil.
Physical properties Cations (me. / l) Anion (me. / l)
Sand (%) 90.5 Ca++ 4.16 CO = 3 0
Silt (%) 6.50 Mg++ 1.52 HCO - 3 0.54
Clay (%) 3.0 Na+ 3.24 Cl - 3.31
Texture grade Sandy K+ 0.21 SO = 4 2.13
pH (soil paste) 7.8
EC (dS/m at 25 °C) 1.37
Total-N (%) 0.03
Organic-C (%) 0.38
experimental farm of Wadi El-Notron, at private
farm (new reclaimed land) as open field, during
two consecutive seasons (2006-2007 and 2007-
2008). Mechanical and chemical analyses of the
soil were performed according to (Richards, 1954
and Jackson, 1973) as shown in (Table1) Also;
chemical characteristics of compost (Table 3),
which obtained from Soil &water and
environment research institute, Agriculture
Research Center (A.R.C) were accomplished as
described by Page et al., (1982) before planting.
Natural zeolite loaded with micronutrients as
granules used in this research was obtained from
Prima Company, Yogyakarta, Indonesia as shown
in (Table 2).
The plantlets of a bout 13 cm. with intact
rhizomes were obtained from experimental farm
of Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Planted
on the10 th of October (2006) in the Experimental
field, with a distance of 60 cm between rows, and
spacing 50 cm between plants.
Compost at (5 ton / fed.) as well as zeolite
(210 k/fed) and combination of them (1:1) were
added 20 days before planting. Chemical
fertilizers as recommended dose were added at the
rate of 150 k/fed as ammonium nitrate (33%)
divided into two doses, the first was after 3 weeks
from planting and the second was six weeks later,
both Calcium superphosphate (15.5%) at the rate
of 200 k/fed and Potassium sulphate (48%) at the
rate of 50 k/fed were added before planting, The
experiment was performed as a completely
randomized design with four treatments and six
replicates .Agricultural practices were followed as
recommended throughout the growing season.
During the first season on the 20 th of February,
and the 20 th of March (2007) during flowering
stage, plants were cut 10 cm above the soil surface
as the first and the second cut respectively.
Harvest repeated on the 20 th of February, 20 th
March (2008) by the same way. The data of
growth characters, plant height, fresh and dry
weight, number of flowers and fresh weight
587
The mean values of growth characters in both
seasons were subjected statistically analyzed by
using L. S. D. values at 5% level (Gomez and
Gomez, 1984).
Chemical constituents in herb were epresented in
total chlorophylls, carbohydrates content, mineral
nutrients (N, P, K), and oil yield as well as major
ingredients of essential oil.
Total nitrogen was determined by Kjeldah
method described by Bremner and Mulvaney
(1982).Total phosphorus was estimated
colorimetrically as described by Jackson (1973).
The concentration of K was determined by the
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GBC, 932
AA). Total chlorophylls content was determined
using the method described by Nornai (1982),
while the content of carbohydrates in dried leaves
samples were determined using the method
described by Dubois et al. (1956). Chemical
analysis for essential oil was conducted using the
Ati-Unicam gas liquid chromatography (GLC),
610 series, to determine their main constituents as
described by Gunther and Joseph (1978).
Table (3): Chemical analysis of compost
Property
Value
pH (1:5) 7.5
EC (1: 5 extract) ds/m 3.1
Organic-C % 33.11
Organic matter % 70
Total-N % 1.82
Total-K % 1.25
C/N ratio 14:1
Total-P % 1.29
Fe-ppm 1019
Mn-ppm 111
Cu-ppm 180
Zn-ppm 280
Total content of Bacteria 2.5 x 10 7
Weed seeds 0
Phosphate dissolving
2.5 x 10 6
Bacteria
Humidity (%) 25

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Table 2. Chemical composition of Zeolite.
Chemical
Composition
%
Trace
elements
P.P.m
SiO 2 TiO 2 Al 2 O 3 Fe 2 O 3 FeO MnO MgO CaO Na 2 O K 2 O SrO P 2 O 3 Loss
on
ignition
45.50 2.81 13.30 5.40 8.31 0.51 6.30 9.52 2.83 0.87 0.22 0.67 3.76
Ba Co Cr Selenium
Cu Zn Zr Nb Ni Rb Y
10 1.2 35 0.8 19 64 257 13 55 15 22
Table (4): Growth characters of Achillea plants as affected by compost, zeolite and
combination of them during 2006- 2007and 2007-2008 seasons.
Herb
Plant
Herb Dry Number Fresh
Seaso
fresh
Treatment
height
weight of flower weight
n
Weight
(cm)
(g/plant) per plant (ton/fed)
(g/plant)
N,P,K (Control)
Compost
Zeolite
Compost+
Zeolite
FS 77.3 d 3072.6 d 950.3
d
SS 82.2 c 3156.7 c 972.2
c
FS 54,2 g 1393.4 h 517.3
h
SS 59.7 f 1506.0 g 546.6
g
12.00
cd
14.00
bc
35.4 d
37.6 c
6.00 e 18.1 g
10.00 d 20.5 f
FS 72,4 e 2110.2 f 728.5 f 11.00 d 28.7 e
SS 78.6 d 2267.4 e 746.6 12.00 29.6 e
e
cd
FS 93.5 b 3320.6 b 1039.7
b
SS 102.3 a 3454.8 a 1087.8
a
15.00 b 40.5 b
22.00 a 45.3 a
Means with the same letter in a column are not significantly different at LSD 5%
F.S: first season S.S: second season
588

Enhancing of growth, essential oil yield and components of………………………………………………….
Table (5): Comparative effects of compost, zeolite and combination of them on nutrient content (N, P, and K),
oil yield, Total Chlorophyll (mg/g fresh weight) and Total carbohydrates (% of dry matter weight)
of Achillea plants during 2006- 2007and 2007-2008 seasons.
Treatment
N,P,K (Control)
Compost
Zeolite
Compost+Zeolite
Season
Total
chlorophylls
Total
carbohydrate
content
FS 2.60 d 21.33 c 1.25
c
SS 2.74 c 24.34 b 1.30
b
FS 2.11 h 16.42 f 1.08
d
SS 2.25 g 18.39 e 1.12
d
FS 2.30 f 19.51 e 1.21
c
SS 2.46 e 20.08 d 1.31
b
FS 3.04 b 23.67 b 1.31
b
SS 3.24 a 26.19 a 1.45
a
N % P % K %
0.28
de
0.37
b
0.18
g
0.22
f
0.26
e
0.31
cd
0.32
c
0.41
a
1.58
d
1.68
c
1.21
f
1.37
e
1.66
c
1.69
c
1.76
b
1.84
a
Means with the same letter in a column are not significantly different at LSD 5%
F.S: first season S.S: second season
Oil yield
(ml/plant)
0.22 c
0.28 b
0.13 e
0.18 d
0.18 d
0.20 cd
0.27 b
0.36 a
Table (6): Effect of compost, Zeolite and combination of them on the essential oil components
of Achillea plants during 2007- 2008.
treatment
Compost+
NPK Compost Zeolite
Zeolite
Components
α-Pinene 6.37 2.48 4.71 9.46
Chamazulene 21.38 16.79 20.11 26.61
Camphor 0.24 0.11 0.18 0.81
β-Pinene 5.67 15.60 11.64 18.47
Limonene 0.61 0.48 0.25 0.95
P-cymene 0.83 0.59 0.18 2.14
1,8-Cineol 2.23 3.47 2.09 4.17
-Caryophllene 9.86 13.07 11.88 15.08
Bornyl acetate 0.40 0.64 0.28 0.78
Cadinene 1.87 0.51 0.99 0.75
α-humulene 1.98 2.66 2.08 3.44
γ-terpinene 3.26 0.79 1.55 1.47
α-Farnesene 2.21 1.86 2.46 1.74
Sabinene 10.51 8.42 5.88 11.59
Total 67.42 67.47 64.28 97.46
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3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.I. Growth characters
The obtained results of plant growth
characters revealed that, compost with Zeolite
mixture treatment significantly increased all
growth characters in both seasons of Achillea
plants compared to the control treatment (plants
receiving the recommended NPK dose) as shown
in (Table,4). The favorable effects of the
combination between compost fertilizer and
Zeolite may be explained based on the beneficial
effects of both of them on the improvement soil
physical and biological properties and also, the
chemical characteristics resulting in more release
of available nutrient elements to be absorbed by
plant root and its effect on the physiological
processes such as photosynthesis activity as well
as the utilization of carbohydrates, in addition to
water use efficiency. These results confirmed by
Pirela, et. al (1984), El-Gahdban et al. (2002) and
Aziz and Iman (2004).
3.2. Chemical analysis
As mentioned of growth characters data, the
results of chemical analysis (Table 5) have the
same conclusion where, all parameters
significantly increased as a result of compost+
zeolite mixture treatment application compared to
control plants. These results are convenience with
those reported by Kallo (1986), El-Gahdban et al.
(2002) and Aziz and Iman (2004).
3.3. Essential oil composition
The results in (Table 6) showed that, the
essential oil of Achillea plants is characterized by
high amount of chamazulene (16.79 - 26.61 %)
from sesquiterpenes as the principal components
of the oil. The highest amount of chamazulene
was increased (26.61 %) with Compost + Zeolite
treatment as compared with the control treatment
(NPK). Also Monoterpene hydrocarbons are an
important group of terpenes, and the major
components were β-Pinene (5.67 – 18.47 %)
which clearly increased (18.47 %) with Compost
+ Zeolite treatment in comparison with (NPK)
treatment, and Sabinene (5.88 -11.59 %), that give
the same trend. Oxygen containing terpenes 1,8-
Cineol (2.09 - 4.17 %) was gave a relative
increment with Compost + Zeolite treatment
compared with (NPK) control .These results are in
agreement with those obtained by several authors,
Hofmann and Fritz (1993), Grth and Czygan
(1999) as well as Aziz and Eman (2004)
4. CONCLUSION
The obtained results in this study are strongly
proved that the mixture of compost and zeolite
was enhanced the growth characters, oil yield and
chemical composition of Achillea plants.
Therefore it could be concluded that, the chemical
fertilizers of NPK could be replaced by the
compost with zeolite mixture for improving the
quality of the produced herb under safe agriculture
conditions, in addition to decreasing the
production costs and environmental pollution.
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تحسين النمو ومحصول الزيت ومكوناته فى نباتات الأشيليا النامية تحت ظروف الزراعة النظيفة باستخدام السماد
العضوى والزيوليت
أ.د إجلال زكى محمد حرب ‏-محمد عبد الوهاب محمود
فرع فسيولوجى النبات ‏،قسم النبات الزراعى ‏،كلية الزراعة
،
.
.
جامعة القاهرة
ملخص
تم الأستفادة من الصفات الطبيعية والكيماوية لمادة الزيوليت(حبيبات)‏ المحملة بالعناصر الصغرى لما لها من
المقدرة العالية على التبادل الكاتيونى والادمصاص والامتصاص وخواص التحفيز الكيميائية وكذلك القدرة على نزع
وإضافة جزيئات الماء بالإضافة الى كونه سماد بطيىء التحلل ومحسن لخواص التربة فى اجراء هذا البحث والذى تم فيه
دراسة تاثير الكومبست والزيوليت وخليط منهما في الحقل على محصول العشب والزيت ومكوناته لنباتات الأشيليا،‏ حيث
أظهرت النتائج أن خلط الكومبوست مع الزيوليت المحمل بالعناصر الصغرى أدى إلى زيادة معنوية فى الصفات
المورفولوجية المتمثلة فى الوزن الطازج والوزن الجاف وعدد النورات للنبات الواحد وكذلك الصفات الكيميائية المتمثلة فى
زيادة محتوى الصبغات والكربوهيدرات والعناصر المعدنية بالإضافة الى محصول الزيت ومكوناته الرئيسية،‏ وذلك
بالمقارنة بالتسميد الكيماوى تحت نفس الظروف هذه النتائج تؤكد على ان خلط الزيوليت مع الكومبست يمكن ان يحل
محل التسميد الكيماوي وزيادة جودة محصول الاشيليا كما ونوعا وهذا التطبيق بدوره له تاثير مباشر على السلامة وزيادة
كفاءة المواد الفعالة وهو الامر المطلوب فى المنتجات الطبية والعطرية بجانب إمكانية الإقلال من التكاليف الإقتصادية
وتلوث البيئة الزراعية
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