Growth, Yield and Oil components of thymus vulgaris - Ozean ...

Proponents of organic agriculture have asserted that plant grown with biological sources of nutrients
such as manure and composted organic waste are less susceptible to insects than conventionally grown
plants (Lotter, 2003). Moreover, organic matter plays an important role in the chemical behavior of
several metals in soils throughout its active group (flavonic and humic acids) which have the ability to
retain the metal in complex and chelate forms (Abou El-Magd et al, 2006).
Phosphorus (P) enhances seed germination, bud set, aids in seed formation and hastens maturity
(Espinosa et al, 1999). It is added to cultivated soil in different forms as mineral phosphate fertilizer or
organic manure. The soluble P in these fertilizers is quickly turns into unavailable form for plant
nutrition and this problem is well known in Egyptian soils specially those rich in calcium carbonate
(El-Gamal, 1996).
Potassium is a key essential plant nutrient. It plays an important role in growth, yield and quality of
crops. Potassium acts as catalyst for many enzymatic processes, regulates water use in the plant
(osmoregulation), which maintains high daily cell turgor pressure and controls the opening and closing
of stomata (Somida, 2002).
However, due to the economic considerations, the cost of applying phosphate and potassium fertilizers
is becoming more expensive. Thus, the use of alternative materials such as rock phosphate as a source
of phosphorus fertilizer and feldspar as a source of potassium is more important than dependency on
costly commercial fertilizers. On the other hand, rock phosphate has a low grade of P content, also
feldspar is not available for direct application as plant nutrient (Styriakova et al, 2003 and Basak and
Biswas, 2009).
The objective of this study was to determine the growth, yield and chemical composition of Thymus
vulgaris plant as influenced by the application of different sources of organic fertilization in order to
improve the yield of herb and essential oil content.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Two field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm of National Research Centre (NRC),
Cairo, Egypt during two successive seasons (2006/2007 and 2007/2008) to study the influence of
different types of organic fertilizers on growth, yield and oil constituents of thyme plants. The
individual and interactions of applied treatments were as follows:
1) Control.
2) Rock phosphate at the rate of 150 kg fed. -1 (feddan =4200m 2 )
3) Feldspar at the rate of 150 kg/fed.
4) Cattle manure at the rate of 10m 3 /fed.
5) Cattle manure + rock phosphate.
6) Cattle manure + feldspar.
7) Sheep manure at the rate of 10m 3 /fed.
8) Sheep manure + rock phosphate
9) Sheep manure + feldspar.
10) Compost at the dose of 20m 3 /fed.
11) Compost + rock phosphate.
12) Compost + feldspar.
13) Compost + compost tea (20 L./fed.).
14) Compost + compost tea + feldspar.
Table(1) shows the chemical analysis of used compost. Table(2) shows the soluble macro and micronutrients
of used compost tea. Microbial population of organic compost tea were presented in Table
(3). Chemical components of used sheep manure are shown in Table (4). Table (5) shows the
physiochemical characters of cattle manure applied to thyme plants.
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