Fertilization with different manure sources and doses provides quantitative-qualitative gains in the production of Thymus vulgaris L.

Abstract

The growth and chemical composition of essential oils (EOs) depend on several factors in particular the supply of fertilization. The use of fertilization with different manure sources and doses in a sustainable production system are critical factors in integrated nutrient management and play an important role in increasing of quantity and quality of medicinal plant. Furthermore, organic manures play an important role in the growth of plants leading to organic and cleaner production. Hence, a field experiment was conducted to study the usage of different organic manures and chemical fertilizers on biomass production, accumulation of nutrients in the leaves, essential oil content, essential oil yield and chemical compositions of Thymus vulgaris. In addition to these objectives, providing an economical and low-cost alternative with the use of organic fertilizers. The treatments consisted of: three sources of organic manure (quail, cattle, and goat) at four doses, chemical fertilizer and the control (without fertilizer). Significant differences were observed between manure sources and doses in virtually all response variables. The results showed that the highest biomass and leaf nutrients of T. vulgaris was obtained in plants treated with quail and cattle manure. Higher production of reactive oxygen species was observed in plants fertilized with goat manure, which generally showed the lowest levels of leaf nutrients. The results showed that the highest essential oil yield of T. vulgaris was obtained in plants treated with cattle manure compared to the control treatment. Thymol was major chemical compound of thyme tended to increase with increasing doses of the three sources of organic manures. The present study indicated that the usage of the right dose and source organic manure are crucial to provide quantitative-qualitative gains in the cultivation of T. vulgaris.