PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS

Abstract

Field experiments were carried out in the Experimental Farm of Faculty of Agriculture at Kafr El-Sheikh, Tanta University during two successive seasons of2002/2003 and 2003/2004 to study the effect of dry yeast (1 and 2 giL.) and B. vitamins (Bh B6 and B12 at 50 and 100 ppm) on the vegetative growth, oil productivity and chemical composition of Mentha viridis L. and Salvia officina/is L. The plants were sprayed four times. Both sprayings were done before and after harvesting the first one 30 days after planting, the second one by 30 days later, the third by 30 days after the first cut and the fourth one was done 30 days later. Whereas, the first cut of spearmint was on 1st June and the second one on 1st September, while the first cut of sage was on 1st August and the second one on 181 November for each season. The main results can be summarized as follows: • All used treatments of dry yeast and B. vitamins significantly increased the values of growth parameters as plant height, shoots number, plant, fresh and dry weights/plant, leaves fresh weight plant and leaf area/plant) and volatile oil production (oil percent and oil yield), as well as increased leaf chlorophyll (a) and (b) and N, P and K% of spearmint and sage in comparison to control in the two harvests during the two seasons. • The highest values of the previously parameters resulted from the treatment of dry yeast at 2 g/L or V. B6 treatment at 50 ppm in most cases for spearmint and from V. B 12 at 100 ppm in most cases for sage plant in comparing to the other treatments through the two harvests during the both seasons.

Therefore, it can be recommended to spray spearmint with dry yeast at 2 giL. or V. B 6 treatment at 50 ppm and sage with V. B 12 treatment at 100 ppm four times, the first one after 30 days from planting, the second one by 30 days later, the third one 30 days after the first cut and the fourth by 30 days later.