PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS GROWN UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS CONDITIONS

Abstract

The pot experiments were performed at the Faculty of Agriculture, Minufiya University, Shebin El-Korn in 1995 and 1996 seasons to investigate the effect of salinity and its combination with nitrogen r fertilization as well as water stress and its combination with potassium fertilization on growth, physiological, anatomical structure and biochemical aspects especially essential oil content and its composition in sweet basil and peppermint plants.

In two experiments seeds of sweet basil and stem cutting of peppermint planted in nursery at the end of February in both seasons. The unformed seedlings were transplanted at the end of April in pots 30 cm in diameter contain 12 Kg of clay loam soil. This study included that two parts: The first part was studing the effect of salinity and N fertilization. The experiment included four levels of salinity (0.0, 1000, 2000 and 3000 ppm) mixture of sodium chloride and calcium chloride at 2:1 by weight and two levels of nitrogen fertilizer application at the rate of 330 and 400 Kg/Fed urea (46% N) were added at three equal portions.

The second part was studing the effect of water stress and K fertilization included three levels of available water (40, 60 and I 00% of field capacity) and potassium fertilizer at the rate of 440 Kg/Fed inform of potassium sulphate (50% KO) was applied at three equal portions with each level of water stress.