YIELDS AND BIOLOGICAL VALUE OF THREE HERBAL SPECIES FROM THE LAMIACEAE FAMILY.
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- Abstract: Lemon balm, garden sage and common
thyme are herbal species possessing versatile medicinal properties. They
are also used as spices for culinary purposes. In the Polish climate,
despite being perennial, these herbs usually grow on plantations for a
year. The reason is their tendency to develop more lignified lower parts
of stems, which in consequence depreciates the quality of yield and
make the plants more sensitive to spring frost when there is no snow
cover. The study aimed at evaluating the yielding of three herbal
species (lemon balm, garden sage and common thyme) grown from seedlings
in south-eastern Poland. Another objective was to determine the content
of essential oils and minerals in raw material against the backdrop of
the weather conditions during the growing season. The plant height was
determined before harvest. Herbs were cut at the beginning of flowering,
i.e. mid-July (lemon balm) and mid-August (common thyme); garden sage
does not flower in the first year, hence the herb was cut at the end of
August. Weight of fresh herbage was determined after the harvest, while
air-dried herbage weight, ground herbage weight (for common thyme) and
air-dried leaf weight (for lemon balm and garden sage) were assessed
after drying under natural conditions. The content of essential oils was
evaluated in dried material according to the applicable method descibed
in Pharmacopoeia. Quantities of total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrates,
phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur were also
determined in the harvested material. The height of lemon balm, garden
sage and common thyme plants depended on the rainfall sum. Herbs grew
higher in the years characterized by larger sums of atmospheric
precipitations from May till July. Rainfalls also significantly affected
the yields of fresh lemon balm, garden sage and common thyme herbs. In
2006, a year with less atmospheric precipitation, considerably more
total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur
accumulated in lemon balm leaves. More total nitrogen in garden sage and
common thyme, ammonia in garden sage leaves as well as calcium in
common thyme herb were found as well.
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