Planta Med 2011; 77 - PD8
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1282321

Growth, yield and essential oil content of Marrubium vulgare as affected by three levels of nitrogen fertilizer

R Sabry 1, AB Salama 1, M Sharaf-Eldin 1, 2
  • 1Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Dept., National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
  • 2Salman bin Abdulaziz University, College of Sciences and Humanitarian Studies, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia

Marrubium vulgare L. (Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb commonly known as „White horehound“ and grows wild in the Egyptian desert and commonly distributed in Europe, North and South America, the Mediterranean district and Western Asia. The plant is used in the folk medicine of several countries for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including inflammatory, gastroenterical and respiratory disorders. For the first time in Egypt, the plant was cultivated under systematic agriculture regime to estimate the nitrogen doses for the best plant growth. Three nitrogen doses were applied (N1 (33.5), N2 (50.25) or N3 (67)kg N/fedden=4200m2). Nitrogen fertilization had significant effects on most of agronomic parameters studied. Plant height (cm), number of branches per plant, plant fresh and dry weight (g) increased with the increase in nitrogen fertilization. Among various levels of nitrogen (N2) exhibited the best growth attributes, although the differences were not significant in most harvests (cuttings) between the rates of N2 and N3. On the other hand, oil content was not influenced by nitrogen fertilization in all harvests.

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