Growing Urtica pilulifera and importance of Urtica species

Urtica species are members of the Urticaceae family is annual/perennial and monoecious/dioecious herbaceous plants. These species have proteins, fatty acids, sterols, vitamins, minerals and flavonoids. They've many stinging hairs cells and chemically important acetylcholine, histamine, serotonin components are secreted from these stinging hairs. Mucilages from these plants are used in pharmaceutical technology and used as gelling agent in tissue culture. Urtica are used as food, herbal medicine, colour agent, in fiber and cosmetic industry. Because of significant level of fixed oil in the seeds of Urtica pilulifera, is very important among the other of Urtica species. The cultivation of Urtica spp. in the open field conditions is very difficult because of their stinging hairs and difficult cultivation conditions, there is almost no report about the cultivation of U. pilulifera species in literature. Nevertheless, this species could be cultivate [1,2]. Especially there are two ways of cultivation: one of them is that seeds are planted in nursery beds in autumn and transferred seedlings at 10 – 15 cm.in height to the open field (after approximately three months). The other way and also best way of cultivation is that seeds are planted directly to open field in autumn. There is very important point that seed bed must be prepared very well before planting. The seeds are harvested in the beginning of the summer. The fixed oil content of the seeds of U. pilulifera was average 26.15% in the research [2]. The cultivation studies should be continue because of the importance of U. pilulifera.

Keywords: Urtica species, Urtica pilulifera, stinging nettle, efficient substance.

References:

[1] Sancaktaroğlu S. and Bayram E., Determination on the Agricultural and Quality Properties of Urtica pilulifera L. (Isirgan) under Bornova Ecological Conditions. J. Fac. Pharm., İstanbul, Turkey, 40 (2008 – 2009), pp. 77 – 87.

[2] Sancaktaroğlu S. and Bayram E., The Effect of the Different Row Spacing and the Amounts of Seed on the Agronomical and Quality Properties of Nettle Urtica pilulifera L. Türkiye VIII. Tarla Bitkileri Kongresi 19 – 22 Ekim 2009, Hatay, Türkiye, 44 – 49.