Effects of Different Fertilizer Managements on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) as a Medicinal Plant

In order to study the effect of mycorrhiza and vermin compost on quantitative characteristics and essential oil content of seeds of Coriander, a field experiment was conducted during growing season of 2010 at Agriculture Research Station, College of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used. Treatments included: 1) vermin compost, 2) mycorrhiza, 3) phosphorus, 4) mycorrhiza + vermicompost, 5) mycorrhiza + phosphorus, 6) vermin compost + phosphorus, 7) control (without fertilizer). Each plot was divided to two parts, in order to study green biological yield and seed production. Green biological yield harvested in two times at 5% flowering stage and harvesting seed yield was done when majority of plants got yellow. The result showed that vermin compost and control treatments had the highest and the lowest seed yield and plant height respectively. Mycorrhiza and mycorrhiza + phosphorus treatments had the highest number of umbel per plant, and the lowest number of umbel was shown in control treatment. Control and vermin compost treatments had the highest and lowest essential oil contents of seeds, respectively. In addition vermin compost and mycorrhiza treatments in the first and second cuts had the highest of green biological yield and dry weight of leaf per plant, respectively. Control treatment had the lowest biological yield and dry weight of leaf per plant, in both cuts.