Economical production of Thymus daenensis L. with proper nutrition

Thymus daenensis has high phenolic compounds such as thymol and carvacrol, used in various food and pharmaceutical industries. Tolerance to severe environmental conditions including water deficit and cold stress, as well as production capacity in low-efficiency areas of most of the country's provinces indicate the importance of producing this plant ecologically. Thymus daenensis is an endemic species and the possibility of replacing it with a non-native species and expanding production and exports in line with the resistance economy has made Thymus daenensis as one of the most important medicinal plants in Iran. In order to achieve the highest shoot yield, the highest essential oil percentage and yield, and totally, production of high quality plants and favorable phenolic compounds, the effects of different amounts of fertilizer, manure and chemical fertilizers and a combination of them were studied on the quantity and quality of Thymus daenensis L. during 2008 to 2009 in the Research Institute of Forest and Rangelands (Alborz station). The results of the first year showed that a good combination of manure and chemical fertilizers could be recommended to have a high essential oil percentage and yield. The results of the second year of the experiment showed that the maximum essential oil percentage and yield belonged to a combination of 25 tons per hectare manure and 60, 48 and 60 kg ha-1 of nitrogen, ammonium phosphate, and potassium oxide. The higher effect of manure on essential oil content, essential oil yield, and thymol percentage was evident in the second year. Therefore, to achieve the maximum essential oil yield, the use of 40 tons per hectare of manure or consumption of about 50 to 60 kg ha-1 of chemical fertilizer with 25 tons of completely rotted manure could be recommended.