Effect of biofertilization on Siwa Oasis mint (Mentha spicata L. cv. Siwa) plants

Abstract

This field experiment was conducted during the two successive seasons of 2016 and 2017 under Siwa Oasis conditions to investigate the effect of using active dry yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) biofertilizer on productivity improvement of Siwa Oasis mint (Mentha spicata L. cv. Siwa) plants. The experiment layout was a split plot design. The main plots included two application methods of active dry yeast as a foliar spray and as a soil drench whereas, the sub-plots comprised of using four concentrations of active dry yeast :- 0, 2, 4 and 6 g / liter. The interaction within the tested treatments showed that, foliar spray method with the highest concentration of 6 g/liter significantly recorded the maximum increments in fresh and dry weights of herb per square meter or per feddan as well highest essential oil yield with maximum carvone content.