Effect of chemical, organic fertilization and storage time on the yield and quality of the dragon head (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) plant

Abstract

A field experiment\r\nwas conducted in Egypt on the dragon\'s head plant (Dracocephalum moldavica\r\nL.), a highly valuable medicinal and aromatic plant. The study used a\r\nsplit-plot design to investigate how fertilization type, storage period, and\r\ntheir interaction affect the raw drug. The main plots involved two kinds of\r\nfertilizers: (1) a combination of chemical and organic fertilizers and (2)\r\norganic fertilizer, while the sub-plots had four storage periods for dry herb:\r\n0, 3, 6, and 9 months at room temperature in sealed kraft paper bags. The\r\nfindings indicated that using chemical and organic fertilization resulted in\r\nsignificantly better plant height, number of branches per plant, herb fresh and\r\ndry weights per plant, and fresh and dry yields per feddan. In contrast, plants\r\nthat received only organic fertilizer showed maximum increments in essential oil\r\npercentage and essential oil yield per plant and feddan. The dry weight of herb\r\nand essential oil percentages significantly decreased as storage time\r\nincreased, reaching their lowest values in the 9th month. The study\r\nadvised against storing herbs at room temperature for more than 6 months to\r\navoid potential impairment to their quality, regardless of fertilization type.