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EFFECTS OF INTRA-ROW SPACING ON HERBAGE YIELD, ESSENTIAL OIL CONTENT AND COMPOSITION OF MICROMERIA FRUTICOSA

MEHMET ARSLAN

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Micromeria fruticosa is a perennial medicinal plant grown in the rocky areas of the Mediterranean region. A study was conducted to determine the effects of five different intra-row spacings on essential oil content, essential oil composition, herbage and essential oil yield of M. fruticosa. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. Essential oil content was not affected significantly by intra-row spacings. More than 20 compounds were identified in each intra-row spacing. Monoterpene ketones constitute most of the essential oil of M. fruticosa. Pulegone (>57%) was the major component followed by iso-menthone (>15%) and piperitenone (>7%). Herbage and essential oil yield/ha were increased with the decreasing of intra row spacing. It was concluded that M. fruticosa could be planted at 60 x 15 cm spacing distance to have maximum herbage and essential oil yield.