Quantity and Quality of Dill Essential Oil as Influenced by Organic Fertilizers

Abstract

Increasing attention is being paid to use of organic fertilizers such as manure and vermicompost which can increased yield and protect the environment. Replacing chemical fertilizers with manures has the benefit of low production cost and imparts beneficial effects on soil. Then an experiment was conducted during 2013 to measure effects of organic fertilizers on essential oil of dill (<em>Anethum graveolens</em> L.). Use of organic fertilizers beneficially affected seed yield, percent of essential oil, and essential oil yield. Essential oil percent was highest due to treatment with compost tea applied to the soil compared to foliar application. The combination of 20 t∙ha^-1 of manure and 7 t∙ha^-1of vermicompost, without compost tea,producedthe maximum essential oil yield (23.85 kg∙ha^-1). The GC-MS analysis of dill essential oil indicated 94% of essential oil compounds were made up of: carvone, α-phellandrene, p-cymene, dillapiole and trans-dihydrocarvone. The maximum value of carvone (73.58%) was obtained by application of 20 t∙ha^-1 of manure and 15 t∙ha^-1of vermicompost and compost tea in form of soil application.