TitleECONOMIC AND QUALITATIVE VALUE OF THE RAW MATERIAL OF CHOSEN SPECIES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM ORGANIC FARMING PART IV. YIELD AND QUALITY OF HERB AND SEED YIELD OF SWEET MARJORAM (Origanum majorana L.)
AutorKatarzyna Seidler-Łożykowska, Romuald Mordalski, Wojciech Kucharski, Anna Golcz, Elżbieta Kozik, Joanna Wójcik
VolumeActa Scientiarum Polonorum - Agricultura, vol. 8 (4) 2009, pp. 55–61
Keywordsessential oil, herb, marjoram, microbiological purity, organic farming, Origanum majorana
AbstractIn 2005-2007, in the field experiment, the yield and quality of sweet marjoram herb of Polish cultivar ‘Miraż’ in organic cultivation were tested. The experiment was established on six organic farms and one conventional farm in different localities in Poland. The following features were evaluated: fresh and dried herb yield, stem fraction in herb, seed yield, essential oil content, macro- and microelements content, nitrate content and microbiological purity. Organic marjoram herb yield only from one farm (Słońsk) was higher compared with the yield from conventional cultivation, though this herb contained high amount of stems. There were no seeds collected or the seed yield was very low in both organic and conventional farming. Both marjoram herbs, organic and conventional from Plewiska had similar quality (essential oil, macro- and microelements and nitrate content). Evaluation of microbiological purity showed that herb contamination from both types of cultivation did not exceed standard for raw materials treated with hot water.