Comparative study on three aromatic plants as affected by cutting frequency

ABSTRACT

A field experiment was set up during two successive seasons to study and compare the vegetative growth and chemical constituents of coriander, dill and parsley plants during successive cuttings. The vegetative growth of the three plants increased as cutting intervals increased. Coriander plant gave the highest yield compared with both dill and parsley. Oil percentage as well as oil yield showed the maximum value at the third cut for coriander while the highest values for other two plants were obtained at 4th cut. Dill plant produced the highest oil yield compared with the other two plants at different cuts. The photosynthetic pigments increased gradually from the first to the third cut for parsley; while the other two plants showed no clear trend. Also, parsley contained the highest pigment at the third cut. Marco elements contents reached their maximum at the third cut for the three plants, while the microelement contents gave the highest value during the first and second cuts