EFFECT OF COMPOST AND SOME BIO-STIMULANT TREATMENTS ON: B. ESSENTIAL OIL PRODUCTION AND SOME CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF CUMIN

A field experiment was carried out at the experimental farm of Fac. of Agric., Minia Univ. during two seasons (2012/2013 and 2013/2014) to study the effect of compost (0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 ton/fed) and eight bio-stimulants treatments salicylic acid (Sal.) at 100 and 200 ppm, ascorbic acid (Asc.) at 100 and 200 ppm, active yeast at 5 and 10 g/l, vitamin E at 50 and 100 ppm and control) on oil production and chemical constituents of cumin plants. The data indicated that using compost at 7.5 ton/fed significantly increased essential oil production parameters, photosynthetic pigments contents and N, P and K % comparing with other treatments. Also, data showed that all eight used treatments of bio-stimulants significantly increased essential oil production (oil %, oil yield/plant and /fed) and chemical constituents (pigments and N, P and K %) as compared with control in both seasons, except, vit. E (50 ppm) in the second season for chlorophyll (a and b) and carotenoids, as well as, active yeast (5 g/l) for chlorophyll a in both season and phosphorus % in the first season. The best treatments were Sal. and Asc.  at the rate of 200 ppm in most cases and vit. E (100 ppm) and active yeast (10 g/l) in some cases, especially chemical constituents.