EFFECT OF FOLIAR SPRAYING WITH ZINC AND/OR GAMMA RADIATION ON OIL CONTENT AND OIL COMPOSTION OF ANETHUM GRAVEOLENS DURING THREE DEVELOPING STAGES

This study was to investigate the influence of pre-sowing treatment of Anethum graveolens L. seeds, consisted in irradiation with gamma radiation (0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 k-rd doses) with or without zinc (150 ppm), on the oil content and oil composition of plants during vegetative, flowering and fruiting stages. Spraying dill plants with zinc increased the oil content. Generally increasing gamma rays doses increased essential oil. However interaction treatment between zinc and gamma radiation at 8 k-rad dose recorded the highest values of essential oil in vegetative and fruiting stages, while interaction between zinc and gamma radiation at 2 k-rad dose recorded the highest essential oil in flowering stage. The major compounds were found to be Į-phellandrene, limonene, β-phellandrene and p-cymene in the vegetative stage, p-cymene, carvone, dillether and dillapiole in the flowering stage, whereas, carvone, dillapiole and limonene in the fruiting stage.