Evaluating the Effect of Planting Density on Yield and Morphology of Savory (Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad)

摘要

To evaluate the effect of planting density on yield and morphology of savory, this experiment was conducted in 2008-2009 in west Iran (Khorramabad). The experiment was conducted in factorial in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatment of the experiment included three inter-row spacing (IRS; space between rows) as the main factor (60, 70 and 80 cm) and three on-row spacing (ORS; space between plants on a row) as the sub factor (25, 35 and 45 cm). At the full flowering stage, traits such as plant height, canopy diameter, the number of main stems, the number of lateral branches, internodes length, leaf length and width were measured. At early fall, plants were harvested and weighted. Then, flowering branches were separated and were considered as the net yield (medicinal) of savory. Results indicated that the lowest flowering shoot yield was achieved in the lowest ORS (25 cm); the highest canopy diameter was achieved in the highest ORS (45 cm) and the lowest planting density (45 × 80 cm). The highest flowering shoot yield was achieved in the lowest IRS (65 cm) and the lowest ORS (25 cm). Regarding the obtained results and the flowering shoot yield, the most suitable planting density for obtaining the highest shoot yield is the highest planting density (6.67 plants/m2). This proves that although canopy diameter and leaf size of each plant reduce in high planting density; however, the total flowering shoot yield increases.