Growth and Production Potential of Three Exotic Herbs in Highlands of Balochistan, Pakistan

Full Length Research Paper

Growth and production potential of three exotic herbs in highlands of Balochistan, Pakistan

Qasima Agha1, Sarfraz Ahmad2, Muhammad Islam2, Aslam Gill3 and Mohammad Athar4*

1Department of Botany, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan. 2Arid Zone Research Center, Quetta, Pakistan. 3Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Islamabad, Pakistan. 4Department of Food and Agriculture, 3288 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, CA 95832, California USA.

Accepted 17 November, 2010

Three exotic herb species (Hyssopus officinalis L., Salvia officinalis L. and Thymus vulgaris L.) of Lamiaceae family were evaluated for growth and production at two sites during 2005-2006 in highlands of Balochistan. Two months old seedlings were transplanted in the fields at Quetta and Kalat in Balochistan. Fresh and dry production was recorded after the one growing season. Survival percentage, plant height, fresh and dry production were comparatively better at Quetta than Kalat. The fresh production of sage, thyme and hyssop at Quetta was recorded 8192, 4743 and 3398 kg/ha, respectively. The dry production of these herbs at Quetta was 3170, 2192 and 1521 kg/ha for sage, thyme and hyssop, respectively. These herbs have commercial scale cultivation potential on marginal lands in highlands of Balochistan. Thyme can be cultivated for culinary herb, herbal tea and as a medicinal herb while hyssop and sage can be cultivated for their uses in herbal medicines.

Key words: Balochistan, herbs, sage, thyme, hyssop, production potential, marginal lands.

INTRODUCTION

Plants are an important component of the universe. Many practitioners (Zaidi, 1998). Balochistan is famous for medicinal plants are being identified as a source of natural medicinal plants production. Many medicinal medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The use plants are found in the mountainous and plains areas of of plants as medicine is an ancient practice. Ailments and Balochistan. Some species are over exploited, have high uses of medicinal plants vary in the world due to market value and demand while others are under geography, indigenous knowledge and method of exploited. Most of the raw material of medicinal plants is utilization (Arshad and Rao, 1998). The demand of harvested from forests and rangelands, only few medicinal plants is increasing both in the developed and medicinal plants are cultivated (Ahmad et al., 2008). developing countries (Dursum et al., 2004; Haq, 1998). Deforestation, over exploitation, over grazing and World Health Organization 1999 estimated that over 80% conversion of natural habitats to agricultural fields have of people in the developing countries depend on resulted scarcity of medicinal plants (Tareen et al., 2010). traditional medicines for their primary health needs Ecological conditions play a major role in the cultivation (Fransworth and Soejarto, 1991). About 6000 wild plant of medicinal plants and their active ingredients. species in Pakistan have been reported (Hamayaun et Balochistan has a good potential of cultivation of al., 2005) and approximately, 350-400 medicinal plants medicinal plants on commercial scale due to its varied species are traded in different drug markets in Pakistan climatic conditions. and also used by Unani and Homeopathic health Hyssopus officinalis (Hyssop) belongs to the Lamiaceae family, a perennial plant with anti-viral and antiseptic compounds. Hyssop plant has a series of properties as diuretic, depurative, carminative, *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: 916- spasmolithic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, 262-0855. Fax: 916-262-2059. stimulant, stomachic and tonic (Bodea, 1982; Chirila, 544 J. Med. Plant. Res.

Table 1. Survival plant height, fresh weight and dry weight (kg/ha) of exotic herbs at Quetta.

Species Survival (%) Plant height (cm) Fresh production (kg/ha) Dry production (kg/ha) S. officinalis 100 69.53 a 8191.88 a 3170.57 H. officinalis 97 34.33 c 4742.78 b 2192.09 T. vulgaris 99 49.60 b 3398.03 b 1521.06

Means followed by different letters are significant at 0.05%.

Table 2. Survival plant height, fresh weight and dry weight (kg/ha) of exotic herbs at Kalat.

Species Survival (%) Plant height (cm) Fresh production (kg/ha) Dry production (kg/ha) S. officinalis 67 42.86 a 4115.20 1453.18 H. officinalis 30 16.33 b 974.79 457.81 T. vulgaris 73 41.93 a 3109.36 1276.37

Means followed by different letters are significant at 0.05%.

1995). Hyssop is also used in the treatment of asthma, conditions to obtain the seedlings of appropriate growth vigor. The rheumatism, sore throats, wounds, ulcers and tumors two months old seedlings were transplanted in fields during the (Floria et al., 1999; Svoboda et al., 1993). Salvia months of March, 2005 at Quetta and Kalat. For each herb six rows of seedlings were transplanted. The experiment was conducted in a officinalis (Sage) is a perennial belonging to Lamiaceae randomized complete block design with three replications. Each native to Southern Europe, Asia and Mediterranean replication consisted of 36 plants. The row to row and plant to regions (Hendawy and Khalid, 2005; Huxley, 1992). The distance was kept at 0.3 m. genus Salvia L. includes about 900 species (Hedge, The seedlings were watered at 15 days interval at both the sites. 1992). Different species of sage are grown as herbs and At Quetta and Kalat the harvesting was carried out during the months of July-August, 2006. Weeding was performed manually as ornamental plants (Clebsch and Clebsch, 2003). Sage and no fertilizers were applied either at the time of transplanting or has been used as an antihydrotic, spasmolytic, antiseptic, at later growth stages. Plant survival, plant height, fresh production anti-inflammatory, treatment of mental and nervous and dry production including leaves, flowers and twigs were conditions and also traditional food preparation (Baricevic recorded. Plant height (cm) was recorded at random of 10 plants of and Bartol, 2000; Hendawy and Khalid, 2005). Sage each herb at each replication from ground level to the top of the essential oil is a complex mixture of volatile compounds plant including the flowering parts. The four central rows of each herb were harvested at ground level and fresh weight was including monoterpenes, sequiterpenes and diterpenes immediately recorded. The plants were dried in an oven at 80°C for (Hendawy and Khalid, 2005). The major components of 48 h and dry weight was recorded. The fresh and dry production sage oil are thujone, camphor, and 1, 8 cineole (Badr and was converted into kg/ha. The data were analyzed in a randomized Naguib, 2001; Vera and Ming, 1999). Thymus vulgaris complete block design in MSTATC program and means were (Thyme) is a perennial dwarf belonging to Lamiaceae and separated with Least Significant Difference (LSD). grown in many regions of the world (Davis, 1982). Different wild species of thyme have also been reported in many Mediterranean regions of the world. The history RESULTS AND DISCUSSION of thyme as a medicinal plant is very old (Hornok, 1992). Thyme is used for seasonings, herbal tea, suppress Significant differences (P < 0.05) were recorded for plant coughing, and ease chest congestion (Baytop, 1984; height and fresh production at Quetta while at Kalat only Jellin et al., 2000; Yi and Wetzstein, 2010). The quantity plant height was significant (Tables 1 and 2). Survival of thymol has been reported to 34 to 38% in thyme percentage at Quetta ranged from 97 to 100% while at (Omidbaigi and Nejad, 2000). Thyme has bactericidal Kalat the survival percentage was 30 to 73% (Tables 1 and fungicidal effects (Omidbaigi, 2001; WHO, 1999). and 2). Plant height of exotic herbs ranged from 34 to 69 This research was carried out to determine the cm at Quetta while at Kalat it ranged from 16 to 42 cm. production potential of three exotic herbs (hyssop, sage, Fresh production at Quetta ranged from 3398 to 8192 thyme) in highlands of Balochistan. kg/ha and dry production ranged from 1521 to 3170 kg/ha. Fresh production of sage was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than thyme and hyssop at Quetta (Table 1). MATERIALS AND METHODS The fresh production of herbs at Kalat ranged from 974 to 4115 kg/ha and the dry production ranged from 457 to Field experiments were conducted during 2005 and 2006 at Arid Zone Research, Quetta and at Kalat. Seedlings of sage, thyme and 1972 kg/ha (Table 2). The production of herbs was hyssop were raised at the Arid Zone Research Center, Quetta. variable at both the sites mainly due to climatic conditions Seeds of these herbs were sown under controlled environmental and survival percentages (Figures 1 and 2). At Kalat, the Agha et al. 545

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Figure 1. Fresh production (a) and dry production (b) of herbs at Quetta. Different letters shows significant difference at P < 0.05.

low survival percentage of all species resulted in low by higher levels of fertilization proved to be very useful. production. The essential oil content was not influenced either by the All the exotic herb species showed cultivation potential plant spacing or fertilization treatments (Shalaby and in Balochistan. Fresh and dry production of thyme at Razin, 1992). Thyme has shown good adaptability in Kalat was comparatively low than Quetta. This is mainly highlands of Balochistan, have winter hardiness related to low seedlings survival percentage at Kalat. The character, tolerate drought and can produce up to two to seedlings have been damaged due to management three cuttings before the start of winter season (Ahmad et practices rather than climatic conditions. Thyme can be al., 1992). The essential oil contents in T. vulgaris grown propagated by seed, cuttings or by dividing root sections at Quetta has been reported 0.04% in fresh and 0.02% in of the plant. Dense cultivation of T. vulgaris accompanied dry plant material (Momin, 2009). 546 J. Med. Plant. Res.

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Figure 2. Fresh production (a) and dry production (b) of herbs at Kalat. The differences are non-significant (P > 0.05) among

Nitrogen fertilizer had a significant effect on the dry significantly higher total polyphenolic content and matter production of thyme yield. The herb yield antioxidant capacity than those grown under field increased from 671 kg to 1021 kg/ha as a result of 150 kg conditions, with a threefold difference being observed in nitrogen dose (Omidbaigi and Nejad, 2000). Wider peppermint. spacing promoted the production of herb and oil per Sage production was comparatively better at Quetta plant, dense cultivation significantly increased the growth than at Kalat. The dry herb yield at Quetta and Kalat was of herb and oil per plant and fertilizer treatments 3170 and 1453 kg/ha, respectively. Fresh and dry significantly increased the productivity per unit area production of Sage in highlands of Balochistan on (Shalaby and Razin, 2008). Yi and Wetzstein (2010) marginal lands have been reported 2100 and 982 kg/ha, conducted a study on various medicinal crops and respectively (Ahmad et al., 2008). S. officinalis plants concluded that the leaves from thyme, sage, spearmint were more tolerant to salinity when zinc application was and peppermint grown in greenhouse showed carried out before transplanting (Hendawy and Khalid,

Agha et al. 547

2005). The essential oil content of Sage planted at work. Quetta was reported (0.71%) in fresh plant parts (Nawaz, 2009). The yield of essential oil at different growth stages of Sage was recorded as floral budding (0.95%), REFERENCES vegetative (0.7%), flowering (0.5%), immature fruit Ahmad S, Koukab S, Islam M, Ahmad K, Aslam S, Aminullah, Gill A (0.4%), and ripen fruit (0.2%) (Hossein et al., 2006). (2008). Germplasm evaluation of medicinal and aromatic plants in Perry et al. (1999) reported that autumn or winter is the highland Balochistan, Pakistan J. Bot., 40: 1473-1479. best harvest time to obtain oils with high thujone levels. Arshad MA, Rao AR (1998). Medicinal plants of Cholistan Desert. Sage is a well know common medicinal and aromatic Anwar R, Haq N, Maqsood S. (eds.). Proceedings of the meeting held at the Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Pakistan Agricultural plant widely used in food, perfumes and herbal products. Research Council, Islamabad. 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