Effect of compost application and amino acids foliar treatments on the growth and productivity of dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) plants
Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt. 2Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Institute of Horticulture Research, Agriculture Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt. Corresponding e-mail: amr.shafa.7@gmail.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2026.v28i01.32
To determine how combined applications of compost and amino acids affect dragonhead growth, yield, and essential oil production, we conducted a field experiment over the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 growing seasons. The trials took place at the Agriculture Research Farm of Al-Azhar University in Assiut, Egypt. We tested four different compost rates (0.0, 10, 15, and 20 m³ per feddan) alongside foliar sprays of glycine and glutamic acid at concentrations of 200 and 400 ppm. The highest rate of compost (20 m3 per feddan) was found to produce optimal vegetative growth i.e., high plant height, more branches and higher total herb dry weight. The vegetative growth, seed yield and essential oil yield parameters were highest in the treatment of 20 m³ compost/feddan and 400 ppm glycine, which might be recommended as a sustainable method to enhance the productivity of dragonhead. The most effective manner of treating the plants was to add 20 m3 of compost per feddan of the glycine spray at the rate of 400 ppm. This specific mix had the highest growth values, crop yields, and the extract of essential oils as compared to the untreated control. This makes it a highly effective method for improving dragonhead cultivation.
