INFLUENCE OF ORGANIC FERTILIZATION ON THE BIOMASS, YIELD AND COMPOSITION OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF Achillea millefolium L. M. C. Scheffer P. Ronzelli Junior FITOTERAPIA/CEMEPAR H. S. Koehler R. Bardo do Rio Branco, 465 Departamento de Fitotecnia e 80010-110 Curitiba-PR Fitossanitarismo/SCA/UFPR Brasil R. dos Funciondrios, s/n 80030 - Curitiba - PR - Brasil Abstract A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the influence of organic fertilizer on biomass, yield and composition of the essential oil of Achillea aillefolium L. The effect of organic fertilization on the chemical characteristics of the soil and on the N, P and K contents in the dry flower heads was also examined It was verified that organic fertilization increased the production of biomass from 46.94 to 133.60 g/plant, and the yield of essential oil from .037 to .151 ml/100 g of fresh flower heads. The organic fertilization resulted a highly significant increase in the quantity of P available in the soil, from 2 to 5 ppm, but there was no influence in the contents of C, K, Ca and Mg. pH. wasn’t affected too The flower heads showed a highly significant increase of the contents of P, but there was no influence in the contents of N and K. The main compounds identified in the essential oil were alfa- terpineol, delta-elemene, gama-muurolene, gama-elemene, alfa-muurolene, nerolidol and torreiol. L_introduction Achillea millefolium L. is one of the 16 species selected by the Phytotherapy Project for feasibility study of production for efficient medicines from medicinal plants. As proposed by the methodology (Perozin, 1989), every selected plant has to be evaluated also, from the agronomical point of view. This experiment is one of the steps of this evaluation 2. Material and methods A field experiment was installed at the Experimentation Center of the Federal University of Parana (CEEx-UFPR), The characteristics of the soil, previously treated with limestone, were the following: sand 23.4%; silt ~ 20.6%; clay ~ 54%; C = 4.1%; pH = 4.9; Al+3 = 0.0; H+ = 3.7 meq/100g; P = 2 ppm; K+ = 0.24 meq/100g; Ca+2 = 4.33 meq/100g; Mg+2 = 3.6 meq/100g; base somation = 8.14 meq/100g; cation exchange capacity = 11.84 meq/100g; and base in saturation ~ 68% ‘The experimental design consisted of random blocks, with five repetitions. Five rates of organic fertilizer were tested, namely: Tl « zero; T2 = 1 kg/m; 13 - 2 kg/m; T4 = 3 kg/m? and T5 = 4 ke/m?. The organic fertilizer was composed of cattle manure + straw. It was determined that the N, P and K contents of the organic fertilizer were 1.17%, 0.21% and 0.95%, respectively Acta Horticulturae 109 WOCMAPEach experimental plot had three rows with 4.8 m spaced 0.5 m between each other, resulting a total area of 7.2 m/plot. Each plot was spaced 0,5 m of the other and each block was spaced 1.0 m. The rhizomas were planted, in november 1989, spaced 0.5 x 0.4 m. The experimental area was irrigated during the first two months after planting and undesirable plants were weed out. Analysis of the vegetal material were made on nine plants of the central row, resulting a useful area of 2.0 m/plot. In march 1990 the flower heads of the plants were harvested for extraction of the essential oil and determination of the N, P and K contents. In april 1990 the remaining aerial parts of the plants were harvested to determinate biomass, to which was added the mass of the flower heads harvested before, resulting the total mass of fresh plants. After harvesting the plants, composed soil samples were collected of each plot. The essential oil extraction was made through steam distillation using a Clevenger apparatus. The distillation time was 4 hours. The compounds of the essential oil were identified through gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer (Scheffer, 1991). The soil samples were analysed by routine analyses method (EMBRAPA, 1979). The P and K contents of the flower heads and of the organic fertilizer were determinated through atomic absorption spectrometry and the N contents through Kjeldahl method (Hildebrand, 1976/77). 3 ults discussion Table 1 give the results of the analyses of variance of the obtained data. It was verified that, in function of the applied treatments, happens a highly significant increase of biomass, in the contents of P in the flower heads and in the quantity of P available in the soil; and a significant increase of yield of the essential oil. The mean comparison test (table 2 and 3) shows statistical differences between the applied rates of organic fertilizer on biomass, in the contents of P in the flower heads, and in the quantity of P available in the soil. The rate of organic fertilizer, cattle manure + straw, which produced the greatest increase on biomass was 3.0 kg/m. The organic fertilization resulted a highly significant increase in the quantity of P available in the soil, which passed from 2 to 5 ppm in mean, representing an increase of 150%. The flower heads of Achillea millefolium L. showed a highly significant increase of the contents of P in function of the organic fertilization, probably due to the increase of the quantity of P available in the soil. There was no influence of the organic fertilization in the contents of N and K in the flower heads, nor in the contents of ¢ in the soil, nor even in the quantity of K, Ca and Mg in the soil. pH wasn't affected too. From the identified compounds in the essential oil (table 4), alfa-terpineol, delta-elemene, gama-muurolene, — gama-elemene, alfa-muurolene, nerolidol, torreiol and alfa-cadinol were not been described in the literature as components of the essential oil of Achillea millefolium L 110References Chandler, R.F., Hooper, $.N., and Harvey, M.J., 1982. Ethnobotany and phytochemistry of yarrow, Achillea millefolium, Compositae. Econ. Bot., 36:203-233. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecudria (SNCLS), 1979. Manual de métodos de andlise de solo, Ministério da Agricultura, Rio de Janeiro, n.p. Hildebrand, C., 1976/77. Manual de andlise quimica de solos e plantas. Universiade Federal do Paran4, Curitiba. 225 p. Perozin, M.M. Projeto de fitoterapia do SUDS: plantas medicinais no servico de saide. Curitiba : SESA/FCRM, 1989, 33 p. Scheffer, M.C., 1991. Influéncia da adubagdo organica sobre a biomassa, © rendimento e a composigdo do éleo essencial de Achillea millefolium L. -mil-folhas. Universidade Federal do Parana, Curitiba. 108 p. (dissertacao de mestrado). MlTable 1 - Analysis of variance of the data obtained by organic fertilization trial with Achillea millefolium L., UFPR, PIRAQUARA - PR, 1989/90, Square Means geureeof Dae °f pions at yletd og 5 Blocks 4 760.8" 23.6 0,014 0.0003" 0.091 Treatments 4 Sao Se ee be 0,041 0.0067" 0.140 Error 16 218.1 8.7 0.023 0.0008 0.073 ee ee aoe 5.972 2.8207 5,302 F significant at 5 % level of probability “ F significant at 1%" ~ of probability Table 1 - Analysis of variance of the data obtained by organic fertilization trial with Achillea millefolium L., UFPR, PIRAQUARA-PR, 1989/90. Square Moane Quantity of Source of Degree Variation a 8 = Freedom in soil ~ Blocks: 4 0.56 0.0005 2.447 2.09% 0.366" 1.68" Treatments 4 12.06% 0.0016 0.33 0.30 ~—-0.009 0.27 Error 16 1.43 0.0007 0.29 0.23 0.017 0.19 C.v. (%) 36.00 16.3620 8.55 10.22 2.433 14.02 F significant at 5 % level of probability “ F significant at 1 % level of probability 112Table 2 - Influence of organic fertilization on biomass, oil yield, contents of N, P and K on the flower heads of Achillea millefolium L, (mean of treatments), UFPR, PIRAQUARA-PR, 1989/90. Contents of Pp K Treatment Biomass Oil yield on flower heads TL 46.94 c 0.037 b 2.44 a 0.272 5.12 a 2 84.96 b 0.129 a 2.524 0,296 c 4,88 a 13 109.64 ab 0.133 a 2.53 0.336 b 5.06 a T4 133.60 a Geile 2.56 a 0.346 ab 5.18 a 7 113.80 a Ue ee 0.360 a re Tukey 5% 28.60 0.045 0.29 0.017 0.52 (*) means followed by the same letter are not statiscaly diferent Table 3 - Influence of organic fertilization on chemical characteristics of a soil cultivated with Achillea millefolium L. - (mean treatments), UFPR, PIRAQUARA-PR, 1989/90, Treatment P K ca” Mg” pH c ppm meq / 100g TFSA caci2 A TL ee Ge Olea) 6910 a 166 a 9 552i ae a0 12 2.4 bd Oléa 6.0468 4.42a 5.28a 3.360 73 3.0 ab 0.16a 6.268 4.664 5.29a 3.004 7% SOs 0185 658 SON Saye 632 G 15 @G—a (19a 6620 6975 53a 3358 Tukey 5k 2.32 0.05 1,04 0.94 0.25 0.85 () means followed by the same letter are not statisticaly diferent 113.Table 4 - Compounds identified on the essential oil of Achillea millefolium L. Name of the compound Retention time sabinene eS beta-pinene 5.24 1,8-cineol 6.74 canphor 10.28 borneol 11.02 4-terpineol 11.45 alfa-terpineol 11.92 bornil-acetate 15.21 delta-elemene 16.86 gama-muurolene rae gama-elemene 21.93 alfa-muurolene 22.07 delta-cadinene 22.80 nerolidol 24.21 torreiol 26.27 alfa-cadinol 26.64 14