مشخصات پژوهش

Dracocephalum moldavica L. is an annual species of the Lamiacea family whose essential oil and extracts are widely used in the medicinal, food, cosmetic, and health industries. To evaluate the quantity and quality of dragonhead production under different cropping patterns and fertilization, a 2-year factorial field experiment was carried out based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor was arranged as sole cropping (SC) and intercropping of dragonhead: fenugreek (IC; 1:1), and the second factor was represented by no fertilizer (control), chemical fertilizer (CF), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM), and CF + AM. The results showed that the highest dry matter yield (DMY) of both plants was recorded in SC and the application of CF and CF + AM. Both treatments increased the DMY of dragonhead and fenugreek by 54.3 and 43.7 %, respectively, compared to control. The highest essential oil content (EO) of dragonhead was obtained in IC under CF and AM, and the highest EO yields of dragonhead and fenugreek were obtained under CF + AM treatment. Geranyl acetate (30.4–43.2 %), geraniol (15.37–29.69 %), geranial (12.83–23.29 %), and neral (8.68–17.33 %) were the main EO constituents of dragonhead. The highest content of geranyl acetate was obtained in intercropping under CF, geranial and neral in SC under CF, and geraniol in SC without fertilization. Overall, the findings of the present study indicated that dragonhead intercropped with fenugreek under AM and CF application could improve the quality and quantity of dragonhead EO and can be suggested as special treatments in production systems of pharmaceutical and industrial crops