Effect of organic and mineral fertilizers on essential oil content in caraway, anise and coriander fruits

The aim of this study, which was conducted in field conditions on three localities in Serbia during two years, was to investigate the influence of the application of various types of fertilizers on the essential oil content in caraway, anise and coriander fruits. The influence of four organic fertilizers was investigated: two microbiological fertilizers (Slavol and Bactofil B-10), two specific organic fertilizers (Royal Ofert biohumus and vermicompost). Also, the chemical fertilizer was used and there was a control plot without any fertilization. From the results, it can be concluded that the application of different fertilizers has an influence on essential oil content only in case of anise fruits. The application of Royal Ofert biohumus shows the best results, after which follows chemical fertilizer. The use of these two types of fertilizers significantly increased the essential oil content in the anise fruits in comparison with other tested treatments. Although differences in the essential oil content of caraway and coriander were not significant, the two above mentioned fertilizers and vermicompost show the best results.