Agronomic and Phytochemical Enhancement of Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L.) using Compost and Foliar Application of Garlic and Moringa Extracts

Mahmoud, El-Sayed Mohamed; Ali, Ahmed Fouad; Shehata, Abeer Mohamed

doi:10.22059/ijhst.2026.397835.1130

Agronomic and Phytochemical Enhancement of Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L.) using Compost and Foliar Application of Garlic and Moringa Extracts

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

El-Sayed Mohamed Mahmoud ¹

Ahmed Fouad Ali ¹

Abeer Mohamed shehata ²

¹ Hort. Dept., Fac. Agric., Al-Azhar Univ., Assiut, Egypt

² Medicinal and aromatic plants Department, Institute of Horticulture Research, Agriculture Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

10.22059/ijhst.2026.397835.1130

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 growing seasons at the Almonsha Center in Sohag Governorate, Egypt, to investigate the effects of organic fertilization and some plant extracts foliar applications on ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi) plants. The experiment employed four levels of compost (0, 10, 15, and 20 m³ per fed) and foliar applications utilizing two plant extracts: garlic extract (GE) at concentrations of 0, 10, and 20 ml/l, and moringa extract (ME) at 10 and 20 g/l. These treatments and their interactions were evaluated in terms of vegetative growth (weight of herb dry plant-1), yield (yields of fruit (g) per plant and (kg) per fed), essential oil percentage and yield and some chemical constituents (N, P and K %). The highest compost rate (20 m³/fed) significantly improved all parameters, increasing dry herb weight by 64.3% and 40.7%, fruit yield by 87.7% and 79.5%, and essential oil yield by 98.3% and 88% over the control in the two seasons, respectively. Garlic extract at 20 ml/l was the most effective foliar treatment, enhancing dry herb weight by 20.2% and 16.7%, fruit yield by 48.2% and 38.1%, and essential oil yield by 54.5% and 43.1% over the control in the first and second seasons, respectively. The combination of 20 m³/fed compost with 20 ml/l garlic extract produced the greatest overall improvements.

Keywords

Trachyspermum ammi

Compost

Garlic extract

Moringa extract

Essential oil