Effect of vermicompost and chemical fertilizers on quantitative and qualitative properties of Echinaceae pursuerea (L.) Moench

The main objective of this research was to investigate the effects of different application rates of vermicompost and chemical fertilizer on qualitative and quantitative performance of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.). A field experiment was conducted at Research Field of Tarbiat Modares University during the growing season of 2009-2010. The experiment was arranged as a factorial in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. There were 12 treatments consisting of three chemical fertilizer levels (no fertilizer application، 75 kg nitrogen/ha as urea form + 3000ppm micronutrient fertilizer/ha، and 150kg nitrogen/ha as urea form + 6000ppm micronutrient fertilizer/ha) and four vermicompost levels (0، 2، 4، and 6 ton ha-1). Results showed that vermicompost had significant effects on dry weights of stem، flower، root، total biological yield، number of flowers per plant and SPAD value. In addition، the interaction between chemical fertilizer and vermicompost was significant for root dry weight، 100 flowers dry weight and plant height. The application of 4 ton vermicompost ha-1 without chemical fertilizer resulted in the highest values of stem dry weight، flower dry weight، number of flowers per plant and plant height. The highest root dry weight and total biological yield was obtained by applying 2. 94 and 3. 59 ton vermicompost ha-1، respectively. There were not significant chemical fertilizer differences on all measured traits. None of the experimental factors showed significant influences on total phenolic compounds in different plant organs. According to results of this experiment، organic fertilizer (vermicompost) could be introduced as a suitable alternative to the use of chemical fertilizer in purple coneflower cultivation.