Effect of spraying iron and zinc sulfate fertilizer on lemon balm (Melisa officinalis L.) medicinal plants essential oil component

In this research the effect of spraying iron and zinc sulfate fertilizer on lemon balm (Melisa officinalis L.) essential oil component was studied at Khoramabad. A factorial experiment was conducted based on a complete randomized design with three replications. Two factors were iron sulfate fertilizer at 0, 2 and 5 ppm and zinc sulfate fertilizer at 0, 2 and 5 ppm. Essential oils isolated by hydro-distillation with Clevenger device. The essential oil fraction identified and measurement by GC/MS. The result obtained from this study led to  identification of 28 fractions on lemon balm volatile oil. In the essential oil of lemon balm Jeraniol (66.65%), Trans caryophilen (8.41%), Caryophylen oxide (4.99%), Verbenol
(2.17%), Citronellol (1.615), Alpha morelol (1.525), Germacrin D (1.38%) and Alpha cadinol (1.68%) were the major components. Results shows that under fertilizer treatment no significant observed (P ≤ 0.01) in terms of herbal dry yield. But the amount of essential oil differences between fertilizer treatments was significant (P ≤ 0.01). To increasing the essential oil amount, 5 ppm zinc sulfate treatment was best treatment. In this study according the results, the Jeranol component was observed 66.65 percent of whole volatile oil fraction of lemon balm, which is considerable high. But the Citronellol component allocated 1.6 percent of all lemon balm essential oil components. In this research to be seems that the fertilizer and climate condition caused the differences on amount of essential oil component in plant.