VARIATION IN WINTER SAVORY (Satureja montana L.) YIELD AND ESSENTIAL OIL PRODUCTION AS AFFECTED BY DIFFERENT PLANT DENSITY AND NUMBER OF HARVESTS

Similarly to other species of the genus Satureja (Lamiaceae), winter savory is valued in traditional medicine in many countries of the world. Most studies on winter savory are primarily focused on the chemical composition and biological activity of its raw material, but few studies concern proper growing conditions. The aim of the present study, conducted on one-year-old plants, was to determine relationships of plant density and number of harvests with selected parameters of raw material yield of winter savory grown in field under temperate climate conditions. The herb of winter savory grown under temperate climate conditions was shown to have an average essential oil content of 1.69%. Yield of herb without stems, the percentage of this herb in dry herb and essential oil content in the herb increase as plant density decreases. On the other hand, essential oil content and yield, do not depend on number of harvests and harvest date.