THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT FERTILIZATION UPON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF SOME LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA (MILL.) VARIETIES GROWN IN SOUTH EAST ROMANIA

Lavandula angustifolia (Mill.) is a Mediterranean aromatic shrub known since ancient times for its multiple uses. Over the past decade, this species' large-scale cultivation attracted the attention of local farmers, highlighting the necessity of analyzing and improving those crop management practices that can ensure high lavender yields in different growing conditions. Consequently, this paper aimed to analyze the behavior and yield recorded under the influence of different organo-mineral fertilization levels, by four varieties of Lavandula angustifolia (Mill.), grown during 2017-2019, in the climatic and soil conditions of southeast Romania (Moara Donmeasca, Ilfov). In the first year of the crop (I), when mineral fertilization N60P60K60 was applied, all researched lavender varieties recorded superior values in terms of flower yield and vegetative development compared to other fertilizations. Vera variety obtained the highest yield for this type of fertilization with a value of 798.3 kg/ha. For the second (II) and third-year (III) of the crop, both the perennial character of the species and a longer availability of soil nutrients ensured by organic fertilization determined higher values of the biometric parameters and superior flower yields. Under organic fertilization (manure 30 t/ha), the highest yields were recorded by Vera, with values of 4,877.3 kg/ha in 2018 (II) and 6,411.2 kg/ha in 2019 (III).