Determination of Planting Density and Growing Potential of Lippia citriodora L. in Tokat Ecological Conditions

Nowadays, besides being used in folk medicine, lippia citriodora has been used for many years in many industrial areas such as cosmetics and body care. in our country, most of taken from the leaves are consumed for the aroma of lemon. however, although the production is quite limited, the necessity of determining the cultivation of the plant in different ecologies arises due to its widespread use. this research was carried out in tokat ecological conditions in order to determine yield and quality characteristics of lippia citriodora depending on plant density in the unit area. the experiment was conducted in tokat-kazova condition in middle black sea transitional zone agricultural research institute. the experimental design was randomized complete block design with three replications. due to the very small seeds of the plant, in 2015, cuttings were obtained and seedlings were obtained. this plants, which was planted in 2016, six different planting frequencies, two different row spacing (40 and 60 cm) and three different intra-row spacing (20, 30 and 40 cm) were examined. in the research, plant height, number of branches per plant, wet leaf yield per hectare, dry leaf yield per hectare and essential oil ratio were investigated. at the end of the research, plant height 145,50-162,60 cm, number of branches 9,0-13,2 pcs/plant, wet leaf yields 55,36-78,64 kg/ha, dry leaf (drog folia) yields 8,38-25,51 kg/ha, leaves essential oil content of 0.29-0.31% were found. in 2016, after the plants were harvested, the resistance to winter conditions was examined but it was determined that tokat ecological conditions were damaged because of harsh winter conditions. when the obtained data were evaluated, it was concluded that satisfactory yields were obtained in the first year of tokat ecological conditions of this perennial plant, the planting frequency of 60x30 cm was suitable for the yield of dry leaves and essential oil per hectare and additional studies were required for perennial cultivation.