Iron and zinc interaction on leaf nutrients and the essential oil of Pimpinellaanisum L.

Foliar spraying of a small amount of micronutrients (iron and zinc) may increase the yield of anise (pimpinella anisum l.), an anethole-rich important medicinal plant. in order to evaluate the effect of iron (fe) and zinc (zn) spraying (0, 2, 4, and 6 g l^-1 ) on the nutrient contents and the essential oils of anise, a factorial experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design in urmia university, iran. means comparison showed that the highest yield of biomass (2652 kg ha^-1 ) and essential oils (49.83 kg ha^-1 ) were observed in foliar application of 6 g l^-1 of iron and 4 g l^-1 of zinc. the highest leaf iron (4.89 mg g^-1 dry matter) was observed at 6 g l^-1 of fe and zn. on the other hand, there was a sharp rise of leaf zinc with higher amounts of fe and zn foliar sprays. the highest leaf nitrogen (35.7 mg g^-1 dry matter) was obtained from 2 fe + 6 zn (g l^-1 ). the highest leaf phosphorus (10.15 mg g^-1 dry matter) and potassium (7.9 mg g^-1 dry matter) concentrations were obtained from 4 g l^-1 of zn. in conclusion, fe and zn foliar applications enhanced the yield of anise through nutrient accumulation due to application of 4 g l^-1 and higher. so, the highest yield was obtained from 4 g l^-1 zn with 6 g l^-1 fe for biological yield, and from 2 to 4 g l^-1 zn with 6 g l^-1 fe for essential oils.