Cultivation of medicinal plants in greenhouse hydroponics.

摘要

Interest in medicinal plants as an alternative crop for greenhouse growers was the impetus for this project, as little information exists on the commercial production of medicinal plants in hydroponics under greenhouse conditions. This research project was designed to (1) identify medicinal plants with commercial potential, (2) evaluate their suitability for greenhouse hydroponic growth, (3) determine optimal concentrations and ratios of nutrient solutions, and (4) manipulate nitrogen levels as a possible regulator of leaf tissue production and of secondary metabolite production in two medicinally important plants, Hypericum perforatum and Tanacetum parthenium . Once nutrient regimes had been optimized to give maximum yield of both target tissues and concentration of target compounds (hence yield per plant of secondary compounds) additional experimental manipulations were carried out to determine if management practices such as leaf removal or flower bud removal could enhance target tissue yields and secondary metabolite production in Hypericum perforatum and Tanacetum parthenium . (Abstract shortened by UMI.)