Improving the Growth of Thyme Plants (Thymus vulgaris L.) by Nitrogen and Potassium Fertilization

An academic field experiment was conducted in Jibul village, located in Jableh countryside-Syria, during the agricultural season of 2022/2023. The objective of this study was to assess the role of different levels of Nitrogen fertilizer (urea 46%) at rates of 0, 75, and 150 kg.ha-1, as well as potassium sulfate fertilizer at rates of 0 and 100 kg.ha-1,in various growth characteristics of common thyme. The experiment also aimed to analyze the potential interaction effects between these factors. The experiment was conducted following a factorial design, employing a completely randomized block design with three replications. To compare the means, the least significant difference test (L.S.D.) was employed at a 5% significance level.

The results indicated that nitrogen fertilization had a significant impact on all the traits under investigation. Among the different rates tested, the application of 150 kg. ha-1 resulted in the highest plants (28.62 cm), the highest number of branches per plant (14.05 branches), as well as the greatest fresh weight (45.10 g) and dry weight of the plant (11.55 g).

Furthermore, the results also demonstrated a significant effect of potassium sulfate fertilization on most of the traits examined. Specifically, the addition of 100 kg. ha-1 led to a significant increase in plant height (23.45 cm), the number of branches per plant (11.98 branches), the fresh weight (34.55 g), and the dry weight.

The thyme plant responded significantly to the interaction between experimental factors. Specifically, the combination of 150 kg. ha-1 of urea and 100 kg. ha-1 of potassium sulfate demonstrated the highest rates in all the traits investigated, establishing a strong interaction between the two fertilizers.