Effects of Planting and Fertilization on Essential Oil Content and Yield of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt

To optimize Perilla frutescens cultivation, field experiments with a randomized block design were conducted. Effects of row spacing, fertilization and planting by transplantation or seeding on the content and yield of essential oil of the plants were investigated. The rows were spaced 30 cm×20 cm, 25 cm×20 cm or 20 cm×20 cm. An organic fertilizer, a compound chemical fertilizer and a mixture of the two fertilizers was applied. And, either transplanting the seedlings or direct seeding to begin the plant cultivation was implemented. The results showed that planting density, fertilization and transplanting or seeding significantly affected the biomass of upper part of the plants. The highest biomass yield of 12 056 kg·hm^-2 was obtained under the combined conditions of high-density planting, chemical fertilization and direct seeding. On the other hand, the greatest content of essential oil in the plants, up to 0.417%, existed with low-density planting. The oil yield was significantly affected by fertilization showing a maximum at 41.0 kg·hm^-2, but it did not differ significantly by the varied planting densities.