Productivity of Summer Savory (Satureja hortensis L.) In Different Locations of Egypt

Field experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth, yield and essential oil constituents of savory at three different locations across Egypt (El-Minya, El-Sharkia and Sinai). Plants cultivated in El-Sharkia showed significantly higher values of plant height, number of branches and herb fresh and dry weights. Also, the highest quality was observed on plant cultivated in El-Sharkia region. Thirty one main compounds were detected in GC-MS analysis of essential oil. There were obvious differences in chemical constituents of essential oil of plants cultivated under different locations. The main components were Y-Terpinene and Carvacrol. The highest Y-Terpinene and Carvacrol were observed also in plants cultivated in El-Sharkia. These results suggested that agro-climatic zone is very important for maximizing the content and composition of essential oils. Further studies are still needed to determine the precise factors of agro-climatic zoning which could be important strategies for optimizing the yield and quality.