INVESTIGATION OF SOIL CONDITION ON YIELD AND ESSENTIAL OIL IN LEMON BALM

M. officinalis L., local cultivar were propagated by cutting from parental plants and transplanted as single plants to 11.5 cm diameter pots filed with different soil texture containg loam, clay and sand. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse of Horticultural department in University of Guilan during 2010. Plant fresh weight, root length, plant length, dry mater and ash percent, total phenol, caffeic acid content, essential oil content and antioxidant capacity were determined. The highest plant height, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, branches dry weight, root dry weight, root length, chlorophyll content, caffeic acid, total phenol, and essential oil were obtained from loam texture while the highest ash and antioxidant capacity were obtained from clay texture. Keywords: Caffeic acid, HPLC, Antioxidant capacity, phenol

Caffeic acid, HPLC, Antioxidant capacity, phenol