CULTIVATION POTENTIAL OF Salvia tomentosa AND S. aramiensis UNDER THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN CONDITIONS

Salvia aramiensis and S. tomentosa species are naturally grown salvia species in Hatay province of Turkey. There has not been any attempt to cultivate these two species in Turkey. A two-year study was conducted to determine cultivation possibility of S. aramiensis and S. tomentosa under the eastern Mediterranean conditions in the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons in Hatay, Turkey. The measured plant parameters were plant height, herbage yield, essential oil content and components. Plant heights of S. tomentosa were 102.3 and 95.60 cm and plant heights of S. aramiensis were 88.35 and 97.40 cm in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Salvia tomentosa had the highest herbage yield with 40.45 g/plant while S. aramiensis had the lowest herbage yield with 37.30 g/plant in 2011. In the second year of the study, the herbage yield of S. aramiensis and S. tomentosa were 42.50 and 43.05 g/plant, respectively. Essential oil contents of S. aramiensis and S. tomentosa varied between 1.25 and 1.35% in 2011 and 1.30 and 1.20% in 2012, respectively. The major essential oil components of S. aramiensis were 1.8-cineole, camphor, para-cymeme, sabinene, germacrene-D, thujone, camphene and borneol. The major essential oil components of S. tomentosa were a-pinen, b-pinen, limonen, eucalyptol, linalool, b-mirsen, camfen, 1,8-cineole, camphor, beta-caryophyllene alpha-humulene. With respect to herbage yield and essential oil content, Salvia aramiensis and S. tomentosa can be successfully cultivated under the eastern Mediterranean conditions.