Agronomic and Chemical Comparison between Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum and the Cultivated Plants of O. syriacum ssp. sinaicum

Abstract The present study was carried out to investigate the potentials of Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum and O. syriacum var. sinaicum as new crops cultivated in Egypt under organic farming system. The two species were evaluated from the agronomic and chemical points of view. The results showed that O. syriacum ssp. sinaicum was superior in herb and oil yields per acre than O. vulgare ssp. hirtum. Propagation by stem cuttings rather favored the growth of O. vulgare ssp. hirtum than O. syriacum var. sinaicum. The major constituents in the essential oil of O. vulgare ssp. hirtum were carvacrole, thymol, p-cymene and γ-terpinene while, the oil of O. syriacum var. sinaicum was dominated by thymol, γ-terpinene and p-cymene in a descending manner. The obtained results revealed the high potentials of these two plants as new crops in Egypt.