Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Institute for Medicinal Plant Research „Dr Josif Pančić“, Belgrade, Serbia
Institute for Medicinal Plant Research „Dr Josif Pančić“, Belgrade, Serbia
Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Anise is an annual plant from family Apiaceae, originating from Egypt, Greece, Crete and Asia Minor, that has been cultivated since ancient times. During the Middle Ages its cultivation spread throughout Europe, all the way to Great Britain. However, in the northern parts of Europe, due to insufficient hours of sunshine and sum of effective temperature, this plant cannot bear fruit. In Serbia, the years 2011/12 recorded optimal conditions for growth and development of this plant, which resulted in an average high fruit yield (average 1551 kg/ha) and contents of essential oil (3.72 %). The experiments conducted on three locations in Vojvodina Province (Mošorin, Veliki Radinci and Ostojićevo) tested the growth of anise with implementation of four types of fertilizers approved for organic production system (Slavol, Bactofil B-10, Royal Ofert biohumus and vermicompost), as well as the growth of anise with implementation of fertilizers used in conventional agriculture (NPK in formulation 15:15:15). Plots where no fertilizer was applied were used for control purposes. Cost price calculations for cultivation of anise, with commercial price of 2.5 €/kg for anise fruit (Anisi fructus), show that the highest income from anise fruit (Anisi fructus) is achieved by implementation of either a synthetic NPK fertilizer, or biofertilizers Bactofil B-10 and Slavol. However, having in mind that organically produced plants achieve around 20% higher price, the application of bio fertilizers is fully cost-effective for this type of production. As for the anise essential oil (Anisi aethroleum), it is rarely obtained by distillation of anise fruits (Pimpinella anisum), but through a semisynthetic procedure using star anise (Illicum verum), wood originating from Indochina whose fruits are also rich in anethole. Since the demand for organic products is increasing, especially in the food industry, essential oil from an organically produced anise could have great income potential, in which case the application of bio fertilizers is the most profitable form of production.
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