AGRONOMICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF HYSSOPUS-OFFICINALIS

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) obtained from various commercial sour ces was grown for three years (1990-1992) in Finland. Yield characteri stics, flower colour, volatile oil content/composition and its antimic robial quality were studied. For comparison, Scottish-grown hyssop was included in oil and quality determinations. The description of the fl ower colour given by the seed firms was not a reliable indicator of th e true colour in many cases. Oil yield was satisfactory and oil compos ition was rather uniform. Only one different chemotype was identified, this was derived from a Romanian seed source. There was considerable variation in herb yield between plants from different sources. The tot al fresh herb yield was 0.5-3.2 kg/m2, the dry leaf yield was 67-326 g /m2. Seed germination was satisfactory (76-99%), offering opportunitie s for seed production of varieties with different characteristics.