ECONOMIC AND QUALITATIVE VALUE OF THE RAW MATERIAL OF CHOSEN SPECIES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM ORGANIC FARMING PART I. YIELD AND QUALITY OF GARDEN THYME HERB (Thymus vulgaris L.)

In 2005-2007, in a field experiment, the yield and quality of the thyme herb of the Polish cultivar Soneczko in organic farming were tested. The experiment was established on six different organic farms and one conventional farm in Poland. The following features were evaluated: fresh and dried herb yield, stem fraction in herb, essential oil content, and microbiological purity. Only from one organic farm in Sosk thyme herb yield was higher compared with the yield from conventional cultivation, although it contained a high amount of stems. Organic thyme herb was characterized by a high content of essential oil. Evaluation of microbiological purity showed that herb contamination from both types of cultivation did not exceed the standard for raw materials treated with hot water.