SELECTION OF THYME (THYMUS VULGARIS L.)

ISHS Acta Horticulturae 344: International Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

**SELECTION OF THYME (THYMUS VULGARIS L.)**

Author:

Ch. REY

Abstract:
Thyme cultivation meets a market of 15 t/year in Switzerland. Scattered in small plots in mountain, it reaches an acreage of 4 ha. Only warmer and well sheltered areas are suitable to this species (cf. poster of S. ROMETSCH, about the survey of common Thyme cultures). In these marginal areas, natural and biological cultivation enhances the marketing of the product. The german (or winter) Thyme, which is presently cultivated, has a very heterogenous phenotype. Its quality i.e. its essential oil content, is often insufficient. Its hardiness is not always obviously stronger than that of Southern Thyme (or Summer Thyme).

Our research is aiming at :

improving the regularity of the phenotype by the way of sexual multiplication,
increasing the essential oil content of the marketed varieties,
improving their hardiness for marginal areas.

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