Evaluation of Aerial Biomass Yield and Essential Oil Content of Seven Species of Tanacetum

To evaluate the seven species of Tanacetum genus - Tanacetum balsamita, T. parthenium, T. pinnatum, T. polycephalum, T. tabrisianum, T. uniflorum, and T. vulgare - an experiment was conducted in Karaj Iran. Data were recorded for plant canopy cover, plant height, flower number per plant, aerial biomass yield, time required for flowering, growing degree days to flowering (GDD), essential oil percentage and yield. Results showed that T. parthenium had higher mean values for plant canopy cover, plant height and flower number per plant whereas the species of T. parthenium, T. balsamita and T. vulgare had higher aerial biomass yield in comparison to the other species. The T. balsamita coupled with aerial biomass yield had the highest essential oil concentration. The T. tabrisianum and T. uniflorum were earliest ripening species due to lowest GDD. Essential oil yield was positively and significantly correlated with the traits that are components of aerial mass, indicating that selection for breeding new cultivars should focus on increased aerial biomass yield, late flowering and high flower number.