MARJORAM
Majorana hortensis Mnch.
This article was translated by Angela Iancu!
Fr.: Marjolaine; G.: Wurstkraut;M.: Majoranna;R.:Maioran sadovîi.
Identification elements: The plant: annual cultivated species in the conditions of our country (in the Mediterranean region is perennial), upright, grey hairy, bushy ramification, 20-60 cm tall, with aromatic characteristic odor; the root: pivoting, not thicker than 0.5-0.6 cm, brown-yellowish; the stem: with 4 obvious angles, at the beginning is of a grayish-green hairiness and then it becomes reddish and glabrous, heavily branched starting from the base, with thin and rigid branches; the leaves: opposed, ovate with entire margin, 1-2 cm long and half wide, with a short petiole, on both sides with white thick (like felt) hairs, poor veins; flowers: very small, grouped in round inflorescences 0,5 cm in diameter at the upper leaves axila; the flowers, partially covered by grey bracte, are minute (2-3 mm) with the calyx reduced to a single obovate thick (like felt) sepal, because the two inferior sepals disappear, corolla is bilabial, reddish with the stamina sticking out; fruits: minuscule nucula up to 1 mm, brown-yellowish, grouped in 4 in the persistent calyx.
Flowering: VII – IX.
Raw material: Herba Majoranae – stems with branches cut al least 6 cm above the ground. It has small leaves of a grayish-green color with flower buds of the same color as he leaves. The odor is aromatic, characteristic, and the flavor is specific to the marjoram. The raw material is also delivered in the form of a fragmented product.
Ecology and distribution: Temperature is the decisive ecological factor as the plant has a Mediterranean origin. Because of this, it is very sensitive to frosts and spring cold. The high summer temperatures are well tolerated with the condition that there is not a water shortage in the soil, as the marjoram requires high humidity, so that the best results are obtained by irrigation.
The marjoram has special demands towards soil fertility, the best soils being deep, rich in humus, light, warm, with high content of calcium. The cold, heavy, acid soils are not indicated.
Because of the hairs on the leaves, these catch dust very easily. That’s why it is not cultivated near roads and the crop is surrounded by a few rows of corn, sunflower etc.
Cultivation technology: It is recommended that the marjoram is cultivated only after the soil is enriched with well fermented farmyard manure. It can come back on the same terrain after 4-5 years.
The marjoram requires a very careful preparation of the land. This thing is even more necessary because the multiplying is done by seeding directly on the soil. Immediately after the preceding plant is harvested, the summer ploughing must be done with a good harrowing. These two operations must be performed one after the other on the same day because any delay causes a reduction in soil humidity. Until autumn the soil is worked like dead-fallow, when a deep plough is executed (30-35 cm), not harrowed. At the autumn ploughing it is recommended to be introduced in the soil around 50-60 kg/ha of phosphor and 10-15 kg/ha of potassium and in the spring 60-80 kg/ha of nitrogen. In the spring, until planting or seeding, the soil is worked with the cultivator, the star harrow or the multi-disk. The seeding directly in the field is done with the seeding machine at an interval of 30 cm between the rows, in April, when the danger of frost has passed. For one hectare are used 2-3 kg of seeds with 90% purity, 70% germination and 12% maximum humidity. The weight of 1000 seeds is around 0,2040 g and 4.997 seeds make one gram.
For a successful seeding, besides strictly respecting the best time for seeding, it is also necessary that before and after seeding a roller is used and that the seeds are well mixed with 4-5 parts of inert material and 100 g of mustard, lettuce etc. seeds, as indicator plants. The depth for seeding will be of 0,5 cm.
In colder regions, with early frosts in spring, the marjoram is multiplied by seedlings produced in warm or half warm beds. The first are organized in the second part of February and the half warm beds in the second part of March so that the latest at the end of April or the first days of May the seedlings can be planted in the field. For one hectare of culture are necessary 100 m²of hot beds or half warm beds in which are seeded 300 g of seeds in two consecutive stages. The hotbeds and the maintenance of the seedlings are done in the same way as for the other medicinal plants cultivated in this system. The marjoram seedling is good for planting when is 4-6 cm tall and the root is well developed.
The marjoram is cultivated on irrigated or not irrigated lands. On the not irrigated lands, the planting is done at 30 cm between the rows and 15 cm between the plants, putting together like 2-4 plants. On irrigated lands, the interval between the rows is of 20 cm and 15 cm between the plants. After planting, the land is slightly hoed to eliminate the compaction produced by the planters.
When the seeding is done directly on the field, if the soil has a crust, the first superficial hoeing is executed right before the plants emerge. The orientation is done following the indicator plant. The marjoram is a plant that cannot stand the weeds and crust so that whenever necessary hoeing and weeding out are applied. In general, every year are required 4-5 hoeing, the ones after planting and harvesting are compulsory.
For determining the average production, first it is estimated the average quantity per m², after it is harvested a surface of 10-15 m² with a similar production from one hectare.
Example given: the average production per m² is of 900 g of fresh raw material. So, the average production per hectare will be as follows:
(900g x 10000)/(4,5 x 1000)=2000 kg dry raw material/ ha.
Are deducted 5% as losses while harvesting, transporting and handling.
2000 – (2000 x 5/100)=1900 kg of dry raw material from one harvest;
From 2-3 harvests will be obtained 4000 – 4500 kg/ha.
The marjoram is harvested before flowering. Before and after harvesting, the shrubs are shaken well to remove the dust. Usually, in our country, the marjoram gives two crops per year and if the autumn is long it can be obtained a third one.
At harvesting, the shrubs are cut with the grape scissor or clipper, sickle or scythe, 5-6 cm above ground. The marjoram is harvested only after the dew has disappeared to obtain a good quality product. The quantity harvested in one day cannot be larger than the capacity of the drying place. After harvest, in maximum 1-2 hours, the raw material must be transported to the drying place because the sudden water evaporation from plants can hurt the quality of the product.
For seeds are reserved lots with healthy well developed plants that have the specific traits of the species very visible. They are harvested when the seeds have a brown color, in the morning on dew or in the evening, with the sickle or scythe. After 2-3 days from harvesting, the plants are threshed in order to separate the seeds that will be cleaned, dried and kept in a dry place.
Diseases, pests and pest control: The marjoram is attacked by the wire worm, which is the larva of the beetle Agriotes lineatus. This is controlled through potato baits that are placed every 1 m and the larvae that gather on the baits are destroyed. As a prevention measure, the field is dusted with Heclotox 1,5% (30-50 kg/ha) and then is well harrowed.
Sometimes the marjoram can be attacked by a moth that binds together several leaves in a kind of dirty-white felt and then it rolls them up and destroys them. To prevent the appearance of this pest, is recommended that the soil is treated in advance with Lindatox 3 (15-16 kg/ha) or Pinetox 10 (15-20 kg/ha) and that the culture does not return on the same soil after 4-5 years.
Preparing the product for conditioning: The plants are dried in the shade in well aired, clean and dry attics or in other rooms that meet these conditions. To obtain a clean product, the plants are laid in thin layers of 5 cm on frames, newspapers etc. The drying lasts 5-6 days. Artificially, the drying is done at 30-35˚. The drying efficiency is 4-5/1.
The technical conditions for reception require that the marjoram can be taken either as Herba (the aerial part whole) or as Herba gerebelt (the aerial part screened).
For Herba are admitted impurities of max. 5% (brown leaves), foreign organic bodies – max. 2% and mineral – max. 1,5%, humidity – max. 12%.
For Herba gerebelt is required that the product is formed out of hairy leaf fragments with max. 1% stem and root remains as impurities, foreign organic bodies – max. 1% and mineral – max. 0,5%, humidity – max. 12%.
For the fresh product used for oil are admitted max. 10% impurities (brown leaves, other parts of the plant), foreign organic and mineral bodies – max. 1% for each, normal humidity of the fresh product.
Chemical structure: contains 0,80-1,30% volatile oil composed especially out of terpinen, terpinenol, small amounts of carvacrol etc; ursolic and oleanolic acids, beta-sitosterin etc.
Pharmacodynamic action – therapeutic uses: not studied in this regard, it is rarely used in stomach dyspepsia as antispastic and carminative.
It is largely used as a food condiment and the oil is used in the perfume industry.
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