Improving Yield and Secondary Metabolite Production of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Using Beneficial Soil Microorganisms

The overall objective of this research is to use beneficial bacteria and fungi to improve medicinal and aromatic plant yields quantitatively and qualitatively. Specific objectives are:

To determine if treatments with microorganisms can improve seed germination rate and seedling development of medicinal and aromatic plants.
To determine if treatments with microorganisms can promote plant growth, increase antioxidant molecules, improve essential oil yield, and alter oil compositions in medicinal and aromatic plants.
To determine whether the beneficial effects of microorganisms on growth and essential oil yields are observed under field conditions.