The researchers will create an experimental garden containing medicinal and aromatic plants

The researchers from the Institute for Environmental Solutions in cooperation with SIA Field and Forest will create an experimental garden of medicinal and aromatic plants. The researchers will collect, research, analyze and select the types of the most valuableValerian (Valeriana officinalis L.), Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and Siler (Saposhnikovia divarcata) genotypes with high concentration of active substances, thus suited for further use in medicine, condiments, food and cosmetics.

As it has been shown in various foreign studies, plants which are commonly referred to as weeds (dandelion, valerian, siler, etc.) have a strong concentration of active substances. Therefore, in many countries have learned to reproduce and use them in medicine, cosmetics, food, agriculture, and others.  Latvian climate provides favorable conditions for the cultivation of the abovementioned plants which are mentioned above, however the medicinal plants in Latvia have been cultivated in relatively small territories till now. In the course of the project started in March 2017, IES's network will turn European leading scientists to jointly make the first steps in establishing the method of cultivating valuable medicinal parts and the use of their active substances in Latvia.

To develop a new method for the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, as well as to create an experimental plants' garden and to test the wildlife genotypes in it, researchers in different regions of Latvia and abroad will collect wild populations and cultivated seed varieties. They will be grown in an experimental garden and tested under different cultivation conditions. In 3 years, researchers will measure the productivity of plants, the composition of active substances and other parameters. As a result, scientists will select biologically and economically most valuable medical and aromatic plant genotypes and their cultivation technologies that are most suitable for the climate of Latvia, which could be further used by producers.

More about the project.