Response of Coriander (Coriandrum sativumL.) to Nitrogen Availability

A greenhouse hydroponics system was used to analyze biomass partitioning between primary and secondary metabolites in coriander at different levels of nitrogen availability and a field fertilization experiment was used to evaluate the response of coriander to supplemental nitrogen. Resource partitioning in an Argentinian land-race between primary and secondary metabolites at different levels of nitrogen treatment was asymptotic for biomass, fruit yield, and essential oil production. In a European land-race, resource partitioning was asymptotic to nitrogen treatment for biomass and fruit yield, but parabolic for essential oil production. The response to nitrogen was related to genotypic characteristics of the two land-races and suggest that relatively high levels of nitrogen fertilizer should be used in production of Argentinian land-race coriander and relatively moderate levels of nitrogen fertilizer should be used in production of European land-race coriander.