Method for less densely populated cultivation of monarda fistulosa for production of thymoquinone

Abstract

A method for cultivating Monarda for production of thymoquinone includes plug planting Monarda fistulosa and/or Monarda didyma plants between about 24,000 and about 44,000 plants per acre. The cultivation method produces plants bearing oil without weed contamination and reduces herbicide use due to production of natural herbicides by the monarda plants. The method results in increased production of essential oils including thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone and may include propogating plants from clones to obtain thymohydroquinone at levels up to about 40% or more of the recovered oils.

What I claim is: 
     
         1 . A method for cultivating plants of at least one species of  Monarda  selected from a group consisting of the species  fistulosa  and  dydima,  to increase yield of at least one constituent of an oil of said plants, said at least one constituent selected from the group consisting of thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone, said method comprising preparing a field for planting at least one of  Monarda fistulosa  and  Monarda dydima,  growing at least about 24,000  Monarda  plants per acre, and harvesting plants grown in said field. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising planting seed of  Monarda fistulosa  with a broadcast seeding device at a rate of between about 2.5 pounds and about 5 pounds per acre. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising using a soil compression device after seeding for at least partially sealing in moisture. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising planting plug plants of  Mondarda fistulosa  at a rate between about 24,000 and about 44,000 plugs per acre. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of growing seasons wherein said plants are mowed at least once after a first growing season, and harvested after each of the remaining plurality of growing seasons. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising separating at least a portion of the oil from a plurality of said plants wherein more than half of the plants in said field are clones of a single source and the yield of thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone together comprise at least about 30% of the separated oil. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the separated oil further comprises less than about 5% thymol. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4  wherein a portion of the plants are propagated from a single clone and the oil yielded comprises at least about 30% thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone combined and at least about 20% carvacrol. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the oil yielded comprises about 5% to about 42% thymoquinone and about 5% thymohydroquinone and less than about 10% of one of carvacrol or thymol. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein harvesting plants comprises cutting the plants, gathering the plants, and separating said oil from the cut and gathered plants by steam distillation. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least one quality of said at least one essential oil is improved over methods where plants per acre are less, and said at least one quality comprises reduction of levels of contamination of the oil caused by the presence of other plants. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein harvesting said plant comprises a delay between cutting the plants and collecting said oil. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  wherein said oil is steam distilled between about 2 hours and about 6 hours after cutting the plants. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said at least about 24,000  Monarda  plants per acre comprise almost all  Monarda fistulosa  plants, said plants comprising a plurality of leaves and at least one seed head, and further comprising separating said at least one constituent from the oil using a process comprising distillation of at least a portion of said leaves and said seed heads. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein separating said at least one constituent yields an amount of thymoquinone of at least about 5% of the oil. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  said at least one constituent further comprising carvacrol wherein separating said at least one constituent further yields an amount of carvacrol of at least about 20% of the oil. 
     
     
         17 . The field of the method of  claim 1  wherein  Monarda fistulosa  the oil separated from a plurality of the plants harvested comprises thymoquinone, carvacrol, and thymol wherein said thymoquinone comprises at least about 30% of said oil and said carvacrol comprises at least about 20% of said oil. 
     
     
         18 . The field of the method of  claim 1  wherein a plurality of the plants yield oil comprising between about 34% and about 37% thymoquinone and between about 20% and about 27% carvacrol. 
     
     
         19 . The method for cultivating of  claim 1  wherein harvesting the plants grown in the field comprises cutting the plants, gathering the cut plants, and distilling oil from the cut and gathered plants. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein at least some of the plants each comprise at least one seed head, said method comprising separating a plurality of seed heads from said at least some of the plants, gathering the plurality of seed heads, and distilling oil from said seed heads. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising delaying distillation between about 2 to about 24 hours after harvest. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20  wherein at least some of said plants further comprise leaves, said method further comprising separating said leaves from the plants and distilling oil from said leaves. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  said method further comprising distilling oil from the leaves and seed heads together. 
     
     
         24 . A method for cultivating a field of plants of  Monarda fistulosa  to increase yield of thymoquinone, said method comprising plug planting  Monarda fistulosa in rows between about  12 inches and about 24 inches apart at a rate between about 24,000 and about 44,000 plants per acre, allowing said plants to mature until a plurality of said plants including at least one seed head, separating at least the seed heads from said plants after flowering and separating oil from the seed heads wherein the oil yielded comprises more thymoquinone than thymohydroquinone. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising an increase in a yield of thymohydroquinone. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24  wherein 5% of the oil comprises thymoquinone. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24  wherein between about 5% and about 30% of the oil comprises thymoquinone.