“RESEARCH ON THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF MEDICINAL AND SPICE PLANTS IN THE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE SYSTEM OF SOUTH ROMANIA”

The production and use of medicinal and spice plants in the organic agriculture system is an alternative to the conventional farming system, promoting environmentally friendly agricultural technologies which exclude synthetical chemicals, as well as healthy agricultural products that ensure consumers ’ health, environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources. The organic farming system is particularly important as it includes the production of medicinal and spice plants which are intended primarily to guarantee consumers ’ health; bt definition, these plants must be free of synthetic chemical residues (pesticides and chemical fertilizers). Medicinal and spice plants also have an economic importance since they can contribute to the development of sustainable agriculture in the context of natural resource depletion and constant population growth. Poverty in rural and urban areas can lead to health problems that can be treated by medicinal plants. Their high content in various active substances, such as essential oils, natural antioxidants, etc., provide natural sources for humankind’s health. The PhD thesis is aimed at highlighting the major role of ecological agriculture in the present national and international context, as well as the importance of growing medicinal and spice plants in an ecological system. The research carried out within the doctoral studies was aimed at studying several medicinal and spice plant species that are grown under organic agriculture conditions in southern Romania, and at observing fertilization by products that are accepted by the organic agriculture system and are applied to the studied medicinal and spice plant species. Another result of the scientific investigations performed during the PhD research is the development of a market study concerning the sources of production and use of these plants in Romania