Mette Thomsen
Research Scientist
Authors
Mette ThomsenAbstract
Angelica a hardy biennial herb, native to Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland, the Faeroes, Finland, Russia, and eastern parts of continental Europe. Two subspecies are found in the Nordic wild flora A. archangelica ssp. archangelica (mountain subspecies) and A. archangelica ssp. litoralis (lowland subspecies). It is the mountain form that traditionally has been used both wild picked as well as cultivated. All parts of the angelica plant can be used and contain essential oil that gives it a strongly aromatic fragrance and a powerful flavor, and the plant also contains larger or smaller amounts of sugar. Angelica was a commodity in Norway even before the year 1000 and is the only vegetable, of Nordic origin. It has been used both as a vegetable, a spice and a medicinal plant. Interest as well as need for locally and regionally produced products is constantly increasing, Angelica, with its multifunctionality into more uses, could be an important plant for self-sufficiency and business creation in the arctic. In a cultivation trial in Norway looking into the fertilizer effect on yield and oil content in Angelica we found that 120 kg N/Ha gave a significantly higher yield of leaves, in one year old plants, than 40 or 0 kg N, 14-ton fresh weight/Ha compared to 11 ton and 5,6 ton respectively, 80 kg N/Ha gave 13t /Ha. The same was found in three-year-old plants. For root yield we did not see any significant effect of fertilizer treatment. The yield in essential oils was unaffected by fertilizer treatments but varied between plant parts, seeds 1,1%, roots 0,5% and leaves 0,2% oil. The dominating oils in the seeds were beta-phellandrene (69%) and alpha-pinene (13%), in roots and leaves alpha-pinene (43%, 20% resp.) and Sabinene (9%, 34% resp.) were the major compounds. In these trials only one variety of Angelica has been tested. More varieties should be studied and cultivation trials in more areas performed. Also considering that, several aromatic plants produce higher level of essential oils and chemical compounds when growing under long daylight hours. Angelica has a high potential for increased use and value creation through cultivation and processing in the Arctic region.
Authors
Mette ThomsenAbstract
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