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highest cichoric add content (4.93 %, yielding 276-kg/ha) was obtained from' Russia,

followed by New Zealand (3.46 %), German (2*86

212 kg/ha) and Austrian (2.65 %,

191 kg/ha) (Table 1). Echinacea was introduced to Russia as early as 1924, by a

Geneticist and Ethnobotanist NT Vavilov, while the first field production started in

s o u th e r n

Russia

1930 (Kodesh, personal com.), further improvement in cultivation

and selection took shape during the early 1G60s (Salabas,

et at,

1965). A Russian

study

from 1971 to 1994 with two different populations (Ukrainian

and Samara)

of E.

purpurea

under Chemozeom soil with 7-9

organic matter content indicates positive

influence of soil fertility on the concentration of cichoric acid (Gladisheva, 1995).

Dried samples obtained from Australia showed relatively low content of cichoric add,

while samoles trom New Zealand had higher concentration. Chile,

Argentine,

and

Costa-Rica have field production ot tcninacea. tcnmausci »» itow uoi

-nx

Tanzania for export of Its flowers to Europe, while there are experimental fields under

Echinacea in Botswana, Egypt Zambia, and Republic of South Africa. As the

vegetation in those areas varies from 135 to 365 days, cultivars that are suitable for

each ecological zone must be developed.

Echinacea under hydroponic system

Hydroponic system produced about 7840 kg/ha shoot yield, with 2.10 % cichoric acid

content (165 kg/ha yield) (Table 1). Root yield under hydroponics was about 2.3 times

the average amount so far produced in N. American fields. This might be attractive to

consumers sensitive to pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals. This variant might

also be interesting from the loss of some chemical constituents including cichoric acid,

polysaccharides, essential oils and other hydrophilic components that are washed away

during "root washing’ of field produced Echinacea. Aiso 8-12 % roots remain in the

ground during field harvesting, while 12-16 % of the harvested thin sized roots of

thinner are lost during "root washing*' (Letchamo, unpublished).

D iseases and insects on Echinacea

It is generally regarded that Echinacea has little or no disease and insect problems

(Hobbs, 1989). However, the cultivation practices, numerous disease and insects,

including cucumber mosaic virus, mosaic mycoplasma-like organism, shoot fungus

(Cercospora sp.), root rat

(Phymafotrichum omn'tvorum) are common

in £.

purpurea,

and

angustifolia.

In some commercial fields, root rot affected about

55-60

% of the

-------------------- ‘ * * -•'-*

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content of the active substances.

Though the first

year plants are less affected, with the

progression of the plant age the infection further expands, in addition to affecting the

quality

Echinacea,

the

toxins

released from the pathogens

are

directly or indirectly

included with the processing of the products. This might be a potential danger to the

consumers. Therefore, E.

angustifolia

roots can be harvested during the first growth

year with acceptable quality and yield. In Russia, biological control method, using a bio

product known as Saciofit

{Bacillus subtifis,

IMP-215), had been found to effectively

control fungal and bacterial diseases of E.

purpurea

(Bushkovskaya

a i

. 1994).

Sunflower moth

(Homcesoma efecteUum)

is one of the most common insects

damaging E.

purpurea

and E

angustifoha

flower heads. So far about 60 % to 65

% of

the commercially grown £.

purpurea

and E.

angustifolia

in northwestern U.S. had been

infected (Letchamo, unpublished). Therefore, we would suggest using disease and pest

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