Abstract
This experiment was carried out to ascertain optimal hydroponic conditions for top quality basil production. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), opal basil (Ocimum basilicum purpurascens), and bush basil (Ocimum minimum) were grown in a hydroponics culture system (NFT) with a nutrient solution developed by the European Vegetable R & D Center in Belgium. Four different ionic strength solutions were used (half, one, two and three times strength). Although sweet, opal and bush basil belong to the same genus (Ocimum) and the same family (Labiateae), they responded differently to these concentrations of nutrient solution in terms of growth and internal qualities. The best growth of sweet basil was obtained with a half strength nutrient solution, and for opal basil, and for bush basil with standard strength solutions, respectively. The essential oil was extracted by steam distillation.
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