Abstract
The demand for aromatic plants as ornamentals and sources of essential oils has increased recently. A float system is a promising alternative method of seedling production. Two cropping systems, float and conventional (seed bed), and two nutrient solution formulations, one organic and one inorganic, were evaluated for Ocimum basilicum (basil) and Mentha spicata (spearmint) seedling production. Basil seedlings grown in float system had better or comparable growth of shoots and leaves with those grown in seedbeds, irrespective of the fertilization, whereas spearmint organic fertilization reduced the growth of the aboveground parts of the seedlings, regardless of the cropping system. By contrast, fertilization treatments on both species’ seedling grown in float system showed better root length and higher root biomass accumulation. The survival percentage of seedlings after transplanting, as well as the subsequent growth of plants, were not seriously affected by the cropping system of the fertilization method during transplant production. Overall, we conclude that a float system can be used for the production of Ocimum basilicum and Mentha spicata seedlings under organic or inorganic fertilization.
Highlights
The orientation towards organic products and the adoption of production methods that are friendly to the environment are a top priority nowadays and within this area, it is important to investigate environmentally friendly methods for the production of seedlings of these plants.Float system technology is extensively used to produce tobacco seedlings in greenhouses, but is rarely used for the production of seedlings of horticultural crops (Biernbaum, 1992; Bilalis et al, 2009)
Basil seedlings grown in float system had better or comparable growth of shoots and leaves with those grown in seedbeds, irrespective of the fertilization, whereas spearmint organic fertilization reduced the growth of the aboveground parts of the seedlings, regardless of the cropping system
Ocimum basilicum seedling production Seed germination: Ocimum basilicum seeds germinated at a high rate (84.7-94.1%) in both cultivation systems with a T50 ranging from 5.40 to 7.18 days (Table 1)
Summary
The orientation towards organic products and the adoption of production methods that are friendly to the environment are a top priority nowadays and within this area, it is important to investigate environmentally friendly methods for the production of seedlings of these plants.Float system technology is extensively used to produce tobacco seedlings in greenhouses, but is rarely used for the production of seedlings of horticultural crops (Biernbaum, 1992; Bilalis et al, 2009). The method was investigated for the production of seedlings of several vegetable species, such as tomato (Rideout and Overstreet, 2003), broccoli (Niedziela and Gumbi, 1993) and cabbage (Frantz et al, 1998; Niedziela and Gumbi, 1993) and seedlings of various ornamental plants (Niedziela et al, 2005). They are currently used successfully for the production of leafy vegetables with a short cultivation period such as lettuce, spinach, rocket etc. The essential oils of Mentha spicata and Mentha piperita have been shown to possess insect-repellent properties and to inhibit the development of bacteria and fungi (Shylaja and Peter, 2004; Tassou et al, 2004)
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