Abstract

Basil is an aromatic, medicinal, culinary, and multifunctional herb which is grown in different parts of Ethiopia. Although the oil distilled from the herb, as well as its herbal yields, are a crucial input in the pharmaceutical industry and for culinary purposes, the yield obtained is below its potential due to various challenges. Genotype and plant spacing are two of the factors which contribute to the low production of the crop. A field trial was conducted at Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (JUCAVM) in 2016 and 2017 to assess the effect of genotype and plant spacing on essential oil yield and other yield-related traits of this important herb. Four promising genotypes (BO-1, BO-3, BO-4, and BO-5) and three plant spacings (20, 30, and 40 cm) were studied in a 4 × 3 factorial design arranged as randomized complete blocks (RCBD) with three replications. Data on plant height, leaf area, number of primary branches, essential oil content and oil yield were collected and analyzed. The analysis of variance revealed that there were highly significant (<em>p</em> < 0.01) interaction effect of genotype with plant spacing for all parameters tested. The maximum essential oil yield (7.88 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) was obtained from genotype BO-5 at 30 cm spacing, whilst the least (2.68 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) was recorded from BO-1 at 40 cm spacing. The maximum oil content (101 mL g<sup>−1</sup>) was gained from BO-1 at 20 cm, but BO-3 at 30 cm spacing recorded the least oil content though there were no significant differences between the three treatment combinations. Further studies at different locations and seasons will be important to for future local recommendations.

Highlights

  • Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an important species of cultivated aromatic and medicinal plants belonging to the Lamiaceae

  • The tallest plant heights of 0.52 m and 0.48 m were recorded from genotypes BO-3 and BO-5, respectively, planted at the 20-cm spacing (Tab. 2)

  • The result of the present study revealed that the interactive effect of genotype and plant spacing on essence yield was highly significant (p = 0.0021)

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Summary

Introduction

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an important species of cultivated aromatic and medicinal plants belonging to the Lamiaceae (mint family). Alemu et al / Effect of genotypes and intrarow spacing on basil yield shown to display important effects at the cellular level, including a platelet antiaggregant property and inhibitory activity against HIV to decrease plasma lipid content. It has demonstrated strong hypolipidemic action in a murine model of induced hyperlipidemia, decreasing both plasma triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol in acute hyperlipidemia induced by Triton WR-1339 in rats [5]

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