Influence of different types of organic fertilizers on growth and essential oil yield of sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)
2002
de la Pena, M.G.A. | Reglos, R.A. | De Guzman, C.C. (Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). Dept. of Horticulture)
The leaves of sweet basil are used as natural flavoring materials and as herbal medicine. An essential oil extracted from its leaves can be used in making perfumes. The response of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) to three organic fertilizers, namely, azolla (40 g per plant), chicken manure (50 g per plant), and carabao manure (200 g per plant) was studied and compared with that of unfertilized plants and plants given complete fertilizer (10 g per plant). The amount of each organic fertilizer added in the soil 5 weeks before planting was based on the N content of the complete fertilizer (14-14-14), which is an inorganic fertilizer. The numerical values 14-14-14 refer to the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the fertilizer. In general, the growth of sweet basil applied with azolla, chicken manure or carabao manure was better than that of unfertilized plants but not as good as the growth of plants given complete fertilizer. The organic fertilizers were comparable to each other in terms of growth measures, except for ratio of the weight of the shoot to that of the root. Percent essential oil content of sweet basil that had been treated with either organic or inorganic fertilizers was generally lower than that of the unfertilized plants. In contrast, the highest essential oil yield on a per plant basis was observed in sweet basil supplied with complete fertilizer because these plants produced more leaves compared to plants given to other fertilizer treatments
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