Influence of the organic and mineral fertilization on cultivation of sweet basil cv. Genovese

Abstract

Sweet basil is a plant used for culinary, aromatics, and medical purpose. Despite its importance, scientific publications on sweet basil nutritional requirements for commercial proposes in the Northeast of Brazil are scarce. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the effect of organic and mineral fertilization, as well as harvest times on the biomass production and essential oil content of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cv. Genovese. The essays were carried out in the Rural Campus of “Universidade Federal de Sergipe” (UFS), under field conditions. The experimental design was random blocks, in a factorial system 5x3. Treatments comprised five types of fertilizers (Hortosafraâ fertilizer, chicken manure, chicken manure plus Hortosafraâ fertilizer, bovine manure, bovine manure plus Hortosafraâ fertilizer) and three harvest hours (08:00AM, Noon, and 4:00PM), with three replicants, Aerial dry matter production was significantly superior for plants fertilized with Hortosafraâ fertilizer plus chicken manure as compared to those plants fertilized with cow manure alone. Harvest time did not significantly affect plant essential oil content and yield of sweet basil cv. Genovese.