Abstract:
Basil is an aromatic, medicinal, culinary, and multifunctional herb which is grown in
diferent 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
feld trial was conducted at Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary
Medicine (JUCAVM) in 2016 and 2017 to assess the efect 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. Te analysis of variance revealed that there were highly signifcant (p <
0.01) interaction efect of genotype with plant spacing for all parameters tested. Te
maximum essential oil yield (7.88 kg ha−1) was obtained from genotype BO-5 at 30
cm spacing, whilst the least (2.68 kg ha−1) was recorded from BO-1 at 40 cm spacing.
Te maximum oil content (101 mL g−1) was gained from BO-1 at 20 cm, but BO-3
at 30 cm spacing recorded the least oil content though there were no signifcant
diferences between the three treatment combinations. Further studies at diferent
locations and seasons will be important to for future local recommendations.
