Different substrate compositions in the development of Brazilian berry in pots

The Brazilian berry (Pliniacauliflora, sin: Myrciariacauliflora Berg), a native tree of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, called by native people as “Jabuticaba” and cultivated throughout the national territory, is a species produced for consumption in natura, manufacturing liqueurs, ice cream, fermented drinks and juices, jellies, in addition to be used in the pharmaceutical industry for essential oil production. Despite being a tree species, it has been cultivated in pots by those who have little space. Thus, this study aimed to verify substrate compositions with soil in the development of Brazilian berry in full sun and potted. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 3 treatments and 9 replications, being: T1 – Soil + organic compost (1:1); T2 – Soil + sand (1:1); T3 – Soil + sand + organic compost (1:1:1). Chemical and physical properties of substrate mixtures, chlorophyll index and fresh and dry matter of leaves and analysis of leaf macro and micronutrients content were evaluated. Among the evaluated treatments, soil + sand + organic compost (1:1:1) showed favourable results for the evaluated characteristics, while soil + sand (1:1) showed unfavourable results, probably due to the presence of sand in its mixture.

MODELING OPEN AIR AND SHADE DRYING OF CORYMBIA CITRIODORA LEAVES FOR THE ESSENTIAL OIL PRODUCTION

In the literature, the drying mechanism were generally analyzed in terms of effective diffusivity through the pseudo first order diffusion model. This process was revisited through the modified Peleg model, assuming the drying as a moisture desorption versus drying time. The leaves of Corymbia citriodora acclimatized in the Congo Brazzaville “Plateau des Cataractes” were dried in open air and under shade thanks to a domestic scale of essential oil production. One obtains following model parameters: kinetic constant k1: 0.8555 - 2.1355 d.(g/g)-1, extraction capacity constant K2: 1.5255 - 1.8733 (g/g)-1; end equilibrium moisture X∞ = 0.53 - 0.66 g/g. and first order drying kinetic constant k = K2/k1: 1.71 - 1.78 d-1. Pseudo first order diffusion model fits experimental data with k = 0.368 - 0.587 d-1 and t1/2 = 1,18 - 1,88 d.. These results needed for the optimization of proccess and sizing equipments came from a fast graphic data processing, with low computer inputs.

Sprouting and rooting ability of the plus trees of Eucalyptus pellita, E. brassiana and its hybrid in Wanagama, Indonesia

The demand for eucalypts has greatly increased since they are raw materials for timbers, plywoods, pulp and papers, and essential oil production. This study aimed to select the plus trees and determine the sprouting and rooting ability of E. pellita, E. brassiana, and their hybrids in Wanagama. Plus trees selection and girdling were conducted in December 2019. Cuttings were picked from the 3rd-4th nodes of sprouting at 8-10 cm in length. A completely randomized design was applied in a factorial experiment with three levels of Indole Butyric Acid (IBA) (100, 1000, and 4000 ppm) and two types of media (media 1: sand, rice husk charcoal and cocopeat (2:2:1), media 2: sand, topsoil and dung-fertilizer (2:2:1)), with ten replications. Results selected a total of 53 plus trees candidates (29 of E. pellita, 12 of E. brassiana, and 12 of hybrid). E. pellita is the best in sprouting ability (100% survival; 41-60 shoot/trees, 127-161cm shoot length, 0.53-0.57cm shoot diameter, and 194-252 leaves/shoot). Cuttings of E. pellita treated with 100 ppm IBA gained the highest survival and leaves production (96%-100%; 14-16 leaves), followed by E. brassiana (52%-66.67%; 7 leaves) and the hybrid (4% to 8.33%; 3-4 leaves). These results may contribute to arranging better strategies for mass production of selected eucalypts.

Performanţele soiurilor-clone de lavandă (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.)

The varieties of L. angustifolia created are differ by terms of technical maturation: early - Moldoveanca 4, Favoare); (intermediates - Vis Magic 10, Aroma Unica); (late-Alba 7 and Svetlana). They are distinctive by a string of quantitative and qualitative characters (plant size, bush shape, inflo-rescence length, corolla color, floral spike length, floral stem length, number of floral stems, etc.). The productivity of these clone varieties varies depending on the annual cultivation conditions from 5.2 t/ha to 10.4 t/ha raw material production and 75-179 kg/ha essential oil production.

Pertambahan Biomassa dan Produksi Minyak Atsiri Tanaman Selasih (Ocimum basilicum L.) pada Usia Panen yang Berbeda

Selasih (Ocimum basilicum L.) memiliki kandungan minyak atsiri yang dapat digunakan dalam industri kosmetik, parfum, dan medis. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui hubungan usia panen dengan biomassa dan produksi minyak atsiri pada organ daun serta batang selasih. Penelitian menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) pola faktorial, dengan faktor pertama usia panen (1; 1,5; dan 2 bulan), dan faktor kedua organ tanaman (daun dan batang). Media tanam menggunakan tanah dan kompos (1:1) yang dimasukkan dalam polibag ukuran 30cm x 30cm, dan diberi naungan paranet 25%. Parameter yang diamati: data pertumbuhan (tinggi tanaman, jumlah daun dan cabang primer), biomassa, dan produksi minyak atsiri. Analisis data menggunakan Anaylysis of Variance (ANOVA) dan Duncan's Multiple Range Test(DMRT) pada taraf kepercayaan 95 %. Penelitian menunjukkan hasil bahwa tanaman yang dipanen pada umur lebih tua menunjukkan pertumbuhan, biomassa dan produksi minyak atsiri yang lebih tinggi. Pada usia 1,5 bulan, biomassa meningkat 114,485% dibanding usia 1 bulan, sedangkan pada usia 2 bulan, peningkatan biomasa 91,410% dibanding usia1,5 bulan. Produksi minyak atsiri tertinggi dihasilkan oleh organ daun pada usia panen 2 bulan sebesar 0,273g, dan 0,023g pada organ batang. Kesimpulan penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa usia panen berbeda berpengaruh nyata terhadap biomassa dan produksi minyak atsiri tanaman selasih. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) contains essential oils that can be used in the cosmetic, perfume, medical industries. This study aims to determine the relationship between harvest age and biomass and essential oil production in basil leaves and stems. The study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with a factorial pattern, with the first factor being harvest age (1; 1.5; and 2 months), and the second factor being plant organs (leaves and stems). The planting medium used soil and compost (1:1) which was put in 30cm x 30cm polybags and was given a 25% para net shade. Parameters observed: growth data (plant height, number of leaves, and primary branches), biomass, and essential oil production. Data analysis used Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at a 95% confidence level. Research shows that plants harvested at an older age show higher growth, biomass, and essential oil production. At the age of 1.5 months, biomass increased by 114.485% compared to the age of 1 month, while at the age of 2 months, the increase in biomass was 91.410% compared to the age of 1.5 months. The highest essential oil production was produced by leaf organs at 2 months of harvesting at 0.273g, and 0.023g in stem organs. The conclusion of this study showed that different harvest ages had a significant effect on the biomass and essential oil production of basil plants.

Production of seedlings of essential oil rose variety ‘Lada’ depending on the scheme and age of the nursery plot

Interest in essential oil production is reviving in Russia. Attention to essential oil rose as one of the main crops in essential oil production, therefore, grows too. Expensive planting material is one of the constraining factors in increasing the acreage of Rosa L. plantations. Green cutting is the most cost-effective method. However, it requires particular conditions for growing mother plants. The purpose of the research was to choose the optimal scheme of growing mother plants and determine the lifetime of the shrubs of essential oil rose variety ‘Lada’ to increase the yield of seedlings by rooting green cuttings. The studies were conducted between 2007 and 2015 at the trial fields of FSBSI “Research Institute of Agriculture of Crimea” located in the village of Krymskaya Rosa Belogorskiy district. Research material – essential oil rose variety ‘Lada.’ Climate of the study area – arid. The studies were carried out according to the methodology of field experiments on the technology of essential oil crops cultivation and guidelines for obtaining certified planting material. The nursery plot was laid in 2006. We studied two mother plant placement schemes (according to the feeding area) 0.50 × 0.15 m and 0.50 × 0.25 m. Field experiments were replicated four times. Accounting area – 17.5 m2. The maximum number of seedlings from 1m2 was obtained when mother plants were placed according to the scheme of 0.50 × 0.15 m. This scheme allowed obtaining 742 conditioned seedlings per one square meter for nine years of nursery plot exploitation or 7 to 136 young plants annually, depending on the age of the mother plants. The maximum number of green cuttings (283–296) per unit area was harvested for the eighth or ninth year of the nursery plot exploitation. The maximum number of seedlings (136) was obtained for the 8th year of nursery plot operation. The rooting rate of green cuttings harvested in the first year is not high – only 23 %. In the next five years, 50 to 65 % of green cuttings can root. From the 7th year of nursery plot operation, there is a decrease in the possibility to root (to 35–48 %).

Study of the genetic and phenotypic variation among wild and cultivated clary sages provides interesting avenues for breeding programs of a perfume, medicinal and aromatic plant

A road-map of the genetic and phenotypic diversities in both crops and their wild related species can help identifying valuable genetic resources for further crop breeding. The clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.), a perfume, medicinal and aromatic plant, is used for sclareol production and ornamental purposes. Despite its wide use in the field of cosmetics, the phenotypic and genetic diversity of wild and cultivated clary sages remains to be explored. We characterized the genetic and phenotypic variation of a collection of six wild S. sclarea populations from Croatia, sampled along an altitudinal gradient, and, of populations of three S. sclarea cultivars. We showed low level of genetic diversity for the two S. sclarea traditional cultivars used for essential oil production and for ornamental purposes, respectively. In contrast, a recent cultivar resulting from new breeding methods, which involve hybridizations among several genotypes rather than traditional recurrent selection and self-crosses over time, showed high genetic diversity. We also observed a marked phenotypic differentiation for the ornamental clary sage compared with other cultivated and wild clary sages. Instead, the two cultivars used for essential oil production, a traditional and a recent one, respectively, were not phenotypically differentiated from the wild Croatian populations. Our results also featured some wild populations with high sclareol content and early-flowering phenotypes as good candidates for future breeding programs. This study opens up perspectives for basic research aiming at understanding the impact of breeding methods on clary sage evolution, and highlights interesting avenues for clary breeding programs.