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Basil (Ocimum basilicum L., Lamiaceae) is an herbal species cultivated primarily for culinary and aromatherapy. Basil plant height could reach more than 60 cm, and the plants tend to elongate, particularly in low-light environments. Our current study examined the potential uses of plant growth retardant paclobutrazol to control sweet basil height and improve potted basil’s ornamental quality. The treatment tested was paclobutrazol concentration at 0, 5, 10, and 20 ppm, applied as 100 mL media drenching per pot five weeks after planting. The control plants were water-drenched using the same volume at the same time. Basil treated with PBZ at 10 ppm or 20 ppm had significantly shorter, smaller shoot canopy diameter, node and leaf number than the control, but had a similar number of branches to the control. Basil treated with PBZ at 10 ppm or 20 ppm showed a more compact and bushy pot plants with the height to pot ratio of 1.5. Higher leaf chlorophyll, indicated by a higher index value, was recorded only with the PBZ concentration of 20 ppm compared to the control and the other PBZ concentrations. Basil growth responses to PBZ at 10 ppm were not significantly different from those treated with PBZ at 20 ppm, therefore the use of PBZ at a lower concentration (10 ppm) is preferable. Further studies should examine whether repeated PBZ applications at lower concentration is more effective in producing shorter and more compact pot plants. Resumo O manjericão (Ocimum basilicum L., Lamiaceae) é uma espécie herbácea cultivada principalmente para culinária e aromaterapia. A altura das plantas de manjericão pode chegar a mais de 60 cm e as plantas tendem a se alongar, principalmente em ambientes com baixa intensidade luminosa. Este estudo analisou os usos potenciais do paclobutrazol para controlar a altura do manjericão e melhorar sua qualidade ornamental em vasos. Os tratamentos testados foram as soluções de paclobutrazol a 0, 5, 10 e 20 ppm, aplicados via irrigação, 5 semanas após o plantio, na medida de 100 mL por vaso. As plantas controle foram molhadas com água em mesmo volume e período de aplicação. O manjericão tratado com PBZ a 10 ppm ou 20 ppm apresentou diâmetro de copa, número de nós e folhas significativamente menor do que o controle, mas teve um número de ramificações semelhante ao controle. O manjericão tratado com PBZ a 10 ppm ou 20 ppm apresentou plantas de vaso mais compactas e arbustivas com a relação altura para vaso de 1,5. A clorofila foliar mais elevada, indicada pelo índice maior, foi registrada apenas com a concentração de PBZ de 20 ppm em comparação com o controle e as outras concentrações de PBZ. Como as respostas de crescimento do manjericão ao PBZ a 10 ppm não foram significativamente diferentes daquelas tratadas com PBZ a 20 ppm, é indicado o uso de PBZ em uma concentração mais baixa (10 ppm). Estudos adicionais devem examinar se aplicações repetidas de PBZ em concentração mais baixa são mais eficazes na produção de plantas de vaso mais curtas e compactas.

Sweet basil is a perennial herb. Studies on in vitro cultivation of these plant species are scarce and inconclusive. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of culture medium concentration in combination with antioxidants and plant growth regulators on the in vitro growth and biochemical activity of sweet basil seedlings. Seeds of the ‘Genovese’ cultivar were inoculated into Murashige and Skoog culture medium supplemented with activated carbon and plant growth regulators 6-benzylaminopurine and α-naphthaleneacetic acid. The seedlings were grown under controlled conditions for 80 days and their biometric and biochemical characteristics evaluated. More abnormal seedlings were observed in the 100% medium with 30 g L−1 sucrose, 0.4 g L−1 6-benzylaminopurine, and 0.2 g L−1 α-naphthaleneacetic acid (T4) and the medium without regulators (T1). However, the T4 culture medium resulted in a higher leaf number and shoot dry mass. Antioxidant activity was higher in the seedlings grown in the culture medium composed of 100% medium + 3.0 g L−1 activated carbon + 0.4 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine + 0.2 mg L−1 α-naphthaleneacetic acid (T5) and that composed of 70% medium + 3.0 g L−1 activated carbon + 0.1 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (T3). The enzyme superoxide dismutase showed higher activity in all culture media than catalase or ascorbate peroxidase. Sweet basil seedlings growing in T4 and T1 medium showed the highest growth rate of shoots and the lowest antioxidant activity, whereas seedlings grown in T3 medium had the highest catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activity. O manjericão é uma erva perene. Objetivou-se com essa pesquisa avaliar a influência da concentração do meio de cultura associado a antioxidantes e reguladores de crescimento sobre o crescimento e atividade bioquímica de plântulas de manjericão cultivadas in vitro. Sementes da cultivar genovese foram inoculadas em meio Murashige e Skoog - MS suplementado com carvão ativado e reguladores de crescimento benzilamonopurina e ácido naftalenoacético. As plântulas cresceram em condições controladas durante 80 dias e após este período avaliou-se características biométricas e bioquímicas. Maior quantidade de plântulas anormais foi verificada no meio composto por MS 100%, sacarose 30 gL-1, BAP 0,4 gL-1 e ANA 0,2 gL-1 (T4) e (T1) sem reguladores. No entanto, esse mesmo tratamento incrementou o número de folhas, e massa e fresca seca das brotações. A atividade antioxidante foi maior nas plântulas que foram mantidas no T5 - 100% MS, carvão ativado 3,0 gL-1+ 0,4 mgL-1 BAP + 0,2 mgL-1 ANA e no T3 - 70% MS, carvão ativado 3,0 gL-1+ 0,1mgL-1 BAP. A análise enzimática revelou que a enzima superóxido dismutase apresentou maior atividade em todos os tratamentos quando comparada com a catalase e a ascorbato peroxidase. Sendo assim, as plântulas de manjericão genovese que cresceram no T4 e T1 apresentaram melhores médias de crescimento em folhas e menor atividade antioxidante. Já as plântulas que cresceram no T3 apresentaram médias maiores para as enzimas catalase e ascorbato peroxidase. &nbsp

Different techniques have been used to evaluate the energetic characteristics and damage to the photosynthetic apparatus of plants exposed to different stresses, including the measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence. The objective of this study is to evaluate the photosynthetic response by assessing the fluorescence parameters of chlorophyll a in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cv. Alfavaca Basilicão cultivated in a hydroponic deep-flow technique system using treated domestic wastewater. The study used a completely randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial scheme, in which the factors were the water source used for preparing the nutrient solution (tap water or treated domestic wastewater) and the height (upper and lower) of the platform of the cultivation system. The photosynthetic yield of the plants grown on the lower platform was comparatively lower regardless of the water source. However, there was no significant effect of the water source on the potential and effective quantum yields of photosystem II, indicating the absence of changes in the photosynthetic apparatus and photosynthetic yield of plants produced with treated domestic wastewater, suggesting the viability of this treatment for producing basil cv. Alfavaca Basilicão in hydroponic systems.

In irrigated crops, salinity is the main cause of the reduction of growth and productivity, with damage of the variability according to the sensitivity of the crop. The objective of this work was to evaluate the growth, water consumption and production of basil cv. Toscano Folha de Alface under saline stress, in different frequencies of recirculation of the nutritive solution and hydroponic systems. The experimental design was a completely randomized design, in a factorial scheme 3 x 2 + 1, where the first factor represents the concentrations of NaCl (0, 40 and 80 mmol L-1) and the second factor the recirculation frequencies of the nutrient solution (4 or 6 hours) in a deep flow hydroponic system (DFT), and an additional treatment with nutrient solution in hydroponic laminar flow system (NFT). The water consumption, growth variables and phytomass production and growth rates were evaluated. Reducing the frequency of recirculation of the nutrient solution to six hours does not cause significant reductions in water consumption, growth, phytomass production and absolute growth rate of basil. The water consumption, growth, phytomass production and the absolute growth rate of basil reduced with the use of saline nutrient solution, 40 and 80 mmol L-1 NaCl. The choice of the DFT or NFT hydroponic system does not cause significant changes in the variables analyzed in basil, under the conditions studied.

No semiárido brasileiro a falta de água de boa qualidade tem justificado o desenvolvimento de pesquisas científicas no aproveitamento de águas salobras. No presente trabalho avaliaram-se os efeitos de águas salobras em relação ao crescimento e à produção de plantas de manjericão em hidroponia, de outubro a novembro de 2012. Os tratamentos consistiram de quatro níveis de salinidade da água (1,45; 3,80; 6,08 e 8,48 dS m-1) obtidos pela adição de NaCl à água doce local, de um tratamento controle com essa água doce (0,29 dS m-1) e de um rejeito de osmose reversa (8,39 dS m-1) de um município do semiárido. Foram usadas 36 parcelas experimentais aleatorizadas em seis blocos. Os dados foram analisados mediante análise de variância e de regressão. Houve redução linear da produção de massa de matéria fresca e seca da parte aérea (MFPA e MSPA), com o aumento da salinidade, de 7,86 e 6,76% por acréscimo unitário na condutividade elétrica da água (dS m-1), respectivamente; não ocorreu diferença entre águas isosmóticas de NaCl e rejeito de dessalinização em referência à produção de MFPA. A altura de planta e a taxa de crescimento não indicaram a influência da salinidade no manjericão. As águas salobras não produziram sintomas depreciativos nas plantas. The scarcity of good quality water in the Brazilian semiarid region has justified the growth of scientific researches on the use of brackish water. In the present study the effects of brackish water on growth and production of basil plants were evaluated in hydroponic system during October-November 2012. The treatments consisted of four levels of salinity (1.45, 3.80; 6.08 and 8.48 dS m-1) obtained by adding NaCl to the local fresh water, a control prepared with the fresh water (EC=0.29 dS m-1) and a reverse osmosis reject (EC=8.39 dS m-1) of a municipality in the semiarid region. Thirty six plots were randomized into six blocks. Data were analysed by analysis of variance and regression. There was a linear reduction in the production of fresh and dry matter of shoots (FMS and DMS) with increase in salinity, corresponding to respectively, 7.86 and 6.76% with per unit increase in electrical conductivity (dS m-1); there was no difference between NaCl and isosmotic water of desalination reject in reference to the production of FMS. The plant height and growth rate did not indicate the influence of salinity on basil. The brackish waters produced no damage symptoms in plants.