The Effect of Different Cutting Interval on some Yield and Quality Characteristics of Green and Purple Basils (Ocimum basilicum L.) Types

ABSTRACT: In this study, it was aimed to research the effect of different harvest periods on the some yield and quality characteristics of in purple and green sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). The field experiments were conducted in the experimental fields of Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University , Bornova/Izmir in the growing seasons of the 2013 and 2014. In the trials, two genotypes of basil (purple and green) plants were firstly harvested after 40 days from transfering to the field and six different harvesting times were performed with 15 days interval. The plant height (cm), fresh herbage yield (kg da-1), drug herbage yield (kg da-1), drug leaves yield (kg da-1), essential oil content (%) and essential oil yield (l da-1) were determined. For all characteristics, the combined variance analyses were carried out for mean values over two years. Results from variance analyses indicated to be significant differences among means of both harvest intervals and populations for all characteristics studied. The population x harvest times x year interactions were found not to be significant while the population x harvest time interaction were significant for all characteristics. For harvesting intervals, mean drug leaf yields varied between 201.25 and 295.90 kg da-1 in the first year (2013), 221.62 and 348.91 kg da-1 in the second (2014) year and mean essential oil yields varied between 1.35-2.35 l da-1 in the first year, 1.43-2.94 l da-1 in the second year. The highest means were found in the green population of basil at the 2nd harvest (harvested after 55 days from transfering to the field), 3rd harvest (harvested after 70 days from transfering to the field) and 4th harvest times for all characteristics. The lowest means were mostly obtained from the all characteristics except essential oil content in purple population at the times of 5th harvest (harvested after 100 days from transfering to the field) and 1st harvest (harvested after 40 days from transfering to the field) harvest times. The highest means were simultaneously achieved in the green population of basil at the 2nd harvest (harvested after 55 days from transfering to the field) and 4th harvest (harvested after 85 days from transfering to the field) harvest times for drug herbage yield, drug leaf yield and essential oil yield. As a result, the use of green population of basil and the realizing of harvest at the 2nd harvest (harvested after 55 days from transfering to the field) or 4th harvest (harvested after 85 days from transfering to the field) times were suggested to