Sacred basil

• Scientific name: Ocimum sanctum L.

a. Environment:

• Tropical, subtropical and sub temperate climate.
• thrive well at a temperature of 42 ⁰c – 45 ⁰
• sandy loam to clayey soils.
• Soil PH: 4.5 – 7.5.

b. Cultivation:

• 2-3 cross ploughings; one harrowing and leveling with A well prepared drainage.
• Propagation:-Seeds
• Nursery Bed:- Flat or Raised bed . March – April. 300gms – 450gms of seeds / ha.
• Sowing / planting season – 4-6 weeks old seedlings or 10cm height plants
• Direct sowing – 450gms – 800gms / ha. The fresh seeds are directly broadcast in the main field.
• Spacing:- 50 x 50cm. or 60 x 40cm or 45 x30cm.apart.

c. Management:

• 20 – 25 tones of FYM /Compost / ha. Or 10-15 carts vermicompost/ha.
• 80:40:40 kg of NPK/ha. 2-3 split doses of N – fertilizer.
• One spitdose should be given at the time of flowering.
• 4-6 irrigations during the rain free period.
• 2-3 weeding and hoeing.

d. Diseases and insects pest:

1.Leaf spot (Cercospora canescens and Glomerella cigulata.)

2. Shot hole – Phyllosticta ocimicola.
3. Insect Pests:- Beetles and Caterpillars.

e. Harvesting:

• leaves and tender shoots should be harvested at full bloom stage.
• Harvesting of leaves can be started by stripping the leaves by hand after 3-4 months.
• Successive harvesting of leaves after an interval of 1-1,1/2 months.

f. Yield:-

• 40-50 tons of fresh herbs / ha and 50-70kg of oil/ ha.
• From 1000kg of flowering tops, 1-0.8 tons dry stems and 1.2 to 1.9 tons dry leaves /ha.
• 5kg of oil can be obtained. The oil yields 0.5 – 0.7 percent.

g. Chemical evaluation:

• Constituents:-The main constituents of the oil is Eugenol (55-60%) and 20% caryophyllene.
• The other chemical compounds are ocimine, cineole linalol, thymol, isoeugenol, cyamene, linonyl acetate, alpha-pinene, chavicol methyl ester carvacrol and methyl eugenol.

h. Uses:

• expectorant and antiseptic.
• The juice of leaves is useful in bronchitis, catarrh,digestive complaints, skin diseases and earache.
• To cure common colds, decoction of leaves is used.
• A decoction of root is used in malarial fever.
• The oil has the property to destroy insects are extensively used in herbal tea (Tulsi herbal tea).
• The leaves are used in gonorrhea, nephritis and internal piles.