Organic Farming in Herbal spices by Shivanand M.R

University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot

Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture,Arabhavi

CURRENT STATUS OF ORGANIC PRODUCTION PRACTICES IN HERBAL SPICES

By, SHIVANAND M. R UHS11PGM143 Jr. MSc. (Hort.) Department of “PMA”

PRESENTATION ON,

What is organic farming?

It is a method of farming system which primarily aimed at cultivating the land and raising crops in such a way, as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials along with beneficial microbes (biofertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in an eco-friendly pollution free environment.

COMPONENTS OF ORGANIC FAMING

Principles in Organic Farming

Herbal spices

Herbal spices are those herbs whose leaves are mostly used for seasoning the dishes.

These include, Basil Common mint Rosemary Thyme Parsley Sage Savory

ORGANIC CULTIVATION OF SACRED BASIL

Ocimum sanctum is commonly known as Tulsi or Holy Basil,

which is a species worshipped by the Hindus.

Ocimum sanctum belongs to family Lamiaceae. Among

different species of genus Ocimum, the species sanctum

occupies wide range of habitats.

Among Indian species, Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum

sanctum have the widest distribution, which cover the entire

Indian subcontinent.

Origin: Africa

Basil is used in some perfumes and for scenting of soaps of high quality.

In flavouring of toothpaste and various food products. Basil oil is extensively used as flavouring agent in confexanery,

baked foods, sauces, ketchup, pickles, fancy vinegars, spice meats, sausages and beverages.

Dental and oral preparations. Insecticidal and insect repellent properties; it is effective against

houseflies and mosquitoes. Leaf juice has narcotic effect and gives relief in irritation of

throat and also for ring worm. Seeds possess demulcent, stimulant, dieuretic, diaphoretic and

cooling properties, effectives in piles and constipation.

USES

The oil extracted from the leaves is reported to

possess antibacterial and insecticidal properties, and

is effective as a mosquito repellent.

The aromatic compounds found in the essential oils

of Ocimum sanctum are mainly the mono-terpenes,

sesquiterpenes and phenols, alcohols, esters,

aldehydes, ketones and others.

Ocimum sanctum

Ocimum sanctum seeds

The genus Ocimum belongs to subfamily Ocimoideae of the family

Lamiaceae.

The plants of Ocimum sanctum are predominantly shrubs and herbs

and are perennial in habit.

The plants are usually much branched. Stems and twigs are usually

quadrangular.

Young twigs are greenish, purplish or brownish in colour.

The leaves are simple, petiolate and ovate. They possess glandular

hairs or stalked and sessile glands which secrete volatile oils and

they exhibit racemose type of inflorescence.

Flowers are hermophordite, zygomorphic and complete.

Seeds are mostly brownish, globose or subglobose and are shining

or non-mucilaginous.

BOTANY

VARIETIES:

Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow has

released the varieties CIM-Ayu, CIM- Angna and CIM-Kanchan.

SOIL AND CLIMATE :

Ocimum sanctum thrives well on a variety of soils and climatic

conditions. Rich loam to poor laterite, alkaline to moderately acidic soils are

well suited for cultivation of Ocimum sanctum. Well drained soils help in

better vegetative growth.

It flourishes under fair to high rainfall and humid conditions. Long

days and high temperatures have been found to be favourable for plant growth

and higher oil production. Tropical and subtropical climate is suited for its

cultivation. Waterlogged conditions can cause root rot and result in stunted

growth. So proper drainage should be provided.

NURSERY PREPARATION

Raised seedbeds should be prepared and well manured by

addition of farmyard manure about at 15 t/ha as basal dose.

The seeds should be sown in the nursery. About 20-30g seeds

are enough to raise the seedlings for planting one hectare land.

After sowing the seeds in the nursery, a mixture of FYM

/Vermicompost and soil is thinly spread over the seeds and

irrigated with a sprinkler hose.

The seeds take about 8-12 days to germinate and seedlings are

ready for transplanting in about 6 weeks time.

Raised beds for nursery Ocimum planting material

SPACING :

Spacing of 60 × 60 cm is found suitable for Ocimum sanctum.

TRANSPLANTING :

The seedlings that are 5-6 cm long are ready for transplanting (i.e 4-5

weeks old seedlings).

IRRIGATION :

The crop is irrigated immediately after planting. Seedlings are

established well by the time of second irrigation. It is the right time to get

the gaps filled and replace the weak plants so that uniform stand is

achieved. In summer 3-4 irrigations per month are necessary whereas

during the remaining period, irrigation is given as and when required.

About 20-25 irrigations are enough during a year.

In Ocimum sanctum, weeds like Cyanodon

dactylon and Cyperus rotundus can be

troublesome. Before transplanting deep ploughing

has to be done and all the roots of the weeds are

collected manually and removed. Under well

managed conditions 4 or 5 weedings are enough.

WEEDING

PESTS AND DISEASESOcimum sanctum is a hardy crop and no serious pests and diseases

have been reported. In some situations like waterlogged conditions root-rot

may occur. To avoid this, proper drainage system has to be maintained. If the

problem becomes serious drenching has to be done with 3% NSKE.

Under cloudy conditions it is noticed that incidence of Tingid bug

namely Cochlochilo bullita (family: Tingidae) can cause serious damage by

sucking the sap from leaves and causing defoliation and ultimately death of

whole plant. To avoid this, as a precautionary measure, a foliar spray of 0.2 %

neem oil has to be given and the spraying is repeated every 15 days till clear

weather prevails.

HARVESTING

Ocimum sanctum is ready for first havest 90-95 days after planting.

Subsequent harvests are taken approximately once in three months.

For leaf production, the crop has to be harvested at flower

initiation.

The crop should be cut at 15-20 cm above the ground level.

The harvesting is done in such a way that most of the tender shoots

are cut leaving the woody stem portions for regeneration.

POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT:

Pharmaceutical companies prefer to buy dry herb for

extraction of active constituents. For this Ocimum sanctum herb

has to be shade dried for about 8-10 days by thinly spreading on

gunny bags, preferably in well aerated drying sheds. The material

must be turned over frequently to prevent fungal attack. The

moisture content in the dried herb should be less than 10%.

YIELD:

From well managed organically grown Ocimum sanctum

crop 12-15 t / ha fresh herb (equivalent to 2.4 to 3 t / ha dry

matter) can be obtained in a year. Essential oil content in whole

plant ranges between 0.25-0.47% on fresh weight. Young

inflorescence contains 0.3-0.5% and whole herb 0.10-0.25%. Oil

yields of 30-40 kg flower oil and 20-25 kg whole plant oil per ha.

Sweet/ French basil: Ocimum basilicum

Nutrient management:

Application of FYM/ compost at 15 t/ha is

recommended.

Weed management:

First weeding is done 1 month after planting

and second one 4 weeks after the first. One

hoeing 2 months after transplanting is sufficient.

Pest management

Aphid: Aphis gossypii

Spraying 2% neem/ pongamia oil causes

considerable mortality of aphids.

Tingid bug: Monanthia globulifera

Spraying 1% neem/ pongamia oil causes

considerable mortality of bugs.

ORGANIC CULTIVATION OF MINTS

Plant Profile: Family : Lamiaceae

English name : Mint

Indian name : Pudina, Putiha (Sanskrit)

Pudina (Hindi & Kannada)

Putina (Tamil)

Podina (Telugu)

Species : Mentha arvensis (Japanese mint)

M. piperita (Peppermint)

M. spicata (spearmint)

M. citrata (Bergamot mint)

Japanese Mint (Mentha arvensis) Pepper Mint (Mentha piperita)

Spear Mint (Mentha spicata) Bergamot mint (Mentha citrata)

Common name Botanical name Main constituents of mentha oil

Japanese mint

Pepper mint

Bergamot mint

Spear mint

Scotch spear mint

Garden mint

Mentha arvensis

M. Piperita

M.citrata

m. Spicata

m. cardiaca

M. viridis

Menthol (70-80 %)

Menthol (35-50 %)

Linalool and linalyl acetate (45 %)

Carvone (60-95%)

Carvone (53-68 %)

Carvone (very less)

Mint species and their main constituents

USES

Essential oil: In ointments, pain balms, cough syrup Flavoring agent: tooth pastes, candies, chewing

gum Cosmetics: deodorant, aftershave lotions Japanese and pepper mint: Menthol- ointments,

pain balms, cough syrupSpear mint and scotch spear mint : Carvone-

perfumery and flavouring industriesBergamot mint: linalool- cosmetic industries

SOIL

Medium to fertile deep soil, rich in humus is ideal

The soil should have good water holding capacity but water logging should be

avoided.

A pH range of 6-7.5 is ideal.

CLIMATE

Japanese mint can be grown in all tropical and subtropical areas under irrigation.

However, it does not tolerate damp winters which cause root rot.

Pepper mint and spear mint cannot be grown profitably in tropical and subtropical

areas, specially with very high summer temperature (41OC) and the ideal yield is

obtained only in humid and temperate conditions like Kashmir and hills of UP

and HP.

Open sunny situation without excessive rains during the growing period are

congenial for good growth and development of the oil.

Bergamot mint can be grown even in temperate climate, when it gives higher

yields.

VARIETIES OF MINT

JAPANESE MINT : (Mentha arvensis)

Highly branched and grow up to 1 meter tall

Oil content -0.5 -1%

Broad ovate leaves

Presence of glandular hairs on leaves, stem and calyx

VARIETIES:

Shivalik, EC-41911, Himalaya (MAS-1), Kalka (Hyb-77), Kosi,

Saksha, Gomati, Damroo, Sambhav, Kushal, MAS-2.

PEPPER MINT: (Mentha piperita)

Height of 45 -80 cm tall

Oil content is 0.3-0.7 %

VARIETIES:

Kukrail

Pranjal

CIM Madhuras

CIM Indus

Tushar

SPEAR MINT (Mentha spicata)

• Perennial herb

• Height of 90 cm tall

• Oil content 0.6 %

• High carvone content

VARIETIES: CIMAP-MSS-1 CIMAP-MSS-5 CIMAP-MSS-98 Punjab spearmint-1 Ganga Neerkalka

BERGAMOT MINT : ( Mentha citrata) Branching, perennial herb60 cm talloil content 0.4-0.5%oil emits lemon like smell

VARIETIES: Kiran * It has high oil content and quality.

* Mutant selection developed by gamma irradiation at CIMAP Lucknow.

CULTIVATION ASPECTS

PROPAGATION: Mints are propagated through the creeping stolons,

suckers or runnersStolons are obtained from previous years plantingBest time for obtaining stolons is during the months of

December-January.

Nutrient management: To promote establishment and good crop growth

in early stages, addition of well rotted FYM/compost at 20-25 t/ha at the time of land preparation is recommended.

Planting

In the plains, planting is done during winter months, whereas in

temperate climate, planting is done in autumn or spring from last

week of December to 1st week of March or from 1st week of

January to 3rd week of February.

Late planting always gives poor yield.

Mints require thoroughly ploughed, harrowed fine soil. All the

stubbles of weeds should be removed before the crop is planted.

The stolons are cut into small pieces (7-10 cm) and planted in

shallow furrows of about 7-10 cm deep at a distance of 45-60 cm

from row to row manually or mechanically.

Stolons are planted half way down on inner side of the ridges.

IRRIGATION AND INTERCULTURE

Water requirement of mints is very high. Depending on soil and climatic conditions the crop is irrigated 6-

9 times before the first monsoon. The crop requires three irrigations after monsoon. Japanese mints require fifteen irrigations for getting maximum

yield.

Weed management: Weeds are known to cause 70-75% reduction in yield. Weeds may reduce both herb

and oil yields. The critical period of weed competition has been found to be 30-90 DAP and 16-45

days after first harvest. Four to five manual weedings are required. In sucker planted crop, 3 weedings have to be done at 45, 65 and 80 DAP, while 2

more weedings are done after 30 & 45 days after harvest. In transplanted crop, 2-3 weedings are sufficient. Mulching with citronella distillation waste and sugarcane leaves can be used to

control weeds. Crop rotation may also help to maintain a reasonable control on weed growth. Paddy as a preceding crop in rotation with mint has been found to minimize weed

competition 30-40%. The following crop rotations may be followed:

Mint- Early paddy- Potato Mint- Maize- Potato Mint- Maize- Rape seed/ mustard Mint- paddy

PLANT PROTECTION

Pest management: Semi looper : Thysanoplusia orichalcea Control: Spraying of 4% NSKE or 1% Neem oil Aphid: Aphis affinis Control: Spraying 4% PSKE or 1% Neem oil

Disease management: Stolon rot: Macrophomina phaseoli Control: Avoid excess irrigation, uproot and burn the

affected plants, apply trichoderma sp. to soil

HARVESTING AND YIELD Generally the crop is harvested 100-120 days after planting when

the lower leaves start turning yellow. Further, harvesting should be

done in bright sunny weather.

Harvesting consists of cutting the green herb by means of sickle 2-3

cm above the ground.

A second harvest is obtained 80 days after the first harvest and the

third after about another 80 days.

The first crop is ready by the end of June and the second in

September or October.

A good crop can give as high as 48000 kg of fresh herb per hectare.

However, the average yield from three cuttings is 20,000 to 25,000

kg which in turn may yield about 50-70 kg oil per hectare.

EXTRACTION AND STORAGE

Harvested herb may be wilted in shade for a few hours Both fresh and dry herb used for distillation To get better result herbage should be shade dried for a day

before it is distilled Steam distillation usually prepared and duration of

distillation is 1.5-2 hours Impurities present in oil can removed by filtration Moisture present oil can be removed by application of

anhydrous sodium sulphate GI or aluminium containers are suitable for long time

storage

Different types of Mint Oil

ORGANIC CULTIVATION OF THYME

• Thymus vulgaris is indeed the most important species and is widely used as a flavouring agent, a culinary herb and as a herbal medicine.

• The genus Thymus belongs to the Labiate family (Lamiaceae).

• Thymus vulgaris is native to southern Europe, from Spain to Italy.

• It is commonly cultivated there as well as in most mild-temperate and subtropical climates, which include southern and central Europe.

USES

It helps in digestion of fat

Thyme tea -excellent for cough and cold.

Helps to digest all foods.

Induce appetite.

'Thymol ' has antiseptic properties.

Effective in Mucous membranes in lungs and stomach.

Oil of thyme - used in ointments, bath, toothpaste and mouth

washes.

Soil:

The plant prefers a light but fertile and calcareous

soil for good growth and oil content. But on heavy, wet

soils the aroma of the leaves will be less and there are

chances that the plants may dry up soon.

Climate:

A warm climate is best suited for this crop. It can

be grown both in the hills and the plains. Hilly regions

are best suited for its cultivation.  The plants are

susceptible to frost.

Season:

The seeds may be sown in nursery during April. Late summer

is the time for transplanting the seedlings or planting rooted

cuttings.

Propagation:

Thyme can be propagated by seeds and vegetatively by

division of old plants or by cuttings or by layering of side shoots in

March or April. The seeds are sown directly in rows or the seeds are

sown in well prepared nursery beds in good soil. 3% solution of

Panchagavya solution can be used to soak the seeds or cuttings for

20 minutes before planting. This treatment increases the

germination of the seeds or rooting percentage of the cuttings. Good

soil is preferred for nursery because the seedlings are very small and

remain inconspicuous for several weeks after germination.

Land preparation:

The land is prepared well by repeated ploughing or digging

and brought to a fine tilth. Then the land is divided into plots of

convenient size.

Sowing/planting:

When the seeds are sown directly, they can be sown in rows

90 cm apart and later when the seeds germinate the seedlings

may be thinned out to 30-45 cm within the row. While, planting

the seedlings or rooted cuttings or layers etc, they are planted 30-

45 cm apart in rows, 60cm apart. A light irrigation is provided

after planting.

Manures and fertilizers

Application of well decomposed farmyard manure @ 50 t/ha and

biodynamic compost @ 5 t/ha

Application of vermicompost @ 5 t/ha

Application of Neem cake @ 1.25 t/ha

Application of Azospirillum and Phosphobacterium @ 25 kg/ha

Foliar spraying of Panchagavya, an organic preparation @ 3 per

cent at monthly intervals should be done. Spraying panchagavya

5 times a year will increase the yield and quality of the green

leaves.

Irrigation:

Since, the crop is planted late in summer, the crop requires frequent irrigations during the dry period.

Intercultural operations:

Intercultural operations and weeding are done at regular intervals to encourage good growth of plants. In the hills in order to avoid frost injury to plants during winter, mulching is done. Foliar spraying of 5% neem oil, 10% vermiwash and 3% dasagavya should be done once in a month.

The plant is not damaged by any pest of serious

nature, but wilt disease is a major problem in this

crop.

This disease can be controlled by improving the

phytosanitation.

Pests and Diseases

Harvesting and yield

The leaves and flowers which are used for culinary and medicinal

purposes are harvested five months after sowing/planting.

The leaves and flowers are plucked from the plants or shoots of about

15 cm are cut off from the plants, dried in shade or in dryer

immediately after harvest and stored in air tight containers to prevent

the loss of flavour.

The dried leaves are curled, brownish - green colour, usually not

longer than 6-7mm.

The dried shoots may also be powdered and packed.

Under favourable conditions the yield of dry herb is around

1,100 - 2200 kg per hectare.

The yield is comparatively low during the first year.

The plants become woody, and replanting becomes necessary

after three or four years.

For extracting the oil, fresh herb is collected at the stage

when it just start flowering.

At the time of collection the lower portions of the stem, along

with any yellow or brown leaves needs to be rejected.

REFERENCES

• Amit, C., Rahman, L., Verma, R.S., Anand, s.,verma, R.k., Ajith, K.Y., Kukreje, A.k, and Khanuja, S.P.S., 2009, Improved varietal development of medicinal and aromatic plants A review. J. medicinal and aromatic plant sci., 31(3):246-255.

• Nagaraj., 2007, Organic cultivation of Bacopa monnieri and Ocimum sanctum, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Resource Centre, Allalasandra, Bangalore - 560065.

• Parvatha Reddy, 2008, Organic farming for sustainable horticulture. Pg. No.: 289 -291.