Germination and Growth of Artemisia annua Seedlings in the Ivorian Coastal Zone: Case of the CNRA Marc DELORME Station
GBADOUO Grodji Serge Olivier *
Department of Plant Biology, Unit of Training and Research in Biological Sciences, Péléforo Gon Coulibaly University, Post Office Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire and National Agricultural Research Center, Marc DELORME Station, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
LEKADOU Tacra Thierry
National Agricultural Research Center, Marc DELORME Station, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
COULIBALY Lacina Fanlégué
Department of Plant Biology, Unit of Training and Research in Biological Sciences, Péléforo Gon Coulibaly University, Post Office Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire.
OCHOU Germain Elisabeth Cynthia
National Agricultural Research Center, Marc DELORME Station, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
DJAHA Konan Engueran
National Agricultural Research Center, Marc DELORME Station, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
AKPRO Lathro Anselme
National Agricultural Research Center, Marc DELORME Station, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
YEO Navigué Abou
Department of Plant Biology, Unit of Training and Research in Biological Sciences, Péléforo Gon Coulibaly University, Post Office Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire.
DOGBA Mathieu
Department of Plant Biology, Unit of Training and Research in Biological Sciences, Péléforo Gon Coulibaly University, Post Office Box 1328 Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire.
BAKOUME Claude
Agri-Performances Sarl, 28 P.O. Box 1548 Abidjan 28, Côte d’Ivoire.
ZAKRA Nicodème
National Agricultural Research Center, Marc DELORME Station, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Artemisia annua is a cultivated plant originating from China used in the treatment of malaria. It has recently been introduced in Côte d’Ivoire where the production of seedlings is not yet mastered. The study evaluated the suitability of 6 different substrates, including four composts, to ensure seed germination on one hand and seedling growth on the other hand. Seedlings from a compost substrate were transplanted into pots containing an identical substrate in each of the nurseries under shade, open air, and greenhouse. On average, 80% of seeds germinated on each of the compost substrates, 26% on bare soil, and 40% on fallow soil under Pueraria phaseoloïdes. Two weeks after transplanting the seedlings into the nursery, high chlorophyll contents were obtained from seedlings produced on coconut sawdust + P. phaseoloïdes compost (21.51 ± 6.6 SPAD), pig manure + P. phaseoloïdes + Panicum maximum compost (22.18 ± 6.18 SPAD), and coconut coir + P. phaseoloïdes compost (22.75 ± 5.57 SPAD). Furthermore, the open-air nursery allowed obtaining larger seedlings (height: 6 ± 0.52 cm), with a high average collar diameter (2.45 ± 0.85 mm), numerous and long leaves (18.59 ± 0.44 and 10.90 ± 0.28 cm, respectively).
Keywords: Artemisia annua, germination, substrate type, chlorophyll content, nursery type