Biomass and essential oil production of Ocimum selloi were evaluated, as a result of cutting of inflorescences and harvest times. The experiment was conducted in the field, in randomized blocks, with treatments distributed in a 2 x 8 factorial scheme, corresponding to two management systems (with and without inflorescence cutting) and eight harvest dates (45; 60; 75; 90; 105; 120; 135, and 150 days after seedling transplant), with four replications. Plant height and stems (SDW), leaves (LDW), and inflorescences dry weight (IDW), as well as essential oil content and yield were evaluated. Inflorescence cutting did not interfere with plant height. Intact plants were 51.8 cm tall in average, while those in which inflorescences were cut reached 53.2 cm as average height. Harvest times induced a quadratic plant growth, with the estimate of 65.9 cm as maximum height, to be achieved 139 days after the transplant (DAT). Plants in which inflorescences were cut produced larger SDW (51.8 g plant-1) and LDW (27.9 g plant-1) than intact plants (SDW = 42.4; LDW = 21.3 g plant-1) and, like IDW, SDW and LDW presented quadratic adjustment for the two management systems during the harvesting period. Essential oil content of dry leaves was not affected by management systems, but presented a quadratic answer to harvest times. Nevertheless, the average essential oil yield in plants in which inflorescences were cut was significantly higher (1.60 g plant-1) than in intact plants (1.18 g plant-1). Maximum essential oil yield estimated for plants in which inflorescences were cut was 2.36 g plant-1, to be obtained 135 DAT, while in intact plants, it was estimated to be 1.65 g plant-1, to be reached at 114 DAP.
Ocimum selloi; medicinal and aromatic plant; harvest time; management system
