Cultivation Artemisia annua

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Prepare the plot for transplanting at the same time as the seedbed. These operations are labor intensive and can be time consuming. They should be done about 2 months before planting.

1
Fence off

if possible, the growing area to avoid damage from wandering animals.

Cattle should not be allowed to enter the growing area [1].

2
Clear, harrow and surface plough

only if necessary. Avoid slash-and-burn agriculture which destroys soil life!

3
Rake

to remove stones and weeds.

4
Apply organic fertilisers

if the soil is poor (see AGRISUD Guide [3] p 97 to 103 - Organic manure).

5
Hoe

to loosen the soil and form cultivation beds or ridges as appropriate.

6
Dig furrows

(drainage channels) to drain the soil if the crop is grown in the rainy season.

Transplanting

1
Make a hole

approximately one hand deep (approx 20 cm, depending on the roots).

2
Water the hole

generously to loosen the soil and facilitate transplanting and recovery of young plants (in an intensive cultivation system with irrigation, irrigate the plot for 4 hours, about 15mm).

3
Crumble the soil

to remove any lumps and mix in a large handful of compost (approx 200 g).

4
Water

the seedbed to loosen the soil before removing the plants.

2
Transplant

the seedling, keeping a clod of earth around the roots!

3
Apply

2 large handfuls of compost in a circle around each plant to promote lateral root growth

IMPORTANT: Do not cover the leaves to avoid the risk of burning!

Nutrient inputs differ according to the type of compost. Compost made with poultry droppings provides about 3 times more nitrogen than compost made with donkey manure, cattle manure, pig manure or green waste. Triple doses of non-poultry manure compost!

BEWARE of early flowering! Make sure it is not due to water stress (excess or lack of water), too much sun, the physical impact of water on the plant or wind.
It is possible to cut back only the part of the plant that is flowering. When conditions return to more favourable levels, if daylight is not too short, the plant can stop flowering and resume its vegetative growth [4].
Since herbal tea must be harvested BEFORE fruiting, it is essential to harvest stressed plants as soon as the green flower buds or yellow flowers appear (see stages in the Artemisia annua, Artemisia afra and harvesting sheets). It is pointless and even counterproductive to harvest seeds from plants that are not very productive or that flower early. They will produce less productive or even unsuitable offspring.

Bibliography:

1. World Health Organisation. WHO monograph on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for Artemisia annua L. 2006.
http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/atoz/9241594438/en/

2. Sougnez A. Étude des principaux facteurs de la production de l’armoise annuelle (Artemisia annua L.) sur le domaine de l’organisation « Le Relais – Sénégal) : Effet de la densité et de la fertilisation. Master’s thesis bioengineer in agronomic sciences, under the supervision of Pr. Guy Mergeai, Gembloux, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège). 2017. (Study of the main factors in the production of annual mugwort (Artemisia annua L.) in the field at “Le Relais – Senegal: Effect of density and fertilisation).

3. AGRISUD. L’agroécologie en pratiques – GUIDE édition 2020. 2020. (Agroecology best practices)
http://www.agrisud.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Agrisud_Guide_Agroecologie_2020.pdf

4. Mergeai Guy. Research professor at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (Faculty of Agronomic Sciences at the University of Liège). Observations reported.

5. Guidigan D. Effet de l’urée et de l’étêtage sur la production de phytomasse et le développement phénologique de l’Artemisia annua Anamed au Sud Bénin : Cas de la ferme d’application et de production de la FSA sise à Sékou. Master’s thesis presented for the professional bachelor’s degree in agronomic sciences, option Aménagement et Gestion des Forêts et Parcours Naturels (AGFPN), under the supervision of Dr. Ir. Oscar TEKA, Université d’Abomey-Calavi. 2016. (Effect of urea and topping on phytomass production and phenological development of Artemisia annua Anamed in South Benin).
https://valtramed.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/memoire%20Darling.pdf