TITLE:
Effect of Organic Amendment on the Growth of Artemisia annua in the North of Côte d’Ivoire
AUTHORS:
Sarah Konaré, Konan Alphonse Alui, Souleymane Silué, André Soro
KEYWORDS:
Artemisia annua, Compost, Soil Fertility, Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Soil Science,
Vol.13 No.11,
November
14,
2023
ABSTRACT: Malaria causes many deaths around the world,
particularly in Africa, which ultimately affects the socio-economic development
of African countries. The resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to
quinine-based drugs led to new studies showing the efficiency of new
artemisin-based drugs. The molecule artemisin is extracted from Artemisia
annua a plant from China that has been used for decades in traditional
Chinese medicine. The purpose of this study is to improve the production of
sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua)
using organic fertilizers in the north of Cote d’Ivoire.
To do so, a morpho-pedological characterization of the study site was firstly performed
to determine the soil type and their fertility level. Then, a randomized
complete block system including two factors (the quantity of compost and the
plant density) was implemented to test the effect of organic amendment and
plant arrangement on the growth of Artemisia
annua. Six treatments were set up: a control plot (no compost) where the
plants are arranged in square (T0D1) and the plants are arranged in staggered
(T0D2). Then, a treatment with compost addition of 25 t/ha where the plants are
arranged in square (T1D1) and in staggered (T1D2). A treatment with compost
addition of 50 t/ha where plants are arranged in square (T2D1) and in staggered
(T2D2). Our results showed that the soils hosting our experimentation are
Arenithic Plinthic Ferrasols with a very low level of fertility, prone to
leaching and erosion. T1D2 and T2D2 treatments obtained the highest yields of
2.82 t/ha and 3.91 t/ha, respectively. Our findings indicate that a high dose
of organic amendment combined with a staggered plant arrangement strongly
improves the biomass production of sweet wormwood. This is in agreement with
previous studies showing that the addition of organic matter can restore the
level of soil fertility by increasing soil porosity and the activity of micro
and macroorganisms.