ECONOMIC AND QUALITATIVE VALUE OF THE RAW MATERIAL OF CHOSEN SPECIES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM ORGANIC FARMING PART II. YIELD AND QUALITY OF SWEET BASIL HERB (Ocimum basilicum L.)

In 2005-2007, in a field experiment, the yield and quality of the basil herb of the Polish cultivar Kasia in organic farming were tested. The experiment was established on six organic farms and one conventional farm in different location in Poland. The following features were evaluated: fresh and dried herb yield, stem fraction in herb, seed yield, weight of 1000 seeds, essential oil content, macro- and microelements content and microbiological purity. Only from one organic farm in Sosk basil herb was yield higher compared with the yield from conventional cultivation, although it contained a high amount of stems. Organic basil herb was characterized by a high content of essential oil and an increased content of macro- and microelements. Evaluation of microbiological purity showed that herb contamination from both types of cultivation did not exceed the standard for raw materials treated with hot water.