CULTURE OF Lippia turbinata (GRISEB) (VERBENACEAE) "POLEO" IN DIFFERENT IRRIGATION CONDITIONS

MORICONI J I; FERNANDEZ E A; MARTINEZ E.

Merlo - San Luis - Argentina

Congreso; XXII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2004

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

The poleo (leaves and flowers) is classified under the Food Argentine Code for the preparation of drinks by distillation, infusion and softened. There is submitted to a commercial system clearly extractive, which might drive to a dangerous decrease of its population. The green yield - dry in leaves is 12% (Schiuma, 1997) in plants that grow spontaneously. This work has for objective determine the yield of dry matter in plants cultivated in conditions of irrigation and dryness. The plants obtained of seed (mericarpo) were tried after 10 months of culture. Measured up length and number of branches and cut to 10 cm of the soil. The vegetable material removed was weighed and dried during 48 h, to a temperature of 60 °C. The obtained data average were: 4.63 branches, 81 cm of height and 28,50% of dry matter in plants with watering and 2.73 branches, 71 cm of height and 28,14% of dry matter in plants cultivated in unirrigated land. Although the test will be repeated, this information suggests an important morpho-physiological adjustment of this species to changing environmental conditions, like, for example, water availability.