Cultivating the Medicinal Plant Merwilla Natalensis as a Crop

Abstract

The indigenous South African medicinal plant, Merwilla natalensis, was cultivated in two different geographical regions with different climatic conditions. Bulbs grew exponentially reaching approximately 300 g fresh weight after 24 months in the field. Plants were cultivated under three different treatments. The results suggested that bulb growth was not dependent on additional fertilizer (organic or inorganic) or irrigation, as there were no significant differences (p=0.05) in the average dry weight of the bulbs grown under the three treatments. Irrigation had an effect on the growth of young plants, preventing senescence and causing the plants to grow during the dormancy period. Bulbs started flowering after two years of growing in cultivated fields. Bulbs seemed to flower more when irrigated.

Keywords

medicinal plants cultivation small-scale farming Merwilla natalensis

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