S25 - Session O2 - Influence of planting density on photosynthetically absorbed radiation, biomass and artemisinin yield of the Artemisia annua L. cultivar Apollon

Authors: Christoph Carlen *, Bastien Christ , Xavier Simonnet

Malaria is among the most serious human parasitic diseases in the world. Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone endoperoxide, is a secondary metabolite of Artemisia annua L., that is used in combination therapies to treat malaria. For sourcing of plant material, cultivars of A. annua with high artemisinin content are required such as the Swiss cultivar Apollon. To optimize the production system with Apollon a density trial was conducted to analyze the impact of five planting densities (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 5.0 plants m -1 ) on plant development, interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), yield parameters and artemisinin content at the harvest at beginning of flowering. Results showed that the most suitable population density, giving the highest leaf yields and artemisinin contents was of 5.0 plants m -1 . The higher the interception of PAR was in relation to the density, the higher was the yield, as well as the artemisinin contents. However, profitability was highest for a plant density of about 2.0 plants m -1 due to lower plantlet costs. In conclusion, a plant density of about 2.0 plants m -1 is recommended for the production of the A. annua cultivar Apollon.