Plant spacing and the yield of leaves and alkaloids in Duboisia myoporoides

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to determine the optimum inter-plant spacing for Duboisia myoporoides at Coorg, South India, where climatic conditions are cool and the natural water supply is suboptimal. Results indicate that the species should be grown at 1 m × 1 m spacing to maximize harvest of leaves and alkaloid. The alkaloid content in leaves varied in different seasons, being about 69 percent higher in leaves harvested in February as compared with those harvested in July or October.