Efficiency of application of different forms of superabsorbents in crops of basil

Abstract

The main factors limiting the productivity of vegetables are the arid climate and uneven rainfall, but the use of absorbents can solve this problem. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of absorbents on the productivity of basil. This study used field and laboratory measurements, statistical, computational and analytical methods. The study revealed that absorbent in a form of gel positively influenced the increase of the leaf area index (+7.26% in Badioryi cultivar, +8.20% in the Rutan cultivar – leaf area, +34.55% in the Badioryi cultivar, 37.43% in the Rutan cultivar – leaf area index). Absorbents contributed to a slight decrease of sugar content (-0.86-2.68% in the Badioryi cultivar, -1.48–2.35% in the Rutan cultivar) and content (-8.8-13.2%) and yield of the essential oil (-19.6-39.5) in both cultivars. The activity of APX, CAT, SOD, tended to decrease in all variants, regardless of the form of the absorbent: APX (-12.8-35.1%), CAT (-10.9-22.0%), SOD (-11.9-17.0%).