Effects of substrates on the emergence and growth of Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae) in soilless culture in Daloa (West Central Côte d'Ivoire)

Artemisia annua is a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and treat malaria and other parasitosis. However, the production of Artemisia annua seems to face many problems especially in the germination of grains making it difficult to grow this promising plant. The objective of this work is to contribute to the improvement of the emergence and growth of Artemisia annua in soilless culture. To do so, Artemisia annua seeds were sown in a germinator made of three organic substrates: simple soil, carbonized rice husk soil and soil-compost all supplemented with decomposed chicken droppings. After 24 days in the nursery, the seedlings were transplanted onto three growth substrates of the same composition as those in the nursery. The results showed that the substrate made of carbonized rice husk and soil, supplemented with chicken droppings is the best substrate. Plants growing on this substrate had a higher number of leaves (65 leaves/plant) with a height of 15 cm and a diameter of 9 mm than plants growing on the other two substrates. Moreover, the popularization of the results of this work will allow to intensify the culture of Artemisia annua but also to direct the actors of the sector of Artemisia annua towards new sustainable and more promising cultural techniques in order to eradicate malaria in Côte d'Ivoire and even in the sub-region.