Feasibility of Direct Seeding for Stand Establishment of Field-grown Basil

Six experiments were conducted on 'Genovese' basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in Oklahoma to study the feasibility of establishing basil in the field by direct seeding. Variables examined included use of raw seed or pelleted seed, seeding depth, seeding rate, and comparison with transplanting. Direct seeding was done using a hand-pushed planter (first four experiments), a tractor-drawn planter (fifth experiment), or both types of planter (sixth experiment). Plants were destructively harvested by machine. Stands were established successfully using transplants or using raw or pelleted seed with a hand-pushed planter. Planting at a depth of approximate to 10 mm resulted in lower yields than planting at a depth where seeds barely were covered with soil (approximate to 5 mm). Seeding rates of approximate to 80 seeds/m led to higher final stands and higher yields than those obtained with seeding rates of approximate to 30 seeds/m. These studies were not designed to test effects of plant population on basil yield, but data suggest that final stands above the common recommendation of one plant per 30.5 cm in rows spaced 90 cm apart may result in yield increases. Plots direct-seeded with the tractor-drawn planter failed to establish in the fifth experiment. Plants established using pelleted seed with the hand-pushed planter did not differ from plants established by transplanting in cumulative yields in the sixth experiment, even though the transplanting treatment allowed one additional harvest. The lowest cumulative yields in the sixth experiment came from plants established using pelleted seed with the tractor-drawn planter. Thus, direct seeding of basil was successful only with a hand-pushed planter. While direct seeding is a potentially viable alternative to transplanting for basil stand establishment, there is a need to identify a tractor-drawn seeder that can plant basil at the required shallow depth. In the interim, large-scale producers of basil should continue to use transplants to obtain reliable stand establishment.