This document provides information about the cultivation and processing of the medicinal plant Ocimum tenuiflorum, also known as tulsi. It discusses the parts and varieties of tulsi plants, their medicinal uses, cultivation methods including soil and climate requirements, irrigation, manure and fertilizers, pest management, harvesting, and post-harvest processing. It also includes a cost-benefit analysis of tulsi farming and information about government loans and subsidies available to support tulsi cultivation in India.

1. Cultivation and processing of medicinal plant
Ocimum tenuiflorum ( tulsi )
submitted to :- Submitted by:-
dr. jai kumar sir Pankaj kumar
roll – 58
semester- vi
session – 2017-18

2. Index
• Introduction
• Parts of Tulsi plants
• Main varieties of Tulsi in India
• Medicinal uses
• Cultivation and processing
• Manure and fertilizers uses in Tulsi plantation
• Intercultural activities
• Harvesting of Tulsi
• Post harvesting operation
• Grading packaging and sale of Tulsi produce
• Loans and subsidies for Tulsi farming project in India

3. Introduction
• Tulsi is considered to be a medicinal aromatic perennial plant belonging to
the Lamiaceae family.
• Ocimum sanctum is also knowns as Ocimum tenuiflorum, (tulsi).
• Scientific classification :-
FAMILY : Lamiaceae
ORDER : Lamiales
GENUS : Ocimum
SPECIES : O. tenuiflorum
• The plant is distributed and cultivated throughout India.

4. Introduction of the tulsi plant
• Basil or sacred tulsi is an excellent shrubs and known as “queen of herbs”.
• Tulsi plant is very sacred plant and worshiped by many indians. Most of the
Indians grow these plants in their houses and worshiped by many Indians .
• This plant has medicinal properties which made this plant popular .
• The parts of tulsi generally used are its leaves, seeds& dried roots.
• Tulsi leaves contains 0.7% volatile oil components , about 70% Eugenol,
20% methyl Eugenol.

5. Parts of tulsi plants

6. Main varieties of tulsi in india
• Rama tulsi :-
• Rama tulsi is also known as Sri or
Lakshmi Tulsi, Ocimum sanctum, and
green leaf tulsi (Basil).
• The Rama tulsi emits a strong aroma
from its every part.
• Rama Tulsi is widely famous for its
cooling taste.
• Krishna Tulsi :-
• It is said that Krishna Tulsi got its name
because of the purple leaves.
• it is hard to find in comparison to the
other types of tulsi. Purple leaf tulsi is
also used to treat throat infections,
respiratory system, nasal infection, and
skin diseases.

7. contd.
Vana Tulsi
• It is native to India, Sri Lanka, Java and the
northern and eastern parts of Africa.
• It can grow up to 2m high with highly
aromatic and slightly hairy green leaves.
• The strong antioxidant activity of Vana
Tulsi slows down the ageing process.
Kapoor Tulsi or Heavy Flowered Basil
• This type of Tulsi has garnished its name
due to the sweet fragrance that can keep
insects and mosquitoes at bay.
• Kapoor Tulsi is short in terms of heights
and gets the most number of flowers
among all different types of the tulsi
plant.
• Use of Kapoor Tulsi can help in the
treatment of bronchitis, malaria, etc

8. Medicinal uses of tulsi
• Medicinal uses of Tulsi leaves
• Leaf extract is effective to treat skin disorders
• Dried leaf powder is used for brushing teeth .In the preparation of
toothpaste for dental health
• Tulsi leaves is used for relief from cough and cold.
• In respiratory disorders like Infuenza are treated with leaf extract.
• Medicinal uses of Tulsi seeds
• Good anti-oxidant
• It also posseses anti ulcer, anti diarrheal
properties
• Tulsi seeds as a condiment in food

9. Contd…
• Medicinal uses of tulsi roots
• Malaria fever
• Releive from insect pain and sting bites
• Fresh roots are made into a paste and applied to areas where leaches or
insects bite.
• Tulsi may keep hair and skin healthy .

10. Soilrequirementfortulsicultivation
• Fertile soil with high organic content and having better
draining properties is preferred for Tulsi cultivation .
• The pH range of the soil should be 4.3 to 8.2 .
• The type of soils suitable for basil or tulsi cultivation is rich
loam,poor laterite, saline, and alkaline soil.
• Too much alkalinity or salinity in the soil has to be avoided .

11. The climate required for Tulsi farming
• This plants need a warm climate for growth , especially the climatic
condition of sub-tropical regions are considered most suitable for Tulsi.
• The germination of Tulsi seeds needs a temperature of 20°C and during
the growing period of the plant , it needs an average temperature of 7 to
27°C.
• It is observed that the plant is susceptible to frost and cold climate; it
grows really well under full sun conditions.
• The Tulsi plant can also be cultivated or grown in shady conditions, but
such plants produce leaves with low oil content.

12. Propagationtechniquesoftulsiplants
• Tulsi plant can be propagated either by seeds or by plant cuttings.
• Seed propagation is done by sowing them in suitably created nursery beds.
• The nursery beds have to be in a partial shade region with a sufficient supply of
water.
• Germination of seeds starts in 8 to 12 days.
• The terminal cuttings are used for propagating the Tulsi plants vegetatively.
• This is generally done in the month of October- December.
• It takes 4-6 weeks for the cutting to root into the soil.

13. Soil/land preparation for Tulsi cultivation
• It is always advisable to test the soil before starting the cultivation process
so as to understand the requirements of the soil during farming.
• The land selected for Tulsi farming has to be brought to a fine Tilth and
should be supplied with a recommended basal dose of fertilizers.
• To prepare the soil many techniques can be used such as ripping
,ploughing ,harrowing ,etc.
• Organic manure is also supplied to the soil at the time of preparation.

14. Planting methods of Tulsi
• The seedlings that have grown in the nursery for almost 6 weeks should be
obtained and transplanted into the main area.
• The minimum plant spacing recommended for tulsi farming is 15 to 30 cm
and width of each row has to be maintained at 50cm to 1m.
• Commercial cultivation of Tulsi is assumed to have a planting density of
60,000 to 90,000 plants per hectare.
• Direct seeding on the farm area can also be practised with a planting depth
of 3 to 6mm and with spacing between seeds is maintained around 5cm.
• Light irrigation has to be provided immediately to the seedlings.

15. Manure and fertilizer requirements for growing Tulsi
• Tulsi needs proper nutrition frequently for proper growth.
• FYM@ 10 tonnes/ha. Is supplied to the soil before planting seedlings.
• The recommended dose of fertilizers required for the plants is 120kg of N,
60kg of P2o3 and k2o per hectare .
• The plant also need micronutrients so as to help increase the oil content in the
leaves.
• The two main micronutrient needed by plants are cobalt and manganese@50
and 100ppm respectively.
• Fertilizing the plants moderately will produce good quality leaves.

16. Irrigation needs for growing Tulsi
• Regular irrigation or rain is definitely required by the plants throughout
the entire growing period.
• Irrigation should be provided through sprinklers or drip irrigation system .
• A drip system of irrigation helps prevents foliar diseases in the plants.
• Water has to be provided to the plants based on the season and soil
condition.
• No irrigation is provided in the rainy months.
• On average the plants may require 12 to 15 irrigation cycles throughout
the year.

17. Plant protection measures or Tulsi
plant care
Tulsi plant is not prone to serious pests and diseases, but some commonly
occuring pests are beetles, slugs, leaf miners, caterpillars, grasshoppers, etc.
The control measures recommended during Tulsi farming to avoid the
occurrence and spread of pests and diseases are:-
 Always try and use natural pest control measures.
 Monitor the crops regularly .
 Use organic control options like mulch, insecticidal soaps, plant extracts,
traps, water spray , vacuuming , hand picking, etc.
 Remove and destroy the diseased parts of the plants as and when
observed.

18. Intercultural activities of tulsi
• The time interval between weeding is maintained at 4 weeks and the first one
is done one month after the transplanting.
• As the plants become bushy , no further weeding is required.
• Weeds can be controlled in either way i.e. mechanical or manual. Some weed
control measures are:-
 Never allow weeds to form seed in the land
 Practice ploughing the land in the night to avoid weed seed germination.

19. Harvesting of tulsi
• Tulsi crop will be ready for the first harvest after 3 months of planting.
• This crop should be harvested at full bloom stage.
• Extreme care is needed while harvesting tulsi so as to avoid contamination at
this stage .
• Sterlize the equipment an use it for harvesting and also the collecting bins or
basket clean.
• The time of harvest is an important factor on which the quality and quantity of
production depend.
• High oil is obtained during sunny days and so harvesting is done during bright
sunny days.

20. Contd…..
• The flower tops are harvested to produce flower oil, which is superior quality
oil and the leaves are harvested to produce herb oil.
• Subsequent harvest is done after 65-75 days from the previous harvest.
• Generally the entire plant is harvested leaving only 15cm of the stem from the
ground level.
• The floral harvest is done from the top of the plant and usually, 3-4 floral
harvests are obtained from each crop.

21. The yield of tulsi crop
• Yield in any crop cultivation depends on the crop management
practices and soil & cultivar.
• In tulsi crop , an average yield of 9000 to 14000kg leaves per
hectare can be achieved.
• This herb also contains Oil (about 0.2%).
• Expected essential oil average yield could be about 10 to 25 per
hectare.
• The flower produced per hectare of land are around 3-4 tonnes.

22. Post harvest management of tulsi crop
• Handling the leaves or produce after the harvest decides the end quality of
the aromatic substance.
• Leaves are washed and cleaned throughly after harvest.
• The weeds and extraneous material are removed from the leaves or herbage.
• The harvest is then allowed to wilt for almost 2 to 4 days (at 40°C) such that
the moisture content and bulkiness are lowered.
• Hydro – distillation or steam distillation is done to obtain the oil from the
young inflorescence or the whole herb.

23. Contd…..
• Steam distillation takes less time to process the leaves and is mostly
preferred practice.
• The moisture content from the distilled oil is removed by treating it with
20g of anhydrous sodium sulphate or common salt for every litre of oil.
• The oil is stored in airtight fluorinated plastic, treated alluminium , dark
glass or ceramic containers.
• To increase the shelf life of fresh basil leaves, they can be stored at a
temperature of 8 to 10 °C.
• The leaves are sensitive to chilling and may show signs of blackening or
loss of aroma when stored at much lower temperatures.

24. Grading , packing and sale of Tulsi produce
• Grading is done on the basis of aroma and freshness of the leaves because
for the production of essential oil, good quality produce is needed.
• The colour , aroma, and texture are the three important factors to grade the
quality of produce in the market.
• Fresh leaves of Tulsi are soft and can be easily damaged by dehydration,
chilling and rough handling.
• Therefore, fresh leaves are packed in bunches and put into propylene bags
to avoid damage.
• Dried Tulsi leaves are packed in small containers after stripping the leaves
from the stem and drying them under required conditions.
• The dry leaves are generally used by food processing industries and the
markest for dried leaves determines the quality of the product on the basis
of taste, flavour, moisture content and apprearance.
• Buyback agreement or contract farming of Tulsi should be arranged well-
before you start growing Tulsi for better marketing prospects.

25. Cost and profit analysis of tulsi farming
• The analysis is made for 1 acre of land for tulsi farming project. The values
presented here are approximation values and may vary slightly from
original.
• Assumptions of cost in tulsi farming project:-
• Cost of tulsi seeds for planting = Rs.250/ kg
• Materials and labour cost = Rs. 21,400 (approx)
• The total yield of fresh leaves from the farm = 3000 kg after 1 year
• The sale/ market price of fresh leaves = Rs. 15 per kg.
• The income from the farm after one year = ( total yield × sale price per
unit).
• (3000×15) = Rs. 45,000
• Profit from the farm = (total income – total charges ).
• (Rs 45,000-Rs 21,400) = Rs. 23,600

26. Loans and subsidies for Tulsi farming project in India
• National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) under the ministry of AYUSH,
government of India provides a subsidy to the farmers for the cultivation
and management of medicinal crops.
• The subsidy is provided on the basis of species as defined by the
organization as is clearly mentioned in the NMPB website.
• Tulsi , species is provided a subsidy of 30% under the Nation AYUSH
Mission (NAM).
• AYUSH provides support to the farmers in different sectors such as
cultivation , nursery management , post –harvest management ,
machinery etc. depending largely on the requirement of the farm.