Adaptation and agronomic performance of Artemisia annua L. under lowland humid tropical conditions

Demand for new chemotherapies against malaria is increasing as Plasmodium, the causative organism of the disease, has shown a high degree of resistance against most standard anti-malarial drugs. One of the few highly effective compounds is artemisinin, the major sesquiterpene for the production of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). This antimalarial drug is extracted from the leaves of Artemisia annua, a plant that is mainly cultivated under cool (temperate) climate and high altitudes. The current study examined the possibility of introducingA. annua germplasm into the agricultural landscape of the lowland humid tropics in field experiments and identified promising accessions that are capable of producing high leaf biomass and artemisinin yields. Differences amongst seed origin, planting season and soil moisture availability had highly significant (P<0.01) effects on most of the agronomic characteristics evaluated, suggesting that these are very critical factors when considering the cultivation of A. annua in the humid tropics. Two non-photoperiodic hybrid lines evaluated in the trials had suitable agronomic potential, including the production of fresh leaf biomass yield in excess of 30 tonnes/ha with up to 1.0975% artemisinin concentration. This study shows that with improved management practices and using the right accessions, there is an inspiring possibility that the cultivation of A. annua can be optimized in the humid tropics for commercial production of the life saving artemisinin drug, which is most needed in these regions where malaria is endemic. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.