RESOURCE ACCOUNTING AND IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CULTIVATION OF ARTEMISIA AFRA Jacq. Ex. Wild AS A CONSERVATION STRATEGY

Medicinal plants are known to play an important role in primary healthcare through traditional medicine, and they are sold in the informal markets and commercial sectors of South Africa. The ever-increasing demands by a growing global population who prefer healthcare and dietary supplements from natural sources have led to an expanding medicinal plant industry, thereby opening new opportunities. Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. is one of the medicinal plants that have traditionally been used to treat various ailments, with several studies mentioning its use to treat and/or manage upper respiratory infections and cancers. The continued wild harvesting of A. afra may increase harvesting pressure on its wild populations and will have a long-term impact on its natural ecosystem. The cultivation of A. afra has received little attention, although it is mentioned in many publications as one of the South African medicinal plants with commercial potential. This project sought to contribute to the conservation of A. afra by investigating remote sensing as a potential monitoring tool and by developing cultivation information, with a focus on water management. The objectives of the project were: • To investigate the use of remote sensing technology in mapping the distribution of A. afra wild populations to monitor its population dynamics • To identify the best chemotype and develop propagation and cultivation techniques for the identified chemotype in three provinces • To document the growth performance and water requirement of cultivated A. afra for optimized biomass production and bioactive secondary metabolites To achieve the objective of mapping the distribution of A. afra, suitable climatic conditions for growth of the species were identified. Soil samples were collected from three populations in the Maluti-A-Phofung local municipality in the Free State Province. The soil samples were analysed at an accredited laboratory for physical and chemical properties, carbon source utilization (microbial functional diversity), enzyme activities, and the total microbial count. To identify suitable climatic conditions for the natural areas of growth and distribution of A. afra, an existing database from the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI) was consulted, together with a literature search conducted and personal communication, to identify various regions to visit for physical collection of GPS points.