How to Cultivate herbal plants Sambiloto?

 

Sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata Ness)

Classification of Plants

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Divisio: Spermathophyta
• Subdivision: Angiosperms
• Class: Dicotyledonae
• Order: Tubiflorae
• Family: Acanthaceae
• Genus: Andrographis
• Species: Andrographis paniculata (Burn.f) Ness

Area name:

Sumatra: sambilata, pepaitan (Malay), ampadu tanah (West Sumatra), Javanese: sambiloto, ki pait, bidara, takoto, ki oray, ki peurat, takilo, sadilata, pepaitan (Madura), lan he lian (China), cong -cong, xuyen tamlien (Vietnam), kirata, mahatitka (India and Pakistan), kariyat (UK).

How do you recognize the characteristics of the Sambiloto plant?

The following are the characteristics of the sambiloto plant:

• Sambiloto stem
• Sambiloto is classified as a seasonal herbaceous plant, grows upright, 50-90 cm high, it tastes very bitter. The stem of sambiloto is woody, with a round base, when young the stem is quadrangular (kwadrangularis) and round when it is old, the branches are monopodial, green.
• Sambiloto leaves
• Sambiloto leaves are single leaves, short-stemmed, do not have stipules. The leaves are arranged opposite, lanceolate, the base and tip of the leaves are sharp or pointed, the edges of the leaves are flat, the upper leaves of the stem are shaped like bractea, the surface of the leaves is smooth. The upper surface of the leaves is dark green and the underside is light green. Leaves 2-8 cm long and 1-3 cm wide. Rasemosa inflorescences that branch to form panicles, emerging from the tip of the stem or the axillary of the leaves.
• Sambiloto flowers
• Flowers are small, tubular, bisexual, zygomorph, 5 sepals (petal leaves), 5 crowns, split lips, white with purple stripes, two stamens with joined antennae, anthers joined with korola tube. The flower ovary overlaps with 2 carpella (fruit leaves) and 2 chambers and 2 or more ovaries (in each chamber).
• Sambiloto fruit
• Fruit capsules elliptical (elongated). Fruit about 1.5 cm long and 0.5 cm wide, base and sharp tip. When cooked, it will split into 4 pieces. Flat seeds, small, light brown.
• Requirements for growing sambiloto
• According to Pujiasmanto, et al (2007), sambiloto can grow at an altitude of 180 m to 861 m above sea level, temperature (20.32 ° C-26.93 ° C), humidity (78 -87%). Rainfall ranges from 2053.2-3555.6 mm / year. The light intensity above the canopy ranges from 399.74-456.95 lux, while below the canopy is 53.29-93.37 lux. Interception of light received 76.64-88.21%. Yusron et al. (2004) reported that the shade for the sambiloto plant included teak, mahogany, sengon, melinjo, coconut, lamtoro. Sambiloto can grow in the lowlands to the highlands with an altitude of 900 m above sea level with the shade of teak, pine and glirisidae.

Table. Agroecological characters at various altitudes for Sambiloto.

	Location
	Lowland	Medium plains	Plateau
Agroecology
Height of place (m asl)	180	450	861
Air temperature (°C)	26.93	22.44	20.32
Humidity (%)	78	82	87
Rainfall (mm / year)	2053.2	2724.6	3555.6
Sun intensity (lux meter)	399.74 (above header) 93.37 (below header)	412.78 (above header) 69.21 (below header)	456.95 (above header) 53.89 (below header)
Light interception (%)	76.64	83.23	88.21

Sambiloto generally grows in the shade 1. Sambiloto grows well at an altitude of 180 m-861 m above sea level, temperature 20.32 ºC-26.93 ° C, humidity 78% -87%, rainfall ranges from 2053.2 mm / year-3555, 6 mm / year. Perception of received light 76.64% -88.21%. Sambiloto can grow on soils with moderate N, low P, low Mg, very low to low Ca, low to moderate organic C; while pH is slightly acidic to acidic.

Based on the analysis of the physical and chemical properties of the soil (presented in the table below), Sambiloto can live at slightly acidic pH (low and medium plains) to acidic (highlands); Low (lowland) to moderate (medium and highland) organic C. Nutrients in Sambiloto habitat: moderate N, low P, medium K, low Mg, while low to very low Ca.

Table. Physical and chemical properties of soil in various bitter (Sambiloto) habitats

	Habitat
	Lowland		Middle Plains		Plateau
Physical and chemical soil pH	5.80	a little sour	5.83	a little sour	5.47	sour
Organic C (%)	1.36	low	2.69	moderate	2.23	moderate
Organic Matter (%)	2.35	moderate	4.63	high	3.84	high
N Total (%)	0.25	moderate	0.27	moderate	0.32	moderate
P available (ppm)	5.50	low	6.51	low	6.65	low
K swapped (me%)	0.32	moderate	0.33	moderate	0.35	moderate
Mg (me%)	0.48	low	0.63	low	0.43	low
Ca (me%)	1.55	very low	1.95	very low	2.05	low
Texture :
Dust (%)	39.45		36.85		38.55
Clay (%)	43.55		42.25		47.68
Sand (%)	17.00		17.90		13.77
Permanent Wilt Point (%)	14.34		16.42		16.46
Field Capacity (%)	34.34		35.38		38.24
Type of soil	Latosol		Latosol		Latosol

Sambiloto plants that grow in mediumland habitats are relatively taller (60-125 cm) than those in the lowlands (40-90 cm) and high (20-60 cm). The leaves are also longer (± 8 cm) and wider (± 1.80 cm) or wider than those in the lowlands (± 13 cm long and ± 3.50 cm wide), and tall (± 5 cm long and ± 1.50 cm wide). The morphology of flowers, fruits and roots is the same in the low, medium and highlands. Andrographolid content in the middle plains (2.27%) was higher than in the lowlands (1.37%) and high (0.89%). Based on empirical data, most of the bitter and medium plains grow in shady shade than in the low and highlands.

Based on the following table, it can be seen that there are differences in the characters of the three bitter accessions in the Cimanggu experimental garden location on plant height, number of branches, stem diameter, leaf length, leaf width and other characters.

Table.Characterization of three sambiloto accessions from the planting of KP (Cimanggu) locations: (Latosol Soil, Climate Type A and 300 m asl)

Characterization	Accession code
	Blali-1	Cmg-1	Cmg-2
Plant height (cm)	46.19	43.78	55.83
Number of branches (bh)	18.97	20.42	23.03
Rod diameter (mm)	0.42	0.43	0.54
Leaf length (cm)	8.45	8.61	8.59
Leaf width (cm)	2.52	2.53	2.66
Fruit weight (g)	0.05	0.06	0.05
Number of fruits per grain	11.26	1.76	10.52
Weight 100 grains (g)	0.19	0.06	0.19
Fruit length (cm)	1.70	1.76	1.68
Fruit width (mm)	0.32	0.30	0.29
Fruit thickness (mm)	0.20	0.19	0.19
Alcohol soluble content (%)	13.77	13.03	19.40
Water soluble content (%)	22.86	25.82	23.77
Andrographolide levels	1.09	1.24	1.68
Average herb production (kg / ha)	2,682	2,408	3,586
Seed germ (day)	2.00	1.00	1.00
Leaf color	Green	Green	Green
Leaf shape	Lancet	Lancet	Lancet
Rod shape	Square	Square	Square
Ripe fruit color	purplish	Purplish	purplish

Sambiloto cultivation

Land Preparation

Sambiloto can be cultivated on former rice fields or moor. The land used should have a source of water for watering. If the land used is former rice fields, drainage must be made with a depth of 30-50 cm and a width of 50 cm.

Soil cultivation begins with cleaning the planting area from weeds and plant residues. Then the soil is hoeed and loosened to a depth of 20-30 cm with the position of the soil reversed to increase soil pores and make it easier for the roots to infiltrate the soil. Next, make beds with a height of 20 cm, a width of 100-150 cm, the length of the beds is adjusted to the size of the land. The distance between the beds is 30 cm.

Preparation of Seeds

Sambiloto can be propagated asexually by means of stem or shoot cuttings and by means of generative namely by seed. Plant propagation using seeds is more often done because more seeds are produced, the technique is simple and easy. The drawback is that propagation by seed takes longer and the seedling growth tends to be not uniform.

Seeds are selected from healthy, well-developed plants and are free from pests and diseases. Seeds are germinated in a nursery that has been filled with media in the form of a mixture of soil, sand and compost (1: 1: 1). After germinating and having 3-4 leaves, they can be transferred to small polybags that have been filled with planting media in the form of a mixture of topsoil and manure with a ratio of 1: 1.The seeds in the polybags can be arranged in nursery beds placed in a somewhat protected area. Watering is done 1-2 times a day.

Sambiloto seed nursery method consists of 2 methods, namely method 1 and method 2.

1. Method 1 = soil and cow manure arranged in layers in a nursery and using 55% paranet shade
2. Method 2 = soil and cow manure are arranged in layers in a nursery without 55% paranet shade.

Sowing of sambiloto seeds with method 1 showed faster growth than method 2. In method 1, the growth of sprouts for 2 weeks was> 50%, while in method 2 it took 3 weeks to achieve the same growth rate (Sunardi, 2008).

Planting Should be done at the beginning of the rainy season so that the seeds will grow faster and are more adaptable. In the prepared beds, a planting hole is made with a size of 15 cm x 15 x cm x 15 cm. The recommended spacing is 25 cm x 25 cm. When transferring seedlings from polybags to planting holes, care is made to keep the soil attached to the roots intact so that the growth process is not disturbed. Then the excavated soil is compacted and the seeds are poured with enough water.

Sambiloto maintenance

Fertilization

It is advisable to provide fertilizer derived from natural materials (organic fertilizers), namely manure or compost. Manure can be given during vegetative growth, namely at the age of 1-1.5 months after planting into the field, the dose of manure is 3-4 tons / ha. In order to obtain good growth leaves and stems, fertilizers that contain lots of nitrogen and potassium can be added.

Embroidering to replace plants that die or have poor growth can be done after the plants are 3-5 weeks old. Replacement plants should be the same age as the old plant.

Planting patterns and dosages of organic and natural fertilizers affect the number of bitter branches. Monoculture cropping patterns provide more branches (30.36) than intercropping (27.90).

Table of Effect of cropping patterns and dosage of organic and natural fertilizers on the number of sambiloto branches at the age of 3 months after planting (BST).

Treatment				Number of branches
Cropping Pattern
- Monoculture				30.36 a
- Intercropping				27.90 b
Fertilizer Dosage (kg / ha)
Compost	Natural fertilizers	Bio Fertilizer	Zeolite	28.57 bc
10	300	60	0	30.62 ab
10	300	60	300	32.92 a
10	500	60	0	28.40 bc
10	500	60	300	29.50 abc
20	300	60	0	25.89 bc
20	300	60	300	27.28 bc
20	500	60	0	29.20 abc
20	500	60	300	29.85 abc
10 tons of manure + 200 kg urea + 200 kg SP 36 + 100 kg KCl

Note: The numbers followed by the same letter in one column are not significantly different at the 5% level of the Duncan test.

Source: Yusron, et al. (2007)

Based on the table below, it can be seen that the cropping pattern and fertilizer dosage provide different simplicia qualities as indicated by differences in water content, ash content, juice content in water, juice content in alcohol and andrographolid content.

Table of Effect of cropping patterns and dosage of organic and natural fertilizers on the quality of sambiloto simplicia on the second pruning.

Treatment
Cropping Pattern	Fertilizer dosage				Water content	Ash content	Content in water	Content in alcohol	Andro grapholid content
	Compost	Natural fertilizers	Bio fertilizers	Zeolite			(%)
Monoculture	10	300	60	0	11.67	6.25	25.71	19.92	0.79
	10	300	60	300	12.85	6.49	26.22	19.31	0.29
	10	500	60	0	11.93	6.61	26.49	19.72	0.46
	10	500	60	300	11.35	6.26	26.29	19.45	0.45
	20	300	60	0	13.22	5.78	23.28	18.48	0.61
	20	300	60	300	12.84	6.35	25.25	19.78	0.28
	20	500	60	0	13.54	6.22	25.80	19.81	0.81
	20	500	60	300	11.93	6.45	28.30	19.61	0.78
	10 tons of manure + 200 kg urea + 200 kg SP 36 + 100 kg KCl				12.61	6.49	24.99	19.34	1.23
Intercropping	10	300	60	0	14.69	6.85	28.09	21.86	0.60
	10	300	60	300	12.99	7.18	17.17	19.79	0.67
	10	500	60	0	12.55	6.82	28.49	20.22	0.64
	10	500	60	300	13.44	6.59	26.91	20.98	0.79
	20	300	60	0	13.12	6.64	28.91	19.26	1.25
	20	300	60	300	15.87	6.33	25.85	19.57	0.56
	20	500	60	0	15.33	5.84	26.42	19.54	0.86
	20	500	60	300	15.24	5.59	26.82	19.06	0.63
	10 tons of manure + 200 kg urea + 200 kg SP 36 + 100 kg KCl				15.01	4.95	25.90	18.88	0.79
MMI Standards					-	12; max	18; max	9.7 min
Source: Yusron, et al. (2007)

Weeding

Weeding can be done in conjunction with stocking to loosen the soil around the roots. Weeding can be done after the plants are 1-1.5 months old. Weeding and stocking can be done using a pick or hoe. Watering Sambiloto water needs are equivalent to palawija / vegetables and the sambiloto development area is the same as the palawija / vegetables development area. This situation indicates that for the formation of leaves and stalks, sambiloto is very much influenced by the availability of water (Januwati and Maslahah, 2008).

Watering should be done 1-2 times a day morning and evening, depending on weather conditions. Watering can use a sprinkler, sprayer or gembor.

Table. The interaction of water treatment on fresh and dry production of sambiloto at the age of 4 BST

Sambiloto accession	Water supply rate mm / cm3 / day	Fresh produce	Dry production	Assessed production *) kg / ha
		…… .gr / plant ……….
Cmg-1	3 4 5 6 7	149.42 ab 147.75 ab 153.65 ab 140.18 ab 125.78 ab	54.23 abc 53.53 abc 56.63 abc 53.97 abc 41.53 d	723.07 713.73 755.07 719.60 553.73
Cmg-2	3 4 5 6 7	137.05 ab 178.48 a 139.45 ab 119.22 b 146.72 ab	51.50 bcd 57.97 abc 63.50 a 48.20 cd 55.43 abc	686.67 772.93 846.67 642.67 739.07
Blali-1	3 4 5 6 7	128.85 ab 126.88 ab 140.15 b 147.55 ab 118.08 b	47.30 cd 49.77 bcd 54.70 abc 59.50 ab 48.20 cd	630.67 642.67 729.33 793.33 633.60
	KK CV (%)	19.21	10.74

Note: The numbers followed by the same letter in the same column are not significantly different in the 5% DMRT test.

*) Production relaxation is calculated for a population of 80,000 plants / ha (spacing 30 cm x 40 cm) with a 70% calibration for effective land

Source: Januwati and Maslahah (2008)

Pests and Diseases

Pest and disease control can be done mechanically, namely by capturing or removing the affected plant parts. Efforts should be made to prevent pests and diseases, namely by improving technical culture such as the use of healthy seeds, regulating planting time and spacing, improving drainage and intensive weeding. It is not recommended to use chemical pesticides, if the attack of pests or diseases is difficult to control, it is recommended to use vegetable pesticides and fungicides.

Harvest and Post Harvest

Harvesting can be done when the plants are 3-4 months old or have started flowering. The harvested parts are stems and leaves, collected in burlap. Then washed with running water, then sorted by separating and removing the damaged part.

Healthy Sambiloto can be immediately cut into 4-5 cm long, then dried for 2-3 days to reduce the moisture content to 22%. If drying is done in an oven, the temperature should be set between 50-60 ° C to 10-15% moisture content. During the drying process, the ingredients must be turned in reverse so that they dry evenly. The dried Sambiloto is put in a clean container and must be avoided from direct contact on the floor to avoid mold and weathering process. This sambiloto herb can also be ground into flour or powder.

Post-harvest activities consist of handling raw (fresh) materials and processing them into semi-finished and finished materials. Sambiloto contains bitter substances called andrographolid substances. Sambiloto plants have many benefits for both human and livestock health. Sambiloto can be used in fresh form, simplicia, tea, powder, capsule, infusion and extract. optimal harvest of sambiloto is at the age of 3-4 months after planting. After harvesting, it is dried by drying it in the hot sun combined with the tools. After dry, the simplicia is milled to produce a 60 mesh size powder, then for processing (extraction), the technology used is the material size of 60 mesh, 70% ethanol solvent, the ratio of the material to the solvent is 1:10 and the extraction time is 6 hours and produces an andrographolid content of 6.86%. Apart from extraction techniques, storage factors also affect the quality of simplicia, extracts and products from extracts (Sembiring, 2005).