Optimizing Cultivation Technique of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. under Tropical Climate

Background: A high prevalence of global liver diseases compels the availability of affordable drugs with fewer side effects. Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. is being used as a traditional medicine for centuries to treat a range of liver and gallbladder disorders. In tropical regions especially in Indonesia, S. marianum is scarcely cultivated. Therefore, cultivation on a large scale to initiate the independency of providing domestic medicinal raw materials demand is needed. This research was conducted to find out a suitable method in producing silymarin from S. marianum by optimizing cultivation technique by using foliar fertilizer (FF) applied to different planting periods and various spacing protocols. Methods: The experiment of nine treatment packages consisted of a combination plant spacing (S) and foliar fertilizer/FF dosage (D) factors, also applied time of planting (P), were examined to obtain the highest silymarin content. This field study was designed using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Result: The results showed that a combination of the plant spacing of 140 x 140 cm, FF of 2 mg per plant and planting period in May, obtained the best results in the silymarin content of 1.52 ± 0.07%. It also gave the highest estimated silymarin production per unit area that was 13.79 ± 1.42 kg.ha-1.