Abstract

Buddleja globosa Hope is a well-known native, medicinal plant because of its digestive and cicatrizing properties. Due to the increasing domestic and international demand, B. globosa abundance and distribution in Chile has resulted in the intensive exploitation of the plant's natural habitat, without consideration of the plant's regenerative capacity. The main objective of this research was to establish the B. globosa growth cycle and model its regeneration cycle. This would allow for more productive, efficient and sustainable use and management of this species, thus ensuring its long-term conservation. We selected two study sites, one wild and another one cultivated. In each one, ten individuals were marked as control treatments, for further observations, in order to quantify the monthly growth dynamics. Fifteen plants selected at random were marked in each site under study to know the regeneration rates with three pruning methods: apical, medium and basal (5 plants per treatment). The results showed significant differences between the control and management treatments on plants grown in the valley, and among the wild plants of the mountains. The biomass growth rates achieved in the treatments of pruning, and the period that those were maximum at both sites, allows us to recommend harvesting of B. globosa under a medium pruning management in January for the valley. For the mountain zones, it is suggested to conduct a partial apical-type harvest in December: this would allow that a part of the plant achieves the end of the flowering stage, which will contribute to seed dispersal and natural reproduction of the species.