Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is one of the most popular culinary herbs sold in containers, but plants can quickly become tall, leggy, and unmarketable. Chemical plant growth regulators (PGRs) are not labelled for use on herbs, so there is a need for a nonchemical alternative. Ultraviolet radiation (UV) has been shown to be an effective alternative to PGRs on ornamentals, but there are no guidelines for effective use of UVA in potted basil production. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the stage of development plants should be exposed to UVA radiation and the effective duration. Fifteen seeds of either sweet basil cultivars ‘Nufar’ or ‘Genovese’ were sown into 15-cm containers. The containers were placed in a glass-glazed greenhouse at 23 °C and under a 16-h photoperiod (LD) provided by LED supplemental lighting or under a 9-h photoperiod and 6-h night interruption lighting providing 385 nm of UVA radiation at an intensity of 20 µmol∙m–2∙s–1. Seeds were germinated for one week under either LD or UVA and then grown for 3 weeks under 10 treatments. The treatments included: LD entire time, LD 1 week-UV 2 weeks, LD 1.5 Weeks-UV 1.5 Weeks, LD 2 weeks-UV 1 week, LD 1 week-UV 1week-LD 1week, UV entire time, UV 1 week-LD 2 weeks, UV 1.5 weeks-LD 1.5 weeks, UV 2 weeks-LD 1 week, and UV 1 week-LD 1week- UV 1 week. Both cultivars responded differently to UVA radiation. Generally, plants grown under UVA from germination to harvest were the most compact. For example, ‘Genovese’ under UV entire time were 3.6 cm shorter than plants under LD entire. However, the chlorophyll content and dry mass of ‘Genovese’ were reduced by 33 and 53%, respectively, when exposed to UV entire compared to plants under LD entire. Additionally, if the treatment a plant ended under was LD, the chlorophyll content was generally higher than those ending under UV. Therefore, the most compact and green potted basil ‘Nufar’ and ‘Genovese’ were those grown under UV 2 weeks-LD 1 week.
