Lemon grass (Cymbopogan flexuosus) - Slips & Essential Oil Available

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• published: 29 Dec 2013
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Lemon grass is a tall, perennial hedge throwing up dense fascicles of leaves from a short rhizome. Leaves are long, glaucous, green, linear, tapering upwards and along the margins; ligule very short; sheaths terete, those of the barren shoots widened and tightly clasping at the base, others narrow and separating. It is a short day plant and flowers profusely in South India. The inflorescence is a long spike about one meter in length. Flower panicles are 30 to over 60 cm long. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE Lemon grass oil is distilled from leaves and flowering tops of Lemon grass. The oil has strong lemon-like odour, due to high percentage ( over 75%) of citral in the oil, which is used as a basic raw material for synthesis of ß-ionones used for synthesis of a number of useful aromatic compounds and Vitamin - A. Lemon grass oil is thus used as a main substitute for ' Cod liver oil'. Citral itself is used in perfumery for various grades of soaps, detergents, cosmetics, insect repellents, room freshners, ayurvedic preparations and flavour agent for soft drinks. SOILS It flourishes on a wide variety of soils ranging from loam to poor laterite, calcareous soils. However, well drained sandy-loam soils are ideally suited for better growth, yield and oil content. Soils with poor drainage and with prolonged water logging should be avoided. ROOTED SLIPS For better quality and yield of oil it is recommended to grow lemon grass by slips obtained by dividing well-grown clumps. Tops of clumps are cut off within 20-25 cm of the root. The latter is divided into slips and the lower brown sheath is removed to expose young roots. LAND PREPARATION Lemon grass is a perennial crop with a duration of 4 to 5 years. For better growth and establishment, initial land preparation is important. Two to three ploughing followed by making of ridges and furrows are necessary. Application of 10 kg Phorate or 8 to 10 kg neem cake at the time of last ploughing is recommended to control soil borne pests like nematodes, etc. PLANTING Planting is done at the beginning of the rainy season. Depending on the soil fertility status and varieties, seedlings are planted at a distance of 40x40 cm., 45x35 cm., 60x40 cm. Planting on the ridges is suggested especially in high rainfall areas. In case of rooted slips one or two slips are placed into each hole, about 15 cm deep. Planting very deep should be avoided as the plants may develop root-rot during the rainy season. IRRIGATION The improved varieties of lemon grass perform well with supplemental irrigation. Depending upon the rainfall and its distribution the field is to be irrigated at an interval of 3 days during the first month and 7 - 10 day intervals subsequently. After the establishment of plants, irrigation schedule is adjusted depending on water holding capacity of the soil and weather conditions. Four to six irrigation would be critical to sustain the crop yield during summer months. HARVESTING AND YIELD Lemon grass flowers in winter season. The first harvest is generally obtained after 4 to 6 months of transplanting seedlings. Subsequent harvests are done at intervals of 60-70 days depending upon the fertility of the soil and other seasonal factors. Under normal conditions, three harvests are possible during the first year, and 3-4 in subsequent years, depending on the management practices followed. Harvesting is done with the help of sickles, the plants are cut 10 cm above ground-level and allowed to wilt in the field, before transporting to the distillation site. Depending upon soil and climatic conditions, the plantation lasts on an average, for 4 to 5 years. The yield of oil is less during the first year but it increases in the second year and reaches a maximum in the third year; after this, the yield declines. On an average, 20 to 30 tonnes of fresh herbage is harvested per hectare per annum from 3-4 cuttings. The yield in terms of oil vary from 0.5% to 0.8% depending on the variety, season/month of harvest and age of the crop, with an average oil yield of 0.65%. POST-HARVEST HANDLING - DRYING & DISTILLATION The grass is allowed to wilt for 24 hours before distillation as it reduces the moisture content by 30% and improves oil yield. The oil is extracted from the wilted herb by steam distillation in stainless steel unit. The factors influencing the oil production during distillation are: Storage of the harvested herbage Treatment (wilting and cutting into pieces) of the material and Web: http://www.natureherbs.org Blog: http://natureherbsorg.blogspot.in/ Email : natureherbs@ymail.com, sales@natureherbs.org Mob: +91 841 888 5555 Skype: nature.herbs