scholarly journals BIOMASS PRODUCTION AND OIL YIELD OF LEMONGRASS IN PUNALUR FOREST DIVISION, KERALA, INDIA.

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-104
Author(s):  
Nisha Raj S ◽  
Sekaran S ◽  
Paulsamy S

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) cultivation and oil distillation from its biomass are some of the important sources of earning for the rural people and tribal communities of sourthern Western Ghats in certain specific localities. Punalur Forest Division of Kerala is one such region where some local public involved in these practices. However, no data are available on the biomass production and oil yield of lemongrass for this region. Therefore, the present study has been carried out in this line. The results of the study reports that annual biomass production was greater (9250kg/ha/yr) and comparable to that of theother lemongrass cultivated areas. Similarly, the oil yield was also higher (46.7kg/ha/yr) and the concentration of oil varied significantly across the harvesting times (0.43-0.63%). The statistical processing of data elucidates that soil pH and calcium content were having significant positive correlation to lemongrassbiomass production. Oil concentration in the biomass was negatively correlated to relative humidity. Therefore, soil nutrient status can be considered as a key factor while preparing the management plan for lemongrass cultivation in Punalur Forest Division

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
X. Chang ◽  
P. Martin

To investigate whether the fertilizers N, P or K individually affect plant growth, oil content and the gender of sweet gale, two trials, pot and field trials, were carried out at Orkney College UHI in Scotland. A pot trial was established with eight soils which were collected from different sweet gale trial sites in the north of Scotland. Although neither shoot yield nor oil concentration in shoots was affected by soil, there were significant differences in shoot yields as a result of fertilizer treatments (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) or none (control)). The best yield was obtained from the N treatment which was double to that of the control and P treatments. N, P or K fertilizers did not consistently affect shoot oil concentration in two seasons; however, oil yield was significantly affected, and N treatment produced two-three fold oil yield increases compared with the control or P treatment. In the N treatment, the increase in shoot yield was positively correlated with total nitrogen or nitrate nitrogen in the soil, suggesting the occurrence of a nitrogen priming effect. Data suggested that as shoot yield increased the oil concentration in shoots decreased. Neither soil nor N, P or K fertilizers had a significant effect on oil composition. Amongst fertilizer treatments, P resulted in the largest number of plants changing gender from female to male. A field N trial confirmed that nitrogen significantly enhanced the shoot yield of young plants.


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