ISHS Acta Horticulturae 676: III WOCMAP Congress on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Volume 2: Conservation, Cultivation and Sustainable Use of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
SCIENTIFIC GROWING AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC VALUE OF CITRAL-RICH LEMON GRASS FOR THE WELFARE OF RURAL PEOPLE |
| Author: | M.L. Ghosh |
| Keywords: | Cymbopogon flexuosus, Vitamin-A, economic development, rural development |
| Abstract:
India endowed with varied agroclimatic conditions, is rich in different aromatic plants which cater to the needs of flavouring and pharmaceutical Industries. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon flexuosus Stapf.), a potential aromatic plant, yields “Lemon grass oil of commerce.” The important constituent of the oil is “citral”, a terpene aldehyde, which is mainly used for the manufacture of vitamin-A. The oil is also used as insect repellent for the eradication of mosquito. Through the extensive research work sponsored by the University Grants Commission (U.G.C.), New Delhi, India, the present author has developed and improved agrotechnology for the commercial exploitation of lemon grass in the gangetic plains of West Bengal. This study established specific requirements of agronomical inputs for success in cultivation of lemon grass involving cultural practices, NPK trials, photoperiodic and hormonal treatments. All the experiments revealed that the rate of essential oil synthesis is intimately connected with the growth pattern and different developmental phases of the plant. Morphological and biochemical indexing of the oil synthesis have been established. Lemon grass showed that varying responses regarding herbage and oil yield per hectare towards different optimum treatments on the basis of which agronomic suitability of the particular area under reference could be worked out. Economic analysis of the species cultivation established the prospect of commercial exploitation of the plant species as a non-traditional cash crop for the diversification of crop pattern and upliftment of rural economy. Besides, plantation of the lemon grass may be carried out extensively in the social forestry programme, which aims at ensuring ecological, economic and social security to the common people. | |
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