The botanical name of Palmarosa is Cymbopogon martinii var. motia (Roxv) Wats.; it is an aromatic plant of the Graminae group
Varieties: Trishna, PRC-1, IW 31245, IW 3629, IW 3244, OPD-1, OPD-2 and RRL(B)-77.
Soil and climate: A well drained loamy soil is suitable. Comes up well under tropical conditions with an annual rainfall of about 150 cm.
Seeds and planting
Through seeds: 2.5 kg of seeds/ha.
Sow in raised nursery beds in lines 15 - 20 cm apart. Transplant at 3 - 4 weeks in ridges at a spacing of 60 x 60 cm during June - July.
Through slips: Establishment will be poor as compared to seedlings. 28,000 slips/ha will be required to plant at 60 x 60 cm spacing.
Manuring
Basal: FYM 10 t/ha and NPK at 20:50:40 kg/ha.
Top dressing: 15 kg/ha in 3 splits at 3, 6 and 9 months of planting.
Aftercultivation: Give 1 - 2 weedings in the early stages and earth up after each harvest and top dressing.
Harvest: The first harvest commences at 3 - 4 months of planting. Subsequent harvests at 3 - 4 months interval.
Yield
Herbage : 20 - 30 t/ha/year.
Oil
First year : 20 kg/ha.
Second year : 60 kg/ha.
Third and Fourth year : 70 kg/ha.
Seed Technology: Seeds attain physiological maturity at 40th day after 50% flowering when the fluff (seed) moisture is around 20%. Leaching of fluffs in running water for 8 hours followed
by soaking in KNO3 at 0.5% for 6 hours recorded maximum germination.
