Palma Rosa: (Cymbopogon martini Stapf var. motia)

General description:

 It is a tall perennial herbaceous plant whose height  ranges up to 2.5m . It has long slender stems. The flowering of this plant generally occurs in Sept - November, Fruit -Caryopsis.

Climate:- This plant is mostly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions ,  which mostlt prefer moist, warm climate, good sunshine, cold weather may  damaged the crops as it cant withstand cold temperature and weather.

•Soil:- A well - drained sandy loam, rich in organic matters is suitable for the cultivation of this plant. Soil PH ranging from 6.0- 8.5 is mostly suitable for the cultivation of this plant.

Propagation:- The propagation of this plant is mostly  from Seeds and Rooted slips.

•Preparation of Land:- A well - prepared land is preferred. Deep ploughing as well as labeling is needed. Nursery bed is also needed.  Here 1 part seeds is mixed thoroughly with 4 parts of fine sand and then sown in raised nursery bed.

•Seed Rate:- 2.5 -3 kg of viable seeds/ha is required for the optimum plant population.

Sowing Season:- Seed sown in in Nursery bed is at  - May – June after  then  2-3 rooted slips  is planted  at - June – August  3-6 weeks old seedlings or 10 -15 cm height seedlings from nursery bed are transplanted in the main field, after then the irrigation is done.

•Spacing:- The spacing is required for the better sunlight penetration, competition in the various input can be minimized by the better spacing The row to plant spacing is  - 60x45 or 45x45 or 45x30cm.or 50 x 15 cm

Manures and Fertilizer: -10-15 tones of FYM or Compost/ha 20:40:40kg of NPK/ha at planting time  is required . Then Supplemented annually 40kg of N in two equal doses as top dressing, which is done usually in February and August.

•Interculture:- 2-3 weeding and hoeing is done after the crop establishment. Weed compete with the main crop in term of moisture, irrigation and the external inputs supplied to the field.

•Irrigation:-  It is recommended to give 5-10 irrigations during dry seasons. First irrigation is done  at September and 2^nd is done at Nov – Dec and 3rd March – April

Harvesting

 From this plant 4-6 harvests can be taken. The autumn harvest is cut 10 to 20cm above the ground.  The the stumps resume growth in the following spring and produce the flowering shoots profusely in April - May and Sept - Oct. The plantation may be renewed after 4-5 years and rotated with legume or traditional crops.

Yield:-  We can obtain about 250 - 300q. of fresh herbage / year. The oil yield  of 80 - 100kg/ ha in 2nd and 3rd years of  harvest can be obtained. The plant stalks yield 0.04%, leaves give 1.32% and flower heads 1.71% oil. Oil is usually extracted from the leaves and flowering tops by steam distillation or water distillation procedure. The oil yield varies between 0.8 to 1.25% of freshly harvested grass or dried grass .( 1kg oil = 650 -800 /-.only)

Chemical evaluation

•Characteristics:-The oil is  generally  fluid liquid  that colorless to pale greenish yellow. The good palma rosa oil should have scarlet rose - like colour and solubility is  at 60 percent alcohol. It has sweet rosy geranium like scent .

•Chemical Constituents:  Geraniol is the main constituent of Palma Rosa oil which contains approximately  70 to 90% of oil. It constitutes  linalool,  Citral, Citronellol, Beta- Caryophyllene, Limonene Isovaleraldehyde, Dipentene, Geranyl acetate, Methyl heptenone, Nerol farnesol and Phenols.

Actions and uses

•Actions:- The constituent is antiseptic, bactericidal, febrifuge, stimulant and tonic, Cicatrisant - an agent which promotes healing by the formation of scar tissue.]

•Palma Rosa oil is exclusively  used for soap, cosmetics, perfumes and for flavoring tobacco.  It is also used as mosquito repellent ointments, The oil is used for Acne, dermatitis and minor skin infections. The oil is useful on lumbago, baldness and nervous exhaustion. It blends well with geranium, rosewood, sandalwood, cedar wood, guaiacum wood and floral oils.