Palmorosa
Importance and chemical composition:
• The oil of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii) (Family: Poaceae) is obtained from the floral
shoots and the above ground parts of the variety motia. This variety is also referred as
“Rosha grass” or “Russa grass” and yields oil with a high geraniol content (75.90%), which
is also called East Indian Geranium Oil or Russa Oil.
• The oil known as Ginger Grass oil is of an inferior grade and fetches a much lower price
than the palmoarosa oil. Oil of palmarosa is one of the most important essential oils.
• Oil of palmarosa chiefly contains 70-80 % geraniol. Java oils also have almost the same
geraniol content, but their ester content is higher.
• Oil of palmarosa is used in perfumery, particularly for flavouring tobacco and for the
blending of soap, due to the lasting rose note it imparts to the blend.
• In soap perfumes it has a special importance by virtue of geraniol being stable in contact
with alkali. It also serves as a source of very high grade geraniol.
Origin and Distribution:
• Rosha grass is a native of most parts of subtropical India and it grows in warm humid
areas.
• It occurs in patches, in open scrub forests, in part of Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra,
Tamil Nadu and parts of Uttar Pradesh.
• Out side India, the crop is grown commercially in Indonesia, the East African countries,
• Palmarosa is an aromatic, perennial grass, which attains a height of 300 cm. The aerial
parts die in the winter.
• Being very susceptible to frost, its leaves and shoots may dry up even in November
when there is early frost, but usually withering starts in December, and by the end of
January the plant dries up completely.
Varieties:
• Some of the high yielding varieties under this crop are Sel. IW-31243 and IW-
31245, released under the All India Co-ordinated project on the improvement of
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, and Trishna and Tripta from the CIMAP Lucknow.
• PRC-1 is another important variety recommended for cultivation.
Soil:
• A well drained loamy soil with a pH of 6 to 7 with irrigation facilities is ideal for the
cultivation of palmarosa.
• A rise in pH above 8.5 is found to decrease the growth and consequently the oil yield,
but has no adverse influence on the quality of oil produced.
• It also grows well in well-drained clayey loam soils, free from water-logging. If the
soil is not well drained or if after heavy irrigation, the water remains standing in the hot
weather, the growth of the grass is badly affected.
Climate:
• Palmarosa is a crop which grows well in a warm tropical climate with an elevation of
up to 300m. Locations with an annual variation in temperature between 10 to 36° C
and the rainfall around 150cm, with ample sunshine are the best suited for its
cultivation. Areas which are affected by severe frost are not suitable, as the frost kills
the grass and reduces the oil content.
Propagation:
It is best raised by:
➢ Transplanting The Nursery Raised Seedlings
➢ By Root Cuttings Of Healthy Plants
➢ Through Slips.
Slips:
➢ Plants that give yield and high quality oil should be used for taking slips. In this way it
is possible to raise plantations yielding high quality oil, which is not possible when the
plantation is raised from seeds as the seeds give rise to many morphologically
indistinguishable but different varieties.
➢ However, the rate of establishment of rooted slips is very poor as compared to nursery
transplants. Slips can be planted in June- July during the rainy season.
Manures and fertilizers:
➢ By manuring already rich soils, the vegetative growth is increased and the oil content
is reduced. However for deficient soils a mixture consisting of 20kg N, 50kg P2O5 and
40kg K2O/ha is used as a basal dose at the planting. About 40kg/ha of N is applied in
three split doses after each harvest. The mixture of N, P and K should be repeated at
the time of the appearance of fresh leaves each year.
Harvesting and yield:
➢ The essential oil is distributed in all the parts of the grass, viz. the flower heads, leaves
and stems. The flower heads containing the major portion. The grass is harvested when
it is 4 months old and in full bloom.
➢ Usually the grass is cut at a height of 5-8 cm from the ground level and the whole plant
is used for distillation. The maximum yield of oil is obtained when the entire plant is
at full flowering stage.
➢ The number of harvests depends upon the climatic conditions. During the first year,
usually one crop is obtained during October- November, whereas 2-3 crops are
obtained in the subsequent years.
➢ Palmarosa plantations remain productive for about 8 years. However the yield of grass
and oil starts decreasing from the fourth year onwards. It is therefore recommended
that the plantation is kept only for 4 years.
