YIELD
AND QUALITY
OF LEMONGRASS
PLANTS
(Cymbopogon
flexuous Stapf) AS INFLUENCED
BY
FARM YARD MANURE AND FOLIAR
APPLICATION OF BREAD YEA
[54]
Nabila1,
Y. Naguib
ABSTRACT
Two
field experiments were carried out at the National Research Center, Giza, during
the two successive
seasons of 1999 and 2000 to evaluate the influence of farm yard manure
(FYM) and foliar application of bread yeast (Y) solely or in
combination, on the vegetative growth, yield, productivity and oil
quality of lemongrass plants (Cymbopogon
flexuous Stapf). Appreciable effects of various treatments
were identified from all of the studied characters through the two cuts during
both growing seasons. Spraying plants with bread yeast gave higher values for
all characters than those obtained from the treatments of FYM. The most
pronounced
increments in height, number of tillers, yield, as well as, essential oil
percentages, the content of (Citral A and Citral B), chlorophylls, carotenoids,
total carbohydrates and NPK content and up take, resulted from the combination
of FYM combined with
bread yeast. The same trend of results were observed during both seasons
and through the two cuts. To obtain highest yield with high quality of
lemongrass oil, it could be recommended to supply the plants with 16m3
FYM two weeks before transplanting during the field preparation and spray the
plants three times with 4g/lt yeast. The first spray after one month from
transplanting, then repeated one month later. The third one after one month of
the first cut.