Mineral nutrition of Cymbopogon nardus (L) Rendle: Part I. effects of magnesium and phosphorus nutrition on growth and the yield of essential oil

Abstract

A greenhouse pot experiment with thirteen treatments of fertilizers wasconducted to examine the effects of phosphorus and magnesium on the growthof Cymbopogon nardus (L) Rendle (Ceylon citronella) and the yield of itsessential oil. Phosphorus nutrition enhanced the tiller production, dry matteraccumulation and the yield of essential oil. Magnesium in combinationwith phosphorus increased the yields of dry matter and the essential oil. Magnesiumfacilitated the uptake of phosphorus. High correlations were observedbetween leaf phosphorus content and the essential oil yield (r = +0.7) andthe number of tillers per slip (r = +0.66). The essential oil yield correlatedwith the number of tillers (r = + 0.9 I) and the dry matter yield (r = + 0.89).