Effect of urea and neem cake coated urea on yield, and concentration and quality of essential oil in Java citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt)

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Abstract
Java citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt) is an important perennial aromatic grass cultivated in different parts of India. The steam-volatile essential oil from the citronella herb is widely used in perfumery, in manufacture of deodorants and mosquito repellent creams and in flavouring beverages. Systematic cultivation of this crop is being taken up and application of large quantities of N fertilizers was found to increase yield (Narayana et al. 1975; Bommegowda, 1978; Singh, Pathak & Bodoloi, 1980; Prakasa Rao et al. 1983). However, the efficiency of N utilization by this crop was found to be quite poor (Prakasa Rao et al. 1983). No systematic data are available in India on the effect of harvest season and N fertilizers on the principal constituents of citronella oil. Therefore the present experiment was made with two objectives: (i) to determine the effect of harvest season and N fertilizers on the essential oil concentration and the principal constituents of the oil which determine the oil quality, and (ii) to determine the effect of neem cake, an indigenous cheap material which is reported to have nitrification inhibitory properties, on the herb and essential oil yields of citronella.