Effect of planting time on the yield and quality of essential oil in geraniumPelargonium graveolens

Abstract

SummaryAn experiment during 1994–95 in Lucknow located in the north central Indian plains evaluated the performance of three cultivars of geranium under different planting times for the optimization of the yield and quality of essential oil. The planting of cv. Algerian in October-November allowed the maximum production of essential oil of 33.9 kg ha−1, while ‘Bourbon’ gave 66 kg oil ha−1 when the crop was planted in October. The optimum planting time for ‘Kelkar’ was December, which permitted the high amount of essential oil of 36 kg ha−1. At the optimum yield level, the essential oils had citronellol and geraniol at 52% and 3.92% in ‘Algerian’, 25% and 20% in ‘Bourbon’, and 20% and 37% in ‘Kelkar’. It was concluded that to obtain the maximum essential oil yield (66 kg ha−1) of a superior quality (25% citronellol and 20% geraniol), cv. Bourbon should be planted in the third week of October and harvested in May in the north Indian plains.