Variety × Environment interactions for essential oil yield and cultivar recommendations of lemongrass in drought-prone areas

Abstract

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon spp.), is a well-known aromatic grass distinguished by its unique lemon scent. The importance of lemongrass in gastronomic, pharmacological, and cosmetic uses is examined in this research paper. The chemical makeup of lemongrass is discussed, emphasizing the presence of citral and other bioactive chemicals that give the herb its flavor, aroma, and medicinal qualities. The study highlights the possible advantages of growing lemongrass in semi-arid areas like Lalitpur (U.P.) and Datia (M.P.) in the Indian state of Bundelkhand, since it may flourish there with little water and improve soil fertility. Five lemongrass varieties—Nima, Praman, CIMAP-Suwarna, Krishna, and CIM-Shikhar—are compared in the study according to their morphological traits, oil yield, herb yield, and citral content. Results demonstrate that the total citral content and essential oil output of the two kinds, LG1 and LG4, are constant between the two genotypes, LG3 and LG5, respectively, across the locations. Regarding the stable types, the location-specific recommendations for essential oil yield were LG1 and LG3, while LG2 and LG4 were suggested for the total citral content. With a few exceptions in the first and second locations, where some traits showed low to medium heritability, most traits in the different sites had broad-sense heritability that was generally high. In all three locations, there were substantial percentages of genetic advance over mean (GAM) for specific features. The retention of genotype stability depends on these characteristics. These cultivars possess advantageous characteristics for growing in the Bundelkhand area, potentially providing farmers with financial gains and improving land in semi-arid regions. The findings highlight the importance of lemongrass as a useful plant with a wide range of applications and aid in the selection of cultivars that are appropriate for a certain area.