Effect of Harvesting Period on Growth Performance of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus)

Cymbopogon citratus has been known for its use in a wide variety of products ranging from pharmaceuticals, cosmetics to food and drink flavoring. Statistics provided by the department of agriculture (DOA) suggest an increasing trend for C. citratus production from 2005 to 2008. However, the use of medicinal plants could be influenced by several factors and one of them was through the agronomic approach. Therefore, a study to evaluate the effectiveness of modified agronomic practices based on prolonged harvesting period has been carried out to evaluate its effects on C. citratus. The treatments consist of 6, 7 and 8 months. A total of 12 experimental units were planted and the experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 4 replications. Each experimental unit consists of 32 planting points This study was carried out at Ladang 2, MARDI Kluang from September 2017 to November 2018. Agronomic practices include land preparation and planting distance followed guidelines from the Department of Agriculture (DOA). The data showed that leaves weight, slip weight, plant fresh weight, height, and stem diameter was significantly affected by harvesting periods. Most noticeable was the slip weight trend in which increment between 7 and 8 months was at par. All of the significantly affected parameters show a significant positive linear response towards the harvesting period. Furthermore, slip weight shares a significant positive association with leaves weight, height, and stem diameter which in return makes them a reliable herbage yield indicator.