Irrigation and nitrogen management in Palmarosa

Field experiment was conducted with 16 treatment combinations consisting of four levels of irrigation (0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 IW/CPE ratio) at 60 mm depth and four levels of N (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N/ha/yr). It was conducted in split plot design with four replications at Soil and Water Management Farm, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari. In all three cuttings were under taken during the course of field experiment. The results of field study indicated that the herbage yield and essential oil yield of palmarosa were significantly influenced by irrigation and N levels. Among the four levels of irrigation, the treatment 0.6 IW/CPE ratio recorded significantly higher herbage yield (58.2 t/ha/yr) and essential oil yield (256 kg/ha/yr)of palmarosa. Among the different N levels, application of 100 kg N/ha/yr resulted significantly higher herbage and essential oil yield over rest of the treatments. An increase in oil yield under N100 was of the order of 64, 21 and 3.5 per cent over N0, N50 and N150, respectively.