Comparative growth and yield analysis of lemongrass varieties under mangium-based agroforestry system in central Chhattisgarh

The present investigation was conducted at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, India, during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 growing seasons, to study the growth, yield, and essential oil production of lemongrass varieties grown in a 24-year-old Mangium-based agroforestry system. Significant genotypic differences were observed in growth parameters, including plant height, tiller count, plant spread, and Leaf Area Index (LAI). T1-Krishna recorded the highest plant height (157.20 cm), while T4-Neema excelled in tiller production (65.53) and plant spread (75.52 cm). The highest LAI values were observed in T2-CG-1 (40.10) and T7-Praman (38.47), indicating superior light capture and photosynthetic efficiency, whereas T8-Kalam and T6-CKP-25 showed reduced growth performance under shaded conditions. Yield parameters also varied significantly, with T4-Neema achieving the highest fresh (131.01 q/ha) and dry biomass yields (36.03 q/ha) and T1-Krishna recording the highest essential oil content (0.75%) and oil yield (91.97 l/ha). T7-Praman also performed well in oil yield (91.25 l/ha), whereas T6-CKP-25 exhibited the lowest biomass and oil yields. These findings underscore the importance of varietal selection in optimizing lemongrass cultivation for both growth and yield, with T4-Neema and T1-Krishna identified as promising varieties for biomass and oil production, respectively, under shaded agroforestry systems.