Growing three aromatic grasses in different alkali soils in semi‐arid regions of northern India

Abstract Alkali lands in India occupy about 3 million ha. Due to poor physical properties, excessive exchangeable sodium and high pH, most of these lands support a very poor vegetation cover. Many of the medicinal and aromatic plants are in great demand for both internal requirements and export. But since these crops are non‐conventional in nature, it is not always possible for them to be produced on fertile lands, which can be used for arable crops. The marginal lands, specifically the lands affected by salinity or sodicity problems where profitable returns are not possible from agricultural crops, could be successfully utilized for the cultivation of these high‐value crops with marginal inputs. Results reported in this paper clearly indicated that out of three aromatic grasses, palmarosa ( Cymbopogon martinii (Roxb.) Wats.) and lemon grass ( C. flexuosus (Steud.) Wats.) could successfully be grown on moderatly alkali soils of pH up to 9·2 while vetiver ( Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash), which withstands both high pH and stagnation of water, could successfully be grown without significant yield reduction on highly alkali soils. These grasses not only produce essential oils used for industrial purposes but also ameliorate the soil. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.