The effects of soil sodicity on the growth, yield, and cation composition of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii Roxb. Wats) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus Steud Wats) were studied in a pot experiment. The plant height, number of tillers, and herb yield of both species significantly decreased as the exchangeable sodium in soil increased. A 50 percent reduction in herb yield over control was recorded at soil exchangeable sodium levels of 52 and 37 percent, respectively, for palmarosa and lemongrass. Increases in exchangeable sodium percentages of soil enhanced the concentration of sodium and decreased that of potassium, calcium and magnesium in vegetative tissues of both plants as compared with control. Palmarosa was lower in sodium and better able to maintain the potassium to sodium and calcium to sodium ratios in vegetative tissues under sodicity stress than lemongrass. Geranyl acetate content in the oil of palmarosa increased with increases in the soil exchangeable sodium percentage.
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Prasad et al. (1998) studied this question.
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