Abstract:
Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides), (Graminae) is one of the most important medicinal
and aromatic plants. The root of the Vertiver plant is used for e medicinal purposes
and for extraction of essential oils. Vetiver oil is known as the “oil of tranquility”.
In baths or in massage, Vetiver is beneficial in the treatment of the symptoms of
disorders such as arthritis, rheumatism and a chin, stiff muscles. Vetiver can be
grown in a wide range of soil types and harvestable root yield, oil content and oil
quality highly depend on soil conditions. Therefore, the objective of the present
study was to study the effect of different potting mixtures on plant growth, root
yield, oil content and oil quality of Vetiver.
A pot experiment was carried out at the Medicinal Plant Garden, Faculty of
Agriculture, University of Ruhuna to study the effect of different potting mixtures
on root yield, oil content and oil quality of Vetiver. Fourteen different potting
mixtures [top soil: sand (1:1 , 1:2), top soil: sand: coir dust (1:1:1, 1:1:2, 1:2:1,
1:2:2), top soil: sand: paddy husk (1:1:1, 1:1:2, 1:2:1, 1:2:2), top soil: sand: saw dust
(1:1:1, 1:1:2, 1:2:1, 1:2:2) ] were tested. Nine months after planting significantly
higher (P< 0,05) root dry weight (521g) and shoot dry weight (1277g) were
recorded in plants grown in potting mixture of top soil: sand: coir dust (1:2:2), and
those grown in potting mixture of toj> soil: sand (1:2) (482g and 1091g),as
compared to theplants grown in other media. Vetiveria root oil was extracted using
steam distillation procedure and oil quality was tested using Gas-Liquid
Chromatography. Plants grown in top soil: sand (1:2) had 1.78% oil and 0.8%,
4.5%, 16.3% and 6.4% of (3- Vetivenene, p- Vetivone, Khusimol, a- Vetivone
respectively. Plants grown in top soil: sand (1:2) mixture performed better in term
of growth, yield quality band quantity of oil as compared to those grown in other
potting mixtures.
