Influence of plant age on the content and composition of essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf.

Abstract

An experiment was carried out in Viçosa, Brazil to evaluate the influence of plant age (3, 6, 9 and 12 months) on the content and chemical composition of essential oils from lemon grass, using a completely randomized design with three replications. The plants were harvested between 7:00 and 8:30 a.m, and harvesting cut made at 20 cm height from the base of the leaf. The collected material was immediately taken to the laboratory where the leaves were selected, and subsequent determination of moisture content and other chemical analysis done. The essential oil extraction was carried out by hydrodistillation. The identification of the chemical components of the lemon grass volatile oil was performed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The quantification of the chemical composition of essential oils was made by the gas chromatograph in conjunction with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that plant age did not influence statistically, the essential oil content extracted from the lemongrass leaves. However this provided significant changes in its chemical composition.

Influence of Plant Age on Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Varronia curassavica Jacq. Essential Oil Produced on an Industrial Scale

“…When studying the effect of the Artemisia annua harvest age on essential oil production, Damtew et al [48] demonstrated that there was no change in the essential oil content, but the content of artemisinin, an antimalarial compound, was significantly altered. The same result was found by Rocha et al [49] when studying the influence of the age of Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass) on the chemical composition of the essential oil of this species. The authors reported that there was no change in the extracted oil content, only in the chemical composition.…”

ONTOGENETIC VARIABILITY IN THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF WINTER SAVORY (Satureja montana L.) HERB YIELD

“…3). Research on lemon balm [Nurzyńska-Wierdak et al 2014] and lemon grass [Rocha et al 2014] shows that plant age may cause differences in the content of essential oil to a lesser extent than in its chemical composition. Santos et al [2012], on the other hand, demonstrated that in the case of harvest of Alpinia zerumbet (Zingiberaceae) leaves, with increasing age there is a significant increase in plant biomass as well as in essential oil content and yield.…”

Combinations of Lemongrass and Star Anise Essential Oils and Their Main Constituent: Synergistic Housefly Repellency and Safety against Non-Target Organisms

“…The findings from some other studies were slightly different: 80.0% [ 48 ], 81.04% [ 40 ], and 83.46% [ 41 ]. The difference in the EO yield and the chemical composition of lemongrass and star anise EOs were affected by many factors, such as plant genotype, plant age, maturity stage, harvesting stage, primary developmental period, quality of raw plant materials, and good management practice of cultivation [ 49 , 50 , 51 ]. The cropping time, stage of the plant, geographic distribution, environmental factors, and extraction and distillation methods all affected the quality and quantity of plant EOs [ 48 , 52 ].…”