
Journal Article
The growing and development of lemongrass in open field and greenhouse [2021]
Sivicka, I., Latvia Univ. of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava (Latvia). Faculty of Agriculture; Iesalniece, I., Latvia Univ. of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava (Latvia). Faculty of Agriculture; Suhani, A.A., University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca (Romania). Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies;
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Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf) is widely used in cooking, pharmacy, perfumery, cosmetics etc. It is perennial in tropics, but overwintering is not possible in the open field in Northern Europe. As no scientific research about lemongrass cultivation was carried out in Latvia, the aim of this study was to explore the growth and development of lemongrass in the open field and in the greenhouse. The research was conducted in the Laboratory of Horticulture and Apilogy of the Institute of Soil and Plant Sciences of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. Since 2015, annual lemongrass has been grown in the field in each vegetation period (pH KCl 6.3, P2O5 content 102 g kgE−1 and K2O content 207 g kgE−1). Before the autumn frosts, annual plants were replanted in pots with peat (pHKCl 6.0) and placed in a heated greenhouse. The plant height, total number of stems and leaves per plant, average leaf length, average stem diameter, weight of stems with and without leaves, total fresh biomass from one plant as well as the colour of stems and leaves were analysed. The average fresh biomass of annual plants per plant was 57.88 g (31.22 g for leaves and 26.66 g for stems). In the next growing years there is a tendency for lemongrass to decrease the number of stems but increase the stem diameter. Fresh biomass was significantly affected by a pot size. In 2020, the oldest lemongrass specimens were in bloom and seeds were collected.