FARMER'S NOTEBOOK
Patchouli: a suitable aromatic herb for intercropping
M.J. PRABU
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About four tonnes of dry leaves can be obtained in one harvest
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— PHOTO: GKVK
SHADE LOVER: Patchouli grown as an intercrop in sesbania plantations.
PATCHOULI IS an aromatic herb grown for its leaves, which yield oil. The oil is used in making agarbathis, soaps and cosmetics. Since there is no synthetic replacement for patchouli oil, the demand is very high both in the Indian and overseas markets.
Indian demand for patchouli oil is about 220 tonnes per annum and at present it is mainly met by imports.
The crop can be cultivated in a wide range of soils and climates. Once planted, the crop can be maintained for 3-4 years.
Buy back arrangement for patchouli herbage is available. The fresh patchouli herbage has a selling price of Rs. 3 to 5 /kg, while it is between Rs. 20-22/kg for patchouli dry herbage.
These are some of the companies identified by GKVK who have a buy back agreement with farmers for their patchouli crop. Farmers can also contact these companies for information on the above mentioned varieties if the university does not have stock of the seedlings.
Some Patchouli Herb and oil buyers in and around Bangalore:
S.S. KELKAR & CO., MUMBAI (HQ)
BENSON & CO., BANGALORE
GAURISHANKAR FARMS, MYSORE
NEEL AROMATICS, BANGALORE
Popular varieties
At present Johore and Java are the two popular varieties among the farmers, according to Dr. M. Vasundhara, Prof. & In-charge, Medicinal and Aromatic Section, Division of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra (GKVK), Bangalore.
The crop is mainly propagated by vegetative cuttings. The ideal time for propagating the cuttings in the nursery is during June-September.
Raised nursery beds of convenient size are prepared under shade. Cuttings of about 20 cm length with 4-5 nodes are planted in nursery beds at a spacing of about 2-3 cm.
The nursery is watered twice daily for 3-4 days after planting the cuttings and once a day, thereafter.
Field preparation
The cuttings will be ready for transplanting in the main field in 8-10 weeks. Before transplanting the cuttings, the main field has to be thoroughly ploughed into furrows after applying about 12 tonnes of farmyard manure and 50 kg of neem cake.
The seedlings are planted at a spacing of 45 cm x 45 cm on the furrows. The ideal time for transplanting the seedlings is during June-July.
Patchouli plants require partial shade and can be grown in the shade of either Sesbania as a main crop, or under arecanut/coconut/fruit plantations as an intercrop.
About 50,000 seedlings are required for planting in a hectare if it is going to be planted as a monocrop and about 20,000 seedlings if it is to be planted as an intercrop in coconut, arecanut and fruit plantations. Another method of planting is on raised beds, where two feet width beds are formed and the rooted seedlings are planted at intervals of about one foot in a zig-zag manner on the beds. The advantage of this method, according to Dr. Vasundhara is that drip irrigation can be adopted, .
The recommended fertilizer dose is about 150 kg urea, 50 kg phosphorus and 50 kg potash per hectare.
About 25 kg urea and full dose of phosphorus and potash are applied as a basal dose. The remaining urea is applied in five equal split doses after every harvest. Application of micronutrients is essential for better growth.
Irrigation must be done once in four days and later once a week. Regular manual weeding is done during the initial stages of crop growth.
Pest control
To control pests such as leaf eating caterpillar and leaf roller, harvesting at regular intervals and spraying of 1.5 ml methyl parathion diluted in one litre of water are found effective.
To control leaf blight, root rot and root wilt, spraying 1 ml of contaf diluted in one litre of water has been found effective.
The crop comes to harvest in about six months of planting and subsequent harvests can be done in 3-4 month intervals.
The leaves are harvested at 20-25 cm above ground level. The fresh leaves are shade dried for 5-6 days. About 3-4 tonnes of dry leaves can be obtained in one harvest, which yields 50-60 kgs of oil.
Cultivation cost
The total cost for cultivating the crop comes to about Rs.50,000, according to Dr. Vasundhara. Fresh leaves are sold at Rs. 3-5 per kg, while the dried ones are sold at Rs. 20-22 per kg.
"The oil is priced between Rs. 1,200-1,600 per kg in the market. Taking the minimum oil price to be Rs. 1, 200 per kg, the gross return will be about Rs. 72,000 with a net return of Rs.22,000 for first year crop," she said.
But for the second and third years, the net returns will be more than Rs. 50,000, according to her.
For more details contact Dr. M. Vasundhara, Prof. & In-charge, Medicinal and Aromatic Section, Division of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore-65, Ph:55315598, email : vasunuthan@rediffmail.com
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