1. Clutivation practices of Patchouli plant crop.

2. INTRODUCTION
Botanical Name: Pogostemon patchouli
Family: Lamiaceae
Chromosome No.: 2n = 34
Origin: Philippines, Malaysia (South Eastern Countries)
Crop was introduce in India by Tata Oil Mills in 1942
Systematic cultivation was started by CIMAP, Bangalore in 1962
Patchouli is a shade loving plant.
Extraction of patchouli's essential oil is by steam distillation of the dried leaves

3. Plant Description
The plant is a small bushy branched, erect, perennial aromatic herb with quardiangular
stems which yields fragrant leaves containing very sweet smelling oil.
The leaves are simple, ovate to oblong ovate, leathery, dentate margins pale to purplish
green in colour.

4. The stem is densely tomentose (presence of dense woolly hair) and swollen on the nodes.
Flowers are borne both in axillary and terminal spikes. But seed is not produced
Flowering takes place from January to February in India, Malaya and Philippines. In Java, it
is never found flowering.

5. Uses
Used as a flavouring ingredient in major food products.
It is one of the most important essential oils of the
perfumery industry and there is no synthetic chemical
to replace it.
The oil also gives one of the finest attars when
blended with sandalwood oil.
Used as an ingredient in insect repellent preparations.
It is said to have antibacterial properties as well.

6. Chemical Constitution
While 92% of the oil is non-odoriferous, the rest is made up of mixture of sesquiterpenes
(alcohol) of which norpatchoulenol and b - patchoulene and γ-guaislene are major aroma
compounds making it a complex contributing to its characteristic odour.
These are difficult to synthesize or substitute and hence natural oil from cultivation
remains the only source of oil.
The odour is warm, sweet, herbaceous with camphoraceous (spicy) fragrance.
The oil has strong fixative properties and blends very well with oils of sandalwood,
geranium, vetiver, clove etc. giving strength and tenacity for making heavy perfumes of
lasting odour.

7. Area andproduction
The world production of oil is around 800 t/annum.
Java produces 2/3 of this quantity followed by China and Malaysia.
Cultivation in India has been meager but is picking up in the last 5 years and is around
600 ha, producing 20 tonnes of oil per annum.
It is cultivated in coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam and West Bengal.

8. SOIL& CLIMATE
SOIL
Can be grown in wide range of soil. However, partially shaded, well drained fertile soil
and deep, loamy soil rich in humus and nutrient is best for production.
Acidic soil is needed with pH of 5.5 to 7.5 is essential for production.
CLIMATE:
It required warm and humid climate.
Rainfall of 150-300 cm/year
Temperature of about 20 to 35 oC and R.H 75% are ideally suited for patchouli
cultivation.

9. varieties
Johore, Singapore and Indonesia are the commonly cultivated types of
patchouli.
Of these, Johore yields the best quality oil in terms of chemical composition
and odour value whereas, the other two have high herbage and oil yield
potential, but their oils are of inferior quality.
The CIM-Shresta is the recently released variety of patchouli.

10. PROPAGATION
Patchouli is vegitatively propagated through stem cuttings.
The leaves can also root under intermittent mist and adventitious plantlets can be obtained
from these leaves.

12. NURSERY REQUIREMENTS
The crop is highly susceptible to nematode attack, it is advisable to adopt phyto-sanitary
measures at the nursery stage.
The sand and soil should be treated with a suitable nematicide like Furadan (3% a.i) at the
rate of 20 kg/ha.
Shade is essential for raising a nursery
Stem cuttings from 9-month-old branches of 10-12 cm length, consisting of 4-5 nodes
especially with the terminal bud and a crown of 2-3 leaves are quite suitable.
Treatment with 1500 ppm IBA to the basal end encourages rooting.
The cuttings take about 30-35 days for rooting in the nursery and, in about 8-10 weeks,
they are ready for transplanting.

13. Transplanting
Nematicides like Furadan at the rate of 20 kg/ha (3% a.i.) is mixed well into the soil before
planting.
The plot is then laid out into ridges and furrows.
Spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm transplanting in August-October gives about 90% establishment.
Direct planting of the cuttings of 15-20 cm are required to transplant in the main field.
During the early stages, partial shade and sufficient moisture are essential.
Cuttings planted at an angle give better results compared to those planted erect.
Initial rate of growth of these cuttings is slow and the percentage of success is lower.

14. Manure & fertilizers
About 12 t/ha of FYM is added while preparing the main field and is mixed well.
Basal dose of 25 kg N, 50 kg P205 and 50 kg K2O/ ha, is given in the form of urea, super
phosphate and muriate of potash.
Nitrogen is applied in 5 split doses after every harvest, in such a way that the crop
receives the first dose just after the harvest and another about 2 months later.
In total 150 kg/ha/yr of N is applied to the crop.

15. PLANT PROTECTION
PEST:
Root-knot Nematode by Meloidogyne incognita and M. hapla is commonly found in tropical
and subtropical regions.
DISEASE:
Leaf-blight by Cercospora spp.
Wilt caused by Rhizoctonia solani Fusarium solani and Pythium aphanidermatum
Virus diseases includes yellow mossaic virus and tobacco necrosis virus (TNV)
Yellow mosaic virus is transmitted by white fly (Bemisia tabaci).

16. HARVESTING
The first crop is ready for harvesting 4 to 6 months after transplanting. Subsequent harvests
can be taken after every 3-4 months.
It is harvested when the foliage becomes pale-green to lightbrown
The first 2 or 3 harvests of newly planted plantation give good yield and high quality oil.
The crop can be maintained for 3 years.
The harvested leaves are dried in thin layers in shade for 3-4 days when these develop their
characteristic odour. Mature thick stalks are removed as these contain no oil.
Ageing on storage improves odour of the leaves and therefore, the crop is stored for six
months before distillation.

17. YIELD
A good crop stand yields about 2 tonnes of dry leaves per annum.
The oil is found mainly in the leaf and small quantity is present in the tender parts of the
stem.
The yield of fresh leaves/acre/year from three harvests is about 8,000kg which on shade
drying reduces to 1600kg and on distillation yields about 40kg of oil.
The oil content varies from 2.5 to 3.5% in shade dried leaves
An average yield of 2.5% is considered satisfactory in commercial distillations.

18. processing
Drying
The harvested material is spread out under shade in thin layers and is turned
periodically to ensure proper drying. For higher recovery and good quality of oil,
moisture content of herbage should be between 8-10 %. Drying normally requires 3-
6 days. Properly dried leaves develop characteristic patchouli aroma, which is less
noticeable in fresh leaves.

19. Distillation
The oil is distilled from the air-dried herb by using steam or hydro distillation
process. The recovery of oil from the shade dried herb varies between 2.5 - 3.5 per
cent. The duration of distillation is 8 to 11 hours for complete recovery of the oil.
Properly dried leaves produce good oil yield and better quality of oil.

20. Storage & Packing of Oil
It is to be ensured that the essential oil does not contain any water before storage.
The oil is stored in glass bottles or drums made up of steel or aluminium depending
upon the quantity of oil to be stored. The containers are filled up to the brim, tightly
capped and stored in a cool, dry & dark place.

21. Presented By:
Jitendra Kumar Agarwalla
Bsc. (Hons) Horticulture
H/033/18
Vth Semester
Presented To:
Dr. Vinod Kumar