Crescimento, produção de fitomassa e teor de óleo essencial de folhas de capim citronela (cymbopogon nardus (l.) rendle) em cultivo consorciado com algodoeiro colorido no semiárido mineiro

Abstract

The research was performed to evaluate the growth, production and essential oil content of the two harvests of citronella grass in intercropped with colored cotton in semiarid. For this, was used two system consortium (treatments): colored cotton intercropped with citronella grass 3X1 and colored cotton intercropped with citronella grass 1X1. The variety of colored cotton used was BRS Rubi and the citronella grass seedlings were produced in the Medicinal Plants Garden of Unimontes. The experimental design used was randomized blocks with two treatments and 16 repetitions. The experiment was maintained under rainfed conditions. Was evaluated plant height of citronella grass. Citronella grass leaves were harvested twice: the first was made at harvest of cotton fiber and the second in the grass regrowth, six months later. All plants in the plot were harvested and the fresh leaves were weighed, in the field, with the aid of a digital balance. Samples from leaves harvested were collected and taken for drying in an oven with forced air at 35°C until reaching constant weight. Dry mass was verified and the performed the extraction of essential oil by hydrodestilation in Clevenger modified apparatus. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and means compared by Skott-Knott test (p<0.05). The plants height did not differ between treatments in harvests. For the production of fresh and dry mass was significant difference between treatments only in the second harvest. In this case the plants cultivated in the consortium 1x1 produced more than in the consortium 3x1. The essential oil content of citronella grass did not vary between the two systems consortium, in the first and the second harvest.