🦟 Citronella
Citronella grass production, essential oil recovery, and its insect-repellent importance.
Citronella is an aromatic grass crop cultivated for industrial essential oils, and this lesson presents production technology in an exam-friendly structure.
(Cymbopogon winterianus, Poaceae) Citronella oil is an essential oil containing citronellal, geraniol and hydroxy citronellol and other high value perfumery bases obtained on steam distillation of citronella grass. In Assam production of citronella oil has gone down from 450-500 MT/year in 1986 to less than 100 MT/year mainly due to the following reasons:
Summary Cheat Sheet
| Topic | Key exam point |
|---|---|
| Crop purpose | Aromatic grass grown for citronella oil |
| Important types | Java and Ceylon types |
| Major oil constituent | Citronellal |
| Commercial use | Widely used in mosquito repellent and fragrance products |
| Harvest rule | Harvest interval and prompt distillation influence oil recovery |
| Establishment key | Stand vigor depends on healthy planting material and sanitation |
| Field caution | Poor drainage lowers crop vigor and oil output |
| Quality caution | Over-aged leaves reduce quality parameters |
| Processing rule | Distill harvested biomass promptly |
| Exam trap | Citronella is an oil grass, so postharvest handling discipline is central to quality |
References
2 sources • [1] [2]
References
[2]
Official
Lesson Doubts
Ask questions, get expert answers