CULTIVATING PROPERTIES AND NUTRITION

VALUE OF VETIVER
VETIVER / KHUS GRASS

B. N. – Chrysopogon zizanioides

Family – Poaceae (Graminae)

Origin – India (Western and

northern India)
Worldwide production is estimated
at about 250 tons per annum.
 Due to its excellent fixative
properties, vetiver is used widely in
perfumes.
Commercial crop in Kerala and
Assam mainly as rainfed crop
 BOTANY
 It reaches up to 2.0 m tall under
cultivation
 It is a perennial bunchygrass
 Stems - tall
 Leaves - long, thin, and rather rigid.
 Flowers - brownish-purple.
 Horizontally spreading, mat-like root
systems.
 The root system of vetiver is finely
structured and very strong.
 Vetiver has no stolons nor rhizomes.
 It is highlydrought-tolerant and can help
to protect soil against sheet erosion.
CLIMATE AND SOIL

 Warm and humid climate

 Grown under both wet and dry or arid
and tropical conditions.

 Sandy loam soils are preferred. Clay

loam is acceptable, but clay compact
soil is not ideal.
 pH ranging from 6.0 to 8.0 is ideal.
 Good soil binding nature
 Grown as vegetative cover over naked,
eroded slopes.
 VARIETIES

 Two genotypes are found in India:

 (i) North Indian type: has thick stem, narrow leaves, profusely
flowering with medium growing and highly fragrant roots but
low oil content (0.2-0.8%)
 (ii) South Indian type: It has broader leaves, bushy growth,
biennial flowering and high pollen sterility. Higher oil content
(0.6 – 1.2 %)

 Commercial varieties: Hybrid 8 and Sugandha – 14 – 18 kg oil

with vetiverol (75 – 85%) Nilambore – 20 kg oil / ha
 PROPAGATION
 Tillers and slips
 The slips are planted in pits, five to eight cm deep
made with a pointed stick.
 Two or three slips are planted in each pit.
 1,50,000 to 2,25,000 slips / ha with 2 - 3 slips per pit
 VETIVER OIL AND USES
 Vetiver Oil is extracted by steam distillation from the chopped,
dried and soaked roots and rootlets. It is a wonderful anti-
stress oil and a strengthener when the body is debilitated.

 Uses - Acne, arthritis, cuts, depression, exhaustion, insomnia,

muscular aches, oily skin, rheumatism, sores, stress
 YIELD

 5 to 7 tones /ha of roots which on distillation

yield 15 to 16 kg of oil.
 Roots yield 1.0 to 1.5 per cent of oil on dry
weight basis
 The colour of the oil is light yellow and the oil
contains 75 to 85 per cent vetiverol.
INGREDIENTS AND NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF
CONCENTRATE

 Ingredients (%) Nutrient composition

 Corn - 58.5 % Digestible energy (Mcal/kg) 3.40
 Soybean meal -20.5% Crude protein - 16.66 %
 Wheat bran -17.6% Crude fiber - 3.81%
 CaHPO-4 0.9% Ether extract - 3.08 %
 Limestone - 0.8% Calcium - 0.63 %
 NaCl - 0.85% Total phosphorus - 0.54 %
 Vitamin-mineral premix - 0.85%
 Total 100
THANK YOU