The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the interval between cuts on the dry mass yield of the aerial part of two lemon grass species. The experiment was conducted at Agronomical Institute (IAC), in Campinas - SP, from June 4th, 2005 through August 28th, 2006. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized block design, with three replications, and the treatments in a 2 x 4 factorial design, corresponding two species (C. citratus and C. flexuosus) and four intervals between cuts (40; 60; 80 and 100 days). For C. flexuosus, longer intervals between cuts generated more dry mass accumulated throughout the cultivation cycle, beginning on 329,04 to 704,16 g plant-1 of accumulated dry mass of the aerial part, for intervals between cuts of 40 and 100 days, respectively. The C. citratus species showed a decrease in its linear response for the accumulated dry mass of the aerial part the longer the interval between cuts was, yielding 238,68 g plant-1 for a 40 day interval between cuts.
Cymbopogon citratus; Cymbopogon flexuosus; crop management; medicinal plant; aromatic plant
