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University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot

Production technology of Davana (Artemisia pallens)

Presentation on

Shivanand .M. R.UHS11PGM143Dept. of PMA

KITTUR RANI CHANNAMMA COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE, ARABHAVI -591 310

Plant Profile:

Scientific name: Artemisia pallens

Family : Asteraceae

Indian name : Davanam (Sanskrit), Davana (Hindi), Davana (Kannada) & Davanam (Tamil).

Active principle: Davanone & Davanafurans Davana is an important annual aromatic herb, much

prized in India for its delicate fragrance.

Habitat and distribution Davana is a native of South India.

India holds key position in production of Davana oil.

Annual production is about 2 tonnes.

It is majorly grown in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

In the production of davana essential oil, India holds key position and production

is about 2 tonnes/ annum.

Essential oil of davana acquired considerable reputation in international trade.

From Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh oil is exported to France, USA,

Germany, Japan and Netherlands.

Some of the essential oil bearing species in trade market are Artemisia absinthium

Linn., A. annua L., and A. pallens Wall.

The plant does not occur in wild. Therefore, only cultivated plants are found.

Commercial plantation is done mainly in Karnataka and to lesser extent in T.N,

Maharashtra, and Kerala.

Uses

Cosmetics, flavouring beverages, confectionery, tobacco and

perfumery

Davana sprigs are commonly used in garlands, bouquets and

religious offering in most part of the year.

The leaves and flowers contain essential oil valued for its

exquisite and delicate aroma and is used in high grade

perfumes and cosmetics.

The oil of davana contains hydrocarbons (20%), ester (65%)

and oxygenated compounds (15%).

The esters are the major constituent responsible for the

characteristic smell of davana.

The other constituents isolated from the oil include a

sesquiterpene ketone named ‘artemone', novel

sesquiterpenoids named `davanafurans' and another ketone

named `isodavanone'.

The essential oil of davana which is a brown viscous liquid

with rich fruity odour has acquired considerable reputation in

the International trade particularly in USA and Japan where it

is being used for flavouring cakes, pastries, tobacco and

beverages.

Botany

It is a delicate, erect and branched annual herb 45-60 cm tall and covered with greyish white tomentum.

Leaves are alternate, exstipulate, petiolate, lobed; inflorescence capitulum, axillary, peduncled to sessile, heterogeneous having bisexual disc florets in centre and pistillate ray florets on periphery which are yellow glabrous.

Involucre, 2 or more, seriate, ovate to elliptic-linear; inner florets 5-lobed, bisexual; stamens 5 with free epipetalous filaments; style bifid.

Climate It requires moderately cool climate without frost, bright sunshine, moderate

rainfall and a winter without fog and heavy morning dew, to produce a

good crop. A temperature range 20 to 30°C with least diurnal differences is

suitable.

High temperatures and heavy rains at the time of flowering have not only

been found to affect the plant growth but also reduce the oil content and

ultimately the oil yield.

Season is an important aspect to be considered when davana is grown for

extracting the essential oil. The oil content in plant was observed maximum

when the crop was grown during winter season compared to other seasons.

When the crop is grown for the production of oil, it should be planted

during the first week of November. A few light showers with moderate

winter conditions and no frost helps in allowing the plant to put on good

growth.

Soil

The crop is found growing on various types of

soils from sandy loam to medium black.

However, a rich sandy loam soil which is rich

in organic matter and with a good drainage is

ideal.

Davana is mostly cultivated in the red soil

regions in South India.

VARIETIES

There are no named commercial varieties available in this crop.

In Tamil Nadu elite local types are popular among the farmers.

Nilokottai local,

Thevaram local,

Thovalai local

INPUTS

Note: Prior to transplanting of the seedlings, full dose of FYM, phosphorous and potash is incorporated into the soil. Nitrogen is applied in three equal split doses, the first being 10 days after transplanting and the subsequent two doses being at 15 days interval.

Table: 1 Influence of nitrogen and phosphorus along with biofertilizers on growth parameters in ratoon crop of davana. - Kumar et al., 2009, T.N

Table2. Influence of irrigation regimes, organic manures and nitrogen levels on yield factors for davana crop. Chalapathi et al.(2004). GKVK, Bangaluru.

Treatments Fresh herbage yield (t/ha)

Air dried herbage

yield(t/ha)

Fresh flower head

yield(kg/ha)

Essential oil content(%)

Essential oil yield(kg/ha)

Main effect

Irrigation regimes(I)

I 1-0.4 CPEI2-0.8 CPES.E.M± C.D at 5 %

13.8617.900.221.32

7.519.490.090.53

62098256116709

0.6600.6120.0020.014

22.8727.600.201.22

Organic manure(M)

M0-no manureM1-FYMM2-VCS.E.M±C.D at 5%

14.5516.5116.260.200.56

7.768.878.870.100.28

656576477487104299

0.6590.6300.6170.0080.024

23.7426.1125.870.381.09

CPE: Cumulative pan evaporative, VC: Vermicompost.

Nitrogen levels(N):N1- 50kg/ha 12.76 6.83 5630 0.663 20.94N2- 100kg/ha 15.86 8.52 7238 0.623 25.16N3- 150kg/ha 18.70 10.25 8830 0.621 29.61S.E.M± 0.20 0.10 104 0.008 0.38C. D. at 5% 0.56 0.28 299 0.024 1.09

Conti…

Table 3. Influence of irrigation regimes, organic manures and nitrogen levels on fresh weight/ plant, fresh weight of flower head/plant, and hundred flower head yield(g).

Chalapathi et al.(2004). GKVK, Bangaluru.

Treatments Fresh weight/plant (g)

Fresh weight of flower head/plant(g)

Hundred flower head yield (g)

Main effects

Irrigation regimes(I)

I1-0.4 CPE 24.52 11.22 4.74

I2-0.8 CPE 29.73 13.43 5.17

S.E.M± 0.32 0.27 0.02

C.D at 5 % 1.93 1.62 0.14

Organic manure(M)

M0-no manure 23.70 11.09 4.89

M1-FYM 29.12 13.15 5.02

M2-VC 28.55 12.74 4.97

S.E.M± 0.36 0.19 0.08

C.D at 5% 1.04 0.54 0.22

Nitrogen levels(N):

N1- 50kg/ha 21.68 9.47 4.61

N2- 100kg/ha 27.48 12.77 4.83

N3- 150kg/ha 32.51 14.74 5.20

S.E.M± 0.36 0.19 0.08

C. D. at 5% 1.04 0.54 0.22

Conti….

Table4. Interaction effect of irrigation regimes, organic manures and nitrogen levels on fresh and air-dried herbage yield, flower head yield, fresh weight/plant and fresh weight of flower head/plant. Chalapathi et al.(2004). GKVK, Bangaluru.

Treatments Fresh herbage yield

(t/ha)

Air dried herbage

yield(t/ha)

Fresh flower head

yield(kg/ha)

Fresh weight/plant

(g)

Fresh weight of flower

head/plant (g)

Interaction effects I x M x N

I1M0N1 10.35 5.36 4481 15.42 7.46

I1M0N2 13.22 7.11 5801 22.55 10.71

I1M0N3 15.27 8.29 6884 24.81 11.73

I1M1N1 10.95 5.79 4781 24.81 9.34

I1M1N2 15.00 8.13 6663 28.18 12.89

I1M1N3 18.49 10.12 8695 33.00 14.97

I1M2N1 10.53 5.72 4495 18.44 7.56

I1M2N2 15.10 8.34 6837 27.19 12.57

I1M2N3 15.82 8.71 7549 30.69 13.61

I2M0N1 14.16 7.42 6199 21.90 10.43

I2M0N2 14.77 7.94 6790 26.24 12.15

I2M0N3 19.55 10.42 9236 31.26 13.89

I2M1N1 15.24 8.18 6892 25.33 10.77

I2M1N2 18.35 9.78 8660 29.57 13.55

I2M1N3 21.05 11.26 10290 38.27 17.37

I2M2N1 15.46 8.49 6931 26.76 11.10

I2M2N2 18.71 9.83 8681 31.17 14.74

I2M2N3 21.98 12.21 10630 37.03 16.86

S.E.M± 0.48 0.23 253 0.87 0.48

C. D. at 5% 2.80 0.94 1124 3.51 3.28

Conti….

Propagation

Nursery raising:

Davana is propagated by seeds.

As the seeds lose the viability rapidly, seeds from the previous

season’s crop should only be used for sowing.

About 1.5 kg of seed is required to produce enough seedlings to

transplant in an area of one hectare.

Usually nursery beds of 2 m long and 1 m wide are preferred. The

surface of the beds should be clod free. It is then incorporated with

the finely prepared farm yard manure at the rate of 10 kg per bed.

Sowing of seeds at the rate of 1 g per sq.m. is desirable.

The seeds may be sown either dry or after wetting them with sand

for about 48 hrs.

In the later case, the seed is thoroughly mixed with sand

at the rate of 4-5 times its volume. To this mixture,

water is added so that the sand is sufficiently wet.

It is then tied in a cloth bag and stored in a warm

condition for 48 hrs. This will hasten the sprouting of

seed and radicle will emerge at the end of 48 hrs. The

nursery bed is then flooded with water to provide a pool

and the sprouting seed and sand mixture is broadcasted

all over the bed, homogeneously.

This method helps in uniform distribution of seeds.

When the seeds have settled down a thin layer of sand is

spread over just to cover them.

Transplanting

The seedlings will be ready for transplanting in about 6-

8 weeks from the date of sowing. At this stage the

seedlings will be about 10 cm tall.

Before transplanting, the field is thoroughly prepared by

bringing the land to a fine tilth with repeated

ploughings. It is then laid out into plots of convenient

size by laying out bunds and channels. The size of the

plot depends on the conditions prevailing locally.

Generally a plot of 3-4 m x 1.5-2.5 m size is preferred as it

helps in proper management of irrigation, weeding and

other inter-cultural operations. After the preparation of

plots, the soil is incorporated with 6 tonnes of well

decomposed farm yard manure or compost. The plots are

irrigated a day prior to transplanting.

The seedlings are then transplanted at a spacing of 15 cm

between rows and 7.5 cm between plants. Trails have

shown that transplanting Davana at closer spacing results

in higher herbage yield and subsequently higher oil yield

compared to wider spacing which results in larger plants

but lower herbage and oil yield per unit area.

Irrigation:

After transplanting, the plots are immediately provided with light

irrigation, later, the irrigation is given daily till the seedlings are

well established (10-12 days) and subsequently once in 3-4 days

depending on the weather conditions.

Interculture:

The field is kept weed free by regular weeding as and when

required. In all about 2-3 hand weedings during early period of

growth will help to keep the weeds down.

Application of GA3 at 200 ppm after five weeks of transplanting

has been found to increase the herb and essential oil yield per unit

area.

PLANTPROTECTION:

Major insects : Ants and aphids

Major disease : Damping off

Management:

1. Ants can be minimized by mixing about 10 kg or 6%

Heptachlor per hectare into the soil.

2. To control aphids spray Rogor at the rate of 2ml per

litre.

3. Damping off can be overcome by adjusting the sowing

time, so that bright weather prevails during the first few

days of the early seedlings stage or by seed treatment

with Captan at the rate of 5 g per kg of seed.

Harvesting

The crop starts flowering after 110-115 days of sowing

which will be around 2nd or 3rd week of February.

In order to obtain the maximum essential oil yield, the

plants should be harvested when about 50 per cent of them

have come to flowering. This stage will be reached by the

end of February or 1st week of March at 120-125 days after

sowing.

Harvesting is done by cutting the plants from the base at a

height of 10 cm. Although there are reports about the

possibility of obtaining a ratoon crop in Davana, no where it

is being followed practically.

The main crop is harvested only during the month of

March and the ratoon starts sprouting by the end of March

or beginning of April which due to the high temperatures

prevailing during these periods results in poor growth of

plant and mutilated flower buds which fail to open.

The crop thus obtained becomes uneconomical as flower

heads are the major contributors of oil.

The harvested herb is dried in shade for 2-3 days. The

dried herb is steam distilled for extracting the essential oil.

Yield and oil content

The yield of fresh herbage including flower heads is around

12-13 tonnes per hectare.

The flower heads contain 0.3 - 0.4% of oil and in general,

the oil content in whole plant after drying it in shade for 2

days is 0.29 per cent, an average recovery of around 0.2 per

cent under large scale distillation yielding 12-13 kg of oil

per hectare.

When oil is extracted from the whole plant, flower heads

contribute the major portion of the oil. The contribution of

leaf and stem towards percentage oil content in a whole

plant is very less.

Distillation: The harvested material before distilled, is dried under shade

for 2 days. The dried material is steam distilled for obtaining good quality

oil. However, for estimation of essential oil under laboratory

condition particularly of small samples, the shade dried material is hydro-distilled.

The distilled oil is collected from the oil receiver. About 5-6 hours required to complete the charge. Sodium chloride is added to the mixture of oil to separate the

oil.

Davana oil:

Davana oil has a deep mellow,

persistent rich fruity odour .

Freshly distilled oil has sharp herbal top

which disappears on keeping, leaving a

mellow and pleasant note.

The main component of davana oil is

‘Davanone’ which is a sesquiterpene

ketone.

Sl no. Aroma chemical Percentage

1. Davanones 55.0

2. Nerol 10.0

3. Geraniol 5.0

4. Hydroxydavanone 3.0

5. Dihydro-rosefurans 2.5

6. Furano-norditerpenoid 2.0

7. Hydroxy nerolidol 2.0

8. Davana ethers 1.5

9. Artemone 1.5

10. Davanafurans 1.0

11. Davana esters 1.0

12. Hydroxy dihydrorosefuran 0.5

Source: (Thakur and Misra, 1989)

Chemical constituent of davana oil:

Storage:

The oil should be free from sediments, suspended

matter and moisture free before storing.

It is stored in Aluminium containers.

The containers should be filled to the brim to exclude

all air to prevent deterioration during storage.

Marketing and trade channels:

The freshly harvested herbs of davana may fetch a

price of Rs 8-10/kg.

The rate of oil very from Rs 35000-40000/kg.

Products of Davana

REFERENCES

Shiva, M. P., Lehri, A. and Shiva, A., 2002, Aromatic and Medicinal

Plants, International Book Distributors, Uttaranchal, pp:143-146.

Handa, S. S. and Kual, M.K., 1997, Supplement to Cultivation and

Utilization of Aromatic plants, regional research laboratory, Jammu-

Tawi(India), pp:285-286.

Chalapathi, M. V., Vasundhara, M., Gangadhar Eswar Rao, G.,

Thimmegowda, S., Rao Prakash, E. V. S., and Deva Kumar, N.,2004,

Influence of integrated nutrient management on yield of davana,

Indian Perfume, 48(3): 311-316.

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