Lemongrass is a tropical perennial plant which yields the Cochin oil of commerce. It is known as Bhustarah in Sanskrit, Gandhatran in Hindi, Injippullu in Malayalam, Vasanapullu in Tamil, Majjigehallu in Kannada and Nimmagaddi in Telugu (Figure 1). The name of lemongrass is derived from the typical lemon-like odour of the essential oil present in the shoot. Cymbopogon citratus (C. citratus) flourishes in sunny, warm, humid conditions of the tropics. In Kerala short periods above 30 °C have little general effect on plants, but severely reduce oil content. Lemongrass flourishes in a wide variety of soil ranging from rich loam to poor laterite. Calcareous and water-logged soils are unsuitable for its cultivation[4]. Plants growing in sandy soils have higher leaf oil yield and citral content. Lemongrass will grow and produce average herbage and oil yields on highly saline soils.