Official Portal - Agriculture Department

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Field Preparation and Sowing

Field Preparation and Sowing : The land should be thoroughly ploughed (4-6 times) to bring the soil to a fine tilth and proper size raised or flat beds are prepared preferably of 1 metre width and convenient length with a spacing of 30 cm between the beds for drainage channels. In the case of irrigated crop, ridges and furrows are prepared and the rhizomes are planted in shallow pits on the top of ridges. Propagation: It is generally propagated vegetatively. The planting material should be free from pests (insect & diseases) to get higher yield. Micro propagation : To produce pathogen-free, uniform planting material, micro propagation is an alternative method for propagation from rhizomes. Emerging buds from the sprouting rhizomes of turmeric were used as explants. Shoot initiation generally started within 5 days after inoculation on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium containing 1.0 mg BAP [benzyladenine]/litre. Multiple shoots may be induced on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg BAP + 0.25 mg kin [kinetin]/litre. Rooting of 100% may be achieved by transferring an individual micro shoot to MS medium containing 1.0 mg NAA/litre. Plantlets are successfully transferred to the greenhouse in pots containing soil with equal amounts of sand + clay + compost. After acclimatization, the plants are successfully established in the field with 100% survival rate. All plants are morphologically uniform. Seed rate: Depending on the spacing adopted and the extent of mixed cropping the seed-rate may vary from 150-200 kg per ha. Whole or split mother rhizome or finger rhizomes are used for planting. Each planting unit consists of bits of 25-40 g each. As an intercrop in a fruit –garden it may be as low as 400-500 kg per ha. Spacing: Row to Row = 60 – 70 cm Plant to Plant = 40 - 45 cm Time of Planting: The best time of planting is March to April. In plains it is done up to June. Planting: For sowing both the mother-rhizomes, and fingers are used. The fingers are cut into pieces each 4-5 cm long, and the mother rhizomes are planted as such or split into two; each having at least one sound bud. The seed is sometimes sprouted under moist straw before sowing. Mulching the bed with green leaves is an important practice beneficial to this crop when planting is done in raised beds. Aftercare The crop is mulched immediately after planting with green leaves @ 1 kg/m2. It may be repeated for a second time with the same quantity of green leaves after the second fertilizer application. It is mainly done with dry grasses or straw or dry forest leaves or saw dust or sometimes green leaves to protect from heavy rains and direct sunshine. First earthing up should be given 50-60 days after planting and the next after 45 days. It cannot withstand prolonged water logging and also does not tolerate heavy shade.