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Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Ginger Cultivation Basics
Ginger is an important spice crop of the world .Its scientific name is Zingiber
officinale.Its a valuable cash
crop and plays an important role in aurvedic medicines in India .It has been used for cleaning body
through perspiration,to calm down nausea,and to stimulate the appetite.Ginger
tea is used as carminative and in the symptomatic treatment
of colds.Ginger contains gingerol, an oleo resin that accounts for the
characteristic aroma and therapeutic properties.Components of gingerol posses beneficial
properties for the treatment of poor digestion,heart burn,vomiting and
preventing motion sickness.
Climate and soil
Ginger requires
tropical,subtropical and humid climate for its commercial production.It
can be successfully grown to an altitude of 1500mt.A well distributed rainfall
during growing season and dry season during the land preparation as well as
before harvesting is required for good growth and
yield of the crop. Dry weather with a temperature range of 28-30 degree
Centigrade for
about a month before harvesting is ideal . High humidity throughout the crop
period is necessary. Ginger prefers good garden soil, rich in humus, light,
loose, friable, well
drained and of at least 30 cm depth. Rhizome growth is better on slightly
acidic soil.
Varieties
Most promising varieties of ginger are Himgiri,Varad,surbhi,suruchi,Ernas,Nadia,Maran,Rio de jenerio and China.
Planting
In northern India, planting of Ginger is done on the
onset of monsoon. In Eastern India planting is done in the month of
march.The method of land preparation depends on the soil and climatic
conditions.Usually beds of 1.0 mt width ,15 cm height, and 6-7 metre in length with 30 cm wide
channels between beds are made. Ginger is universally propagated from cutting of Rhizome known as
bits. A direct relationship has been established between size of planting
material and final yield. Bits should be 3-5cm in the length, 15- 20gm in weight and at least one
sound bud .A seed rate of 15-20 Quintal per hectare is considered to be
optimum for planting. Before planting bits should be treated with fungicide like
carbendazim and
mancozeb by
dissolving the 30 gm of powder in 15 litres of water as a safeguard against
soft rot and to
induce early sprouting.The spacing for planting of the ginger should be kept
25-45 cm between rows and 15-20 cm between plants.
Manures and Fertilizers
Well rotten FYM
or compost at the rate of 25-30 ton/hectare should be applied at the time of planting. The
amount of inorganic fertilizer depend upon the fertility of the soil and organic
manure used. It ranges between 100-120 kg nitrogen, 75-80 kg of phosphorus and
100 -120 kg of Murat of potash.It is advisable to add
20-25 kg of elemental sulphur at the time of land preparation to correct the
deficiency of sulphur which is increasing in Indian soils. Half of nitrogen and entire quantity of
phosphorus and Murat of potash should be given as basal.Rest of the
nitrogen should be split in two doses as top dressing at the 45 and 90 days
after planting.
Shade and mulching
One row of
maize in every inter row space of ginger with maintenance of 100% maize population and
application of additional fertilizer to maize additional yield of ginger can
beobtained. Mulching is essential as it enhances sprouting ,increase
infiltration and organic matter .
First mulching should be done at the time of planting with
quick rotting green leaves at the rate of 10-12 t/hectare or with dry leaves at
the rate 5-6 t/hectare.
Water management
The crop raised in the month of April-May needs 2-4 initial watering at an
interval of 7
days depending upon the soil types. After this the crop receives monsoon rain
and comes up well till end of September . Subsequently the crop has to be
given watering commencing from middle of October and the end of December at 15 days
intervals. In ginger cultivation sprouting, rhizome initiation
and rhizome development are critical stages of irrigation.
Weed management
Two weeding
are generally given to the ginger crop.First weeding should be done just before
the second mulching. It is repeated depending on the intensity of the weed
growth or at an interval of 45-60 days. During hoeing , every care should be taken so
that the rhizomes should not be disturbed, injured or exposed.
Plant Protection
To control shoot borer and leaf roller the spray of indoxacarb @ of 10 ml per
15 litre of water or novaluron@ of 10 ml per 15 litre of water is
very effective if sprayed at 15 days interval. Rhizome scale insects destroys
rhizome and it can be controlled by dipping the seed rhizome in quinalphos by dissolving 1
ml in 1 litre of water .To avoid rhizome rot , good drainage and treatment of
the seed rhizome with dissolving 3 gm of combination of carbendazim and mancozeb ( readily
available in the market) in 1 litre of water for nearly 30 minutes, before
storage should be done. Bacterial wilt which causes milky ooze as gentle
pressing of rhizomes and can be effectively controlled by treating the seed
rhizome with dissolving 2 gm of streptocycln in 1 litre of water for 30
minutes.
Harvesting and yield
For fresh Ginger, the crop should be harvested before
attaining the
full maturity means when rhizomes are still tender, low in pungency and fiber
content, usually from fifth month onwards after planting. Harvesting for the
preserved ginger should be done after 5-7 months of planting while
harvest for dried spices and oil is best at full maturity. i.e between 8-9
months after planting when leaves start yellowing. Rhizomes to be used for
planting material should be harvested until the leaves become completely dry.
After digging the rhizomes should be treated with fungicide like mancozeb @3-4 gm per litre
of water , dried in shade , and stored in pits covered with 20 cm layer
of sand alternating every 30 cm layer of rhizomes. These pits should be dug under a
thatched roof to
protect the rhizomes from rain, water and direct sun. Average yield varies from
12-15 tons per hectare. However recovery of dry ginger varies from 20-22%.
Washing and drying
After harvest, the fibrous roots attached to the rhizome should be trimmed
off and soil is removed by washing. Rhizomes should be soaked in water overnight
and then cleaned. The skin can be removed by scrapping with the correct
instrument. Peeling or scraping reduces, drying time, thus minimizes mold growth
and fermentation. However scraping process tends to remove some of the oils
constituents which are more
concentrated in the peel. By removing the
outside Corky
skin the fiber content also decreases. After scrapping, the rhizomes
should be sun
dried for a week with frequent turning and well rubbed by hand to remove the
outer skin. This is called as the unbleached ginger . The peeled rhizomes
should be
repeatedly immersed in 2% lime solution for 6 hours and allowed to dry in the
sun for 10 days while rhizome receive a uniform coating of lime and
moisture content should be 8-10%. This is called as bleached ginger which has
improved appearance with light bright colour.
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