How To Grow Turmeric From Store Bought

Turmeric

Botanical Name : Curcuma tonga L.

Family : Zingiberaceae

Chromosome No. : 2n = 32, 62, 64

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a very useful spice. It is the most used spice in India. It is also medicinal. It is used in vegetables, pickles, pulses etc. Along with this, it is used on all auspicious occasions. Its paper is used in foreign countries to detect the alkalinity of soil. A volatile oil comes out from the yellow color of turmeric. Which is called termilol. Dry turmeric contains about 5-6 percent volatile oil. Turmeric is exported from India to Sri Lanka, South Africa, Iran, United States of America etc., from which foreign currency is earned.

Use - Its proper use in pain, injury, eye disease, skin disease etc. is beneficial. In industry, it is used in dyeing wool, silk and clothes. At some places, it is also used for fragrance.

Origin and Distribution - The origin of turmeric is China or the Eastern Islands. India and China in Asia. It is grown commercially in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Apart from these, it is also produced in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Turmeric can be cultivated in shade along with old orchards.

Nutritive value – Nutrients obtained from turmeric are given in the table -

(Nutrition Value of Fenugreek per 100 gm)

Protein : 6.3 g

Fat : 5.1 g

Fiber : 2.6 g

Carbohydrates : 69.4 g

Nicotinic acid : 2.3 mg

Vitamin A : 349.0 IU

How Long Does It Take To Grow Turmeric

Varieties

Turmeric varieties are divided into the following three categories which are varieties of Andhra Pradesh and give higher yields-

1. Short duration varieties- These varieties are ready in seven months. The following varieties come under this category-

Amalapuram (CA-73)

Dindrogamae (CA 69)

2. Long duration varieties- These varieties are ready in nine months. The following varieties come under this category-

Armoor (CLL 324)

Duggirella (CLL 325)

Tekurpet (CLL 326)

Maidukar (CLL 327)

3. Medium duration varieties- These varieties are ready in eight months. The following varieties come under this category-

Amrit Pani Kothapeta (CLL-317)

Varieties grown in different states-

Karnataka - Mudge, Balaga, Yelchaga

Maharashtra - Laukhedi, Soni

Tamil Nadu - Chinnadan, Perunadan, Madras Manjal

Orissa - Gautam

Uttar Pradesh - Barua Sagar

How Do You Grow Turmeric

Improved Varieties

Many improved varieties of turmeric have been developed whose qualities are mentioned below-

Turmeric is grown in abundance in China. In India, wild varieties of turmeric are found in moist and shady valleys and on the Eastern and Western Ghats.

Ko-1 - This is a suitable variety for growing in rainfed areas. It can also be grown in saline soils. Its tubers are large, shiny, orange in colour. This variety is ready for digging in 285 days. It gives a yield of 5.85 tonnes per hectare.

Krishna - This is a high yielding variety. Its rhizomes are long. It is a rhizome resistant variety. It is ready in 255 days. It gives a yield of 4.0 tonnes per hectare.

BSR-1 - This is a high yielding variety. It is a suitable variety for growing in waterlogged areas. Its tubers are shiny. The tubers of this variety are long. The crop is ready for harvesting in 285 days. It gives up to 6.0 tonnes of yield per hectare.

Sugandha - This is a high yielding variety. Its rhizomes are of medium size and are dark orange in colour, which have a special smell. It gives a yield of 4.6 tonnes per hectare.

Swarna - This is also a high yielding variety. Its rhizomes are of medium size and are dark orange in colour. It is a rhizome resistant variety. Its rhizomes contain 7% oil. This variety is ready in 210 days. It gives a yield of 4.6 tonnes per hectare.

Roma - This is a high yielding variety. Its rhizomes are of medium size. The crop is ready for harvesting in 253 days. It contains 4.2% oil. 6.43 tonnes of yield is obtained per hectare.

Suguna - This is a high yielding variety. Its rhizomes are of small size. The crop is ready for digging in 190 days. It is a resistant variety to the disease called 'rhizome rot'. 7.20 tonnes of yield is obtained per hectare.

Suroma - This is a high yielding variety. Its rhizomes are thin and medium sized. The crop is ready for digging after 210 days. Its rhizomes are thin and the pulp is yellow. Oil content is 4.4 percent. 5.19 tonnes of yield is obtained per hectare.

How Do I Grow Turmeric

Sudarshan - This is a high yielding variety. Its rhizomes are dense and small sized. This variety is ready for digging in 190 days. 7.29 tonnes of yield is obtained per hectare.

Rajendra Sonia - The tubers of this variety are strong, small and long. This variety is resistant to the disease called 'Leaf Blotch'. Its rhizomes are ready for digging in 225 days. The yield is 4.8 tons per hectare.

IISR Prabha - This variety is ready in 205 days. It gives 37-47 tons yield per hectare. It is a suitable variety for growing in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

IISR Pratibha - This variety is ready in 225 days. It gives 39-12 tons yield per hectare.

Resmi - This variety is ready in 240 days. It gives 30-31 tons yield per hectare.

Ranga - This variety is ready in 250 days. It is a suitable variety for growing in Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Climate - Turmeric is a plant of warm climate, but it can be successfully grown even at places up to 1500 meters above sea level. Temperature has a special effect on its growth, when the temperature of the atmosphere falls below 22°C, its growth is adversely affected. For successful cultivation of turmeric, less rainfall at the time of sowing and growth, more rainfall at the time of growth of plants and dry environment one month before the crop ripens are more suitable. It is mostly sown with shade giving crops.

Soil and Its Preparation - Turmeric can be successfully cultivated in fertile, clay loam or sandy loam soil with good drainage. It is very important to have proper drainage system in all types of soil. In heavy soils where there is no proper arrangement of drainage, turmeric is cultivated on ridges. Sufficient and fertile land is required for turmeric. In April or May, plough the field twice with a soil turning plough. After this, plough 5-7 times with a local plough so that the soil becomes soft and the tubers get enough opportunity to grow. After ploughing, divide the field into small beds of 4 x 2 m or 3 x 3 m.

In low land, make beds one meter wide and five meters long and 15 cm high. Leave 30 cm space between every two beds for water drainage etc.

Sowing - The suitable time for sowing turmeric is from April to July. For its propagation, its rhizomes are used which are of two types -

(1) Oval or round rhizomes which are called "root rhizomes".

(2) Long thin rhizomes which are called "long rhizomes".

Both types of rhizomes are used for sowing, but experiments conducted in Maharashtra and Orissa have shown that the "root rhizome" is better for seed. Sometimes pieces of rhizomes are cut. 12-15 quintals of raw rhizomes are required per hectare. It is necessary to use healthy tubers for sowing. Each node should have at least two eyes and their weight should be at least 25 grams. Before sowing, the rhizomes should be treated with 2 percent solution of Aglal or Saresan. Turmeric is planted from April to July. The distance between rows and seeds is kept 45-50 x 20-25 cm respectively. At some places, it is also sown by making ridges. New shoots sprout within 15-20 days of sowing.

Turmeric How To Grow

If the turmeric bulbs are wrapped in sackcloth or gunny bags for 24 hours, then germination takes place easily. After germination, you can easily grow it in pots, garden trays etc. as per your convenience.

Sowing is done either in flat beds or on ridges. Distance between rows is kept 30 cm and distance between plants is kept 20 cm. Rhizomes are kept in shallow pits made with a local plough and covered with soil.

Manure and Fertilizers – Turmeric draws a lot of nutrients from the soil. Spread 400 quintals of cow dung manure or compost evenly in the field and plow with a soil turning plow. Apart from this, 200 kg of ammonium sulphate, 200 kg of muriate of potash are added to the field before sowing. After 40 days, 150 kg of ammonium sulphate and after 60-80 days, 65 kg of urea are added to the crop as top dressing.

Mulching - After planting the tubers, 12,000-15,000 kg of mulch of green leaves should be spread. The second mulch of leaves in the same quantity should be spread after applying fertilizer for the second time.

Irrigation - The crop sown in April is irrigated at an interval of 10-15 days in summer. There should not be any shortage of moisture in the soil at the time of rhizome formation, otherwise there is a huge reduction in the yield.

Drainage - Arrangement of drainage is essential in turmeric crop. Due to waterlogging in the field, the corms do not develop properly. For proper drainage, a 50 cm wide and 60 cm deep drain should be made around the field. 15-40 irrigations are required at an interval of 7-10 days. Weeding and Weeding - Many weeds grow along with the turmeric crop, which compete with the crop for nutrients, moisture, space, sunlight etc. from the soil. Therefore, to prevent them, weeding should be done 2-3 times. Along with this, soil should also be applied so that the rhizomes can develop well.

Digging - Turmeric crop becomes ready to be dug in about 9-10 months when the leaves turn yellow and start drying. While digging the nodes, care should be taken that the nodes do not get cut. After digging, it should be washed thoroughly with water.

Yield - The yield of turmeric depends on the fertility of the soil, the variety grown and the care of the crop. 200-250 quintals of raw turmeric and 40-50 quintals of dry turmeric are obtained per hectare.

Cooking Turmeric - To prepare commercial turmeric from raw turmeric, mainly three processes have to be done-

1. Boiling turmeric

2. Polishing it

3. Drying it.

Raw turmeric lumps should be washed and cleaned thoroughly with clean water. Then, as per convenience, put turmeric in a copper pan or earthen pot and fill water up to 4-5 cm above it and put the pan on fire. Cover the upper part of the pot with leaves. Boil turmeric until white smoke starts coming out with a strange smell. Boiled turmeric becomes soft. This is the identity of ripe turmeric. Then remove these lumps from the pan and dry them for about 10-12 days, so that the lumps become hard. After this, put other turmeric lumps in the same pot with the same water for boiling in which the first lumps were boiled.

Insects Control

1. Stem Borer - The caterpillars that bore holes in the stem, Dichocrosis punctiferalis, cause great harm. This insect attacks the newly growing parts of the plant and sucks their juice, due to which they dry up.

Prevention - Cut and destroy the insect-infested stems.

2. Thrips - These small insects suck the juice of leaves and other soft parts. As a result, the growth of the plant is adversely affected.

Prevention - For the prevention of this insect, spray 0.03% Aldrin 20 EC four times at an interval of one week.