| We are all aware about the medicinal properties of turmeric and its importance in cooking as a condiment. Providing below comprehensive information about turmeric cultivation | |
| What is turmeric? | |
| Scientific name of turmeric | Curcuma longa |
| The family of Turmeric is | Zingiberaceae |
| origin | South East Asia |
| Turmeric is used as a spice or condiment | condiment |
| The edible part of turmetic is | Rhizome |
| The main pigment found in rhizome of turmeric is | Curcumin (1.8 to 7.9 percent) |
| information about countries producing turmeric | |
| Largest producer of turmeric in the world | India |
| The percentage of total production of turmeric from India is | 70 to 80 percent |
| Indian turmeric is considered as the best turmeric in the world because of its | high curcumin percentage |
| Turmeric is a traditional export commodity from India and ranks | 4th |
| Major countries importing turmeric from India are | UAE and USA |
| Leading states producing turmeric in India are | Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Maharashtra |
| Information about climatic and soil requirement of in turmeric cultivation | |
| Type of climate required for turmeric | Hot and Humid |
| optimum temperature range for turmeric is | 20 to 30 degree Celcous |
| Rainfall requirement of turmeric is | 100 to 200 cms annually |
| best soil for turmeric cultivation | sandy loam |
| Turmeric is sensitive to | water logging and alkalinity |
| Crop duration of turmeric is | 7 to 9 months depending on varieties |
| Information on Varieties and species of turmeric | |
| varieties of turmeric developed by Indian Institute of Spices research, Kerala are | IISR Aleppey supreme, IISR kedaram, IISR Prabha, IISR Pratibha, Suvarna and Sudarsana |
| species of turmeric used for the preparation of kum kum and is known as kasturi is | Curcuma aromatica |
| best curing percentage is obtained form which species | Curcuma longa |
| High percentage of curcumin is fpund in variety named | Varna (7.9 percent) |
| Information about cultivation practices of turmeric | |
| which method of planting is suitable for turmeric cultivation | Bed system |
| The ideal.spacing between two beds of 1 metre width and 15 cms height is | 50 cms |
| Best treatment to kill pests and diseases in soil before planting turmeric rhizomes in Bed system is | Soil Solarization |
| commercial method of turmeric propagation is | Rhizome propagation |
| Mother rhizomes required for planting 1 ha area | 2000 to 2500 kg per Ha |
| Number of days taken for start to end of Germination of rhizomes in turmeric is | starting at 15 to 20 days after olanting and all rhizome germination completed till 60 days after planting |
| best time for planting of turmeric | June to August |
| spacing followed in turmeric | 45 x 20 cms in heavy soils and 30 x 15 cms in light soils |
| Depth at which Rhizomes are sown in bed system of planting | 5 to 10 cms in bed system |
| fertilizer management in turmeric | |
| Recommended fertilizer dose if turmeric is taken as sole crop | 125:40:40 NPK Kg/ Ha |
| Top dressing of Nitrogen should be done at | 120 days after planting (25 percent of the recommended dose) |
| crop rotation and intercropping | |
| crops that can be taken as intercrops in turmeric | Maize and chilles |
| The plantation crops in which turmeric can be raised as an intercrop are | Coconut and Arecanut |
| Crops with which turmeric is taken as mixed crops | Castor, Maize, Onion, Brinjal, Tomato |
| crop rotation of turmeric is done with crops like | Rice, Sugarcane, Ginger millet etc |
| pests and diseases in turmeric | |
| Pest occuring in turmeric is | Shoot borer which Can be controlled by fortnight spraying of 0.5 percent neem oil |
| scientific name of shoot borer is | Conogethes sp |
| chemical control of shoot borer in turmeric is | Spray Malathion 0.1% at monthly interval from July to October. |
| Major disease of turmeric is | Leaf spot |
| Causal organism of leaf spot | fungus called Taphrina sp |
| for the control of leaf spot disease | Spray 0.2% Dithane M 45 |
| causal orgamism of rhizome rot | fungus named pythium sp |
| disease which can affetc turmeric in storage is | Rhizome rot |
| Control of Rhizome rot | Dipping of rhizomes in diathane m45 for 30 minutes before sowing and storage amd soil drenching |
| Harvesting and Yield | |
| process of boiling of fresh rhizomes in water and drying in the sun | Curing |
| Boiling of turmeric is done in boiling water till | 45 to 60 mins till froth and typical odour comes our |
| Cooking of turmeric in boiling water has to be done | within 2 to 3 days of harvesting |
| Drying period of turmeric after boiling | 10 to 15 days on 5 to 7 cms thick bamboo mats |
| To impart attractive colour to turmeric, soiultion is added during polishing by mechanical drums, this solution is ckmposed of | Composition of emulsion for colour coating of 100kg of half boiled turmeric is Alum 0.04kg, turmeric powder 2kg, castor seed oil 0.14kg, sodium bisulphate 30g, concentrated hydrochloric acid 30ml |
| Expected yield in turmeric form one hectare area is | 20000 kgs to 23000 kgs |
