TURMERIC PRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION:
Turmeric is among the herbaceous perennial plant with rhizomes used both as a spice and as a condiment. Commercially plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes. Its rhizomes have a characteristic smell and taste. Turmeric is grown in different countries especially Asian countries including India. In Tanzania is grown in Tanga, Kagera and Kilimanjaro regions, also it is grown in Zanzibar.
ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION:
Turmeric is originated in India, where they are the major producer of turmeric, others are; Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Iran, Persia, Indonesia, South Africa, Jamaica, Haiti, Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Japan and Korea.
In Tanzania the crop is cultivated in Zanzibar, Tanga, Kagera and Kilimanjaro regions.
The major importing countries of turmeric include; Japan, Sri Lanka, Iran, United Arab Emirates, United States, United Kingdom and Ethiopia.
India wholly dominates the world production scenario contributing to approximately 75% of the world’s total production producing 600000 tons of turmeric annually. It also holds the top position in the list of world’s leading exporters of turmeric.
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION:
Nomenclature:
Family: Zingiberaceae.
Binomial name: Curcuma longa.
Swahili names are Binzari and Manjano.
VARIETIES:
There are several varieties of turmeric distinguished by the names of localities in which they are grown. References are found to two cultivated varieties in the reports of various States, but as differential local names are applied it is difficult to say whether the same two varieties are meant in every case, these varieties are:
One giving a hard and bright coloured rhizome, is more commonly employed in dyeing, and the other; a somewhat softer, larger and a lighter coloured rhizome; used as a condiment.
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS:
Root system: A rhizome, from which arise ellipsoid primary tubers, it has 5 cm long x 2.5 cm wide, bearing numerous, approximately cylindrical straight or slightly curved rhizomes 5 – 8 cm long x 1.5 cm in diameter. These have a characteristic smell and taste.
Stems: Erect, vertical, 1 m height, carrying six to 10 leaves, the sheaths of which cover the stem. The point where the petiole joins the stem is marked by a lip (ligules). At this point the sheath is covered with fine hairs.
Leaves: Limp, alternate, distichous and petiolated. Lanceolated lamina 30 – 50 cm long x 7 – 8 cm wide.
Inflorescence: Cylindrical spike, arising at the base of the stem, 10 – 15 cm long x 5 – 7 cm wide, formed of imbricated, dark green bracts, in the axils of which the flowers appear, one for each bract.
Flowers: Short calyx. Corolla tubular at the base, then divided into three unequal, yellow lobes. Inferior, trilocular ovary with numerous ovules.
Fruit: rarely found.
Seeds: The description not available.
ECOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS:
The crop requires a hot and moist climate, an optimum growing temperature range is 20o to 30oC, and a suitable pH range of 4.5 to 7.5.
A liberal water supply and a well-drained soil. It thrives on any soil-loamy or alluvial-but the soil should be loose and friable. Gravelly clayey and stony soils are unsuitable for the development of rhizomes. In tracts of heavy rainfall, as in the west coast, it is grown as a rainfed crop. In other areas, it is cultivated under flow or filt irrigation. In fact the average rainfall is 1500 mm per year.
Turmeric can be successfully grown in paddy fields on raised beds beyond the reach of stagnant water.
FIELD ESTABLISHMENT:
Land preparation:
The field should be well prepared by ploughing and turning over to a depth of about one foot and liberally manured with farm yard and green manures. Sometimes tank silt is applied or cattle and sheep penned on the fields. Potash and organic manures are beneficial.
After the manure is spread and the field is ploughed 3-4 times till a good tilth is obtained. Sets or fingers of the previous crop with 2 or 3 buds are planted.
The plants drive well in partially shaded areas, but shade adversely affects the yields.
Sowing:
2500 kg of rhizomes of turmeric are required for planting one hectare area. Direct sowing is done in rows at spacing of 22.5 cm x 22.5 cm or 15 cm to 30 cm x 15 cm to 30 cm at depth of 5 – 10 cm.
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES:
Mulching:
Mulching of turmeric is often carried out using dry leaves since they are necessary for acceptable growth due to the fact that it likes humid environment.
Manures and fertilizers:
Turmeric needs heavy manuring; light soils are more heavily manured than heavy soils. Usually 40-50 tonnes of Farm Yard Manure (FYM) is applied as a basal dressing.
Alternatively NPK fertilizers at 30:30:60 kg/ha may be applied in split doses of 30 and 60 days after planting.
50% of top dressed Nitrogen may be applied in the form of oil cakes. Top dressing should be completed within 120 days after sowing.
After every fertilization, the field is given a light hoeing and the clumps are earthed up and irrigated.
Irrigation:
In heavy rainfall tracts, turmeric is grown as a rain-fed crop and in other areas as an irrigated crop. During summer, irrigation at 5 day intervals is recommended in case of red loam and at 7-9 days in the case of black loams. However, in clayey soils, 15-20 irrigations and in sandy soils. 40 irrigations are required. During the period of rhizome development and maturity, frequent irrigations are necessary.
Weeding:
3 – 4 weedings are required at 60, 90, 120 and 150 days of planting. Weedings and hoeings are done simultaneously. Plants are earthed up and mulch is replaced. Provision of shade by raising castor on the bunds and within the crop. Daincha is also grown for shade purpose.
Intercrops:
Maize or chillies are grown as inter crops.Turmeric can also be raised as
an inter crop in coconut and arecanut plantations.
Rotations:
Turmeric is a heavy feeder. Hence depletes soil nutrients.
Continuous cropping results in build up of diseases.
It is rotated with rainfed paddy, sugarcane, banana, betelvine, vegetables.
Pest Management:
Diseases: Turmeric suffers from foliar and rhizome diseases. Among the foliar diseases, the most common are the leaf blotch and the leaf spots.
Leaf blotch: This caused by Taphrina maculans. It is characterized by the appearance of several brownish yellow spots on both the surfaces of leaves. The leaves get distorted and become yellow very soon. The foliar destruction due to excessive spotting may cause heavy reduction in yield.
It can be controlled by the use of fungicides like Bordeaux mixture, aureofungin, zineb, dithane, etc. Some of the cultivars are resistant.
Leaf spot or anthracnose: This disease is caused by Colletotrichum capsic. Severely affected crop gives significantly low yields.
The disease can effectively check by spraying Bordeaux mixture and selecting disease – free seed material dithane at monthly intervals were found adequate for checking the infection, besides giving higher yields. Varieties `China’ and ‘Jaweli’ were found to be resistant to this disease.
Another leaf spot caused by Phaeodactylium alpinae, it has been reported from Sikkim causing extensive damage to turmeric crop.
Also foliar diseases include leaf blight caused by Corticium sasakii
Rhizome diseases: Mainly include rhizome rot and storage rot of turmeric. Rhizome rot caused by Pythium graminicolum. The infected plants first show progressive drying up of leaves, then spots on aerial shoots and then the roots and rhizomes become discoloured and soft and begin to rot. In cases of severe infection, the yield is considerably reduced. Addition of urea (1%) to the soil checks the fungus. Complete eradication of infected plants is also an effective control measure. Also raising the level of the beds, sowing disease-free seed, spraying Bordeaux mixture or using a rhizome dip in Ridomil are other control measures.
Storage disease of rhizome caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc., affecting the heart of the mother rhizome. It results in low germination, poor vigour and low yield of turmeric.
Treating the seed rhizomes with Ceresan Wet soon after harvest reduces the incidence of disease.
Brown rot of rhizomes caused by Pratylenchus and Fusarium complex has also been reported.
Insect Pests:
The insect pests of turmeric, the shoot borer or tissue borer – Dichocrocis puncteferalis Guenno is reported to cause the maximum damage producing `dead heart’ symptoms. It bores into the central shoot, as a result of which the plant dries up. Removal and destruction of the affected shoots, and destruction of larvae at the initial stages of infection help to contain the pest. Spraying with 0.04% endosulfan or 0.1% carboryl also check the attack.
Another pest infecting the fresh rhizomes is the rhizome fly, Calobata albimana The tinged bug or the lace wing bug, Stephanitis typicus Distant infests the leaves in colonies, sucking their sap and causing their discolouration giving a sickly appearence to the plant.
Dusting with 5% BHC or 0.1% malathion is done for control. The thrips, Panchaetothrips indicus Bagnall attacks the leaves which roll up, turn pale and gradually dry up. Stegobium paniceum has ben reported as a pest of stored turmeric from Rajasthan. Fumigation with a mixture of ethylene dibromide (EDB) and carbon tetrachloride proved the most suitable control measure. Cigarette bettle, Lasioderma serricorne Fab. is considered a major insect pest of turmeric.
Of the defoliators, Udaspes foleus Cramer is the turmeric skipper reported as a specific and serious pest. As a control measure, hand- picking of caterpillars and pupae is recommended. Lema lacodairei Baly and other Lema sp. are serious defoliators in Orissa. Dusting 5% BHC is a suitable control. Other defoliators recorded on turmeric include Pseudocophora sp. Colasposoma splendidum (F.), Ceratobasis nair Locard, Cryptocephalus.
Lastly some nematodes have also been recorded on the plant viz., Meloidogyne incognita, the root-knot nematode, Radopholus similis, the borrowing nematode and several others.
HARVESTING AND STORAGE:
Harvesting: The maturity of the crop is indicated by complete drying up of the plant including the base of stems. The crop is ready for harvest in 8 months after planting; the long duration varieties take 8-9 months.
The dry leaves are cut close to the ground. The land is irrigated, if necessary, and ploughed in between the rows when planted on ridges. Otherwise the rhizomes are dug up using spades or forks to dislodge the clod of earth at the foot of the clump taking care as far as possible, not to damage the rhizomes.
They are immediately collected and cleaned and the soil adhering to them is removed and separated into rounds and fingers. A small portion of the field may be left, to be harvested a month later, for seed.
Yield: Indian average yield is 20,000 to 22,000 kg per hectare.
Storage:
For seed purposes, the rhizomes are heaped in shade and covered with turmeric leaves or the heap is plastered over with earth mixed with cow dug; in some places it is dusted with ash and sprinkled with water occasionally. The remaining produce is cured and stored in large quantities at the assembling centers. Turmeric is generally stored in air-tight underground pits lined and covered by rellu grass (Saccharum spontaneum) or date mats, before the onset of monsoon; the pits are opened after the rains.
PROCESSING:
Drying:
The boiled rhizomes are sun dried in 5.7 cm thick layers for 10 – 15 cm layers. Rack frequently for uniform drying. Dry until they become hard, brittle, break with a metallic sound. After drying they should possess only 8 – 10 % moisture.
Polishing:
The dried rhizomes are smoothened by manual or mechanical rubbing. Manually they rubbed on hard surface or trampled under feet. Mechanically they are polished by mechanically operated polishing drums.
Colouring:
They are coloured to improve the appearance. Rhizomes are artificially coloured in two ways; dry and wet colouring. Usually half polished fingers are coloured.
In dry process – turmeric powder is added in the last 10 min to polishing drum.
In wet process – turmeric powder is suspended in water and mixed by sprinkling.
For brighter colour – boiled, dried, half polished fingers are taken in baskets
and shaken continuously with an emulsion of
Coloured rhizomes are again sun dried before sending to market.
USES:
Turmeric is a major constituent of condiments and curry powders; it is very important to Indian cuisine.
It is used in pickle as a preservative, and as a colouring matter in dairy products like butter, cheese, and in bakery products.
Medicinal; turmeric is currently being investigated for possible benefits in arthritis, and other clinical disorders.
Cosmetics: Turmeric paste is traditionally used by Indian women to keep them free of superfluous hair and as an antimicrobial. Turmeric paste, as part of both home remedies is also said to improve the skin and is touted as an anti-aging agent.
Gardening: Turmeric can also be used to deter ants.
REFERENCES:
Borget, M. (1993). Spice Plants: The Tropical Agriculturalist. Maisonneuve et Larose. Macmillan Press Ltd.
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