PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF GINGER
CROPPING :
ginger candy
ginger wine
ginger powder
INTRODUCTION :
Common name : Ginger
Scientific name : Zingiber officinale
Family : Zingerberacea
Origin : southeast Asia
Economic part : underground rhizome
Chromosome number : 2n=22
Active principle : zingerol, zingiberin
BOTANY
Herbaceous perennial - grown as annual .Plant height - 30 to 90 CM. leafy shoots are annual, erect, about 50 cm tall and 5 mm in diameter. They are fromed of long leaf sheaths and are glabrous, except for short hairs near the base of each leaf blade. The aerial pseudostems usually bear 8-12 distichous leaves. The inflorescence arises directly from the root-stock, is spicate and 15-25 cm long. s. The spike is cylindrical and cone-like. The bracts are appressed, ovate or elliptic. They are green with pale sub-marginal bands and incurved, translucent margins. One flower is produced in the axil of each bract and is fragile and short-lived. The calyx is thin, tubular, and three-toothed.
CLIMATE
Ginger requires a warm and humid climate.
A well distributed rainfall (150 – 300 cm) during growing season . In areas receiving less rainfall, the crop needs regular irrigation.Optimum elevation being between 300 and 900 m.
SOIL
The ideal soils are sandy loams, red loams, clayey barns, lateritic soils and black, rich clay soils. It is very sensitive to water-longging and therefore such situations should be avoided. The ideal soil pH range for the crop is 5.5 to 6.5.
VARIETIES
The local cultivars are usually named after the areas where they are cultivated. The popular local cultivars are Wynad, Manathodi, Narasapatnam, Thaiguppa and Karkala, Kuruppampadi, Maran, Nadia, Thodupuzha, Jamaica and Himachal Pradesh. The exotic varieties Rio de Janeiro and China are also popular and are in cultivation.
PROPAGATION
Ginger is propagated by rhizomes.The synseed technology protocols for rapid multiplication and also somatic embryogensis and regeneration methods have been developed at the IISR, Calicut. For propagation by rhizomes, carefully preserved, healthy and diseasefree seed rhizomes or sets, cut into small pieces of 2.5 to 5 cm length, weighing 25 to 50 g, with a minimum of 1 or 2 good buds or growing points should be used. At the time of planting, the rhizome pieces are treated with 0.25% orqano-mercurial compound or 0.3% Dithane M-45 for 10-30 minutes as a control measure against Furasiurn root-rot.
About 1,500-1,800 kg sets are required to plant one hectare area. Early sowing, with the onset of pre-monsoon showers, ensures good growth and yield.
The land should be ploughed 4-5 times to bring the soil to a fine tilth. Beds of 1 m width, 15 cm height and 3 m length, or of any convenient length, are prepared at a 40 cm spacing. About 2,000 beds of 3 m x 1 m size are prepared in one hectare of land.
PLANTING
Planting of ginger is recommended on raised beds (in order to facilitate drainage) at a spacing of 20 x 20 cm or 25 x 25 cm and a depth of 4-5 cm with the viable bud facing upwards.
MULCHING
Immediately after planting, beds are to be mulched with 15 tonnes per ha. of green leaves, which is repeated with 7.5 t ha" each at 2 months and 4 months after planting. Mulching is done coinciding with weeding, top dressing and earthing up. Among different mulch materials, leaves of Glycosmis entaphylla, Glyricidia maculata and Artocarpus altilis were foundgood.
MANUERS & FERTILIZERS
Apply 25-30 tonnes of well rotten FYM or compost per hectare at the time of land preparation. In addition, a fertiliser dose of 100:50:50 kg. NPK per hectare is recommended. The whole of phosphatic and half of potassic fertilizers may be applied at the time of planting. Half the Nitrogen is applied 40 days after planting and the remaining nitrogen and potassium has to be applied after 60 days of the planting .
IRRIGATION
Irrigations are given at an interval of 10 days with a total of 16-18 irrigations are required during cropping period. Irrigation is withheld 15-20 days before harvesting of the crop. Light irrigation is given before harvesting the rhizome.
WEEDING
Usually, two to three weedings are done in the whole of the growing period. The first weeding is done just before mulching and then repeated at monthly intervals, depending on the intensity of weed growth.
CROP ROTATION & INTER /MIXED
Ginger is grown both as a pure crop and as an intercrop or in rotation with other crops. In Kerala, it is grown as an intercrop with coconut, arecanut and coffee and also in rice fallows. In irrigated areas, ginger is grown in rotation with chillies, vegetables, ground nut, ragi and maize.
It is intercropped with vegetables (such as cabbage, beans, cucumber, and lady's finger), pulses (such as pigeon pea and black gram), cereals (maize and finger millet), oil seeds (castor, soyabean, and sunflower) and with crops such as tobacco, pineapple, tapioca, taro, Dioscorea and Amorphophallus. It can also be grown as a mixed crop with castor, finger millet, maize and red gram. Chillies-ginger-mixed cropping is prevalent in many areas.
HARVESTING & YIELD
Ginger is a 7-8 months' duration crop. It is ready for harvest when the leaves turn yellow and start withering, after which the rhizomes become more fibrous and pungent and are better suited to the production of dried ginger. A light irrigation is provided 4-5 days before harvesting and clumps are lifted carefully with the help of a pick-axe or a digging fork or hoe. If the crop is meant for green ginger, it is harvested in 5-6 months. An average crop of ginger may yield about 15-25 tonnes of fresh rhizomes per hectare.
PROCESSING
Green ginger
Dry ginger
Bleached ginger
Preserved ginger
Ginger oleoresin & essential oil
VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS
Ginger oil, oleoresin, candy, preserves, vitaminised effervescent ginger powder, plain effervescent powder, starch from spent ginger, ginger brandy, wine, beer, medicinal beverages, encapsulated ginger oil, and delydrated ginger are some of the value-added products of ginger.
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