Field Preparation for Ginger

India produced 21.20 lakh tons of ginger in the year 2021-22. In the same year, India also exported 1.48 lakh tons of ginger worth Rs 837.34 crores. Prominent ginger-producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Maharashtra and  Meghalaya. Ginger can be used for cold, cough, vomiting, dizziness, hypertension, and impaired vision problems. In Indian traditional ayurvedic medicine ginger has been used to treat digestion, fever and stomach diseases.

Difficulty Level: Hard

Selection of Seeds

There are more native and traditional varieties than hybrid and GMO varieties. Some of the popular varieties are,  IISR Suprabha, Suruchi, Surabhi, Himagiri, China, Assam, Maran, Himachal, Nadia, and Rio-de-Janeiro.

Ginger Seed Treatment

Ginger is cultivated via tuber/rhizomes. These rhizomes are also known as seed rhizomes. These rhizomes are cut into small pieces of 2.5-5.0 cm in length weighing 20-25 g each. Carefully, make sure that there are at least two or three good buds in each piece. These ginger seed rhizomes are treated with mancozeb 0.3% (3 g/L of water) for 30 minutes, and shade dried for 3 – 4 hours. This is to prevent any fungal infection that may be present in the rhizomes and can affect the growth of the bud.

Land Preparations for Ginger

The land preparation of ginger starts by ploughing the land 4 to 5 times to a fine tilth. During the last plough add well-composted cattle manure or compost at 25-30 tonnes/ha. This is followed by the preparation of beds at 1m width and 30 cm height with 50 cm space in between beds. Rhizomes are prone to diseases/nematodes which reduce the yield significantly. This can be combated by the use of neem cake @ 2 tonnes/ha at the time of planting. Ginger crop basal NPK recommendation varies from state to state, a general recommendation is NPK 100:50:50 kg/ha. The phosphorus and the potassium have to be applied during planting.

Soil Type Requirements for ginger

Ginger requires very specific types of soil necessities. Ginger can also not be grown in the same soil year after year, due to its exhaustive nature. Ginger grows best in sandy loam, clay loam, red loam or lateritic loam. A pulverulent loam with good drainage that is also rich in humus is ideal.

Soil pH for Ginger Production

Ginger grows best in deep and loose soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.

Conclusion

Ginger is an exhaustive crop that can’t be cultivated repeatedly. The crop is hard to grow and is a long-duration crop. Ginger, however, is a high-demand crop even without value addition and gives promising returns.

FAQs

1. Suggest some popular varieties of ginger?

2. How to do seed treatment for ginger rhizomes?

The rhizomes are cut into small pieces of 2.5-5.0 cm in length weighing 20-25 g each. There should be at least two or three good buds in each piece. These ginger seed rhizomes are treated with Mancozeb (Dhanuka M45 – Mancozeb 75% WP 4 – 5 gm/lit) for 30 minutes, and shade dried for 3-4 hours. This is to prevent any fungal infection that may be present in the rhizomes. 

(Rhizome – a horizontal plant stem with shoots above and roots below serving as a reproductive structure) 

3. What is the general dose of fertilizer recommendation for ginger?

General dose of fertilizer recommendation for ginger is 30:20:20 kg/acre. The commercial quantity of it is mentioned in the table below. 

4. What is the ideal soil type for ginger cultivation?

It grows best in sandy loam, clay loam, red loam or lateritic loam. A pulverulent loam with good drainage, rich in humus is ideal type. 

5. In which month ginger is mostly planted?

Ginger is a rainfed crop. It is cultivated dependent on the rainfall. May-June month after summer rain is highly suitable for cultivation. 

6. What is the crop duration of ginger?

The crop duration is generally around 8 – 9 months (April/May to December/January). 

Note: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be financial or legal advice. Pesticides are a considerable risk of loss in crops and viewers are advised to do their own research before making any decisions.