Agrinia

GINGER

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GROWING PARAMETERS

VARIETIES, SELECTION & PLANTING DETAILS

MANURING / FERTIGATION

IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE

CULTIVATION PRACTICES

NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES AND REMEDIES

PESTS, DISEASES & THEIR CONTROL

HARVEST & YIELD

Soil:

Ginger thrives in well-drained soils rich in organic matter.
It grows well in sandy loam, clay loam, and red loam soils with good drainage.
Areas with good moisture retention but without waterlogging are ideal for its cultivation.
Sunlight:
Ginger requires partial to moderate shade for optimal growth.
It grows well under filtered sunlight or in areas with light shade provided by trees or artificial shade nets.
Rainfall:
Ginger grows best in regions with an annual rainfall of 1500–3000 mm.
Irrigation is essential during dry periods to maintain consistent soil moisture levels.
Temperature:
20°C to 35°C.
Temperatures below 20°C or prolonged exposure to temperatures above 35°C may negatively impact growth and yield.
Altitude:
Ginger cultivation is ideal at altitudes ranging from sea level up to 1500 meters above sea level.
Relative Humidity:
A humidity range of 70%–90% is essential for optimal growth and productivity.
Season:
April to June.

Varieties:

Rio de Janeiro, Maran Nadan, Suruchi, Suravi, Suprabha, Himagiri,IISR Varada, IISR Mahima and IISR Rejatha Athira and Karthika are the popular varieties.
Selection of site:
Choose a location with well-drained soil and partial shade.
Ensure adequate irrigation facilities are available to maintain consistent soil moisture.
Selection of seed rhizomes:
Select disease-free, healthy rhizomes with well-developed buds.
Rhizomes should be 20–30 g in size and taken from high-yielding mother plants.
Nursery techniques:
Prepare nursery beds with good drainage and rich organic content.
Plant selected rhizomes in nursery beds or grow bags filled with a mix of soil, sand, and farmyard manure in a 2:1:1 ratio.
Provide adequate shade and water regularly to maintain soil moisture.
Selection of seedlings:
Select vigorous and healthy seedlings that are 2–3 months old for transplanting in the main field.
Field planting:
Plant ginger rhizomes in raised beds or ridges to ensure good drainage.
Dig pits of size 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm and fill them with topsoil mixed with compost or farmyard manure.
Place the rhizomes horizontally, ensuring the buds face upward, and cover them with a thin layer of soil.
Maintain a spacing of 25 cm x 30 cm for optimal growth.

Apply organic manures like farmyard manure or compost at 15–20 tons per hectare annually.
Apply NPK (75:50:50 kg/ha) in split doses—once at planting and again at 60 and 90 days after planting.

Irrigate ginger regularly, especially during dry periods, to maintain soil moisture.
Drip irrigation is recommended to conserve water and ensure uniform moisture distribution.
Ensure proper drainage during heavy rains to prevent waterlogging, which can cause rhizome rot.

Keep the field weed-free, especially during the early stages of growth.
Mulch the base of the ginger plants with dry leaves or other organic materials to retain soil moisture.
Regularly earth up the soil around the base of the plants to prevent exposure of rhizomes.

Intercropping and mixed cropping:

Ginger can be intercropped with crops like maize, vegetables, and legumes.
Ensure the intercrops are adequately spaced and fertilized to prevent competition for nutrients.

1. Nitrogen Deficiency:

Symptoms: Stunted growth, yellowing of older leaves.
Corrective Measures: Apply urea @ 50–100 kg/ha or foliar spray with a 2% urea solution.

2. Potassium Deficiency:

Symptoms: Yellowing of leaf margins, scorching of leaf tips.
Corrective Measures: Apply muriate of potash (MOP) @ 50–100 kg/ha.

3. Calcium Deficiency:

Symptoms: Deformed young leaves, poor rhizome development.
Corrective Measures: Apply lime @ 500 kg/ha once every 2–3 years.

4. Magnesium Deficiency:

Symptoms: Yellowing between leaf veins, especially on older leaves.
Corrective Measures: Apply magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) @ 25–50 kg/ha.

Pest Control:

1. Shoot Borer (Conogethes punctiferalis)  

Symptoms of damage:

Yellowing and drying of leaves of infested pseudostems.
The presence of a bore-hole on the pseudostem through which frass is extruded and the withered and yellow central shoot

Management:

Spraying malathion 0.1% at 30 day intervals during July to October is effective in controlling the pest infestation.
The spraying has to be initiated when the first symptom of pest attack is seen on the inner most leaves on the pseudostem.

Control Measures: Apply neem oil spray (0.5%) or use light traps to capture adult moths.

2. Rhizome scale: Aspidiella hartii

Symptoms of damage:
Field infestation Plants look devitalized, pale and withered before drying completely. In such cases at the time of harvest minute yellowish crawlers can be seen moving in large numbers and this is the potential stage of dissemination.

Management:
Discard and do not store severely infested rhizomes Collect and destroy damaged leaves Select healthy rhizomes free from scale infestation for seed materials Treat seed material with quinalphos 0.075% (for 20-30 minutes) before storage and also before sowing in case the infestation persists. Apply well rotten sheep manure @ 10 t/ ha in two splits or poultry manure in 2 splits followed by drenching dimethoate 30 EC @ 2 ml or phosalone 35 EC @  2ml /lit of water

Control Measures: Drench the soil with chlorpyrifos (0.05%) and maintain proper field hygiene.

3. Nematodes:

Control Measures: Apply neem cake @ 1 ton/ha and maintain proper sanitation.

Disease Control:

1. Soft Rot (Pythium aphanidermatum/ P. vexans / P. myriotylum)

Symptoms

The infection starts at the collar region of the pseudostems and progresses upwards as well as downwards. The collar region of the affected pseudostem becomes water soaked and the rotting spreads to the rhizome resulting in soft rot.
At a later stage root infection is also noticed.
Foliar symptoms appear as light yellowing of the tips of lower leaves which gradually spreads to the leaf blades
In early stages of the disease, the middle portion of the leaves remain green while the margins become yellow.
The yellowing spreads to all leaves of the plant from the lower region upwards and is followed by drooping, withering and drying of pseudostem.

Management

Treatment of seed rhizomes with mancozeb 0.3% for 30 minutes before storage and once again before planting reduces the incidence of the disease.
Cultural practices such as selection of well drained soils for planting is important for managing the disease, since stagnation of water predisposes the plant to infection.
Seed rhizomes are to be selected from disease free gardens, since the disease is also seed borne.
Once the disease is located in the field, removal of affected clumps and drenching the affected and surrounding beds with mancozeb 0.3% checks the spread of the disease.

2. Leaf Spot (Phyllosticta zingiberi)

Symptoms

The disease starts as water-soaked spot and later turns as a white spot surrounded by dark brown margins and yellow halo. The lesions enlarge and adjacent lesions coalesce to form necrotic areas.
The disease spreads through rain splashes during intermittent showers.
The incidence of the disease is severe in ginger grown under exposed conditions.

Management

The disease can be controlled by spraying Copper oxychloride 0.25 % or Mancozeb 0.2%.

3. Bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum)

Symptoms

Water-soaked spots appear at the collar region of the pseudostem and progresses upwards and downwards.
The first conspicuous symptom is mild drooping and curling of leaf margins of the lower leaves which spreads upwards
Yellowing starts from the lowermost leaves and gradually progresses to the upper leaves. In the advanced stage, the plants exhibit severe yellowing and wilting symptoms.
The vascular tissues of the affected pseudostems show dark streaks. The affected pseudostem and rhizome when pressed gently extrudes milky ooze from the vascular strands.

Management

The cultural practices adopted for managing soft rot are also to be adopted for bacterial wilt.
The seed rhizomes may be treated with streptocycline 200ppm for 30 minutes and shade dried before planting.
Once the disease is noticed in the field all beds should be drenched with Bordeaux mixture 1% or copper oxychloride 0.2%.

Harvesting:

Ginger rhizomes are generally ready for harvesting 7–9 months after planting.
Harvesting typically occurs from December to February when the leaves turn yellow and start drying.
Steps for Harvesting:
Uproot the whole plant carefully to avoid damaging the rhizomes.
Wash and clean the rhizomes to remove soil and other debris.
Sun-dry or air-dry the rhizomes for 2–3 days before storage or processing.
Yield:
The yield of ginger varies depending on factors like variety, climatic conditions, and farming practices.
Under proper management, ginger cultivation can yield 15–20 tons of fresh rhizomes per hectare annually.