Variety

Cultivars: Tekurpetta, Sugantham, Kodur, Armoor, Alleppey.

Improved cultivars: Suvarna, Suguna, Sudarshana, Prabha, Pratibha, Kanthi, Sobha, Sona, Verna, IISR Kedaram and IISR Alleppey Supreme (Resistant to leaf blotch).

Planting Season

Plant during April with the receipt of pre-monsoon showers.

Planting Material

Whole or split mother rhizomes are used for painting. Select well developed, healthy and disease free rhizomes. Treat the rhizomes in any of the copper oxychloride fungicide and store in cool, dry place or earthen pits plastered with mud and cowdung.

planting method

Take small pits in the beds in rows with a spacing of 25 cm x 25 cm. Plant finger rhizomes flat with buds facing upwards and cover with soil or dry powdered cattle manure. The Seed is about 2000-2500 kg per hectare.

Fertilizer Application

Apply cattle manure or compost as basal dose 40 t per hectare   at the time of land preparation or by spreading over the beds after planting. Apply N: P₂O₅: K₂O @ 30:30:60 kg per hectare. Full dose of P₂O₅ half dose of K₂O may be applied as basal; 2/3 dose of N may be applied at 30 days after planting; and 1/3 N and remaining  K₂O may be applied 60 days after planting.

Apply 20t FYM + 2t Neem cake + 1t Ash + 4t Vermimpost/ha. Also use Azospirillum and P-Solubilising bacteria (20g/ bed 3x1 m) as nutrient supplement.

Other Intercultural Operation

Mulch the crop immediately after planting with green leaves @ 15 tonnes per hectare. Repeat mulching after 50 days with the same quantity of green leaves.

Weed the crop thrice at 60, 120 and 150 days after planting depending upon the weed intensity. Earth up up the crop after 60 days.

Harvesting

വിളവെടുപ്പിന്റെ സമയം ഇനത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ചിരിക്കും. ജനുവരി മുതല്‍ മാര്‍ച്ച്  വരെയുള്ള സമയമാണ് വിളവെടുപ്പ് കാലം.  മൂപ്പ് കുറഞ്ഞ ഇനങ്ങള്‍ 7-8 മാസമാകുമ്പോഴും മധ്യകാലമൂപ്പുള്ളവ 8-9 മാസമാകുമ്പോഴും ദീര്‍ഘകാലമൂപ്പുള്ള ഇനങ്ങള്‍ 9-10 മാസമാകുമ്പോഴും വിളവെടുക്കാം.