Abstract

Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) rhizomes, commonly known as turmeric, is a rhizomatous, herbaceous, monocotyledonous spice as well as medicinal plant and has been traditionally used as a source of coloring matter for foods, cosmetics and textiles and as a medicinal ingredient of formulations of the Indian system of medicine for several common ailments. Turmeric is propagated through rhizomes and large quantity of rhizome is required because of the low efficiency of vegetative propagation. In addition, during storage and cultivation, rhizomes are susceptible to diseases that cause tissue senescence and degeneration. Survival percentage of plants through rhizome is low (80 per cent) in field condition. The availability of quality planting material is also scarce during the cropping season (June – September). To overcome these problems, a trial to standardize the size of the planting material and to study the effect of the transplants on growth and yield parameters was laid out with nine different treatments. Among the various treatments, single node rhizome (5g) raised in protray (1 month) and planted in the main field recorded the highest plant height (82.79 cm), more number of leaves (7.29) and number of tillers per plant (4.00). Among the nine different treatments, single node rhizome (5 g) raised in protray (1 month) and planted in the main field recorded the maximum yield of 46.20 t/ha with the highest CB ratio of 1 2.47 followed by mother rhizome pieces (10-15 g) raised in protray (1 month) and planted in the main field recorded the yield of 41.87 t/ha and CB ratio of 12.14 as compared to control of primary full length rhizome (25-30 g) planted directly in the field (34.47 t/ha).

Keywords: Turmeric, Rhizome, Nursery, Single node rhizome, Planting material