P A C KA G E OF P RACTICES FOR

GINGER

i

~yen~t D o o m bull ICAR m ~ lfI3f1r bull

~~_IQ10

Pamphlet No 9E

Central Plantation Crops Research Institute

Kasaragod-670 124 Kerala

GINGER

Ginger Zil1giber officinah- is an important spice crop

of our country It is said to be a native of South East

Asia Ginger of commerce is the underground stem or

rhizome of the plant

In addition to its use as a spice ginger is also used

in various medicinal and culina ry preparations It is also

used as a flavoUl iog agent and for the extraction of essential

oil gingerol

Tndi~ is the largest producer of dry ginger in tl)e world

accounting for more than half of the total world producti on

Othr important ginger producing countries are Taiwan

Jamaica Sierra Leone Australia Mauricius Nigeria etc

India produces about 41000 tonnes of dry ginger anJluJly

from an estimated area of 25500 ha About 0-15 1-6 or the

produce is egtpo(ted mainly to Saudi Arabia and othe r

Middle East countries

Though ginger is cultivated in almost all the states of

the country Kerala accounts for more than 60 of I he

total production Himachal Pradesh West Bengal Oris~a

Karnataka Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are

the other ginger growing states

Climate and soil

Ginger grows best in a warm and bumid climate It

is cultivated from al most sea level to an altitude of about

1500 111 The crop requires wells distributed rainfall Tn

low or moderate rainfall areas it needs good irrigaLo il

For the successful cultivation of the crop a modera te

2

rainfall at the sowing time till the rhizomes sprout fairly

heavy and well distribu ted showers during the growing

period and dry weather abou t a month before harvesting

are necess2ry It thrives well in a wide range of ~oils with

good drainage like sandy or clayey loam red loam or

lateritic loam soils A friable loam rich in humus is

ideal Planting mat~rial

Rhizomes are used for planting The seed rhizomes

are treated with 025 ~~ Agallol solution for 30 minutes

drained and stored in a cool dry piace or in earthcrn pits

plastered with mud A ldyer of paddy husk may be

provided before storing the rhizome

Varieties (cu]tivasrs)

i) For dlY ginger- Maran Wynltld Mananthody

Valluvanad Ernad or K urupshy

pampady

ii) For green gillger- Rios De Janeiro (preferable for extraction of oleoresin China Wynad local or Tafenshy

giya

Varieties like Nadia Poona Wynad Kunnumangabm

Burdwan etc gave higher yields at Kasaragod but it is too

early to recommend these for large scale cultivation

Preparation of land and planting

Prcparation of land starts with the receipt of early

summer showers The land is to be ploughed 5 to 8 times

to bring the soil to fine liith Beds of about one meter

width 15 cm height and of cOllvenient length ar piepared

at an interspace of 40 cm in between beds In the case of

irrigated crops ridges lire formed 40 cm apart

3

Early sowing with the receipt of good summer showet

ensures a good yield Seed rhizomes carefully preserved

under shade are cut into pieces each having at least one or

two good buJs and weighing about 15 g The seed pieces

are treated with 025 Agallol solution for 30 minutes o

drained and planted in rows 20-25 cm apart at a distance

of 15-20 em within the row and covered with $Oil The

seed rate per heetare is IgOO kg~

Manurine and Mlchie

At the time of plantin~ well decomposed cattle

manure or compost at lhe rate of 25-30 tonnes per hectitre

is to be appl ied It may either be broadcast over the beds

pi ior to planting or applid in pits or applied over the seed

rhizomes pits befo re covering Fertilisers arc applied to

supply 75 kg N 50 kg 1 20 and 50 kg KO per ha Whole

of p O~ and half of KO may be applied at the time of

sowing half of N applied 40 days afler planting and the

balance Nand K 20 lhree months after planting The beds

arc earthed up after each top dressing with the fertilisers

Mulching of the beds with green leaves is an imporshy

tant and cssemial operation for ginger Apart from being

a source of organic manure mulching prevents washing

away of soil and conserves soil moisture The first

mulching i5 done at the tme of planting with 125 tonnes

of grer n leaves per h1 and a second Illulching done after

40 days with 5 tonnes of green leaves per ha

Two weedings are grenerally given 10 Ihe crop Th e

first weeding is done just before the seond mulching and

repeated depending on the intensity of weed growth If

necessary weeding is to be repeated for a third lime

GINGER

Ginger Zil1giber officinah- is an important spice crop

of our country It is said to be a native of South East

Asia Ginger of commerce is the underground stem or

rhizome of the plant

In addition to its use as a spice ginger is also used

in various medicinal and culina ry preparations It is also

used as a flavoUl iog agent and for the extraction of essential

oil gingerol

Tndi~ is the largest producer of dry ginger in tl)e world

accounting for more than half of the total world producti on

Othr important ginger producing countries are Taiwan

Jamaica Sierra Leone Australia Mauricius Nigeria etc

India produces about 41000 tonnes of dry ginger anJluJly

from an estimated area of 25500 ha About 0-15 1-6 or the

produce is egtpo(ted mainly to Saudi Arabia and othe r

Middle East countries

Though ginger is cultivated in almost all the states of

the country Kerala accounts for more than 60 of I he

total production Himachal Pradesh West Bengal Oris~a

Karnataka Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are

the other ginger growing states

Climate and soil

Ginger grows best in a warm and bumid climate It

is cultivated from al most sea level to an altitude of about

1500 111 The crop requires wells distributed rainfall Tn

low or moderate rainfall areas it needs good irrigaLo il

For the successful cultivation of the crop a modera te

2

rainfall at the sowing time till the rhizomes sprout fairly

heavy and well distribu ted showers during the growing

period and dry weather abou t a month before harvesting

are necess2ry It thrives well in a wide range of ~oils with

good drainage like sandy or clayey loam red loam or

lateritic loam soils A friable loam rich in humus is

ideal Planting mat~rial

Rhizomes are used for planting The seed rhizomes

are treated with 025 ~~ Agallol solution for 30 minutes

drained and stored in a cool dry piace or in earthcrn pits

plastered with mud A ldyer of paddy husk may be

provided before storing the rhizome

Varieties (cu]tivasrs)

i) For dlY ginger- Maran Wynltld Mananthody

Valluvanad Ernad or K urupshy

pampady

ii) For green gillger- Rios De Janeiro (preferable for extraction of oleoresin China Wynad local or Tafenshy

giya

Varieties like Nadia Poona Wynad Kunnumangabm

Burdwan etc gave higher yields at Kasaragod but it is too

early to recommend these for large scale cultivation

Preparation of land and planting

Prcparation of land starts with the receipt of early

summer showers The land is to be ploughed 5 to 8 times

to bring the soil to fine liith Beds of about one meter

width 15 cm height and of cOllvenient length ar piepared

at an interspace of 40 cm in between beds In the case of

irrigated crops ridges lire formed 40 cm apart

3

Early sowing with the receipt of good summer showet

ensures a good yield Seed rhizomes carefully preserved

under shade are cut into pieces each having at least one or

two good buJs and weighing about 15 g The seed pieces

are treated with 025 Agallol solution for 30 minutes o

drained and planted in rows 20-25 cm apart at a distance

of 15-20 em within the row and covered with $Oil The

seed rate per heetare is IgOO kg~

Manurine and Mlchie

At the time of plantin~ well decomposed cattle

manure or compost at lhe rate of 25-30 tonnes per hectitre

is to be appl ied It may either be broadcast over the beds

pi ior to planting or applid in pits or applied over the seed

rhizomes pits befo re covering Fertilisers arc applied to

supply 75 kg N 50 kg 1 20 and 50 kg KO per ha Whole

of p O~ and half of KO may be applied at the time of

sowing half of N applied 40 days afler planting and the

balance Nand K 20 lhree months after planting The beds

arc earthed up after each top dressing with the fertilisers

Mulching of the beds with green leaves is an imporshy

tant and cssemial operation for ginger Apart from being

a source of organic manure mulching prevents washing

away of soil and conserves soil moisture The first

mulching i5 done at the tme of planting with 125 tonnes

of grer n leaves per h1 and a second Illulching done after

40 days with 5 tonnes of green leaves per ha

Two weedings are grenerally given 10 Ihe crop Th e

first weeding is done just before the seond mulching and

repeated depending on the intensity of weed growth If

necessary weeding is to be repeated for a third lime

2

rainfall at the sowing time till the rhizomes sprout fairly

heavy and well distribu ted showers during the growing

period and dry weather abou t a month before harvesting

are necess2ry It thrives well in a wide range of ~oils with

good drainage like sandy or clayey loam red loam or

lateritic loam soils A friable loam rich in humus is

ideal Planting mat~rial

Rhizomes are used for planting The seed rhizomes

are treated with 025 ~~ Agallol solution for 30 minutes

drained and stored in a cool dry piace or in earthcrn pits

plastered with mud A ldyer of paddy husk may be

provided before storing the rhizome

Varieties (cu]tivasrs)

i) For dlY ginger- Maran Wynltld Mananthody

Valluvanad Ernad or K urupshy

pampady

ii) For green gillger- Rios De Janeiro (preferable for extraction of oleoresin China Wynad local or Tafenshy

giya

Varieties like Nadia Poona Wynad Kunnumangabm

Burdwan etc gave higher yields at Kasaragod but it is too

early to recommend these for large scale cultivation

Preparation of land and planting

Prcparation of land starts with the receipt of early

summer showers The land is to be ploughed 5 to 8 times

to bring the soil to fine liith Beds of about one meter

width 15 cm height and of cOllvenient length ar piepared

at an interspace of 40 cm in between beds In the case of

irrigated crops ridges lire formed 40 cm apart

3

Early sowing with the receipt of good summer showet

ensures a good yield Seed rhizomes carefully preserved

under shade are cut into pieces each having at least one or

two good buJs and weighing about 15 g The seed pieces

are treated with 025 Agallol solution for 30 minutes o

drained and planted in rows 20-25 cm apart at a distance

of 15-20 em within the row and covered with $Oil The

seed rate per heetare is IgOO kg~

Manurine and Mlchie

At the time of plantin~ well decomposed cattle

manure or compost at lhe rate of 25-30 tonnes per hectitre

is to be appl ied It may either be broadcast over the beds

pi ior to planting or applid in pits or applied over the seed

rhizomes pits befo re covering Fertilisers arc applied to

supply 75 kg N 50 kg 1 20 and 50 kg KO per ha Whole

of p O~ and half of KO may be applied at the time of

sowing half of N applied 40 days afler planting and the

balance Nand K 20 lhree months after planting The beds

arc earthed up after each top dressing with the fertilisers

Mulching of the beds with green leaves is an imporshy

tant and cssemial operation for ginger Apart from being

a source of organic manure mulching prevents washing

away of soil and conserves soil moisture The first

mulching i5 done at the tme of planting with 125 tonnes

of grer n leaves per h1 and a second Illulching done after

40 days with 5 tonnes of green leaves per ha

Two weedings are grenerally given 10 Ihe crop Th e

first weeding is done just before the seond mulching and

repeated depending on the intensity of weed growth If

necessary weeding is to be repeated for a third lime

4

Rotation and mixed cropping

Ginger is commonly rotated with other creps The

crops most commonly rotated with ginger in Kcrala

are tapioca chillie~ dry paddy and gingelly in rainfed

areas and ragi groundnut maize and vegetables in irrigated

ones In Karnataka ginger is also cultivated mixed with

ragi red gram and castor Gingei s also grown as an

intercrop in coconut areca nut coffee ~Dd Lrange planati o ns

Hanesting and curing

The crop can be harvested in about eight months time

when the leaves turn yellow and start gradually drying up

The clumps ae iifted carefully wilh a spade or digging

fork and the adhering soil removed The average yield per

hectare varies with the varieties ranging from 15 to 30

tonnes

In order 10 market the produ ce as green ginger

ha rvesting is done carlier the rh izo mes ar~ thoroughly

wHsheJ in water two or thr~ limes to rnl10ve the soil and

d irt Then it i sun dried for a da y

For preparing dry ginger the outcr ~kin has to be peeled

off frem the rhizome For better peeling of the outer skin

the rhizomes can be cut to pieces of conven ient length

The produce is kept soaked in water overnight The

rhizomes are then rubbed well between the pal ms of the

hand Arter thoroughly cleaning it is removed from water

The outer skin is best removed with split bamboos having

pointed end s Only the outer skin is to be peeled since the

essenntial oil of ginger remain s near the skin Then the

pealed produce is washed and uniformly sun dried for a

5

week In order to get rid of the last bit of the skin or any

foreign matter the dry rhizomes are rubbed together These

are call ed the rough or unbleached ginger

The yield of dry ginger is 16-25 of the green ginger

depending on the variety

Preservation of Seed ginger

In o rder to good germination seed rhizomes are to be

)lo red properly in pits under shade The rhizom5 harvested

du r ng December~January have to be preserved for about 4

months before planting in April-May For seed material

bii plumpy rhizomes fref~ from diseases are selected

imroediateiy after harvest these rhizomes are fir st treated

with 025 solution of AgalJol for 30 minutes and then

placed under shade till the solution on the surface is dried

Treating with agallal is a prophylactic measure aginst

soft rot disease If the seed rhizomes are infested with

rhizome scale it is advi3able to treat the same with 005 malathiol dimetholte The seed rhizoms arc put loosely in

pits of of convenient size to a height of 10-15 em The pit

is covered witb a wooden piank leaving a gap of abollt

10 em between the seed and plank For aeration a small

hole is also provided on plank The remaining surface is

plastered with mud In some areas the rhizomes are loosely

heapad over a layer of sand or paddy husk and covered

with dry leaves

Plant protection

Pests

Shoot borer (Dichocllrds punctiferalis Gucn) The pest

causes damage to the pseudostems and rhLomes The pest

6

incidence can be detected by the presence of holes on the

pscudostem the frass fhrown out of the holes and dead

hearts The pest can be controlled by spraying 0 05

dimethoatephosphamidon or by soil application of

gran ular insecticides

Leaf Roller (Udaspes folus C) The caterpiltar remains

feeding in leaf folds and pupates inside the same The

adult is an active butterfly with brownish black wings having

white spots The pest can be controled by spraying 0]0

carbaryl or OOS~~ dimethotephosphamidon

Scales Aspidioius hariti c cause damage to ginger rhizomes

under field and storage conditions They sud up sap from

the rhizome as a result of which the rhizomes shrivel and

dry up This pct can be controlled by dipping the seed

rhizo mes in U05 ~ malathiondimethoate at the time of

planting

Diseases

Soft rot (Pyhium sp) This is the most destructive disease

of the ginger The symptoms include slight paleness of leaves

particularly at the ape~ the yellowing gradually spreads

downwards resulting in witheringalld drying of leaves The

collar region of the pseudostem becomes water soaked and

soft resulting in eventual death of the plant Lack of

drainage and continued dampness of the filed predispose

the phnts to infection The diseaie spreads through seed

rhizomes and soil Control measures include provision of

adequate drainage in the field Selection of healthy s(ed

rhizomes from disease-free trees t reating the rhizomes with

025 Agallol for 30 minutes prior to storing and

7

Cheshnutdr~nching the beds with 001 Agallol or

com pound 03 or captafol 0 I Leaf spot (PhyllcJlicta zingberi) The disease appears as

small oval to elongated spots on the leaves The mature

spot S are white and paperly at the cent re with a dark brown

margin surrounded by yellow halo 1 he d isease incidence is

severe when ginger is g own under exposed conditions It can b~ controlled by sjCraying with I Bordeaux mixture

or 02 Thiram

lt

)

g ltt

(I

C5 0

lt)

rshy~

Os

gtD

I

ltJ)

0

0

0 t)

~

(Il0

shy

~

~O

J)0

lt

lt ~

~ ~

0 c ~

~

0u ~

c

0 ~

4)

~U

-X

0

lt)

- JLl

U ~

S

~ shy

~

Third Revisd Edition - 1979 bull bull Published by The DLRECrOR Central Plantation Crltlps

Research Institute (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) bull

Kasaragod- 670 124 Kerala

Printed at Srinivas Mudranalaya Kasaragod-670 121

6

incidence can be detected by the presence of holes on the

pscudostem the frass fhrown out of the holes and dead

hearts The pest can be controlled by spraying 0 05

dimethoatephosphamidon or by soil application of

gran ular insecticides

Leaf Roller (Udaspes folus C) The caterpiltar remains

feeding in leaf folds and pupates inside the same The

adult is an active butterfly with brownish black wings having

white spots The pest can be controled by spraying 0]0

carbaryl or OOS~~ dimethotephosphamidon

Scales Aspidioius hariti c cause damage to ginger rhizomes

under field and storage conditions They sud up sap from

the rhizome as a result of which the rhizomes shrivel and

dry up This pct can be controlled by dipping the seed

rhizo mes in U05 ~ malathiondimethoate at the time of

planting

Diseases

Soft rot (Pyhium sp) This is the most destructive disease

of the ginger The symptoms include slight paleness of leaves

particularly at the ape~ the yellowing gradually spreads

downwards resulting in witheringalld drying of leaves The

collar region of the pseudostem becomes water soaked and

soft resulting in eventual death of the plant Lack of

drainage and continued dampness of the filed predispose

the phnts to infection The diseaie spreads through seed

rhizomes and soil Control measures include provision of

adequate drainage in the field Selection of healthy s(ed

rhizomes from disease-free trees t reating the rhizomes with

025 Agallol for 30 minutes prior to storing and

7

Cheshnutdr~nching the beds with 001 Agallol or

com pound 03 or captafol 0 I Leaf spot (PhyllcJlicta zingberi) The disease appears as

small oval to elongated spots on the leaves The mature

spot S are white and paperly at the cent re with a dark brown

margin surrounded by yellow halo 1 he d isease incidence is

severe when ginger is g own under exposed conditions It can b~ controlled by sjCraying with I Bordeaux mixture

or 02 Thiram

lt

)

g ltt

(I

C5 0

lt)

rshy~

Os

gtD

I

ltJ)

0

0

0 t)

~

(Il0

shy

~

~O

J)0

lt

lt ~

~ ~

0 c ~

~

0u ~

c

0 ~

4)

~U

-X

0

lt)

- JLl

U ~

S

~ shy

~

Third Revisd Edition - 1979 bull bull Published by The DLRECrOR Central Plantation Crltlps

Research Institute (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) bull

Kasaragod- 670 124 Kerala

Printed at Srinivas Mudranalaya Kasaragod-670 121

lt

)

g ltt

(I

C5 0

lt)

rshy~

Os

gtD

I

ltJ)

0

0

0 t)

~

(Il0

shy

~

~O

J)0

lt

lt ~

~ ~

0 c ~

~

0u ~

c

0 ~

4)

~U

-X

0

lt)

- JLl

U ~

S

~ shy

~

Third Revisd Edition - 1979 bull bull Published by The DLRECrOR Central Plantation Crltlps

Research Institute (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) bull

Kasaragod- 670 124 Kerala

Printed at Srinivas Mudranalaya Kasaragod-670 121

Third Revisd Edition - 1979 bull bull Published by The DLRECrOR Central Plantation Crltlps

Research Institute (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) bull

Kasaragod- 670 124 Kerala

Printed at Srinivas Mudranalaya Kasaragod-670 121