SOIL for Ginger Farming: Ginger thrives the best in well drained soils like sandy or clay loam, red loam or lateritic loam. A friable loam rich in humus is ideal. However, being an exhaustive crop it may not be desirable to grow ginger in the same site year after year. It thrives well under partial shade, though it is also grown on a large scale in open areas.
INTER-CORP in Ginger Farming: Ginger can be cultivated organically as an inter or mixed crop provided all the other crops are grown following organic methods. It may be intercropped with shade-giving plants, e.g. banana, pigeon-pea, tree castor and cluster bean (guar). Ginger is grown as mixed crop, in coconut, young coffee and orange plantations on the west coast. At higher altitudes in Himachal Pradesh , ginger is inter cropped with tomato and chilli.
BUFFER zone in Ginger Farming: In order to cultivate ginger organically, a buffer zone of 25 to 50 feet is to be left all around the conventional farm, depending upon the location of the farm. The produce from this buffer zone belt shall not be treated as organic. Being an annual crop, the conversion period required will be two years.
LAND PREPARATION for Ginger Farming: While preparing the land , minimum tillage operations may be adopted. Beds of 15cm height, 1m width and of conveneient lenght may be prepared giving at least 50cm spacing between beds. Solarisation of the beds is beneficial in checking the multiplication of pests and disease causing organisms. Solarisation is a technique by which moist beds in the field, are completely covered with polythene sheets and exposed to sun for a period of 20-30 days. The polythene sheets used for soil solarisation should be kept away safely after the work is completed.
PLANTING MATERIAL in Ginger Farming: Carefully preserved seed rhizomes free from pests and diseases which are collected from organically cultivated farms can be used for planting. However, to begin with seed material from high yielding local varieties may be used in the absence of organically produced seed materials. seed rhizomes should not be treated with any chemials.
VARIETIES of Ginger: Several varieties are grown in different parts of India. China and Rio-De-Janeiro are the two imported varieties of ginger. Other important varieties grown are Maran, Assam, Himachal, Kuruppampadi, Wynad Local, Suprabha, Suruchi, Suravi, Himgiri, Varada, Mahima, Rejatha etc. The best varieties suited for different products are as under.
PLANTING in Ginger Farming:In Ginger Farming, at the time of planting, apply 25 grams of powdered neem (Azadirachta Indica) cake and mix well with the soil in each pit. Ginger is planted in the rows, 25cm apart at distances of 20-25cm within the row. In the case of the Irrigated crop, ridges are made 40-45cm apart and Ginger planting is done in shallow pits on top of the ridges at distances of 24-30cm. Bits of seed-rhizomes weighing 20-30g each and having at least one bud are planted at the given spacing. While planting, seed rhizomes mixed with well rotten cattle manure or compost inoculated with Trichoderma (10g of compost inoculated with Trichoderma) may be put in shallow pits and covered with a thin layer of soil and levelled. About 600 - 1000kg of seed-rhizomes are required to sow one acre of land. Higeraltitudes. sowing is done in April- May in south India and a little later in North India. Sowing by the middle of April in the south and by the first week of May in the North gives productions.
The irrigated Ginger crop is watered immediately after sowing. The beds of the rain-fed crop are covered with leaf mulch as protection against sun and heavy rains for consequently enrichment of organic matter in the soil. In some areas, farmyard manure is used as mulch. Seeds of cluster-bean, pigeon-pea or castor are sown on irrigation channels on the corners of the raised beds for shade. The shoots emerge in 10-20 days.
WATER SUPPLY AND IRRIGATION in Ginger Farming: Proper drainage channels are to be provided in the inter rows to drain off stagnant water. Irrigation is given at varying intervals of 5-10days as and when required.
CULTURAL PRACTICES in Ginger Farming: Mulching ginger beds with green leaves is an important operation in ginger farming. Apart from being an organic manure, it helps in soil and water conservation. Mulching may be done with green leaves thrice in ginger, once immediately after planting at 4 -5 tonnes accre to ehance germination, increase organic matter, and conserve soil moisture and prevent washing of soil due to heavy rains. It is repeated at 2 tonnes accre at 40th and 90th day after planting preferably at the time of wedding, hoeing and earthing up. Use of Lantana camara and Vitex negundo leaves as mulch may rduce the infestation of shoot borer. Cow dung slurry or liquid manure may be poured on the bed after each mulching to enhance the microbial activity and nutrient availablity.
WEED CONTROL in Ginger Farming: Two weedings are gnerally given to crop. The first weeding just before the second mulching and repeateddepending on the intensity of weed growth. The weeded material may be used for mulching. If necessary weeding is to be repeated a third time. plants are earthed up once or twice.
MANURING in Ginger Farming: Ginger requires heavy manuring. Application of well rotten cow dung or compost at 2.5 to 3 tonnes acre may be made as a basal dose while planting the rhizomes in the pits. In addition, application of neem cake at 800kg/acre is also desirable.
PEST AND DISEASES in Ginger Farming: Shoot borer is the major pest infesting ginger farming. Regular field surveillance and adoption of phytosanitary measures are necessary for pest management. It appears during July-October period. Spot out the shoots infested by the borerand cut open the shoot and pick out the caterpillar and destroy them. Spray neem oil (0.5%) at fortnightly intervals if found necessary. Light traps will be useful in attracting and collecting the adult moths.
Soft rot rhizome rot is a major disease of ginger farming. while selecting the area for ginger cultivation care should be taken to see that the area is well drained s water stagnation pre-disposes the plants to infection. Select seed rhizomes from disease free area since this disease is seed borne. Solarisation of soil done at the time of bed preparation can reduce the fungus inoculum. However, if the disease is notied the affected clumps are to be removed carefully along with the soil surrounding the rhizome to reduce the spread.Trichoderma may be applied at the time of planting and subsequently if necessary. Restricted use of bordeaux mixture (1%) in disease prone areas may be made to control it as spot application.
HARVESTING CURING and Yield of Ginger: The ginger crop is ready for harvesting in about 8 to 10 months depending upon the maturity of the variety. when fully mature the leaves turn yellow and the pseudo stems begin to dry. Rhizomes are lifted either with a digging -fork or with a spade. They are cleaned of roots and adhering soil particles.
The green ginger is soaked in water to facilitate the removal of the skin. The skin is scarpped off with pieces of sharpened bamboo. The scraped produce is washed and dried in the sun 3 to 4 days and hand-rubbed. It is again steeped in water for two hours, dried and then rubbed to remove all the remaning bits of the skin. Sun-drying also bleaches the produce. Peeeling should be done with great care and skill.
The essential oil gives ginger the aromatic character is present in the epidermal cells and hence excessive or careless scraping will result in damaging these cells leading to the loss of essential oils. Steel knives are not used as they are found to stain the produce. storage of dry ginger for longer period is not desirable. The yield of dry ginger is 15-25 percent of the fresh ginger depending upon the variety and location where the crop is grown. Burning of sulphur for processing ginger is not allowed.
PRESERVATION OF SEED in Ginger Farming: The rhizomes to be used as seed material should be preserved carefully. Indigenouss practices like spreading layers of leaves of Glycosmis Pentaphylla being followed by farmers can very well be adopted for this purpose. In order to get good germination, the seedd rhizomes are to be stored properly in pits under shade.
For seed materials, big and healthy rhizomes from diseases free plant are selected immediately after harvest. Fsor thiss purpose, healthy and disease-free clumps are marked in the field when the crop is 6 to 8 months old and still green. Seed rhizomes are stored in pits of convenient size made in the shaed to protect from the sun and rain. Walls of the pits may be coated with cow dung paste. Seed rhizomes are stored in these pits in layer along with well-dried sand/saw dust (put one layer of seed rhizomes, then put 2cm thick layer of sand/saw dust) Sufficient gap is to be left at the top of the pits for adequate aeration. Seed rhizomes in pits need inspection once in twenty days to remove shrivelled and disease affected rhizomes. Seed rhizomes can also be stored in pits dug in the ground under the shade of a tree provided there is no chance for water to enterthe pits. In some areas, the rhizomes are loosely heaped over a layer of sand or paddy husk and covered with dry leaves in thatched sheds.
HEALTH BENEFITS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION : Ginger is a common ingredient in Asian and Indian cuisine. However, ginger has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries among many cultures.
Ginger has a long history of use for relieving digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and pain.
The root or underground stem (rhizome) of the ginger plant can be consumed fresh, powdered, dried as a spice, in oil form or as juice. Ginger is part of the Zingiberaceae family, alongside cardamom and turmeric.
This MNT Knowledge Center feature provides a nutritional breakdown of ginger, an in-depth look at its possible health benefits, how to incorporate more ginger into your diet and any potential health risks of consuming ginger.
HEALTH BENEFITS of ginger : Consuming fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long been associated with a reduced risk of many lifestyle-related health conditions.
Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of plant foods like ginger decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion and hair, increased energy and overall lower weight.
DIGESTIVE ISSUES
The phenolic compounds in ginger are known to help relieve gastrointestinal irritation, stimulate saliva and bile production and suppress gastric contractions and movement of food and fluids through the GI tract.
NAUSEA
The phenolic compounds in ginger are known to help relieve gastrointestinal irritation, stimulate saliva and bile production and suppress gastric contractions and movement of food and fluids through the GI tract.
PAIN REDUCTION
A study involving 74 volunteers carried out at the University of Georgia found that daily ginger supplementation reduced exercise-induced muscle pain by 25%.
Ginger has also been found to reduce the symptoms of dysmenorrhea (severe pain during a menstrual cycle). In one study, 83% of women taking ginger capsules reported improvements in pain symptoms compared to 47% of those on placebo.
INFLAMMATION
Ginger has been used for centuries to reduce inflammation and treat inflammatory conditions.
A study published in Cancer Prevention Research journal found that a ginger root supplement administered to volunteer participants reduced inflammation markers in the colon within a month. Researchers on the study explained that by decreasing inflammation, the risk of colon cancer is also likely to decrease. Ginger has also shown promise in clinical trials for treating inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.
NUTRITIONAL BREAKDOWN
Using fresh ginger is an easy way to flavor foods and drinks without adding unnecessary sodium. Since it is often consumed in such small amounts, ginger does not add significant quantities of calories, carbohydrate, protein or fiber.
Ginger does contain numerous other anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds beneficial to health such as gingerols, beta-carotene, capsaicin, caffeic acid, curcumin and salicylate.
Ginger provides a variety of vitamins and minerals:
Carbohydrate - 17.77 g
Dietary Fiber - 2 g
Protein - 1.82 g
Dietary Fiber - 2 g
Sugars - 1.7 g
Sodium - 13 mg
Vitamin B6 - 0.16 mg
Calcium - 16 mg
Iron - 0.6 mg
Vitamin C - 5 mg
Potassium - 415 mg
Magnesium - 43 mg
Phosphorus - 34 mg
Zinc - 0.34 mg
Folate - 11 mcg
Riboflavin - 0.034 mg
Niacin - 0.75 mg
Iron - 0.6 mg
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