Effect of Various Organic Amendments on Growth of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) under Coconut Cropping System

Abstract

Ginger is one of the most important spices which has been utilised for centuries as a food flavouring agent as well as a key ingredient in pharmaceutical products. Since organic food is considered to be healthy by the consumers, the demand for organic products are increasing and organic farming is gaining popularity worldwide. As ginger is a shade loving crop, it can be grown well under coconut ecosystem. Therefore, a study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of organic amendments on the growth and yield of ginger (IISR Varada) under coconut based cropping system. The results revealed that the maximum plant height (72.08 cm) was recorded in T8 - poultry manure + microbial consortium followed by T9 - goat manure + microbial consortium (71.86 cm), the number of leaves per plant were maximum (86.57) in the combined application of poultry manure and microbial consortium (T8) followed by T6 - FYM + microbial consortium (83.03), the largest leaf length (26.75 cm) was observed in T8 - poultry manure + microbial consortium followed by T9 - goat manure + microbial consortium (25.83 cm) and similarly, the largest leaf width was observed in T8 - poultry manure + microbial consortium (3.92 cm) followed by T9 - goat manure + microbial consortium (3.87 cm). The application of T8 - poultry manure + microbial consortium produced more number of tillers (9.48) followed by T6 - FYM + microbial consortium (9.23). Thus, the combined application of poultry manure and microbial consortium is considered as the best and effective organic amendment for ginger under coconut based cropping system.