Sustainable agricultural practices for improving growth, yield and quality of turmeric (Curcumalonga L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out in district-Sangli (Maharashtra) to study the effect of sustainable agricultural practices for improving growth, yield and quality of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) variety Salem during 2018 and 2019. Twelve treatments were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications. The results revealed that plant height, leaves/plant, width of leaves, leaf area index and clumps/plant tended to increase with age of plant and maximum values were recorded at 150 DAP, irrespective to various treatments. Application of 50% RDF + 50% NC resulted in significantly higher fresh weight of primary rhizome (46.5 g), fresh weight of secondary rhizome (55.5 g) and high marketable yield of rhizome (251.2 q ha-1) over control. The total yield of fresh rhizome per plot was comparatively on higher side (418.5g) when compared to control (308.1g) and other treatments. The application of 50% RDF + 50% NC proved superior for enhancing the quality parameters of turmeric such as fats (1.06 %), protein (1.25 %), carbohydrates (9.25 %) and curcumin (5.13 %) content to other treatments. Soil productivity was recorded maximum due to combined application of 50 % RDF + 50 % NC than the application of all these fertilizers alone. Fertility status of post-harvest soil improved with most of the treatments over control and higher values were recorded with 50% RDF + 50% NC treatment.