Effect of rhizome weight and nutrition on plant growth and yield in mango ginger ( Curcuma amada Roxb.) under arecanut cropping system

Abstract

Mango ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb. F: Zingiberaceae) an herbaceous perennial spice crop is a reservoir of several medicinal benefits. It is mainly grown in Southern parts of India like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. A field experiment was conducted at College of Horticulture, Mudigere to standardize the nutrition and seed rhizome weight for getting higher yields. The treatments consisted of two factors viz., rhizome weight (W1-20, W2-40, W3-60g) and nutrition levels (N1-Control, N2-90:75:150 kg/ha NPK, N3-60:50:100kg/ha NPK, N4-30:25:50kg/ha NPK, N5-150:125:250kg/ha NPK, N6-180:150:300 kg/ha NPK). Among 18 treatment combinations, W3N6 (rhizomes weighing 60g with 180:150:300 kg/ha) recorded highest plant height (56.56cm), number of leaves/clump (13.63), number of tillers/clump (3.56), rhizome yield per plant (358.70g) and yield per hectare (35.86 t/ha).