Post by Trade facilitator on May 28, 2022 11:48:40 GMT 1
Turmeric Farming In Nigeria Part 2: Inter Cropping, Fertilization, And Pest/ Disease Control
From our last article on turmeric farming in Nigeria, we started with how to start farming tumeric for optimum yield.
I told you that tumeric belongs to the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, it is also known as Curuma longo, commonly referred to as the 'queen of spices'.
Turmeric can grow up to a height of 1 metre with many branches. It has characteristics such as being pepperish in nature, good aroma, sharp taste, and has yellow to orange colour.
We also told you that tumeric is grown for both medicinal and economic reasons; it is used in the preparation of cosmetics, drugs, die, and in spicing or colouring food.
In our last article we have covered the following topics:
How to start tumeric farming,
Land preparation, and
Planting of tumeric.
In this article therefore, we are going to continue by starting with inter cropping in tumeric farming.
In agriculture, what do we mean by inter cropping?
Inter cropping involves cultivating two or more crops in a field simultaneously.
In addition to cash crops, cover crops are also sometimes used in inter cropping.
This practice has regained attention worldwide, particularly in the tropics due to its beneficial effects on soil fertility and nutrient cycling.
Cover crops are fast-growing crops, such as rye, buckwheat, cowpea, or vetch, planted to prevent soil erosion, increase nutrients in the soil, and provide organic matter.
Cover crops are grown either in the season during which cash crops are not grown or between the rows of some crops (e.g., fruit trees).
Tumeric can be inter-cropped with maize, vegetables, onions, millet, or as a subsidiary to ginger.
Tumeric can also be planted under light shade with economic trees at the early stage of the crop.
Such economic trees are Moringa and oil tree.
Weeding your Tumeric Farm:
How do you carry out weeding of your turmeric farm?
Weeding of turmeric farm should be carried out early and followed up carefully. You can weed the farm two to three times before maturity of the crops.
Fertilization in Turmeric Farming:
How do you fertilize the soil of your turmeric farm?
Turmeric is a heavy feeder, and just like ginger should be fed with enough manure or compost to allow for a healthy harvest.
For good crop yield and maximum farmer economic return in Nigeria, it is advisable to:
(1) mulch turmeric soil after planting and
(2) fertilize turmeric soil using a combination of inorganic fertilizer like NPK and organic fertilizer such as poultry manure or cow dung manure.
You are highly encouraged to use organic manure like: cow dung, pig dung, etc.
Both in Nigeria, Africa and other developed countries farmers tend to love organic manure more than synthetic fertilizers for obvious reasons.
Pests and disease control in Turmeric Farming:
What are those pests and diseases that trouble turmeric farms and how to control them?
Shoot Border:
The first one is shoot border; it is a pest that attacks tumeric crops, you need to cut the shoot open, remove the larva and destroy it completely.
Leaf Blotch and Leaf Spot:
The next ones are leaf blotch and the leaf spot. These can be controlled by applying a Bordeaux mixture of 1%.
Rhizome Rot:
For rhizome rot, apply Trichoderma during planting.
Irrigation in Tumeric Farming:
How do you irrigate your turmeric farm?
Your tumeric farm needs adequate water for the crop to grow well.
Irrigate them lightly during the rainy season and heavily during the dry season.
Beware of moisture stress because it affects the growth and development of the plant especially during the rhizome bulking stage.
According to Wikipedia, "Moisture stress is a form of abiotic stress that occurs when the moisture of plant tissues is reduced to suboptimal levels.
Water stress occurs in response to atmospheric and soil water availability when the transpiration rate exceeds the rate of water uptake by the roots and cells lose turgor pressure".
Expect more on this in our next article as we will be dealing on how to prepare your tumeric for export.
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today, we train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
From our last article on turmeric farming in Nigeria, we started with how to start farming tumeric for optimum yield.
I told you that tumeric belongs to the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, it is also known as Curuma longo, commonly referred to as the 'queen of spices'.
Turmeric can grow up to a height of 1 metre with many branches. It has characteristics such as being pepperish in nature, good aroma, sharp taste, and has yellow to orange colour.
We also told you that tumeric is grown for both medicinal and economic reasons; it is used in the preparation of cosmetics, drugs, die, and in spicing or colouring food.
In our last article we have covered the following topics:
How to start tumeric farming,
Land preparation, and
Planting of tumeric.
In this article therefore, we are going to continue by starting with inter cropping in tumeric farming.
In agriculture, what do we mean by inter cropping?
Inter cropping involves cultivating two or more crops in a field simultaneously.
In addition to cash crops, cover crops are also sometimes used in inter cropping.
This practice has regained attention worldwide, particularly in the tropics due to its beneficial effects on soil fertility and nutrient cycling.
Cover crops are fast-growing crops, such as rye, buckwheat, cowpea, or vetch, planted to prevent soil erosion, increase nutrients in the soil, and provide organic matter.
Cover crops are grown either in the season during which cash crops are not grown or between the rows of some crops (e.g., fruit trees).
Tumeric can be inter-cropped with maize, vegetables, onions, millet, or as a subsidiary to ginger.
Tumeric can also be planted under light shade with economic trees at the early stage of the crop.
Such economic trees are Moringa and oil tree.
Weeding your Tumeric Farm:
How do you carry out weeding of your turmeric farm?
Weeding of turmeric farm should be carried out early and followed up carefully. You can weed the farm two to three times before maturity of the crops.
Fertilization in Turmeric Farming:
How do you fertilize the soil of your turmeric farm?
Turmeric is a heavy feeder, and just like ginger should be fed with enough manure or compost to allow for a healthy harvest.
For good crop yield and maximum farmer economic return in Nigeria, it is advisable to:
(1) mulch turmeric soil after planting and
(2) fertilize turmeric soil using a combination of inorganic fertilizer like NPK and organic fertilizer such as poultry manure or cow dung manure.
You are highly encouraged to use organic manure like: cow dung, pig dung, etc.
Both in Nigeria, Africa and other developed countries farmers tend to love organic manure more than synthetic fertilizers for obvious reasons.
Pests and disease control in Turmeric Farming:
What are those pests and diseases that trouble turmeric farms and how to control them?
Shoot Border:
The first one is shoot border; it is a pest that attacks tumeric crops, you need to cut the shoot open, remove the larva and destroy it completely.
Leaf Blotch and Leaf Spot:
The next ones are leaf blotch and the leaf spot. These can be controlled by applying a Bordeaux mixture of 1%.
Rhizome Rot:
For rhizome rot, apply Trichoderma during planting.
Irrigation in Tumeric Farming:
How do you irrigate your turmeric farm?
Your tumeric farm needs adequate water for the crop to grow well.
Irrigate them lightly during the rainy season and heavily during the dry season.
Beware of moisture stress because it affects the growth and development of the plant especially during the rhizome bulking stage.
According to Wikipedia, "Moisture stress is a form of abiotic stress that occurs when the moisture of plant tissues is reduced to suboptimal levels.
Water stress occurs in response to atmospheric and soil water availability when the transpiration rate exceeds the rate of water uptake by the roots and cells lose turgor pressure".
Expect more on this in our next article as we will be dealing on how to prepare your tumeric for export.
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today, we train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
