MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC CROPS (2+1)

Cultivation

Soil
Belladonna grows well in deep fertile soils of medium texture, which are rich in humus. Heavy clay soils which are water-logged should be avoided to cultivate this crop.

Climate
It is a temperate crop. It behaves as a perennial in temperate climates and gives maximum herbage and alkaloid yield. In sub-tropical areas, it can be grown as a winter crop. However, the plant behaves as an annual as it dies during the summer months and hence the yield is poor.

Propagation
The crop is propagated through seeds extracted from berries collected usually from September-November. About 4kg of seeds will be required to raise seedlings for one hectare of land. Seeds may be treated with 80 per cent sulphuric acid at the time of sowing for 2 minutes to improve the germination.

Nursery raising
It can be cultivated by direct sowing, but raising nursery gives best results. The nursery may be raised from the second week of May to the end of autumn (September to October) under sufficient shade. The land should be ploughed well so as to give a fine tilth. Raised beds of size 3m x 1m surrounded by drainage and irrigation channels to be made and apply well decomposed FYM to the soil. Seeds pretreated with fungicides like Mancozeb (10 g per kg of seeds) may be mixed with fine soil (1:4 ratio) and broadcasting in the nursery beds. Cover the seed beds with a layer of FYM and then with straw. Watering of beds should be done immediately after sowing with a rose can.
The seeds germinate in 3 weeks time. Seedlings will be ready for planting in the field when they attain a height of 15-20 cm after 8-12 weeks.

Broadcasting
About 20kg of seeds are required for sowing one hectare of land by broadcasting.

Transplanting
The ideal time for planting in the field is March-April or October-November. Before planting, the seedlings are treated with fungicide like Agallol. Seedlings are planted at a spacing of 50-60 cm in rows kept 60-70 cm apart. It is always safer to plant the seedlings on raised beds with 1 m wide strips or ridges as it avoids water logging and facilitates irrigation. The field may be irrigated immediately after transplanting.

Manures and fertilizers
Belladonna is an exhausting crop, hence a basal dose of 25-40kg N, 40-60 kg P205 and 30-50kg K2O per hectare. An additional dose of 60-80kg N is applied in 3-4 split doses as a top dressing at monthly intervals after every harvest.

Irrigation
Belladonna has a high water requirement and it should be irrigated frequently once in 10-15 days during the dry period. Normally, 6-7 irrigations are required during the dry months. Care should be taken to avoid water logging.

Interculture and weeding
Belladonna should be kept free from weeds by frequent weeding and hoeing.