MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC CROPS (2+1)

Cultivation

Soil

It prefers sandy loam soils on the acidic pH with good drainage, for its successful growth. In Southern India, it is found growing luxuriantly in red and black loamy soils which have a good amount of humus with a medium water holding capacity. A soil pH range from 6-7 has been found suitable for raising the crop.

Climate
It is a tropical plant and comes up well in warm humid regions. Under natural conditions, it is found growing up to an elevation of 600m from sea level. An annual rainfall of about 370 cm, well distributed throughout the year, is ideally suited and requires frequent irrigations upto the flowering in dry periods. The temperature favourable for its growth and flowering are 15-20°C at night. The relative humidity should be high. However continuous cloudy weather is congenial for the pathogen Curvularia, which is a very serious threat, resulting in 75 to 80% mortality of the vines.

Propagation
It is commercially propagated from its underground, V-shaped rhizomes or sexually propagated by seeds. The plants raised from seeds take nearly three to four years to flower. Hence, except for experimental purposes, seed propagation is not favoured by the growers.
Glory lily produces a bi-forked tuber during the growing season and each of these forks has only one growing bud. Tubers should be handled carefully, as they are brittle and liable to break easily. If the growing bud is subjected to any kind of damage, the tuber will fail to sprout. Since the vigour of the vine and its flowering and fruiting ability depends on the size of the tubers, it should not weigh less than 50-60g. The plants raised from smaller tubers do not produce flowers during the first year. The dormant tubers start sprouting from the month of May. About 2.5 to 3.0t of tubers are required for planting on one hectare. In order to avoid rotting of the tubers before sprouting, only healthy tubers should be selected for planting. The selected tuber pieces should be treated with suitable fungicides, preferably emisan @ 0.08%






Field preparation and planting

The field should be ploughed and harrowed several times until it is brought to fine tilth. All the grass stubbles and roots should be removed. The field must be leveled properly and drainage arrangements made to avoid water logging during the rains. The field is then divided into subplots of convenient sizes. About 15-20t/ha of FYM or compost should be mixed well into the soil. About 30cm deep furrows are opened at a spacing of 45-60cm. The treated tubers are planted at a depth of 6-8cm, keeping a plant to plant distance of 30 to 45 cm, depending upon the type of soil. Closer spacing has been reported to favour cross pollination, thereby improving the fruit set.

Manures and fertilizers
A fertilizer dose of 120kg N, 50kg P2O5 and 75 kg K2O/ha is required for a good crop. Of the nutrients, the whole P2O5 and K2O and one third of N is applied as a basal dose and the remaining two-third of N should be given in the first six to eight weeks after planting.

Irrigation
Frequent irrigation is required during the sprouting time to keep the surface soft, so that there is no hard-pan formation in order to facilitate easy sprouting and emergence of the growing tip outside the soil. Irrigation should be withheld until the flowering is over, to prevent rotting of the tubers. Excess watering is harmful to the plants and causes yellow or brown coloured patches on the leaves which fall off prematurely.

Drip and fertigation system
Application of 150:100:300 kg NPK/ha through water soluble fertilizers is recommended for doubling the seed yield.

Crop monitoring
The provision of support is necessary for successfully growing glory lily. Since the stem is very slender, when the plants are about 30-40 cm tall, they should be staked or tied to wires or allowed to climb on some sort of frame. Various standards are used by farmers. The GI trellis wire support system is the commonly adopted practice.

Pollination
The flowers have deflexed stigma which requires assisted pollination. Hand pollination is done between 7-11 am every day. Pollens are collected using brush and dusted on the just opened flowers to ensure maximum seed set.

Weeding
In the initial stages, the glory lily plantation requires frequent weeding to control the weeds which will otherwise compete with plants for moisture and nutrients and will restrict the growth of the plant. While weeding utmost care should be taken to avoid any damage to the growing tip as once damaged it does not sprout again during the season. Chemical weed control is possible only when there is wide spacing between the rows.