Crop Production
Crop Protection
Crop Improvement
Sustainable Agriculture
Organic Farming
Indigenous Farming

Weather
Soil
Water
Seed
Farm Enterprises
Nutrition
Post Harvest Technology
Bio Technology
Bio-Fuels

HORTICULTURE

Seed production of Greens can yield great profits

Agro Astro for Success

The hill crop – pepper, thrives well in plains too

Economics of Cucumber Production in 1 Acre

Thulasi - A helping hand

Farmer: Balu
Address: Mathur village – sengi Rd.
          About 100 of acres in Villipuram and Thiruvannamalai districts are successfully producing amaranthus seeds over the years.
Hard work yields:
          According to Balu, fertile red soil and sufficient irrigation water are the reasons for their success. Amaranthus, when grown for seed production it gives more profits.
Production Technology for Amaranthus:
          Amaranthus should be sown in November – December season. The land should be ploughed well and ridge, and furrows with spacing 6 x 8 feet should be formed. The seed requirement for 1 acre is 4 kg. It should be mixed with 5 kg of sand and broadcasted over the ridges. The soil should be spread evenly with a fork. Seeds of the same field should not be used.
400 kg from 90 days:
          Life Irrigation, 3 days later once and once in a week is the irrigation schedule. Basal fertilizer of DAP – 2 bags should be applied. Apply at 20th day Dimethoate 250ml in 100 litre of water and spray sucking pests, stem borer and aphids. On 35th day, apply monochrotophos @ 500ml in 100 litre of control leaf eating green caterpillar. Weeding should be done at 20th and 40th day. On 40th day mix 1 bag of potash with 1kg of urea and apply. The grains are ready by 90th day. Harvesting requires 10 labourers per acre. The plants should be dried for 3 days. Later it is spread on the road so that the grains are separated. The grains are winnowed and separated. The yield is 400kg/acre. The current price is Rs.100 per kg.
Sirukeerai production:
          The technologies are similar to that as mentioned above but the seed rate is 5 kg/acre. The duration is only 55 – 60 days and the rate is Rs.150 /kg. The major pests are Prutonia and stem borer.
Natural pest control methods:
Agniasthiram: Boil 15 litres of cow’s urine with ½ kg tobacco, ½ kg green chilli, ½ kg garlic, and 5kg of neem leaf. It should be boiled 4 times. After 48 hrs, strain it and spray it over the plants. It may be stored for 3 months in bottle. This is effective in controlling Prutonea and leaf feeders.
Pest control: Collect 1 kg each of any 5 crop species that is not grazed by goats eg. Notchi, Calotropis, Papaya, Neem, etc., Grind it well and boil it with cow’s urine. This should be tied up. Drain this after 3 days. Mix 300 – 500ml of this solution in 10lt of water and spray.
          Care should be taken not to exceed 500lt as it will burn the leaves.
Contact:
Mobile: Balu: 9894934477
              Krishna: 9841261835
Economic of seed production in Amaranthus (1acre):

Agro Astrology will help sure for successful farming – tells Mr. Velayudham, a Beetroot farmer of Udumalpet. 
He is cultivating all crops in his field. His lifeline is beetroot. He has studied all aspects of beetroot. Before cultivating a crop one should analyze the following how many acres of beetroot is being cultivated around the country, when do they come to harvest, future of market, expected yield, are there chances for inflow from other states, etc., this is known as crop astrology. Number of farmers seeks his advice to cultivate their crops.
Mr. Velayudham a graduate in Agriculture had been working as Agricultural officer for many years. The farmers harvest the entire produce and sell it in the nearby markets, so they do not get higher prices. Farmers should know the market rates of various places. To get this information he has planned to set up Agricultural Information and Advisory centre at Udumalpet.
Beetroot is a short duration crop (50 -60 days). It is usually grown in cool areas of Ooty and Kodaicanal but now it is being cultivated in Udumalpet too. Since the climate is similar for most seasons. Beetroot has high demand in Madurai, Ottanchatram, Dindigul, Kerela, Thirupur, and Theni. 2 – 3 farmers can join together to sell it in these markets.
Establishment of cold storage and post harvest techniques is a must for farmers. Establishment of Agricultural produce Procurement Corporation will give higher income to the farmers.

Contact:  Mr. Velayudham
                 9443748966  

Pepper doesnot grow in the hills alone, if similar environment is created in the plains, it gives good yield here too.
          Mr. Veerasingham, of villar village, Thanjavur is cultivating Coconut, Arecsnut, Ginger, Tippeli, and Cardamom in his farm named Vallalar Agricultural Farm.
          Pepper, has medicinal properties and it has been utilized in Indian traditional food. Mr. Veerasingham ,experimented pepper cultivation in his farm Batlagundu as a challenge after seeing its growth in Kerela, Ooty and Kodaikanal.
          The most important requirement for pepper cultivation is that the farm should be covered with trees. It is usually planted in July but it grows up well in any seasons. The cuttings are obtained at Ooty, Kodaikanal, Gudalore and Batlagundu.
          If intercropped with coconuts, pepper cuttings should be planted 2 feet from the trunk. Pits of depth ½ feet should be taken. If intercropped with other trees ½ feet distance is enough. The pit should be filled with sand, ash and manure. Only one cutting should be planted near a tree. Life irrigation should be given immediately after planting. Within 10 days, the cuttings produce new shoot and by the 3rd month it attains good establishment. The vines should be trailed on the tree using banana fibre, the vines produce clinging roots which absorbs nutrients from the tree. This doesnot affect the tree in any way. Once the vine grows to 3 feet, it should again be supported by tying with banana fibres. All the dried leaves and farm wastes should be pressed into the soil to act as manure. Separate fertilizer application is not necessary for pepper.
          Since pepper has medicinal properties, it is not attacked by pests. If intercropped with coconut, pepper doesmot require additional irrigation. Otherwise it should be irrigated once in a week. By one year, pepper gets well established to absorb all nutrients from the soil.
          4 years after planting, pepper produces economic yield. It procuces pepper in 2 seasons (i.e) yielding period for 3 month and nonyielding period of 3 months likewise 2 seasons in a year. Pepper vines give good yield for 30 – 60 years. Large sized pepper with good fragrance earns Rs. 180 /kg. The average income is Rs. 150.
          Mr. Veerasingham has planted 100 pepper vines. It started giving him 500kg/year from the 6th year. On a minimum of Rs. 150/kg, the additional income that he gets is around Rs. 75,000/-. If the expenditure for cuttings, maintenance and harvesting comes to Rs. 15,000/- the net profit will be Rs. 60,000/-. Pepper indeed grows well in plains and yields profits.  

Cucumber – the promicing crop
          Mr. Murugayan of North Poigaynallur of, Nagapattinum is maping 120 baskets from 1 acre using chemical fertilizers. Whereas Mr. Arumugam of Gramathimedu is reaping 180 baskets from 1 acre using organic methods.
Production Technologies:
          Harvesting should be completed by June – July. Cucumber grows well in salt less soil. It should be sown in January. The crop duration is 120 days. The soil should be ploughed 4 times with tractor and 1 time with country plough. Pits of size 1 x 1 x 1feet at a spacing of 8 feet should be taken. The pits should be applied with ½ basket of FYM and 15gm of D x P. 10 seeds should be sowed at 211 depths in the centre of pit. It germinates by 3 days, irrigate once in 2 days for the first 10 days in the morning. Apply ½ kg FYM, DAP 50g, Urea 50g and Potash 50gm on 20th and 40th day. The soil around the plants should be dig out.
  120 baskets in 120 days:
          Dig basins of ½ feet depth around the roots and irrigate in the morning. On the 25th, 40th and 60th days apply 25ml pesticides, 13ml of growth promoters by mixing with 13litre of water reduces the green caterpillar flowering starts by 30th day. On the 45th day it is ready for harvest.
          Harvesting can be done from 45 to 110 days. The harvest per day is 2 baskets of 20 – 25kg each. The price of 1 basket is Rs.200 – 300. Care should be taken to harvest daily as price is reduced for over matured cucumbers.
          The matured cucumber is left for seed production. It earns Rs.10/fruit.
Organic production of Cucumber:
          The seeds should be treated with Azospirillum (100gm) and Trichoderma viridi (100g) mixed with rice kanji. It should be dried in shade for ½ an hour before sowing. Each pit is sowed with 7 seeds. Irrigation should be done every day in the morning hours for the first 10days. Apply ½ kg FYM on 15 – 20th day. Apply ½ lt of garlic solution along with organic pesticide after weekly once 20th day. Alternate these solutions over the week. During irrigation (once in 4 – 7 days) mix 10lt of Jeevamirdha solution for 1 acre.
          Mix ½ lt of Panchakavya in 1 tank of water and spray it once in 10 days after the 30th day. The crop flower on 25th day and is ready for harvest on the 35th day. The harvest per day is 3 – 4 baskets from 1 acre. The total yield is 180 baskets from 60 days.

 Contact: Mr. Murugayan – 9362720167
                  Arumugam – 9965322418.

The farmers of Madurai and Dindigul districts are cultivating Thulasi at low cost and harvesting more income. The expenditure for 1 acre of Thulasi is Rs.5000 (to the maximum). It gives yield from the 40th – 50th day to 5 years continuosly.
          Mr. Joseph Manickam of Kallupatti Dindigul explained the following.
          They came to know about Thulasi cultivation from Y new trust, who provided them Rs.4500/-. He cultivated Thulasi in 60 cents by forming 22 ridges. He applied Farm Yard Manure before sowing the crop at December. He started harvesting in 45 days. From each ridge he gets 100 – 110 bundles per harvest. He sells the fresh leaves at Dindigul flower market @ Rs. 1.50 to 2 per bundle. The fresh leaves can be kept for 2 days by sprinkling water over it. If the price is low, the leaves can be dried and sold.
          There is no problem of pest and disease and he get around Rs.150 to Rs.200 / day. The income per month is Rs.3500 – Rs.4000/-. In the past 3 months, he has applied 74M (1 month) and ground nut cake (50 kg at 3 month). The cost has been Rs.5000 for 3 months while the income was Rs.11,000/-. The work is only for 2 hours in the morning and evening.
          The farmers here are collecting Thulasi in small packets while Mrs. Jayanthi, of Thirumangalam, Madurai districts is cultivating in 40 acres successfully including intercropping in Amla. She is growing mostly for Thulasi seeds. In a single year, seeds can be obtained 4 times, each time the yield is around 3 – 4 kg. The yield is 12 kg / year. The price for 1 kg is Rs. 12, 00/-. Seeds are procured by Siddha Company.
          In addition to the seeds she gets 2 tonnes of green leaves from 1 acre. The price is Rs.6000 / tonnes. It is sent to Bangalore.
          Mr. Dhiraviyaraj executive ‘Y New’ organization says that Thulasi comes out well in areas with water scarcity. CAPART is providing Rs. 4500 for farmers cultivating Thulasi under the scheme ‘Rennaissance in Drought’. There is no problem in marketing. There is more demand for Thulasi as fresh leaves are used for garlands and seeds are for medicinal purposes ‘Y New’ group is ready to give cultivation advisory service.

Contact: For marketing: Mr. Moithin Abdulkadhar,
                                       Virudhunagar , Mobile: 94427 – 17442
                Y New Group: Mr. Dhiraviyaraj – 9842780640
                Farmer: Mrs. Jayanthi – 94430 – 70089

Tips in Thulasi cultivation:
          Thulasi grows well in red and sandy soil. The spacing should be 1 x 1 feet. The seed requirement is ½ kg / acre in direct sowing. While in transplanted crop, the seed requirement is 350 gm. Care should be taken to buy healthy seeds.

[ 1 2 ]